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Safe to poly a butcher block workbench?

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sonambulo

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I came into a butcher block top and have been planning to use it as a bench top. To be clear it is not going to be used for food preparation of any kind although I will probably eat snacks at it from time to time. This is going to be used as a bench top for the duration of it's life.

Seeing as it will be used strictly as a bench/desk top and I won't be preparing food on it, is it ok to poly it? All I will do is use one half for my computer and the other half for drawing, painting and sometimes sculpting clay. I'm thinking bowling alley poly to really protect the surface but if anyone has other ideas I'd love to hear them.
 
I don't like poly. It takes nice wood, and turns it into crappy plastic. I'd leave it natural, and let the wood pick up character as it ages.
 
if it was for, uh, butcher blockery, you would certainly not use any kind of hard coating (just some kind of oil, the name of which escapes me).

if it's for the garage or something, sure it'll work. paint it with goat blood for all it matters.

the thing rubbed into the wood by prior owners of the block could hinder your coating, though.
 
You use mineral oil on cutting blocks so it probably won't stick.If you want a little shine heat the mineral oil and melt some parafin wax in.you can buff a little shine out of the wax
 
brblx said:
if it was for, uh, butcher blockery, you would certainly not use any kind of hard coating (just some kind of oil, the name of which escapes me).

if it's for the garage or something, sure it'll work. paint it with goat blood for all it matters.

the thing rubbed into the wood by prior owners of the block could hinder your coating, though.
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Sand it down a bit first.
 
DisgruntledVirus said:
Sand it down a bit first.
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If they oiled it correctly it the oil would have soaked down into the wood deeper than you'll want to go with just sanding.

To the OP, run over the wood with a bit of light grit sandpaper, remove the sawdust (damp rag works well), then rub it down with mineral oil. Be generous with the oil, let it soak in for a while, then wipe off. It will give you a very nice natural surface that's durable and looks great.
 
i like the idea or wax, seems like i've seen that turn out well. then again, that's probably for more of a showpiece.

pretty much anything will shine if you polish it enough. metal. wood. hell, matte paint.
 
deadlyapp said:
Why wouldn't it be safe? Everything I make with wood and I expect to see heavy use I poly.
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Word. I don't know why I phrased it as being safe or not. Sometimes I just like to bounce ideas around before making a decision and they come out funny.

lxskllr said:
I don't like poly. It takes nice wood, and turns it into crappy plastic. I'd leave it natural, and let the wood pick up character as it ages.
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If it were anything but a work surface I would go with oil for sure. However there will almost certainly be times when I either have paint spills or tiny little globs of airborne paint from my airbrush that land on the surface. In this case I don't feel that a natural surface is enough.
 
sonambulo said:
I came into a butcher block top and have been planning to use it as a bench top. To be clear it is not going to be used for food preparation of any kind although I will probably eat snacks at it from time to time. This is going to be used as a bench top for the duration of it's life.

Seeing as it will be used strictly as a bench/desk top and I won't be preparing food on it, is it ok to poly it? All I will do is use one half for my computer and the other half for drawing, painting and sometimes sculpting clay. I'm thinking bowling alley poly to really protect the surface but if anyone has other ideas I'd love to hear them.
Click to expand...

a slab of glass? my parents have a decent wood desk that has been covered with a glass top as long as theyve had it. no work to speak of, just measure the desk and have a place cut you a piece to put on top.
 
I use poly on my kitchen butcher block and it works fine. I need to reapply it every couple years as the knife cuts take their toll.
 
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