How to prepare Rubberwood benchtops?

[RosieLynch]

Hi everyone,

I am currently in the middle of a very slow kitchen renovation. I am planning on using these rubberwood benchtops for both our stove and sink benches. I am slightly confused though on what exactly we should be putting on them to seal them. Initially I was planning on using this benchtop oil  however I have also seen a couple of videos that say to use a clear polyurethane.

I would prefer to use the oil as it is food safe, but I am worried that it wont be durable enough? I am not worried about needing to re-oil every year, as we have a couple other bits and pieces that we oil also.

Any insights would be very appreciated.

[EricL]

Hello @RosieLynch

Thank you for sharing your question about how to prepare your Rubberwood Benchtop for your kitchen.

It sounds like your doing a kitchen benchtop replacement project. I recommend using Cabot's 1L Satin Clear Benchtop Timber Finish. It has fantastic features such as heat resistance, stain resistance, low odour and non-yellowing, and is food safe. This clear finish is specially made for benchtops.

I strongly recommend that if you make any cuts in your benchtop to seal it as soon as possible with this sealer. This is to prevent moisture contamination to the benchtop. I suggest applying the seal to the entire benchtop from top to bottom and all around the sides. A minimum of two coats will give you adequate protection. 

Please keep us updated, I'm sure our members would love to see your benchtop upgrade. 

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to restore wooden furniture

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric