Understanding Your Wood Countertop with the Waterlox Finishes
Below is a copy of the letter, in the event of a hosting outage
UNDERSTANDING YOUR WOOD COUNTERTOP OVER TIME
Dear Customer,
It is important to understand your new wood countertop and the Waterlox finish that it is finished with so you can make sure your top stays protected over time. The truth is your top is like a piece of furniture and it will antique over time just like a table top, desktop or other furniture; we call it life's patina. The difference, however, between typical furniture finishes and the Waterlox finish is that it is a hand-rubbed penetrating finish which soaks into the wood and then hardens, while most others are sprayed on finishes which sit mostly on the surface. It is this penetrating property that allows Waterlox to stand up extremely well in wet locations such as the area around a sink. We also use Waterlox because it is a food safe, hand-rubbed finish and is easy to re-apply if needed
Everyone asks us about those white glass rings that they associate with their furniture. With Waterlox, this is not a worry and it is for this reason that we use it exclusively for all our countertops including those with sink locations. That being said, the general rule of thumb is to wipe up puddles or standing water with a dish towel when you are finished using your sink as puddling water for extended periods of time will eventually cause water damage. Honestly, how long the finish lasts is determined by you and how you maintain and treat your top. If you properly care for your top as described above and have not penetrated or worn through the finish, it will last 5-8 years without re-coating. Many tops go much longer as beauty is in the eye of the beholder and "Life's Patina" is part of the appeal for people who choose wood tops. However, for sink locations you should add a coat if you notice the finish is starting to get worn through from aggressive abuse/overuse or has been penetrated by some mishap. In either case, it is alright to just touch up any damaged areas of your top, but it can be hard to blend and re-coating the entire top is sometimes easier.
As far as using other products in conjunction with the Waterlox finish or for cleaning and general care, we refer customers to the Waterlox Kitchen, Bathroom and Countertop Guide. We strongly recommend you read it in its entirety as you will find everything on this link very helpful in understanding the finish on your wood top. Most important and pertinent to new customers is the Cleaning and Care section towards the bottom of the page and everything below that section. Please make sure you read and understand this portion. If you decide you need to recoat your top, we recommend you watch the Waterlox refinishing video at the top of the page on the hyperlink above.
The following links are the Waterlox products and the product item numbers we use. Make sure you use one of these. ****DO NOT use the new VOC compliant formula as it does not work as well and will not adhere to the time tested original formulas*****
Waterlox Urethane Satin Finish (Crystal Clear) Item # TB5930 This Urethane finish is the Shop favorite- it provides full coverage and is widely used for wood floor, countertops, cabinets, tables and furniture. It is also very resilient to water and moisture. Unlike linseed oil-based polyurethane, this crystal clear Urethane formula will not yellow over time. We use this finish for sink locations as it has yet to disappoint when properly cared for. https://waterlox.com/urethane/
Waterlox Original Satin Finish (Amber Tone) Item #TB6044 https://waterlox.com/original
Waterlox Original Tung Oil Finish (Amber Tone) Item # TB5284 On a few of our tops where people request a shinier look, we use Waterlox original medium sheen https://waterlox.com/original