finishing maple countertop that includes a sink and dishwasher

Being next to a sink it will get wet constantly and I would tend toward a hard finish, varnish or lacquer, and with UV inhibitors if it gets much sun.

-- -- Rick M.

Don’t even consider an “oil” finish.

The sink is going to be difficult because of the preponderance of water and the large end grain area exposed when you cut the hole.

But a more perverse problem is the steam that comes out of a dishwasher.

My counsel is to call your local professional paint stores and chat with them. Then go in to the one that impressed you most and talk again to the same person, face to face. I wouldn’t trust this project to a retail/consumer product. You need the real stuff.

Kindly,

Lee

-- "...in his brain, which is as dry as the remainder biscuit after a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd with observation, the which he vents in mangled forms." --Shakespeare, "As You Like It"

Two part epoxy, same as whats used on the hull of a wooden boat. It isn’t cheap and has a bit of a learning curve.

The amount of time you spend finishing and water proofing this counter will be directly apparent in how long it takes for it to fail or look bad.

-- http://www.niceashplanes.com/ http://www.efcabineture.com/

General Finishes Arm R Seal,I have it in bathrooms, floors and so forth, it will hold up and handle the moisture , its a true urethane and goes on like any oil, do at least 3 coats, and is easy to refresh and repair, good stuff.

try an epoxy sealer and/or a bartop finish from rockler.

Hi again,
Thanks for your suggestions to NOT use oil or an oil/varnish.

I did call the local Lee Valley, and the gentleman there said that I should use polymerized tung oil and that it was almost as durable as polyurethane. I also called another paint/funiture store, and the person there recommended polyurethane. Both guys seemed reliable, and asked all the right questions, so they basically cancelled each other out.

Anyway, have you heard of Bob Flexner? He seems to have some no-BS stuff to say about Waterlox, Arm-r-seal, and others. Here is an excerpt from his book, with brand names included:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=V2FdpT_EE3wC&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=bob+flexner+waterlox&source=bl&ots=5oSumd3opy&sig=DIo68H5mZz0vh5P9LsVzrVxnYTA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=74iHT8fwFMagtwfo9OGICA&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

(Huge apologies if you all know this already – I include it in case others do a search and come upon this topic.) From what Bob Flexner says, Waterlox, Arm-r-sea, and several others are just an alkyd/polyurethane/spar varnish that has been thinned in a ratio of about 1:1 with mineral spirits. It looks like Arm-r-seal uses polyurethane as a base, while Waterlox uses a spar varnish.

So it looks so easy to make my own varnish, that I think I will. ( I’ll try it out on the back of the counter to make sure it’s ok.) I thought I’d use ‘epifanes’ as the spar varnish as it is high-quality.

!

Make sure to seal all surfaces. Top, bottom, back edge, cuts, etc. to insure a stable top when your finished.

-- Gary; Marysville, MI...Involve your children in your projects as much as possible, the return is priceless.