# wood counter stain...what is it?



## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

I wouldn't stain a food prep area
The oil you use to "seal" it may not tolerate it well
(but that could depend on what you are using to "seal" it)

The stain...I'd think it was leaching from whatever 'caulk' they used under the sink (sink to counter)
I thought they weren't to use any on this type of app. (raw wood) but it's not my specialty I could be off on that


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## troubleseeker (Sep 25, 2006)

If it was silicone, it would not be leaching like that. Looks like it might have been bedded with plumbers putty, and what you are seeeing is the oil leaching into the wood. You are right in your concern about solving the problem before sealing the top, as the oil is going to pose a problem. Unfortunately, I think you will have to remove the sink, remove all the old putty, clean the wood to remove the oils and reset the sink.I would finsih the top before resetting the sink, as it will be easier to clean any squeeze out off of the sealer wood, rather than the raw wood, plus you can completely seal the edges of the cutout for moisture.


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## Dusty (Aug 9, 2006)

Oh argh......that was the answer I was afraid of. Hopefully it won't be me removing the sink and replacing it as I'll be calling the guy who did the install to see if he will fix it (since he did it).

Meanwhile if I don't stain (I was going to use coffee so no biggie with food safety) and just used the wood oil (which was made for butcher blocks) would the leached oil be a big deal? Just thinking, oil with oil might be okay. And if it is oil, that is better than water as far as the wood goes isn't it?...or am I tilting at windmills?

Jean


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## troubleseeker (Sep 25, 2006)

Dusty said:


> Oh argh......that was the answer I was afraid of. Hopefully it won't be me removing the sink and replacing it as I'll be calling the guy who did the install to see if he will fix it (since he did it).
> 
> Meanwhile if I don't stain (I was going to use coffee so no biggie with food safety) and just used the wood oil (which was made for butcher blocks) would the leached oil be a big deal? Just thinking, oil with oil might be okay. And if it is oil, that is better than water as far as the wood goes isn't it?...or am I tilting at windmills?
> 
> Jean


My guess is that there would not be a problem if you just go with the oiled finish, as they would just meld together as you suggest.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

Ummm...I would assume there is a big difference between plumber's putty oil and mineral oil, just as there is a difference between lemon oil, peanut oil, linseed oil, alkyd oil, and 3 in 1 oil

You want to find out exactly what the stain is, and exactly what you are "sealing" this counter with, and their compatibility with each other (and with coffee oils) before continuing


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## Dusty (Aug 9, 2006)

Does that mean I have to do something sensible like a sample piece? I could easily do that if I had any plumber's putty, but I don't. More and more it's looking like the installer needs a phone call to find out what he used and if he can give me some of it or come and make it go away somehow.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Unless this sink is a prop in a movie, the wood will turn in a short period of time. You NEVER put wood in proximity to water, NEVER. 
Ron


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## Dusty (Aug 9, 2006)

Gee wood is around water all the time (boats come to mind) and butcher block counters are pretty standard. They just need the protection of something like an oil to prevent water penetrating. In this situation, the ideal would have been to have that counter sealed before the sink was installed, but no such luck, and in the research I did before deciding to go this route, no one ever had a problem doing it after My issue is I have never seen this particular problem I am having being mentioned so it must have something to do with what they used when they installed that sink.


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## localtradesman (Oct 27, 2007)

*Hardwood Flooring as your countertop??*

You used tongue and grove hardwood flooring....right?? My brother has installed hardwood like this before for people. If you take a wet rag and wipe it with water it will give you the same look as the oil based finish that you will be applying. In otherwords, If you wet a piece of wood...this is the look of the hardwood after it is finished' I wouldn't worry about it. I am not sure of the best finish though.


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## Dusty (Aug 9, 2006)

Nope, it's not T&G. It's butcher block, oodles of pieces of oak (in my case) that have been sandwiched/glued together (for lack of a better word) into one solid piece of wood about 1.5" thick. Here's a link in case you'd like to see what they are like *butcherblockspecialist.com/Countertops.htm*


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## RemodelMan (Oct 7, 2007)

There are a few butcher block finishes available.
Raw almond oil, mineral oil and or beeswax can be combined.
Other oil finishes may invite molds.

Try www.woodfinishsupply.com


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## Dusty (Aug 9, 2006)

Thanks for the info and the site.


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## Ally (Nov 7, 2007)

*Coffee as a stain?*



Dusty said:


> Oh argh......that was the answer I was afraid of. Hopefully it won't be me removing the sink and replacing it as I'll be calling the guy who did the install to see if he will fix it (since he did it).
> 
> Meanwhile if I don't stain (I was going to use coffee so no biggie with food safety) and just used the wood oil (which was made for butcher blocks) would the leached oil be a big deal? Just thinking, oil with oil might be okay. And if it is oil, that is better than water as far as the wood goes isn't it?...or am I tilting at windmills?
> 
> Jean


I was wondering how your project turned out. I have also installed oak butcher block in my kitchen. I would like to stain it a dark brown and then seal with a food safe sealer. Did you end up using coffee as a stain? 

Ally


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## Dusty (Aug 9, 2006)

To be honest I haven't actually finished it yet. I had to find my sander which took a few days but that's another story.

Meanwhile I did do a test of the oil next to the stain and it should match enough that only I will know it's a stain. 

On a test piece I did try some darker stains. The coffee wasn't substantially darker than normal even when oiled so not really worth the effort. I also tried a walnut stain and it did go darker but would take a few coats to go a lot darker. The wood oil itself darkens the wood quite a bit.

If you go to ikeafans.com there are some pictures of tests one person did trying various stains on butcherblock. I think to get a deep stain you'd have to do quite a few coats or something. As well if you google natural stains you can come up with other food safe things like tea or various plants which are supposed to darken wood. The other thing that will really make oak dark is ammonia. I haven't tried it yet but I thought I'd pour a bit on and see. Usually furniture gets tented for ammonia but that's a bigger deal than I want to get into.


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## PK. (Nov 12, 2007)

Personally I'd pull the sink and seal the endgrain anyway if that wasn't done at install. If this is red oak, the end grain will suck up water, oil and whatever and cause this sort of staining. I'd also use tung oil to finish this if you want to avoid conversion varnish or some sort of poly. The only problem with the natural dyes like tea and berries and all is that they aren't very colorfast. Ammonia needs to be fumed. You can do a countertop, but you really need to be careful because that can be some nasty stuff.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

Admittedly, I have seen very few actual wood countertops
(none come to mind off-hand)
But I can't imagine leaving the end grain...and the part under the sink lip, unfinished
It does not sound like a good idea to me (for a few reasons)

I'd have to agree with PK and suggest the sink be pulled and the top be finished properly

I can't imagine why it was not done this way in the first place (top finished then sink install), and that's obviously why the sink sealer (whatever it is) is leaching out onto the working surface
I'm sure it would not have done so if the counter was finished before the sink install

I'd pull, seal, re-install


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## Dusty (Aug 9, 2006)

Thanks for the advice. I did the first coating of oil last night and so far it looks okay. They really fought with the sink to get it in so I don't think I'll be pulling it out but I'll have to stick my head in there and see if I can get a brush full of oil up between the sink and counter.


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## PK. (Nov 12, 2007)

Wooden countertops are becoming fairly popular. On a another forum there's been several discussions about the best way to install undermount sinks. Most guys are reporting that they're having very little trouble when they seal the end-grain with cv or epoxy.


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