Replies

1. 
   flairwoodworks | May 16, 2008 09:06am | #1

   Miller,

   Don't some nail polish removers contain (or are) alcohol?  That would do a number on a laquer.  How about a polyurethane, preferably waterbased?  I don't consider myself an expert by any means, but I do have some experience.

   Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

2. 
   MikeHennessy | May 16, 2008 02:01pm | #2

   Short answer, no.

   I love wooden counter tops in kitchens, but I'd never put one up against a sink or a stove. Either one, you're signing up for endless, and repeated repairs. Same applies to a lav. Repeated dousings with water (or dry heat, in the case of a stove) = trouble. Even with epoxy coatings (I hate that look -- reminds me of dive bar. Hmm. Maybe I like it better than I thought!) will fail fairly quickly since they will yellow and crack & delaminate as the wood moves under them. And you will never, no matter what, successfully seal the end grain.

   Unless, of course, you're going for that "rustic" look of dried, cracked, molding wood. In that case, go for it! ;-)

   Final thought. Listen to your wife. Wives are always right, even when they're wrong. And now that I think of it, same with dads.

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

1. 
   WillGeorge | May 18, 2008 01:00pm | #7

   And then again .. if you can afford's real teak...

3. 
   bd | May 16, 2008 02:08pm | #3

   Go over to Breaktime & do some searches or start a new thread. There have been several threads on that topic within the last 6 months or so. Several builders/DIYers posted some of their efforts & results. Best to start with the right wood, though. The ones I remember seeing were teak & ipe.

4. 
   hammer1 | May 16, 2008 02:57pm | #4

   Of course you can make a wood countertop. No finish will last forever. When it gets worn, sand and refinish. Folks like to complicate simple things. It doesn't matter what you use for wood, except maybe balsa wood. My father made his bath counter out of pine and put an off the shelf polyurethane on it. I have a kitchen countertop edge in red oak, also poly. Both our counters are well over 25 yrs. old. I've refinished mine. It's no big deal. Use most any wood you want and use a water resistant top coat. Lacquer and shellac are not good choices. Varnish or poly would be fine.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

5. 
   robinpillars | May 16, 2008 04:54pm | #5

   I think "stand the test of time" means different things to different people.  But I would say yes.  My parents have a vanity made out of a slab of tiger maple that has after nine years looks almost new.  The slab it is made out of was a wedding present, and they take good care of the vanity, but nothing to special, wipe it off when they can when it gets wet, and clean gently basically.   

   You could get carried away with lots of coats of poly, but theirs is just finished with spar varnish and has a very natural satin look and has held up great.  I think we used Waterlox on it.  I think Man-o-war holds up better, but it tends to turn out too yellow imo.

   Rob

1. 
   miller | May 17, 2008 10:57pm | #6

   I want to thank all of you for the time you took to respond to my question.  As I expected, I got mixed reviews.  I just thought I could save a couple hundred dollars by using wood instead of granite.  I suppose if I use granite or marble I won't have to worry about it at all.  Thanks again.