Understanding Your Wood Countertop with the Zar Polyurethane Finish

Dear Customer,

It is important to understand your new wood countertop and the Zar polyurethane 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 Zar finish is that it stands up really well to water.  All finishes employed for Sprague Woodworking countertops are food safe, and hand applied not sprayed which make them easier to reapply in your house if needed.

Everyone asks us about those white glass rings that they associate with their furniture; With the Zar poly, this is not a worry however, the general rule of thumb is to wipe up puddles or standing water with a dish towel when you have a spill or are finished using your sink as puddling water for extended periods of time can 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 Zar finish or for cleaning and general care, we recommend that customers avoid most chemical cleaners and treat the surface with some delicacy. With all of our finishes, we push customers to educate themselves on the product to avoid accidental damage. We strongly recommend you read up on the finish and become familiar with its easy re-application process in the event the finish coat is removed.  Attached with this letter are some guidelines to assist in care of the counter surface. Please make sure you read and understand this portion.   If you decide you need to recoat your top, we recommend finding videos of applying the finish with a brush. The processes are very similar, and the Zar product tends to be an incredibly easy finish to brush onto surfaces as it is self-leveling.

The main Zar products we use for finishing our countertops are the Matte and Satin Interior Oil base Poly, and can be found at: 

https://www.zar.com/products/zar-interior/zar-interior-oil-base-poly

Enjoy your wood top!

The Sprague Woodworking team