Replies

1. 
   observer | Mar 22, 2002 01:50am | #1

   Probably best kept as a notion. Although it is rot resistant, this wood is fairly low density and dents very easily. I use it for occasional cabinet doors but even they look pretty dinged up fast. The smell will dissipate very quickly with the volatile oils in the wood. Sure would be pretty though.

2. 
   Harborman | Mar 22, 2002 02:00am | #2

   Eddie:  I have used 2x6 and 2x8 white cedar from Michigan and once used western red cedar for a vanity top.  Go for it, it worked out very well and my clients loved it.

1. 
   AlanSenoj | Mar 22, 2002 02:59am | #3

   Red cedar is incredibly soft. A number of condos were trimmed out in red cedar here in Vancouver a few years ago.  These were fairly high-end units and those I've seen look pretty shabby now. The vacuum being pulled through a doorway will scar these mouldings,

   For a countertop you have to judge your customers. Maybe they'll appreciate the rustic look that any softwood countertop will provide.Alan Jones

1. 
   Piffin | Mar 22, 2002 04:57am | #4

   If it's just the intoxicating smell that gets you going, then make up a bag of sawdust and shavings to dangle in the kitchen and use something harder for counter tops.

   Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   jjwalters | Mar 22, 2002 01:13pm | #5

   I've built all-cedar Lindal homes before and I could never figure out why they pushed cedar trim in their package (other than the gross amount of profit) A counter top would be out of the question IMO. Think splinters, big nasty, self infecting splinters.

   If you do decide to use it...........allow a cut out space where you can sit in a maple cutting area (a good idea in any counter top )

1. 
   jimblodgett | Mar 22, 2002 04:41pm | #6

   Lots of people are slightly alergic to things they don't realize they're allergic to. Like milk. Or toxins contained in aromatic lumber, like Western Red Cedar. I have to just about get into a space suit to mill much cedar and I gotta believe that eventually some of the allergins in WRC would make their way into my body if I lived in a house with cedar countertops.

   Would those countertops look good? Yes, for a time, maybe even spectacular when new. You might even like the rustic appearance they would soon take on. Is it a practical idea? I don't think so, for all the reason others gave, as well as the toxins thing.

3. 
   remichal | Jan 20, 2013 02:49pm | #7

   Cedar countertops

   I made a small cedar countertop for a lavatory in my home.  I used a piece of cainet grade pylwood for the base and cut the cedar strips to 2.1/2 inches wide, then edge jointed them and planed them to 3/8" thickness.  They were glued to the plywood and I made a front band of the same cedar but planed to 1/8" thickness.  I recommend sanding with 120 grit (not coarser) then 220.  I found I was able to use a 1/8" roundover bit in my router to take the sharp curse off the front edge. 

   The finish was 4 coats of fiberglass resin (no cloth), available in any home center.  Sand between coats with a 220 grit sandpaper with a random orbit sander.  Don't get too agressive, just use the weight of the sander and only do as much as is needed to smooth the entire surface. 

   The resin brought out the beauty of the cedar and made for a hard, watertight surface.