Help making "Rustic" counter top

[Matthew Curtis]

I have a friend that wants me to make a countertop that has a rustic look to it out of some reclaimed rough cut oak. She gave me the attached pic as a starting point of what she is looking for.

Problem is I do not know where to start..

Help Please

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[Shane Copps]

Are you doing just the countertop? The whole island/cupboard setup?

I guess without knowing very much about your project or setup, I would start by letting the boards dry out (assuming they are still green). If they are dry, I would cut them to a rough length (easier to maneuver) and start edging them. I'm sure others have more ideas.

[Kevin Bourque]

Finding the oak will be the biggest challenge. From there it's pretty straightforward.

[Jamie Buxton]

I'd start by talking her carefully through the issues of having a rough surface like that in a kitchen. Say she spills guacamole on the counter and into the holes in the surface. How is she going to get it out?

[Peter Quinn]

Reality is rough lumber doesn't make a good counter top. Take a close look at the picture, its not "rough", but its common lumber with a lot of character. I've been down this road before with the reclaimed/rough thing, pretty trendy presently. Some designers want saw marks, they request it left "rough", they have a mental vision of circular saw marks that rarely exist on hardwood these days and often don't work on a working counter as fuzzy lumber is hard to keep clean and sanitary. I've seen a few where you plane the marks mostly off in most areas then sand almost smooth with a belt sander or rotary sander (like a rotex) so you get the dark marks and patina without the deep crevices where bacteria like to hide.

Take away any hype and its basically a table top glue up like any other. If the reclaimed oak is old growth it naturally presents an interesting character that you merely have to arrange and assemble. Stable knots can be filled and leveled with epoxy, again avoiding the "deep bacteria canyons", unfortunate cracks in otherwise great boards can be stabilized with butterfly keys or dowels, the tight cathedral patterns of old growth lumber need little help to present a beautiful face.

Where to start? Pick a size, select some boards, lay them out rough, leave them wide and long so you can trim as you go (i.e. edit out the parts you like less), start milling. I'd be inclined to look for boards that are already pretty flat so you don't have to clean them completely by joining and planing the faces, you can just lightly plane them and possibly leave in some of the patina of the rough stock. Do check the moisture content, make sure its dry enough to work, some reclaimed is KD (which also kills any bugs present in old air dried timbers), some is very wet or even stored outdoors uncovered. Some like to get to final assembly stage and "detail" the glue lines a bit, sort of the opposite of what you learn to do on a proper table top. Join the edges for a nice tight glue up then rough up the meeting edges with a block plane or sanding block/file. I've seen a guy make a nice tight glue up, boards not perfectly flat so there is a little wave to the top, then freehand a v notch bit in a router down the glue line to make it look like its old v groove paneling repurposed into a top, like old industrial floor decking. Helps to hide irregularities at the glue line.

Fact is some are better at the "rustic" look than others, it definitely takes a certain eye to get a natural convincing look, my attempts have been more "contrived" looking than the best examples I've seen, but I'm pretty critical and it tends to look fine to the end user just based on the wood. So don't fret too much,

[Matthew Curtis]

Is there a way of keeping some of the mill marks if the boards do need planed too much? The one I have been looking at is slightly cupped. when I do plane it, it take away the mill marks on the edge and leaves way too much in the center. Completely dead flat is not necessary. I am afraid I will end up planing them so much that all the character/patina will be removed.

[Bill McNiel]

I have made "rustic" counters for several kitchens as well as dining/kitchen tables with "rustic" tops. All were really old fir (approx 100 yrs old) net 2" by 17" - 18" that were floor joists that I salvaged from a High School that was undergoing a massive remodel. In all cases the clients wanted the original circular saw marks left in.

I use my belt sander to remove the fur and bring the surface down to a relatively smooth surface while leaving the mill marks and natural distress marks in place. I then finish sand with a ROS up tp 120 grit, any further sanding has a negative effect on finish adheasion. I use West System 2 part epoxy with the 207 Clear hardener for the first coat or two. It is really clear and fills all the gaps/depressions leaving a really smooth surface that will not collect food or beverage residue. I then Top Coat with Waterlox Original which adhears to the sanded epoxy really well and allows me to rubout to whatever sheen the client desires. I frequently perform the rubout with the client present so they get the exact refectivity they want.

As far as perserving the mill marks, etc. while flattening boards, I saw kerf the underside lengthwise as needed to flatten the board, clamp it flat with cauls and fill the kerfs with more 2 part epoxy.

The photo shows a counter in the finishing process. Epoxy on but not yet sanded down for the Waterlox top coat.

I hope this helps.

[Kevin Bourque]

I agree with whats been said about gnarly old crackley boards and bacteria. I would never even consider using this method for countertops or food prep areas, but if its for a dining area thats a different matter altogether.

[scott vroom]

I wouldn't even consider using a fuzzy wood surface for a food prep area. Have you considered hand scraping the oak in place? At least that would give the appearance of some craftsmanship (as opposed to throwing down saw marked boards, which gives the appearance of expediency).

http://hardwoodindustryproducts.com/prod-cat/hardwood-floor-scrapers/

[Bill Orbine]

Finding the oak will be the biggest challenge. From there it's pretty straightforward.

What Kevin said pretty much says it all. As for food and stuff in the pores, holes and cracks, I'm sure the owner isn't planning to use the counter top as a cutting board. My kitchen table is made of wood.... Think about it! It's just a COUNTERTOP.