wood kitchen counter

[jrrjrr]

any ideas on now to make last a wooden kitchen counter with a under counter sink?

[dgbldr]

Re: wood kitchen counter

Be more specific. What exactly is the issue? I see wood counters occasionally, with no particular problems. Wear can be more pronounced, depending on the finish, it goes with the territory. Most people understand that when choosing wood. The sink being under or over doesn't have much to do with making it last.

[Slaughter Construction Co]

Re: wood kitchen counter

I assume you are talking about sealing/protecting the end grain of the wood that is exposed when installing an under counter sink in a wood counter top.
I have often wondered about the same thing and have been reluctant to do it. I will be interested in seeing what others have to say. Thanks for asking.

[Dick Seibert]

Re: wood kitchen counter

I've put them in maple butcher block tops, I've always used stainless steel top mount sinks.

[dgbldr]

Re: wood kitchen counter

Sealing the end grain is no different than sealing the rest of it. Just more coats because of absorption.

[Chad Fabry]

Re: wood kitchen counter

http://www.smithandcompany.org/CPES/index.html

CPES is awesome for projects like this.

[Slaughter Construction Co]

Re: wood kitchen counter

My concern is that the home owner won't properly do maintenance and ends up with a split counter top.

[MarkMc]

Re: wood kitchen counter

A valid concern and once covered in the planning/design stage conversations belongs to the owner(s) and save the last three words is applicable to all counter tops. None are care/maint free.

There's little benefit to wood around the sink and more potential for untoward things to crop up, IMO, that I've long promoted other material for that section of counter - concrete, stone, SS, SSS - all of which, in general, are easier to keep hygienically clean. Perhaps that's not a concern.

[calvert]

Re: wood kitchen counter

I would vote for what Chad suggested followed up by a durable varnish and still be fastidious about keeping things dry and clean.....and don't forget to seal the underside of counter where the sink will mount and for that matter, the entire underside, just to keep things in balance.

[dgbldr]

Re: wood kitchen counter

and don't forget to seal the underside of counter where the sink will mount

And where the dishwasher will dump steam. I can't tell you how many laminate counters I've seen where the particle board was rotted at the edge just above the DW.

[dgbldr]

Re: wood kitchen counter

... all counter tops. None are care/maint free.

I have granite tops, non-porous. Have done nothing to them in 15 years, they're fine. What maintenance should I have done?

[MarkMc]

Re: wood kitchen counter

Fitted them with 98CRI LEDs? Otherwise just a WAG says you had, caringly, a soft cloth applied to them once or twice over the course of the years by the maid to lift off the grease spots from the carry out boxes...

[dgbldr]

Re: wood kitchen counter

One who employs a maid does NOT carry out anything, nor do they allow the cook to leave grease spots. That's just... gauche.

[MarkMc]

Re: wood kitchen counter

One who employs a maid does NOT carry out anything, nor do they allow the cook to leave grease spots. That's just... gauche.

Looks a bit like gazpacho with black morcilla. No, not not either.