Finish for dish drying rack

[Dan Hahr]

Anyone make a wooden dish drying rack and finish it with a paraffin and mineral oil finish? My other option is to leave it bare. It’s cherry. Just wondering how well it will hold up.

Thanks, Dan

[Wayne Lomman]

Items like this are best made from a durable timber that doesn't require finishing. For me here in Tasmania that means Huon pine or celerytop pine as both of these are almost indestructible to water and chemicals. Research a species available to you that will do the same job. I don't recommend paraffin or mineral oils for food contact. Cheers

[Ted Phillips]

Wayne - I agree with you. No finish will survive the constant exposure to water and possibly soap. Wax and mineral oil will need replenishing every week, probably. My main recommendation follows Wayne's - use a wood that can stand this environment without a finish - something like Ipe or Cumaru would be good choices. But it sounds like you already have the dish drying rack built out of Cherry. If that is the case, then I would recommend finishing the bare wood with a Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES). There are several brands out there. This will soak into the wood and provide a barrier to water penetration. Then you can finish with any reliable top coat - understanding that you'll probably need to sand it down an refinish it every few months.