What is the best finish for wooden countertops? Can you use polyurethane on wood countertops? What wood finish is safe for food? Why use a finish for wooden countertops? What to watch out for when selecting the best finish for wooden countertops and our picks for best finish for wooden countertops. What is the Most Durable Finish For Wood Countertop?
Our Best Picks
WHAT IS FINISH FOR WOODEN COUNTERTOPS?
A finish for wooden countertops or wood finish is the process or substance applied to wooden surfaces in the final production of wood or when the wood is in use to improve wood in functional and aesthetic quality.
OUR PICKS FOR BEST FINISH FOR WOODEN COUNTERTOPS
1• MinWax Water-Base Wipe-On Polyurethane – BEST WATER-BASED POLYURETHANE FINISH FOR WOODEN COUNTERTOPS
Key Pros
✔Durable
✔Super Fast-Drying
✔Relatively Eco-Friendly
✔Easy to clean with water
MinWax Water-Base Wipe-On Poly is a durable finish for wooden countertops ensuring you get a surface that is scratch, and crack resistant while being resistant to moisture and common solvents in the home or kitchen. MinWax Water-Base Wipe-On Poly dries quickly saving your project time significantly since it sets within 2 to 3 hours after which recoats can be applied and fully cures to normal use in 24 hours.
MinWax Water-Base Wipe-On Poly is only relatively eco-friendly. Instead of advocating for 0% VOCs, MinWax Water-Base Wipe-On Poly boasts of only having 275 g/L VOCs which is minimal but not at par with the current competition trend. However, this amount is also incredibly small and it is possible to achieve low odor.
Being a water-based polyurethane, MinWax Water-Base Wipe-On Poly is easy to clean with water increasing its user-friendliness. Also, MinWax Water-Base Wipe-On Poly is easy to apply due to its wipe-on feature that allows users, with just a simple cloth, to spread finish across the entire wooden countertop – this way you can eliminate wood finish brushmarks and drips.
2• Minwax 308230000 Wood Finishing Clothes – BEST EASY-TO-USE FINISH FOR WOODEN COUNTERTOPS – BEST FOR BEGINNERS
Key Pros
✔ Fast curing
✔Beginner Friendly
✔Easy to apply
✔Bonus bundles items
✔Variety of wood tones
The fastest way to finish wood without any pouring or painting with Minwax 308230000 Wood Finishing Clothes. Minwax 308230000 Wood Finishing Clothes has clothes wetted with wood finish, and a pair of gloves bundled therein, you can start to finish your wooden countertop right off the bat. There’s nothing difficult here and workmanship is of less importance here. Minwax 308230000 Wood Finishing Clothes cures quickly making your surface ready for use in 60 minutes.
Minwax 308230000 Wood Finishing Clothes exhibits a vast aesthetic variety with several popular wood tones including Natural Oak, Dark Mahogany, Maple, Walnut, and Chestnut.
3• Odie’s Oil – Universal – BEST UNIVERSAL FINISH FOR WOODEN COUNTERTOPS
Key Pros
✔Food safe
✔Eco-Friendly
✔Everlasting durability
✔Universal Versatility
✔Easy to use
✔100% water resistant
Experience universal versatility with Odie’s Oil which is not only ideal as a finish for your wooden countertop but also many other related surfaces including leather, metal, and plastic. Even within wooden countertops, Odie’s Oil is compatible with all species of wood; exotic and indigenous. Improve efficiency in your workshop by killing many birds with just a single stone.
Odie’s Oil is easy to use owing to its wipe-on style which biffs off excellently after waiting for a while. Also, Odie’s Oil eliminates the need to sand on between layers and one can pour consecutive layers upon setting.
Odie’s Oil is Food Safe and eco-friendly making it excellent for wooden countertops that are used in the kitchen to serve and prepare food including as holding surfaces for butcher blocks. Odie’s Oil is also 100% waterproof preventing animal blood, water, spices, and other solvents from soaking on the wooden countertop surface.
Odie’s Oil is an excellently durable finish for wood countertop protecting your wooden countertop surface from scratches. Odie’s Oil stabilizes and hardens more with age ensuring your surface is protected for a long time.
, Solvent Free, Non-toxic Wood Finish and Stabilizer. Easy to Use. Lustrous Sheen In One Coat Odie’s Oil is great for all species of wood, exotic and domestic. Formulated to work on even the oiliest of woods. Will actually get better with age, becoming more durable and more beautiful! Contains natural UV inhibitors-sunscreen for your wood!
4• Tried & True Original Wood Finish, Pint – BEST ECO-FRIENDLY FINISH FOR WOODEN COUNTERTOPS
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Key Pros
✔Eco-friendly
✔Life-long Durability
✔Shiny appearance
✔100% waterproof
Tried & True Original Wood Finish exhibits perfect eco-friendliness with a 100% solids composition, 0% toxins, and 0% heavy mental making it ideal for application on surfaces that can be used by all family members.
Also, Tried & True Original Wood Finish features a blend of natural wax from bees and linseed oil which improve its bio content and retain its eco-friendliness. Although not-rated as food safe, its eco-friendliness is on a whole new level.
Tried & True Original Wood Finish cures to a shiny surface which brings design interested to your wooden countertop surface upon shedding reflective light.
Tried & True Original Wood Finish offers excellent durability since it toughens with time and therefore assures long life extend3ed durability. Tried & True Original Wood Finish is 100% waterproof and a great inhibitor to other common solvents.
Tried & True Original Wood Finish does not do well outdoors but is a great choice for all interior woodworking activities on your wooden countertops.
5• Minwax 70012444 Wood Finish Penetrating Stain, quart, Dark Walnut – BEST PENETRATING FINISH FOR WOODEN COUNTERTOPS
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Key Pros
✔Effective Penetration
✔28 colors
✔Versatile
✔Great aesthetic potential
Minwax Wood Finish Penetrating offers a huge aesthetic potential for wooden countertop surfaces with 28 beautiful colors to choose from including dark walnut, espresso, true black, and classic gray. Regardless of your design theme, you must find at least one color of Minwax Wood Finish Penetrating that excellently blends with your plan.
Minwax Wood Finish Penetrating works on both bare and stripped wooden countertops making it versatile. It is therefore applicable in many various furniture in the home and kitchen including wood cabinets, and doors on top of being an excellent choice for wooden countertops.
Minwax Wood Finish Penetrating has an incredible penetrating capability that works to effectively seal the wood but also to highlight the grain and bring aesthetic interest to the wood countertop surface.
6• FGCI Superclear Premium Amazing Clear Cast Epoxy Pourable Resin – BEST EPOXY FINISH FOR WOODEN COUNTERTOPS
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Key Pros
✔FDA approved
✔Color Compatible
✔Self-leveling
✔Durable
✔Scratch-resistant
✔High UV resistance
✔Ultra-clear, super-glossy finish
Finish your wooden countertop using any range of stains while using FGCI Superclear Premium. FGCI Superclear Premium is compatible with mica and pigment powder colorings, alcohol-based inks, and common dyes. Enjoy the 16,000,000 color potential for custom stains of your finish.
FGCI Superclear Premium possesses the self-leveling capability allowing you to smear epoxy resin on your wooden countertop, have it evenly distributed, and mask out any spatula or brush marks.
FGCI Superclear Premium ensures your wooden countertop lasts long without cracks or breaks due to the excellent build quality of the surface upon curing. FGCI Superclear Premium is the Most Durable Finish For Wood Countertop?
FGCI Superclear Premium is scratch resistant meaning it can withstand the normal scrubbing marks incurred when washing and normal use of the wooden countertop.
FGCI Superclear Premium has a high UV resistance which is a handy feature if you are planning to use your wooden countertop outdoors or in rooms exposed to UV light. You can thus be assured of slowed yellowing which leaves your wooden countertop aesthetically appealing for a long time.
NOTE: All epoxy surfaces will yellow with time and what UV inhibitors do is slow the degree of yellowing so that you can enjoy the sleekness of your epoxy surface for the longest time possible.
FGCI Superclear Premium features a picturesque super gloss that is beautiful. Even if you don’t want to tint your wooden countertop, you can significantly improve the appearance of your wooden countertop by giving it a crystal clear and shiny coating.
7• HOPE’S 100% Pure Tung Oil, Wood Finish for Furniture & Floors, All Natural Moisture Resistant Sealer – BEST NATURAL FINISH FOR WOODEN COUNTERTOPS
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Key Pros
✔Natural Ingredients
✔Eco-Friendly
✔Food Safe
✔Durable
✔Versatile
✔Easy to use
HOPE’S 100% Pure Tung Oil is a premium natural finish for wood countertops renowned for offering a premium appearance with just a hand-rub. HOPE’S 100% Pure Tung Oil is easy to use since you only wipe the finish on the wooden countertop surface and allow it to cure at room temperature.
HOPE’S 100% Pure Tung Oil penetrates effectively into the wood grain hence eliminating the unsightly film which forms on wooden surfaces when low-quality finishes are applied. HOPE’S 100% Pure Tung Oil permeates the wooden surface, to cure so well into the wood fibers to create a resulting flexible and non-oily firm surface.
HOPE’S 100% Pure Tung Oil offers lifelong protection which is significantly longer than ordinary mineral oils and wax-based products.
HOPE’S 100% Pure Tung Oil is extensively versatile and is compatible with various other materials apart from wood including concrete, brick, stone, and cast iron.
HOPE’S 100% Pure Tung Oil is eco-friendly and food safe making it ideal for food contact surfaces such as butcher countertops, salad preparation countertops, and foodservice countertops.
8• Ultimate Walnut Oil by Mahoney’s Finishes: Food Safe Wood Finish for Satin Sheen/ Easy To Use, FastDrying Wood Protective Finish/ Salad Bowl, Cutting Board, Utility and Furniture Walnut Wood Protectant – BEST FINISH FOR WOODEN [WALNUT] COUNTERTOPS
Key Pros
✔Great aesthetic quality
✔Food Safe
✔Eco-friendly
✔Durable
✔Easy to use
✔Rapid and Effective Penetration
Mahoney’s Finishes Ultimate Walnut Oil takes the aesthetics to a whole new level by bringing a satin touch to your space design theme. Enjoy a brilliant and premium shine on your wooden countertop.
Mahoney’s Finishes Ultimate Walnut Oil is food safe and ideal for food contact wooden countertops.
Mahoney’s Finishes Ultimate Walnut Oil is specific to the Walnut species of wood. Although not universally versatile, it is applicable to various situations apart from wooden countertops including walnut utensils, tables, cabinets, and shelves.
Mahoney’s Finishes Ultimate Walnut Oil is durable and offers great protection from solvents, abrasions, food spills, and scratches.
Mahoney’s Finishes Ultimate Walnut Oil is easy to use owing to its conveniently designed nozzle which easily dispenses wood finish to ensure even distribution across the wooden countertop surface without excessive overflows.
Mahoney’s Finishes Ultimate Walnut Oil penetrates effectively and rapidly due to fast absorption leading to 0% soaking of wood finish on the wooden countertop surface resulting in a perfect shiny outcome.
Mahoney’s Finishes Ultimate Walnut Oil is eco-friendly possessing no toxic ingredients, low odor, and other properties that would render your walnut countertop surface unhealthy.
9• Howard Products RF3016 Restor-A-Finish – BEST FINISH FOR RESTORING WOODEN COUNTERTOPS
Key Pros
✔Effective penetration
✔Fast Action Restoration
✔9 Colors
✔Easy to use
✔Masks scratches perfectly
Restor-A-Finish is an excellent penetrative finish for wooden countertops with the sole purpose of restoring wooden countertop surfaces.
Restor-A-Finish restores faded stains on the wooden surfaces and also effectively masks out minor scratches and blemishes on wooden countertop surfaces.
Restor-A-Finish comes in 9 colors including Neutral, Maple-Pine, Golden Oak, Cherry, Walnut, Mahogany, Dark Walnut, Dark Oak, and Ebony Brown ensuring you do not lack choice for the correct stain with which you can blend into your space design.
Restor-A-Finish is easy to use due to its simple-to-follow wipe-on, wipe-off process. Beginners and pros alike can refinish faded and scratched wooden countertop surface within just a few minutes.
Countertops are bound to damage by heat rings from cooking pots, sun fades from sections of open windows, smoke damage from cookers, oxidation, and other blemish sources, and Restor-A-Finish acts as a quick fix to restore the glory of a smartly finished surface.
10• Watco 241758 Butcher Block Oil & Finish, Clear – BEST FINISH FOR BUTCHER WOODEN COUNTERTOPS
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Key Pros
✔Food safe
✔0% Toxicity
✔Self-leveling capability
✔Fast drying
✔Easy Maintenance
✔Enriches wood color
Watco 241758 cures to a food-safe surface owing to its food and drink safe ingredients. Watco 241758 can thus be used to seal food countertop surfaces such as butcher countertops, cutting countertops, and salad preparation countertops.
Be assured of 0% toxic formulations when using Watco 241758.
Watco 241758 features a self-leveling capability meaning it’s excellent in masking out brush marks and lines to ensure a sleek even wood countertop surface.
Watco 241758 is fast drying to the touch in just 2 hours and ideal for rapid wood countertop projects. NOTE: However, to comply with all regulations, use the countertop surface to prepare food after 72 hours.
Watco 241758 is easy maintenance only requiring a clean cloth and warm water.
NOTE: Regularly use a suitable disinfectant when cleaning food-safe wood countertop surfaces.
Watco 241758 is 100% compliant with government standards of 21 CFR 175. 300.
Watco 241758 is an ongoing investment since it enhances the colors of your wood countertop surface while at the same time offering durability on the go.
WHY USE FINISH FOR WOODEN COUNTERTOPS?
1• WOOD FINISH TO PREVENT WOODEN COUNTERTOP CRACKING
Wooden countertops like any other kind of wooden surface shrink 200% more along the wood plane than across the wood plane and it is this uneven shrinkage that results in cracks on the wooden countertops.
What finishes for wooden countertops does, is to fill in the pores in the wood and cover the wooden countertop surface such that the rate of the process of shrinking and drying is equalized in all axes. This way you can achieve a decent crack-free wooden countertop.
2• WOOD FINISH TO PREVENT WOOD COUNTERTOP ROT
Without a finish, wood countertops are exposed to all environmental factors in the home or kitchen including water, humidity, and steam.
Wooden countertops absorb water, moisture, and steam and swell to create spaces in the wood which are excellent habitats for wood pests, fungi, and lichen.
In the end, your wood countertop gets depleted, sometimes from inside, leaving you with a damaged rotten wood countertop.
Wood countertops can be of use here in two ways. One, you can apply finish to wooden countertops to prevent rot from ever occurring. Two, you can apply finish to an already rotten wooden countertop to prevent further rot.
3• WOOD FINISH TO BEAUTIFY WOOD COUNTERTOPS
It’s all about the aesthetics. Sometimes you have achieved the functional quality of the finish you selected – you have prevented your wood from rotting and cracking, but the added value is in improving the appearance of the wooden countertop surface.
On the one hand, the Aesthetics of wood countertops can be improved by using an ultra-clear wood finish which reveals interesting details – patterns and colors – of the underlying wood surface.
On the other hand, a colored wood finish allows you to tap into over 16,0000,000 colors due to the capability of adding stains of assorted colors.
Also, some wood finishes give a premium glossy appearance once light sheds on the wooden countertop while others glow in the dark to bring interest to the wood countertop.
It is also possible to elevate the appearance of countertops made from low-value wood to create an ultra-premium experience of woods that are of high value and that are difficult to obtain.
4• WOOD FINISH FOR EASY CLEANING
With a smooth surface covering the wood countertop, it is easier to wipe off any spills and scrape off any contaminants. Without a wood finish on wooden countertops, spills get absorbed and soak into the wood grain, staining the surface and making it very difficult to eliminate.
With a wood finish, a countertop allows for spills to flow over the countertop surface and for debris to slide over.
5• WOOD FINISH FOR WOOD COUNTERTOP SANITIZATION – COVID FREE?
Wood finishes are extremely instrumental in getting rid of pathogenic infections on wooden countertop surfaces.
One, they physically obscure the access to breeding grounds for bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Even with sophisticated boring tools, these pathogens cannot inject into the surface of the wood finish.
Two, some finish contain a specific amount of bio-content which serves to counteract the action of these pathogens leaving your finished countertop surface with an insignificant pathogen population.
This feature is crucially important everywhere in the world when there is the chaotic COVID19 which demands top-notch hygiene levels to reduce its spread.
SELECTING THE BEST FINISH FOR WOODEN COUNTERTOPS
There are several key factors that you have to watch out for when selecting the best finish for wooden countertops.
TIP & NOTE: Before using any of the below products it is important to prepare your wooden countertop surface to complete dryness regardless of prior staining.
1• FOOD SAFE WOOD FINISH
If you intend to use your wooden countertop for meal preparation just like a butcher block or want the surface to be used for salad preparation then it is important to go for a food-safe finish for wooden countertops.
2• DURABLE WOOD FINISH – Most Durable Finish For Wood Countertop
We want the best functional use from our wooden countertop and wood finishes which reduce scratches, abrasions, and marks while improving color and durability with age are the best selection.
3• COLOR COMPATIBLE WOOD FINISH
You might want to go the extra mile with aesthetics and having a wood finish that is compatible with a number of pigments is ideal to achieve any color combinations you would want for toys wooden countertop.
4• ECO-FRIENDLY WOOD FINISH
The world is going green! There is a rising concern of chemicals which pollute the environment and it is crucial for you to go for a wood finish that emits only negligible odor, 0% toxins, and 0% heavy metals. This way wood finish becomes safe for use by the applier and the users of the finished countertop surface.
5• FAST DRYING WOOD FINISH
Time is money! Fast-drying epoxy resin saves you time with your wood finishing project allowing your furniture to be ready for use or shipment as soon as possible.
CONCLUSION
Finally, depending on your design situation you will find an ideal prodigy from our above compilation. As long as you stick to the key criteria of durability, food safety, ease of use, speed of drying, color compatibility, and self-leveling capability, then you will eventually make the perfect purchase decision.
All the best in finishing your wooden countertop!
