It's been at least 6 months since I completed this project and I've succeeded in beating up the counter top like no other. I did the initial conditioning of the top and didn't do any follow through. I know better! No really, I do. I've already stained it with beet juice (the ugly dark gray blob) and there are small water spots on it. It's begging me to be oiled. Overall, the top was just looking dull and much lighter than when I started, which is a sure sign that it needs some love.
Since I made this island originally, I've also picked up a handy-dandy power sander. We sanded this thing as much as we could, but there are still rough spots on the sides. The top never really got as smooth as I wanted anyway. So, instead of just re-oiling, I've decided to resurface and completely recondition the butcher block portion of the island. That's the great part about wood, you can resurface and do it right the 2nd time!
The very first thing you should do is lightly clean the top of the butcher block. I had a lot of crumbs on mine, no big surprise: I'm messy. I got as many of the dried spots as I could, but I knew sanding would also help with that. Then, it was on to the sanding.
For resurfacing, you need to really get the top layer off. Since mine wasn't sandy very smooth the first time, it was easy to tell when I was done. I started with a rough grit sand paper of 60 (I don't know what the unit of measure is... but it's 60 something) because that's the sandpaper level that came with my sander. Very scientific. I sanded the whole thing, including the ends (very important!). Also, make sure to use enough pressure on the sander that it can do it's job. Mine has a handy pressure guide that helps figure that out. ALWAYS GO WITH THE GRAIN OF THE WOOD.
Misadventure #1: Power sanders sometimes leave funny marks. It's ok, they will probably go away.
(After the first sanding)
After the first sand, I noticed there were marks on the end from the sanders pattern. I freaked out a little, thinking I had just ruined my island. Turns out that they go away with more sanding enough that oiling at the end makes them completely go away.
After sanding, I cleaned off all the dust just to keep things as clean as possible. When you wipe off the dust, you should only use a slightly damp cloth/paper towel and let it dry completely. Why? Because wood doesn't like water, that's why I'm doing this whole mess.
Then I stepped up in sandpaper grit to 120... because that's what my sander came with. I could definitely tell a different in the way it was sanding down and I was able to get all of the stains from my messiness out. The beet stain still remains.
(After sanding with 120 grit paper)
I cleaned it off again... and made dinner. You know, because every good project means you should stop in the middle and do a completely different task, right? Just kidding, I started this project on a Wednesday after work.
After wiping it off again, I had one more step to go, to 220 grit sandpaper. I only have this grit in sandpaper sheets, so I did this step by hand. A single finishing coat with fine sandpaper isn't that terrible. Again, go with the grain. This step got dust EVERYWHERE.
(Last sanding! I used it flat with a flat hand to try and keep it all even)
Ok, sanding part, Check. Now to the conditioning part! As you can tell, after sanding, the wood is quite a bit lighter than what I started with, though much, MUCH smoother.
(Before I started and then after sanding with 220 grit sandpaper)
I apologize for the hazy pictures. This is about the time I realized that it wasn't just my eyes and the camera lens was disgusting.
For conditioning, I took a two-fold approach. After much research, I decided that I wanted to continue with using oils or wax as a conditioner instead of completely sealing with varnish. It's not the look I want, nor do I care for the smell since the counter top is not coming off. Mineral Oil is the best product to use and I found another product that is Mineral Oil plus natural waxes. The wax will make it have more of a water resistent quality than with just oil.
I picked up the Mineral Oil from the laxitive section at the local store and Howard Butch Block Conditioner from Amazon. I definitely DID NOT know Mineral Oil was a laxitive until I couldn't find it and asked for help.
From here on out, it was a piece of cake. I chose to use Mineral Oil first and then the conditioner, but you can use just the conditioner if you'd like. I did 2 coats of Mineral Oil and 1 coat of the conditioner. Pour some out, spread it around with a clean, dry cloth and let it sit for a few hours. Then you can wipe up the excess, let it try some more and do another coat. After the first coat, you'll notice a huge difference in the color. Using the conditioner was a bit different because it's thicker (from the wax). I didn't let it soak into the wood as long, but I let it sit for a while afterward.
Here are the pictures, they don't need much more explanation:
(First coat of oil!)
(You can see the difference when you're spreading it around)
(After the 1st coat soaked in)
(Time for the 2nd coat of oil)
(It looks soooo good after the 2nd coat as well)
(This was the first coat of conditioner with wax)
(After I wiped it all off, the water beaded up wonderfully)
And now the after pictures! The wood looks so much better. It's shinier and definitely not dull. I followed the instructions on the bottle with wiping it off and buffing it. Be aware, the wood may feel slightly oily or waxy after you've reconditioned it. It's not going to kill you, it's just that very top excess coat.
Happy butcher block!
This took me a few days, but that's merely because I let things soak in for a long time. After a few months, I'll need to use the conditioner again to keep up the water repellent coat and to keep the wood conditioned. Every 6 months to a year, I'll should reapply oil or conditioner to keep it in tip-top shape. Basically, anytime it starts looking dull!
Let me know what you think! Leave a comment or send me an email.
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