# Top coat for butcher block cutting board.



## Jason845845 (Apr 11, 2015)

Just pulled a butcher block cutting board out of the trash and sanded it down. Now I need to put the top coat down. Any suggestions?


----------



## fossil (Apr 11, 2015)

Mineral oil


----------



## Charlotte987 (Apr 11, 2015)

What sort of grit of sandpaper did you use on the the last sanding? If the surface is pretty fine (soft to the touch) at this point, I'd wipe some water on it and let it dry. Then I'd use a tack cloth to remove every bit of loose fine sawdust on it. Then I'd oil it, maybe twenty times total and wipe on (with an old chamois or something that won't leave any residue on the board) about two coats of (olive, canola or avocado oil or an oil of your choice that is vegetable based) each day until it takes on a slightly darker tone. Periodically wipe it a few times per year with oil.


----------



## Jason845845 (Apr 11, 2015)

Charlotte987 said:


> What sort of grit of sandpaper did you use on the the last sanding? If the surface is pretty fine (soft to the touch) at this point, I'd wipe some water on it and let it dry. Then I'd use a tack cloth to remove every bit of loose fine sawdust on it. Then I'd oil it, about twenty times and wipe on (with an old chamois or something that won't leave any residue on the board) about two coats of (olive, canola or avocado oil) each day until it takes on a slightly darker tone. Periodically wipe it a few times per year with oil.



I used 60, 120 and 220, I bought some butcher block conditioner that is mostly mineral oil, I'm going to try this first.


----------



## johneh (Apr 11, 2015)

As a cabinet maker and furniture teck the only oils I
use on a butcher block are
*Food Grade Tung Oil* or *Lowe*'*s* Butcher Block *Oil*
Food grade Tung oil is available from lea valley
I do 4 bock resurfacings a year for four different butchers
and it is split 50/50 between them which finish theywant


----------



## Charlotte987 (Apr 12, 2015)

johneh said:


> only oils I
> use on a butcher block are
> Food Grade Tung Oil or Lowe's Butcher Block Oil



This is not for a commercial use, its for home use. The person using it won't be cutting raw meat all day, every day on his butcher block cutting board. Tung oil takes time to apply and to dry, gives a nice hard finish but its hard to sanitize for home use.


----------



## Jason845845 (Apr 12, 2015)

I used mineral oil and it turned out beautiful. I'm definitely considering using butcher block for my countertops now.


----------



## EatenByLimestone (Apr 12, 2015)

Mineral oil.  If you want a lifetime supply real cheap go to the laxative aisle in Walmart.  You can also use it in place of baby oil and leather coat conditioner.


----------



## begreen (Apr 12, 2015)

Jason845845 said:


> I used mineral oil and it turned out beautiful. I'm definitely considering using butcher block for my countertops now.


We use mineral oil for our large bb cutting board and it works great but for countertops I would seal them. It is more hygienic, permanent and much less maintenance. I polyurethane coated the bb countertop in our baking area. It's now 20 yrs old and still looks great.


----------



## jeff_t (Apr 12, 2015)

I made a small section of counter top a couple years ago, right next to the stove. I don't cut meat on it, but cut everything else and use it for dough. It took quite a few soakings with mineral oil, but I haven't touched it in about a year and a half. 'Course it's all scratched up and has plenty of knife marks in it now, but that's why I made it.

For general countertop use, I also would seal it.


----------



## begreen (Apr 12, 2015)

My wife mineral oil treats her butcher block once a week. It gets a lot of use and she likes to keep it up. This one has replaced the previous one of  18 yrs. She had worn hollows from chopping, on both sides of the board.


----------



## Ambient (Apr 13, 2015)

During the production, we have used salad bowl finish or Watco Butcher block finish. For subsequent field treatments, we have used and recommend a mix of beeswax and mineral oil. 
Ultimately, it will depend on what the expectations are for usage.  A hard finish is a brittle finish when cut through, small pieces can be carried away with the food being prepped. It leaves peaks and valleys, and the peaks wear through first, leaving wood exposed to moisture and therefore bacteria.  Using the mix of bees wax and mineral oil you have the properties of a food grade wax resident in the wood to help deflect moisture, and the oil to help carry it into the wood fibers. If you're treating virgin wood, you can use the freshly melted mixture as your first coat, allow the balance of the mixture to solidify and use as a paste from then on. Clean with vinegar and reapply often.  Cleanliness and moisture will be your biggest concern.

If you're NOT going to be cutting on the BB and want a good show piece we would also use a hand rubbed tung will finish, coating and wiping until you get the level of finish you want (could be 10- 20 coats).


----------



## BlackGreyhounds (Apr 13, 2015)

Mineral oil or walnut oil (find it in the salad dressing aisle at the grocery store) . Walnut naturally polymerizes and won't go rancid like other veg oils.  Beeswax is a nice addition too.


----------



## sportbikerider78 (Apr 13, 2015)

Has anyone ever used food grade silicone?  That would penetrate nicely and bead water.


----------



## DougA (Apr 13, 2015)

I'm with the mineral oil guys. You want the wood to breathe.


----------



## Charlotte987 (Apr 13, 2015)

A *mineral oil* is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of higher alkanes from a non-vegetable (mineral) source, particularly a distillate of petroleum.

The name _mineral oil_ by itself is imprecise, having been used to label many specific oils over the past few centuries. Other names, similarly imprecise, include white oil, liquid paraffin, pariffinum liquidum, and liquid petroleum. Baby oil is a perfumed mineral oil.

Most often, mineral oil is a liquid by-product of the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline and other petroleum-based products from crude oil. A mineral oil in this sense is a transparent, colorless oil composed mainly of alkanes [2] and cyclic paraffins, related to petroleum jelly (also known as "white petrolatum").

The World Health Organization classifies untreated or mildly treated mineral oils as Group 1 carcinogens to humans; highly refined oils are classified as Group 3, meaning they are not suspected to be carcinogenic but available information is not sufficient to classify them as harmless.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_oil


----------



## Ambient (Apr 13, 2015)

Yes, BUT the paragraph that is germane to this discussion:


*Food preparation*
Food grade mineral oil has an E number of E905a, although it is not approved in food products in the European Union, and incidental amounts in foods are carefully regulated.[_citation needed_][_dubious – discuss_][10] Because of its properties that prevent water absorption, combined with its lack of flavor and odor, *food grade mineral oil is a popular preservative for wooden cutting boards*, salad bowls and utensils. Rubbing a small amount of mineral oil into a wooden kitchen item periodically will prevent absorption of food odors and ease cleaning, as well as maintain the integrity of the wood, which is otherwise subjected to repeated wetting and drying in the course of use. *The oil fills small surface cracks that may otherwise harbor bacteria*.[11]



Charlotte987 said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_oil



I suppose the beeswax could be bad for you also, if the neighborhood farmers are spraying systemic pesticides and petrochemicals on their crops.  You'll ingest them on your non organic food and so will the bees.


----------



## Charlotte987 (Apr 13, 2015)

Ambient said:


> The oil fills small surface cracks that may otherwise harbor bacteria



So does any other oil, vegetable based.  If I were to choose between a by product of a distillate of petroleum and a vegetable oil I choose the vegetable oil.


----------



## Ambient (Apr 13, 2015)

Charlotte987 said:


> So does any other oil, vegetable based.  If I were to choose between a by product of a distillate of petroleum and a vegetable oil I choose the vegetable oil.


Ok with me

Check this out: Vegetable oils


----------



## Charlotte987 (Apr 13, 2015)

Re:  Vegetable oil rancidity

Rancid oil becomes a problem when you don't sanitize the chopping board you are using regularly. Or, you use rancid oil in the first place.


----------



## Ambient (Apr 13, 2015)

Charlotte987 said:


> Re:  Vegetable oil rancidity
> 
> Rancid oil becomes a problem when you don't sanitize the shopping board you are using regularly. Or, you use rancid oil in the first place.



 

 Cheers, good luck with that!


----------



## DougA (Apr 13, 2015)

Holy smoley. 

Mineral oil is sold in the drug stores (as someone posted earlier).  It's cheap and safe. People take a spoonful for constipation, etc. Yes, it is a product of petroleum production, just the same as hundreds of other food additives that you consume.


----------



## EatenByLimestone (Apr 13, 2015)

Shh!  I'm popping another batch of popcorn.


----------



## Charlotte987 (Apr 13, 2015)

DougA said:


> Holy smoley.
> 
> Mineral oil is sold in the drug stores (as someone posted earlier).  It's cheap and safe. People take a spoonful for constipation, etc. Yes, it is a product of petroleum production, just the same as hundreds of other food additives that you consume.




Unfortunately, its not as safe as one might think. There have been a lot of studies in recent years that indicate that its dangerous. As for food additives, I'm very careful about what I eat.  

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21970597 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081124102706.htm http://www.drfranklipman.com/3-key-reasons-to-avoid-mineral-oil/


----------



## drz1050 (Apr 14, 2015)

Mineral oil/ beeswax blend. Rub it in with your hands to warm it up, so it soaks into the wood better. 

If you happen to have a jar of Obenauf LP around, that stuff makes a great wood conditioner as well.


----------



## DougA (Apr 14, 2015)

Charlotte, you are mixing up food or medical grade mineral oil with industrial and cosmetic grade mineral oil.  That's like putting chainsaw oil on your cereal.  Read the comments on the bottom of the last link. That says it all.


----------



## EatenByLimestone (Apr 14, 2015)

Wait, no bar oil in the cereal?

Crap.  Breakfasts just won't be the same.


----------



## Hokerer (Apr 29, 2015)

EatenByLimestone said:


> Wait, no bar oil in the cereal?
> 
> Crap.  Breakfasts just won't be the same.


 
For that matter, neither will your craps


----------



## bholler (Apr 29, 2015)

I have always used a product called good stuf it lasts longer between coats than plain mineral oil.  
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Good-Stuff-Wood-Finish-For-Maple-Tops-1-qt-/H2372


----------



## begreen (Apr 30, 2015)

Have you read the MSDS for this product? I will stick with pure mineral oil.


----------



## drz1050 (May 2, 2015)

Mineral oil + beeswax lasts longer than just mineral oil too, and won't give you cancer.


----------

