Getting Closer! - DIY Wooden Countertops

Alrighty. I know, all I've talked about lately are these damn counterops...broken record, right?

Well, I am proud to report that I am closing in on the end of the main section - the BIGGEST section and they are looking more beautiful than I ever expected!

We finally got these fricken things off of my front entry-way floor and up onto the cupboards. I was a bit skeptical at first when we placed them because of the drastic contrast of the pine versus the hickory, but after I started sealing them my worries were put to rest.

This first picture here is our original placement with NO sealant. See how bright they are? The brightness is beautiful in itself, but I wanted them to match a LOT closer than that.


Please ignore how pathetic my "someday" kitchen appears at the moment...we have a ways to go yet. This little corner area has been my work station for a little over a week. (I've kinda been slacking)

After we got the two sections joined together - with a bajillion metal brackets to make sure they never move - I filled the cracks and got to painting. 

I spent about an hour measuring, leveling, taping and perfecting where my "marbled" lines were going to go and making sure the 6 foot section met up perfectly with the big guy (the 12 footer). I dabbed and smudged until I could dab and smudge no more. I also sanded and repainted because my beautiful, amazing daughter used up all of my good painters tape and my substitute tape forked it all up....BUT after the second session of dabbing and smudging I got her all done and the stripes turned out awesome...phew.


Now, the past two days have been all about sealing. I went back and forth with what the hell kind of sealant to choose. (there's like a thousand to pick from...) 

I wanted to go with Waterlox because it's the MOST durable, it's FDA approved, but it's also super expensive and has to be ordered because no one carries in anyone near here. 

SO, I ended up choosing an oil-based floor urethane. No it's not FDA approved, no it's not meant for countertops, but after about 3 straight hours of research - this one sounded like the best idea. Imagine a basketball court floor. How shiny and durable it is. How well it stands up to thousands of stomping little foots. That's why I picked it. 

I would probably go bat shit crazy if a thousand people stomped on my counters, but I doubt that will ever happen. Unless we throw some kind of wicked awesome party and there's no were else to stand.

I chose Minwax Polyurethane for floors -professional treatment. It's oil based and amber tinted so the end color was perfect. It also has a low odor for an oil finish, which is awesome. I was worried about getting all wonky off the fumes, but so far - no wonkiness to report. AND, it dries super fast. I've only had to wait 3-4 hours between applications versus 1-2 days for it to cure with other oil based poly's.

Anywho, here they are with 3 coats of sealant:


Look at those beautiful knots!!


I plan on putting a few more coats on before I call them done. I want it glossy, thick enough to last a while before reapplying, and the more coats I put on - the darker those beautiful knots get. 

Now, before I end this broken record of a post, I want to talk about our sink.

We got a lightly used, undermount, stainless steel sink from my mother. Well, we did not want an undermount and it doesn't really match all that well, so I decided to redo that fellar and just mount it on top.

It's drying and covered in tape and plastic at the moment, so no pictures yet, but - I taped off all of the top edges and sprayed a few layers of black truck bed liner to give it some texture. It's awesome. It's so awesome it looks like it was bought that way. 

I had it set in the sink hole at one point to make sure it will go well with the counters and it was perfect!

I suppose I better get back to work here, but I hope you enjoyed the update. I'm sure there will be tons more to come the further we get with this house!



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