Durable Finish for Walnut Countertop

[James Daley]

I'm ready to start finishing my walnut countertops, and I'm having some trouble deciding on the best finish to use. My main concern is that my kids (and, to be honest, my wife and I as well) tend to be pretty hard on just about everything in our house, and I know these countertops will be no exception (especially the kitchen island).

Originally I was planning on using a BLO finish (like Watco DO or Rubio Monocoat) to bring out the grain, and then applying several coats of Waterlox to provide added protection. I tried this on some samples of the walnut, and while it did a great job protecting from stains and moisture, it dinged and scratched almost any time I placed anything hard on it, which just isn't going to work in my house...

So my question is this: can I build up enough of a hard, protective finish using Waterlox over BLO to stop these kinds of dings and scratches, or am I better off topcoating with a poly varnish like Arm-R-Seal? On the other hand, if I do top coat with poly, am I just setting myself up for a total refinish down the road, because poly can't be repaired as easily as Waterlox?

Thanks for the advice!

[rodger.]

I did a test countertop recently. I made it from hard maple, and it has been on my most used section of countertop (next to the stove) for 4 months. I used general salad bowl finish on it, and it still looks like day one. I have dropped things on it, left sauces on it, spilled black coffee on it, etc. SBF is awesome stuff (and food safe "when cured").

After I clean the kitchen I'll snap a photo for you.

[rodger.]

Okay, here is a quick photo. I removed all the stuff so you could get a better look.