Refinishing a Bamboo Butcher Block with Tung Oil - A Request for Guidance

[Glen Blanchard]

I have a good friend who recently purchased a bamboo butcher block that is approximately 30 years of age. It was originally finished with mineral oil. The finish is showing its age, and she would like to refinish the piece. She is leaning towards using Tung oil, but asked me for some guidance. Unfortunately, I am unable to offer much. I am hopeful that we will get some input from forum members.

Thanks is advance.

[Scott Holmes]

Does she have a particular reason for wanting tung oil? Mineral oil & wax (5 parts oil::1 part wax) is my choice on cutting boards.

If she insists on tung oil find out which brand she wants and why. Most tung oils finishes are not even made with tung oil.

[Chris Fournier]

I would second Scott's advice on this one. If actually used for food preparation, butcher blocks require regular maintenance in the form of renewing the oil finish. Mineral oil is likely the best oil to seal the block so to speak. I use straight oil on the dry block as I find that it penetrates quite nicely. Once I've let the oil soak into the blocks grain overnight I use a butcher block wax as a top coat. The wax repels water when there is a decent film applied.

How long will this finish last before the block looks tired? That entirely depends on the type of food prep that is going on. Sometimes I get a month out of an oil/wax application, other times barely a week. It takes all of five minutes to do so I really don't mind. The block looks perfect when I'm done and that feels good.

[Howard Acheson]

This may be helpful.

An excellent treatment for wooden food preparation surfaces like cutting boards and butcher blocks is a mixture of mineral oil and either paraffin or beeswax. This is what is used on many commercial wood surfaces. It will last longer and be more protective than just mineral oil. Mineral oil can be found in most supermarkets in the pharmacy section or in a true pharmacy. Paraffin is found in the canning section of the store or in a hardware store.

Heat the oil in a double boiler and shave in some wax. The exact proportions are not critical--a 5-6 parts of oil to one part of wax will work fine. Stir the mixture until all the wax is liquefied. Apply the mixture heavily and let it set 10-12 hours or overnight. Next day do it again and continue until the wood will no longer absorb the finish. Let it set for 10-12 hours and then lightly scrape off any excess. Then buff it with a rag.

Reapply whenever the wood begins to look dry.

Never put a wood board in the dishwasher and don't soak it in dishwater for long periods.

[Sarah Snadow]

Hi I am Sarah Snadow and I am a new member to the forum.

I am new to this wood working stuff and have begun refinishing some of the pieces that I really enjoy and passing them down to my kids. My knowledge is what I find on the web.

A few of you have questioned my selection of tung oil (and yes it is pure tung oil). I have used tung oil before on a knife block with excellent results...a slight amber color, with a wet look to the wood. It resists water well and only takes a buffing to "shine" again. My technique was too use a 220 sand paper to sand down the finish and apply the tung oil once with a smooth cloth, really rubbing it. I them make many (about 14) applications of the tung oil applying with 600 grain sand paper to get the oil into the wood and then polish and remove excess when tacky. This smooths the wood reducing most imperfections. (expecially from an old knife block) I was amazed at the result. There was really beautiful wood under all that paint!!

I have selected tung oil for the kitchen because:

It is petroleum free. (unline mineral oil)
It is not wax. (I spent too much time as a kid stripping wax off the wood floors and grand parents 100 year old furniture)
Although tung oil, drys much faster when mixed the effort has seemed to be worth it.

My question is about using Tung oil on Bamboo with a mineral finish. (why bamboo...a lasting hard wood from a renewable resource). I have never mixed tung oil with mineral oil. Tung oil is not toxic, in and of itself. It has been used in China for centuries to finish wood.

Will the mineral oil come off? Is there any toxic reaction mixing the too oils that would preclude using in the kitchen? What about bamboo in the kitchen?

Like I said before, most of my knowledge is book learning (like eHow....) and I do not have too much real life experience.

Thanks so much. I am new to this and thoroughly enjoy the feeling of working with the wood.

Sarah

[Chris Fournier]

Bamboo is a grass!

Mineral oil can be consumed by humans and is sold as a laxitive at pharmacies. It is cheap and effective for the application that you have requested.

I would never sand a butcher block working surface as it contaminates the surface with sanding media and it then gets eaten or just hangs around and dulls your fine cutlery.