Finish
About Us
Choosing your finish can be one of the toughest parts of the whole process. Here’s a handy guide to help you choose:
What finish should I get?
This is probably the question we get asked the most, and the Answer is…..it depends.
There’s a reason we have 3 different finish options, and that’s because no one finish is perfect for every person or for every application.
First note, you won’t find any gimmicky catch phrase names for our finishes. We don’t call our conversion varnish “ultra-enduro-varthane supercoat”, we actually tell you what the finish is, that way you can make an informed decision on what you want rather than relying on our little blurbs about what’s what.
Unfinished
Unfinished is exactly what it sounds like! Raw wood with no finish applied of any kind. Unfinished tops are sanded to 180 grit and ready for finish just as though we were doing the finish here. It’s not uncommon to need to do some touchup sanding once it arrives as unfinished tops are more susceptible to humidity changes in transit than a top with a finish applied here in our shop.
Who is Unfinished for?
The DIY Afficionado
If you want to apply the finish yourself just the way you want it and save a few bucks in the process Unfinished is for you.
The Master Craftsman.
You could totally build this yourself if you had the time! You know your way around a wood finish and have the perfect finish in mind.
The naturalist.
You’re OK with it looking worn and beat up, hell that’s what you’re going for! Water mark here, scratch there, it’s all part of the charm. (we don’t really recommend leaving a top unfinished, but some people insist!)
Tung Oil
Tung Oil is our standard finish. Tung Oil is a 100% natural oil pressed from the nut of the Tung tree. It’s been used for thousands of years for wood finishing of everything from wooden spoons to oceangoing ships. Tung Oil soaks deep into the pores of the wood and then it dries which is what sets it apart from other oils like Mineral Oil. It dries hard and forms a solid base layer that can be cut on directly, sanded, chopped on and abused. On top of the Tung Oil base layer you will apply Mineral oil for maintenance to keep it nice and moisturized and waterproof.
Who is Tung Oil for?
The lover of all things natural.
If you want 100% organic, VOC free, nothing but nature’s goodness then Tung Oil is for you.
The Chef.
Tung Oil is the perfect finish for a top that’s going to be used for chopping, slicing, dicing and rolling dough. Being all natural means it won’t contaminate your food no matter how aggressively you’re slicing and dicing that onion.
The farmhouse.
Tung Oil is our most matte and natural finish, it’s deep and dark and takes nicks dings and scratches amazingly well. It ages with you and your home. When you see a butcherblock in a 200 year old tuscan villa that looks like it’s been used for prepwork for generations, it’s an oil finished top.
Hardwax Oil
Hardwax Oil is a high tech oil based finish. It’s a lab modified oil to add more waterproofness with less maintenance. It’s put on in one simple application and repairs are just as simple. It is marketed as a flooring finish (you’ve likely seen it before, the super matte floors that look like they almost have no finish at all) but it is excellent as a countertop finish. Very similar in look and feel to Tung Oil, but less maintenance,
Who is Harwax Oil for?
The Busy Naturalist:
So you love everything above about the Tung Oil finish but you’re just not sold on the maintenance. That’s fine! We get it, not everyone wants to commit to taking care of a wood top for the foreseeable future, it’s a commitment.
Hardwax Oil is a ultra modern modified oil that’s had some science-y magic done to it to make it have all the great qualities of Tung Oil, but without the maintenance.
It’s still 100% VOC free, has no sheen, and wears well with the home, just no short term maintenance required. Hardax oil will need reapplication every 4-5 years in heavy use.
Conversion Varnish
Conversion Varnish is a 2 part spray finish very much like the clearcoat on your car. It creates a hard waterproof shell around your countertop. It’s applied in 3 very thin coats so it doesn’t have that thick plastic-y polyurethane look that most people associate with a spray on wood finish. Low build with excellent resistance to water, chemicals, and pretty much everything known to man.
Who is Conversion Varnish for?
The Modern Home.
You want something a bit more refined, more like a fine piece of furniture than a cutting board. You think people who cut on their butcher block countertops are absolute nutjobs. (It’s too pretty to cut on!)
You want to spill your wine on it, let your toddler finger paint all over it with their ketchup and mashed potato mush and then wipe it up like nothing happened.
Conversion varnish is pretty much bulletproof, keep it wet, spill on it, ignore it, it doesn’t care it will still be beautiful in the morning.
The Bartender.
CV is the best finish for a bar.
It doesn’t matter what you spill all over while making the perfect Old Fashioned, it will wipe right up in the morning when you remember what you spilled.
We use it for all of our commercial bar customers and have even used it to finish wooden sinks and shower pans, it’s that tough.