I have a customer who has a new solid cherry island counter. Her kitchen supplier has finished the counter with shellac, but it shows bad water stains (there is a sink in the counter). Any suggestions as to the best durable finish for this top?
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Yeah good old vegtable oil and rub it in. Needs to be done every month or so but a good finish that is non toxic to any food and won't burn.
If you want to use oil, use mineral oil. Vegetable oil can turn rancid over time.
Steve
What Steve said, non toxic once dry.
Doug
I stand corrected. Use mineral oil.
I'd pull the sink and seal the cutout with epoxy, particularly the end grain. I've had good luck mixing up a good batch of regular old hardware store epoxy in a plastic cup and dissolving the goo in enough alcohol to result in a workable viscosity. Apply with a throw-away brush.
Andy Engel, The Former Accidental Moderator
try Velvit Oil - very nice, non toxic and spots wipe up. Look on the web for Velvit Oil. Softer looking than a poly and can be rejuvenated easily but does not need it monthly.
The best finish will depend upon the intended use, but shellac is a poor choice in a kitchen setting...period. Shellac offers virtually no protection against water droplets, as you're discovering. It will have to be removed if you're going to go the mineral oil route. (If it's indeed shellac, then you should be able to remove it with nothing more than denatured alcohol.) The oil finish would work if it's intended to be used as a cutting surface. Behlen's makes an oil finish also for wooden bowls and the like, but I have no personal experience with it.
If it's not intended to be used for a cutting surface, then I'd suggest that you use several coats of an oil-based poly.......I'd suggest satin finish, but in the end, sheen is a personal choice. You'll want to remove that spotted shellac first. This finish won't serve well if it gets used as a cutting surface as the slits made by the knife will allow water and food juices to enter and will eventually cause the finsh to lift and fail. But as a durable cleanable surface, it's hard to beat. Grab a dishcloth and some dish detergent and clean away. Even spilled alcohol is not a problem. While all finishes need some common sense care, the oil-based poly will serve as well as any finish I know in the kitchen. Allow six full weeks for a full cure to final hardness, but the poly will be in condition acceptable for use in about a week's time from the last application.
Do not allow any iron bearing materials such as copper pots,tea tins, or the like to sit on the counter for long (days on end) in the same place because they will soon enough leave a black stain that will penetrate any finish and lodge directly in the underlying wood.
Shellac was a bad choice around water and alcohol. Steve was right, use mineral oil. The other choices are paraffin wax (canning wax), leave it untreated or Tung oil.
Tom
Oh yeah, you didn't say whether or not his island contains a sink. I don't recommend wood countertops in combination with sinks. If it does have a sink and is intended to be used this way, make sure you remove the sink and seal the edges around the cutout to help prevent water from getting under the finish via this route.
Also, I'd recommend that you take a look on the underside of this wood countertop to see if it's finished there. Ideally, the underside of any solid wood top of this nature, be it counter, desk or table, should have the same type and number of coatings on the underside as on the top or the moisture absorption will vary and usually causes the top to cup.......sometimes severly. An ounce of prevention.........