Step By Step Directions & Items Required To Seal Butcher Block Countertops
When you have installed the butcher block countertop in the kitchen area of your home, it becomes necessary to treat as well as seal the counter in order to prevent it from drying out & staining. Waterlox original is one of the best products that can be used to get the butcher block countertop sealed. If you are looking to seal the butcher counter, then first you need to collect the certain items required for the process & then go through the step by step directions mentioned below:
Items Required
- Orbital Sander
- 100 Grit Coarse Sanding Disks
- 320 Grit Fine Sanding Disks
- Dust Extractor
- Vacuum Cleaner
- Waterlox Original
- Foam Paintbrushes
- Waterlox Satin (Optional)
Step By Step Directions
- First of all, if in case you are only refinishing your butcher counter, then you need to use orbital sander & 100 grit sandpaper for sanding the entire surface to bare wood. But if you are performing the job on a new butcher block counter, then skip this step. A dust extractor assists immensely to prevent sawdust from storming all over your house. You need to affix your sander to the dust extractor and as a result, it functions as a vacuum in order to directly suck the sawdust into the extractor instead of storming it everywhere.
- Now, start sanding the entire surface of the new butcher countertop with the help of an orbital sander & 320 grit sandpaper in order to make its surface look smooth.
- The next step is to vacuum the entire surface from top to the bottom. Vacuuming is important to make sure that no sawdust is present on the butcher surface at the time you start applying the sealer.
- After that, you need to use Waterlox with the help of bristle brush but the problem with a bristle brush is that you need to clean it after every coat, which is a very hectic process. So it is recommended to use very less costly paintbrushes that you will throw away after every coat. Apply a plentiful coat of Waterlox Original to the entire surface of the countertop. The time period it takes to dry completely is nearly 24 hours, so keep it as it is for 24 hours.
- The total number of Waterlox coats to be applied totally depends on the type of wood, hardwoods require a total of 3 coats whereas softwoods require 4 coats. It is not necessary to sand between the coats but if you are looking for a very smooth finish, then you can go with a light sanding using 320 grit sandpaper.
- If in case you are looking for a satin finish, then apply two more coats using Waterlox Satin, but it totally depends on the hardness of your counters.
- Finally, you need to make sure to dry the final coat, which will take nearly 7 days to get died off completely. Once you are sure that it is dry, now you can place the items back on the surface of the counter. Remember to use the counter very smoothly for the first few months as it will take nearly 30-90 days for the finish to cure fully.