Bamboo Countertops

[Kuipo]

I was worried the color might clash with the standard wood throughout the rest of the cabin, but it looks pretty good so far.

 

[NW Cat Owner]

Stunning!

 

[mizterwizard]

When I did the butcher block counter top in our kitchen I left a piece of cloth in a tray of urethane varnish next to the counter. Every time I passed by I gave it a light coat. Every 4-6 coats I would give it a light sanding to even out any streaks. It must have 12-20 coats on it not counting what was sanded off but they are really thin. It turned out pretty nice.

Looks like you are headed in the same direction. It looks better with each picture.

 

[gbaglo]

They sell food grade oil for cutting boards, if you intend to use it for that purpose. Keeps the board from drying out and splitting.

 

[mizterwizard]

They sell food grade oil for cutting boards, if you intend to use it for that purpose. Keeps the board from drying out and splitting.

Yes they do and yes I do but only part of it. The counter is actually 16 feet long and the longest butcher block I could find at a reasonable price was 12 feet. I got a 12 and an 8. I cut the sink plug out of the 8 footer, turned it sideways and left it unfinished, except for the oil. My son drilled and doweled it all so that it glued up nicely and is strong. That gave me a nearly 22 foot counter.

I trimmed both ends to put the sink in the right location and used the trimmed pieces for sideboards at the stove. The joint doesn't look like an afterthought. I looks really nice.

I don't mean to steal someone else's thread. I just meant to suggest that many very thin layers of varnish makes for a pretty smooth finish and doing it the way I did made it easy to put down lots of layers.

Also I used silica containing floor varnish which is more abrasion resistant than the typical product. Lots of things have been dragged across this counter over the past 6 years and there are very few scratches.

I did have to teach the daughters-in-law the difference between the cutting board part and the counter part though.