Jonathan Sholder Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Hello all. I don't want to get into "what's the best" for sealing a maple edge grain cutting board as I use GF Salad Bowl Finish.My question is I will be selling the boards I make and want to tell the customer how to maintain their board. Now my thinking would be to apply another coat of GF on it however these customers probably won't have this available....so the question is can we apply mineral oil (which is available and cheap to the customer) OVER GF Salad Bowl Finish?Thanks for all the responses in advance!Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 GF salad bowl finish is essentially a thinned varnish, so it will actually seal the wood and create a slight film. Which means that in order to repair and refresh this finish it will need to be completely removed by sanding or scraping and starting over. Salad bowl finish is IMO more of a decorative finish that is intended to be used on items that need to be "food safe" but not cut upon...like salad bowls.For an easily repairable finish, use butcher block oil, mineral oil, beeswax, or some mixture thereof. These finishes are not as protective but can be easily refreshed by the average homeowner simply by wiping it on. No finish can protect a cutting board from chopping on it with a knife. There will be damage either way.Therefore, a cutting board that is frequently used will occasionally need to be sanded down and refinished anyway. So, on the other hand, if your customers are local to your area, you may want to provide this service to them for a minimal cost. Send it through your drum sander and put on a fresh coat of finish for ten or fifteen bucks. In this case you could use salad bowl finish since you'll be doing the refinishing.FYI, GF recommends NOT using salad bowl finish on cutting boards and butcher blocks...probably for the reasons I just stated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheperd80 Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 I wondered this same thing. Ive sold a few as well and decided on Mineral Oil/Beeswax simply because i know they can easily reapply. I supply a small jar of the mixture with the board and instructions. But i would much rather use salad bowl finish because oil/wax really darkens the endgrain more than i want it to. It turns my purple heart deep brown. My gut tells me throwing oil on top of varnish would have mixed results at best but if anyone has tried it id love to hear about it. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 The easiest for a customer to maintain (if they are going to maintain it at all) would be a mineral oil. You could use a mineral oil/beeswax mixture from the start. Very easy to apply, and maintain. And less expensive for you, I see no downside to using the mineral oil/beeswax finish or a simple butcher block oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 When I make boards, I use mineral oil and beeswax mixture. It's easily maintained by a quick wipe of mineral oil with a paper towel. Mineral oil can be found at any pharmacy or grocery store near the laxatives. You want to avoid cooking oils as they can turn rancid and just ruin everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 12, 2015 Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 After initial soak with mineral oil, I like using a mixture that is heavy on the beeswax, like a hard paste. Makes liquids bead up and roll right off, and lasts a good while. Plus, the board smells really good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Sholder Posted November 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 Thank you so much for the responses! Love this website and the groups involved. I will keep the one I made with the GF and use mineral oil / beeswax as suggested. Can someone send me a link to a posting of how to make and apply this? I'm sure it was discussed before. Thank you! Jonathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 12, 2015 Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 My local Lowe's store carries a commercial mix in the furniture finishes section. It is mostly mineral oil, and comes out as a thin gel. I also blend my own by using a double boiler on the kitchen stove to melt & blend the ingredients. Two parts oil to one part beeswax (by weight, not volume) make a hard paste. I think most of the commercial blends are more like 4 to 6 parts oil to one part wax. Liberally apply straight oil, or a mostly oil mix first, letting it soak in overnight. Repeat until the wood is saturated. Some folks soak the board in a tub of oil for a day, the let it drip dry for a few days. I like to finish it off with a coat of the hard wax, as it seems to hold up better in use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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