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Wood Counter Tops

40K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  md2lgyk 
#1 ·
I'm in the process of planning a kitchen remodel and we're considering wood countertops. Has any one had any experience with these? It looks like there's a difference between actual butcher block and regular wood, but I'm not sure how they will stand up in the long run. Do you think it would look goofy to have wood cabinets and wood countertops?
 
#2 ·
billinak, I'm currently in the proccess of building butcher block counter tops from scratch (edge grain, 2/3 maple, 1/3 walnut). We have dark wood cabinets with go well with the walnut, while the rest of the kitchen is a light beige with goes well with the maple. I'm very pleased with the appearence of the pieces I have so far. I'm less sure how a single species wood countertop would look with wood cabinets, but that would depend on the type of wood the cabinets were, and how much color/grain variation there was in the countertop.

As for the the durability, time will tell. I'm rather optimistic (or I wouldn't be doing this) but I don't intend to cut directly on the countertop. I do expect the counterops to show some signs of wear, but I think this will occur in a manner that will add character. I'm fairly confident any damage to them can be sanded out and refinished.
 
#5 ·
Epoxy wooden countertops

Hi, this is my first post and I am hoping to talk to the gentleman who makes custom woodencountertops with an epoxy coating. (I saw a note from him on a previous post.)
Ok, this is it. I am getting ready to put Russian birch countertops in my new kitchen and want to seal them with a 1/16" coating of epoxy. I have tried to do my homework and make sure I know what I am doing, but I still have questions. Where do I buy the epoxy and how do I know that the epoxy I am buying is food safe?

Also, I know epoxy is hard as a rock, but is it cut resistant and burn resistant if my daughter were to set a hot pot on it? I can just see my beautiful finish melting!

Also, last question, I promise. What about sinks. I really want to install an undermount sink. Should I just epoxy coat the raw edges from the cut out?

I do hope someone can help. I look forward to getting started on this project and really am excited about the possibilities of epoxy!

Thanks so much,
Carissa
 
#6 ·
The epoxy is not burn or cut resistant. You shouldn't be cutting directly on your countertops anyway. It is not heat resistant either. I've had to repair one where something hot was set on it and it caused an ugly bubble. I was able to cut the bubble out, fill the hole and then apply a new coat to the whole top. You had to look hard to see where the repair was made. My customer was very satisfied.

Any of the epoxies that are a bar type finish will work no matter what the brand. They are all food safe to my knowledge also. Some paint stores carry it or you can purchase it online.

I would not attempt an undermount sink. I can forsee too many problems and personally I would refuse if asked to do it.

Here is another kitchen countertop that I just finished about a month or so ago.

 
#13 ·
Epoxy Resin Kitchen Table

I am in the process of making a epoxy resin counter top for my wife for Christmas. I calculated the amout of resin it would take and then ordered extra. Well the resin soaked in between the barn wood slates a lot more than I figured. I have two questions?
1) The instructions for the resin said I can sand the first layer of hard resin with 220 grit sand paper and wipe clean with acetone. Am I going to be able to see the scratches in the first coate?
2) I rushed the resin and pored a little thick and so I have bubbles that have raised the surface of the dried resin and did not pop. What is the best route to take to fix them. Sand them down with the 220 grit sandpaper or is it possilble to drill them out and fill them with my second coat of resin.
Sorry to be lengthy, very scared and frustrated I messed up my project.....
 
#14 ·
You can add onother coat without any problems. The new coat will fill the scratches and they will dissappear. Same with the air bubbles. Do whatever needs to be done to open them up and accept the next coat of resin.

If you have some really deep or big bubbles you probably want to drill them out to accept more resin and mix a small batch and fill them in before doing another pour over the whole thing.

I've poured well over 100 gallons of the stuff and still have a problem now and then. Some things you can't avoid no matter how much you try.
 
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