Life pro tip: Find someone who looks at you like she looks at him.

I’ve used this tung oil and citrus oil from real milk paint for over 4 years. I bought 4 tung oil and 2 citrus solvent, everyone thought that was too much. I sanded my floors in the main level and used the tung oil and citrus mix because it’s pet safe. I don’t worry about scratches from nails because it doesn’t scratch. If there’s a scratch from moving furniture a simple wipe down and it’s gone. I’m now doing butcher block countertops and refinished my dining table and chairs. All done in the tung oil. I love the rustic not glossy varnish look, it’s just beautiful wood. Now I have enough to keep my wood looking great. If I sell my house the new owners will have beautiful wood too.

I'm purchasing a house with butcherblock countertops and you're helping me be a little less intimidated, thanks!

I looked up the MSDS sheet for this product and it is good news. It is actually 100% Tung oil. Most "tung oils" for sale are a mix with various toxic oils and solvents and are NOT suitable for food contact. However, Tung oil has to be handled with care and any rags wet/damp with it must be kept in a metal, fire safe canister because they can spontaneously burst into flames.

I love your kitchen. I am a cabinet designer and frankly, I don’t want to have a kitchen with tons of matching cabinets … for years, I’ve always wanted something w butcher blocks an old stove shelves and cabinet combos w a few old times details mixed w contemporary and multi color finish styles. Most people are afraid of that. But, I love it!

Tung Oil is definitely the most durable and when one boils a test piece of wood treated with 4 layers of Tung Oil, there is no deterioration. Great video thank you. I would like to see how a butcher's block or just a good chopping board is made.

Thank you for your candid perspective. I opted for tung oil; in a working kitchen under remodel. I was able to work around a kitchen in disarray. To accommodate the need for a kitchen while finishing with tung oil, I cut and temporarily fitted the new countertop to insure they were correctly cut and then removed them; replacing just enough of the old countertop to function until the final install could be completed. I used 4 coats. It is not quick, it took about a month, but it is relatively easy. However, this provided time to do other work. I did a light maintenance coat 6 months later but really don't know that it was needed and didn't disrupt use of the kitchen. My counters still bead water and there are no stains. I'm at a year now and will do a maintenance coat again. I use limolene to thin it. Limolene is good to keep around in general as an alternative to mineral spirits for some uses. Thanks again.

I’m a newbie to butcher block! My husband installed quite a bit of it in our kitchen last night and I’m so grateful to have found your experience and instruction. God bless you guys!

You should try sanding it at higher grits after a few coats of oil for better waterproofing. Higher grits close the pores of wood, which is why when staining you don’t want to sand past 180

I have been using Tung oil for years on lots of my projects and was leaning towards it on a new 60" x 27" top I am making, and here you are using it and cementing my decision. Thanks so much and great job!

Thank you! I just built and installed my first butcher block countertops and with so many videos I have them covered and now feel I have found the best solution! Love your countertops.

I'm a hardwax oil fan, and have moved away from pure oils, but I might try tung oil in the future. One note: "butcher block" is end grain only. Traditionally it was a log with end grain pointed up, but slowly became laminated lumber. But it's always end grain UP. What you have is laminated hardwood countertops. A seemingly small difference, but butcher blocks were never finished with any drying oil, because they were so effective at killing bacteria by drawing the moisture deep into the wood pores. Keep up the good work.

Just did my butcher block countertops this weekend. I have 3 coats in so far, I really love the way it's turning out. Thanks for the advice 🤘

I just ordered this. Called the company with some questions, and they were very helpful . There is a Black Friday sale on right now!!!

I used your discount code to get a gallon of Dark Half. I am so glad I found your video! This stuff is amazing, and it will be my go-to sealer from here forward.

I install probably half a dozen to a dozen counter tops a year with a third of them being butcher block and, I would say that if your looking to use the counter for active abuse going with an epoxy finish. There are many different types of epoxy out there, fast setting, thin pour and deep pour etc... they tend to bring as much depth to the grain as possible but cost is sufficiently higher then oil. With oil the only two that are really food safe are tung and mineral oil of which should be applied continuously from week to week until the wood no longer accepts it which can honestly take a year or two for an 1.5"-2" counter top.

Oh my, i absolutely love your counter tops 😍 beautiful. Great job .thank you so much for your kindness and sharing with us how to protect the wood.

I love my butcher block counter tops! Going to try this- was using just citrus oil and it isn’t strong enough! Thanks!

exactly what I was looking for - a "food safe" finish as you described it - subbed

I was looking at Tung oil for my new cutting boards so now I'm even more excited to think of this making a full a butcher block countertop a viable option.

Thank you for your experience with the butcher block countertops! We are putting ours in and don't have experience with it yet, so your video was very helpful.

We have a coffee table that we made and sealed it with vegetable oil and it has lasted 38 years. We then did the same thing with our island, now 12 years old and have recently installed butcher block. It can be cleaned with dawn to take out any blemishes that May have occur and putting vegetable oil again. No sanding required. Vegetable oil is non expensive, safe for consumption and available in almost all household. It truly brings the grain out beautifully.

Thank you so much for this video. I have been looking for the perfect finish to put on my butcher block counter tops. Your look amazing! I love that with a little sanding and some more tong oil you can make them look new again.

50/50 tung/citrus is the only wood finish i use. i have used it on furniture and my cabin, even my floors. unlike all other wood finishes, you can just sand and spot reapply away any stains and imperfections. i do not use the stain product. i use natural water based dye instead BEFORE i put down the oil. using water based dye allows you to achieve exact desired color which is not affected by the oil. using stain which is oil soluble means you cannot achieve exact color match and you are introducing chemicals to the process. dyes are far easier, cheaper, natural, and free from fumes as well. if you sand the surface fine, you can also polish apply the last coat of oil so to end up with a very shiny surface finish. as this product is all natural and devoid of petrochemicals, you do not have to worry about poisoning yourself either. the only side effect is that your house will smell like orange julius 🙂

Thank you for your time here!!!

I have a wooden stool I used to play guitar that my brother made for me over 50 years ago, and finished with tung oil after wood burning a design into the seat. It's still holding strong, albeit turned a lovely amber/yellow color. In fact, the finish has held up better than one of the wood foot rest dowels that broke. We use it as a plant stand now days, because the seat seems to have shrunk over the years. A piano bench makes for a better guitar stool anyway. Hopefully it won't shrink in similar proportion, nor as fast as the stool did.

Glad you used pure tung. Because theres no set minimum when you buy whats called tung oil from most stores. And most dont lable whats in it.

Counter tops are looking good!! Nice simple lines to your kitchen.

So excited thank you for the information and your blog! Thanks for the savings too. So excited 😆 My Great Grandfather's favorite blessing.. May blessings be under your feet👣 and always be given by your hands 🫴

Like this video. Needed this video. Thanks guys. Great job and you did us viewers all a good service here. Now I know exactly what I’m using on my new butcher block!

Two points. One , yes tung oil is good stuff if you are patient. Since the product that you are using has no dryers in it, the wait time between coats increases. I have had a decrease in dry time by setting up a fan to move air across the project ( countertops, chairs, tables ). Tung oil has a different molecular linking pattern to oxygen in the atmosphere than , say, BLO. Which brings me to point #2. Do not use BLO for countertops. A few years back I went to a customers house to look at some changes that they wanted in their kitchen. Maple countertops of Eastern Maple . Quite dark in color with age and using BLO. I pulled out some drawers to get a better look at things, and the underside of the countertops were black with mold. BLO is pretty much a Petri Dish for black mold.

Try putting a wet cloth under your cutting board when you use it. It will keep it from sliding around to make it safer. A nice bonus is reduction of scratches.

I've been teaching people that Mineral oil has the least protective effect and it sort of ruins your ability to put another finish on it. I've used a thinned out pure Tung oil and applied many coats, and sanded afterwards, and then you can do whatever you want, and I think I used a Beeswax as a surface treatment on some items. I've used many types of finishes on wooden bowls and such, and Walnut oil is nice, but the pure Tung oil is the most durable and I could fully submerge a board in the dishwash water, and scrub, and put up to dry, with no problems of soaking in and warping or splitting.

I use heat treated walnut oil. 2 sources, one, which I use is from the Doctor's Woodshop and it has carnauba wax in it which flows without heating or solvents. The other is from Mike Mahoney an internationally known bowl maker. I don't use tung oil. I know it is very slow drying, and I have heard some say it tends to leave a film. Not positive. With the Doctor's oil, final coat is applied with a heat gun for better penetration. It takes a week or so for it to cure. Sunlight/UV helps it cure. End grain cutting boards will let the oil penetrate better. Been using it for 20 years maybe, can't remember.

I use Tung Oil when making or refinishing gun stocks for rifles and shotguns, and have never used anything else. It is common knowledge among all gunsmithing businesses. Take that for what it's worth.

Jim is such a gift giver - he gives his wife a. Butcher Block for. Christmas . Wow ! Such Appreciation !

The counter tops look wonderful. I use something similar on all my cutting boards just to keep them looking like they aren't dried out. I am going to see if I can find the product you have used. Thanks for sharing. Blessings

I watched this video some time ago and found it really helpful. I'm watching it again because I'm starting my project this week. Thanks again for the advice. Incredibly helpful for a project newbie like me.

Thank you for this video. Doing tung oil this week!

you are absolutely correct in using Tung oil on your butcher block and cutting boards. The mineral oil/beeswax process never ever dries,

Excellent video guys, thanks!!!

Super helpful! I just ordered my Dark Half!

Homer Formby used Tung oil and he has books out on it and you can watch the tv shows that show how to use it.

Excellent video. I have been researching this topic and come to the same conclusion after watching your video and one by the wood whisperer which did experiments on different finishes. I finally invested in a great quality cutting board and will do as you have done with the lighter finish tung oil. Thank you and have a blessed day

Trying the half and half tomorrow because of your recommendation. Thanks!

We hv wood and finished with tung. We have had ours for 18 years!

Awesome Tip Thank you

thanks for this video.. took your advice and purchased milk paint products. sweet couple

Now, after my last comment on your Berkey video. This is a great video. I've done research on this, and you hit the nail on the head. What I love is the combination of the Dark Half which combines the citrus solvent and tung oil together. Thank you!

I used RMPCo Dark Half on the b’block countertops in our historic house…that we sadly didn’t get to enjoy. (due to pandemic, we didn’t get to move in, the guy who was going to leave a position that my husband was going to take…did, so we didn’t move up to MO from TX) I hope the folks that bought it are enjoying it.

I just recently bought a butcher block and made a computer desk with legs I ordered from Amazon.

Thank you! I’ve been looking for something better to use.

How are you able to sand so quickly? :-) I watch one video today about not using mineral oil for this process and then tonight your video pops up in my feed. I am happy to say that that woodworker's experiment showed that yes, using Tung Oil was the solution. Thank you for your presentation.

Boiled Linseed Oil is food safe if you buy actual Pure "Boiled" Linseed oil, not the stuff that has chemical dryers in it. There is a company, i think they are Swedish, they do an all natural Cold Pressed BLO, its labeled "All Black" Boiled linseed oil. Though, my go to is still Tung oil.

I LOVE your countertops!!! Oh my!

I've made MANY pieces of furniture that were finished with Tung oil. I've also made lots with Shellac, Lacquer, and sprayed Poly. All have their places for me. But Tung oil is a very nice finish that has some advantages for some projects. (I've even done an entire house's floor with Waterlox!) If you do fewer than 5 coats, Tung oil will generally not be particularly shiny. I don't think I'd want a shiny wood countertop. I've used some of the waxes for countertops too, but I haven't been particularly pleased with them. The ones I've used seem to have attracted dust and stain. Monocoat and Osmo coat I think would be fine. They are easy to apply, (but you do need to buff them out well) But I do think that Tung oil is preferable for me. I have found that most folks with nice counters do NOT chop on them, but if they do, I use a card scraper every few years or so and most of that damage comes out. Then another coat of Tung oil is easy to do. The reason I like it better than Mono or Osmo is that in my experience Tung doesn't pick up stains as easily. (like a fresh strawberry or red wine spill). But I will admit that Tung oil takes more time. Especially when I'm finishing with Tung oil for a fancy lustrous and glossy finish. 5 or more coats, and wet sanding in between the last coats.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with Tung Oil!

Yes! Tung oil is a classic!

I had used Waterlox on mine but stains from food dye or my kids marker’s won’t come up. I made homemade tortillas with my lefse griddle and it was too hot and made a burn mark on my countertop. Thinking about trying the dark tung oil. The finish of Waterlox was nice once I could finally get it smooth and use the best application method. Which was not what they suggested. Tung Oil just seems easier. Especially, with a large family of 9.

This is golden advice! Thank you

I would not use their dark tung oil around food, the dark color is from adding asphalt to the oil and using the d-limonene ("citrus solvent") to dissolve the asphalt. Side note, get some d-limonene for removing asphalt and other gummy messes, its an incredible solvent and made from citrus wastes, not petroleum.

You helped me find exactly what I was looking for thanks

We're building a house and trying to decide what to use for the "backsplash" for the half wall behind our sink. I really like what you used - is it wide paneling with a frame? What is the dark piece directly behind the sink? Thanks for all your advice on butcherblock - we'll be finishing our island top soon and will look into your suggestions!

Hi there! Great video. I have just purchased a 52 year old house with an ancient looking butcher block island that i am sanding. Can you give an example picture of the half/half vs dark/half oil please?

Could you point us viewers to the research you did. Per my research on tung oil, I found that the all parts of the Tung tree are toxic. The University of Florida Institute of Food And Agricultural Sciences found that “all parts of this tree are poisonous. Which would include the pure unfiltered oil extracted from this trees seeds”. Side affects of consumption are nausea. I got this from TheWoodWorkPlace. Not trying to knock the video. I found it very useful. But , as I stated earlier I’d love some of the things you found in our research. Thank you 😊

Thank you for your advicr. I purchased Dark half from the real milk paint. Excited to try it out.

Thanks for the helpful video!! You helped me convince my husband that we needed Butch block counter tops. But now I'm completely new to this. How do you clean them? I've used my half tung oil/ citrus solvent mix on them several times but when I wash the counter it feels rough like it's not sealing it. Any helpful tips are very much appreciated!! TIA!

Thanks for the confirmation- I am wondering what your experience has been in the sink area where it's always WET-this is my biggest concern for the home that we are buying/moving to this week- I have horrid visions of black mildew stains YIKES

Thanks for your help. This really put us on the right track!

Liked the video. Lots of info. Just wish you would have showed the wood more while you were talking. Felt like a lot of info and not as much before after side by side etc. but thank you for the tip

Good info for my first time using butcher block. Lowe's recommended the Howard Oil & Conditioner. Now not sure to go this route or Tung Oil. There is a video on Tung Oil and its confusion. Will have to view that. Small 5ft top for my base wall cabinets so not like being used for a lot but my small appliances. I'm planning on keep look more natural as I have Espresso Shaker Cabs. Your video has helped me be more confident on my project. Can you come over and cut the top for me.... LOL Thanks so much for your "Advise".

I’ve been using hemp oil… fabulous for bamboo tops, plus smells like CBD oil…

Get some felt or rubber pads for the chopping board

I just refinished my butcehr block this way after watching this video. I do have a question. How do you clean your countertops after use?

This is a great video! The only thing I am wondering is how strong is the smell of the product? Is it like a paint thinner strength smell or a weaker smell like interior house paint.

Nice video very informative. I do have a question. How do you guys clean it after food prep with just warm water or what?

Though Mineral Oil is a petroleum based product, it is considered "Food Safe". (its taken as a laxative) It is basically a "Neutral" product, it is what is left over when they take everything else that is useful or toxic out and Mineral Oil is the byproduct. I personally can not stand the idea of using Mineral oil on chopping boards or Butcher blocks ect. it does not seal the wood. All you are doing is flooding the wood with oil so that there is no space left for water to get in. But Mineral oil does not dry, at all. It remains in its liquid state permanently, so every time you run your board under hot water you are washing away some of that oil that is in the wood and allowing water ect to replace it. That is why Tung oil and BLO are so good, because they penetrate just as the mineral oil does, but then they change themselves (polymerize) to a state similar to plastic but non-toxic and Food safe. So, deep inside the wood, the oil fills in all the gaps(pores) in the wood then polymerizes and seals the inside of the wood like a polyurethane does on the surface. When you do your maintenance and reseal the blocks, you are only repairing the damage you have done on the surface.(though i dont know how long it takes for the dry Tung oil deep in the wood to degrade) With Mineral oil, you have to flood the wood again as it continues to leech out from the moment you apply it.

great video folks! reallyl appreciate the info. I made the decision to go with butcher block countertops in my 75 year old kitchen renovation, but I was struggling to figure out which finish to use. I've watched videos on epoxy, polyurethane, and others, but tung oil seems to be a great solution not only for initial use, but for easier maintenance. I've been using Tung oil in woodworking projects for years, so it seems like a very natural thing to use on the countertops. Do you every have any problems with stains from coffee? I have 3 consistent coffee drinkers in my house, and if I get any cleanup that I have to do over the weekend, it's the coffee that's leaked over or spilled on the top during daily use.

I think I'm going to go that route also

Y’all are awesome!

Hello! Great video!! What type of butcher block did you buy? I love the look and want to buy the same

Thanks so much for this video. Very helpful

I want to try adding some larger, custom tile insets into the butcher block where we commonly set water glasses and pots and pans. Do you have any suggestions? Your counter tops are beautiful by the way! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us!

Thanks so much for the great tips and how to video! May I ask what type of wood that is?

Question of the day 😂. I live in a basement apartment and as soon as you go down the stairs the kitchen is right there. I need to do a 10’x25” piece & an 8’x25” piece for the 2 kitchen countertops. Not sure on birch or walnut yet, but how bad is the smell going to be? I understand it’s a strong citrus smell but would i need to do it in a garage, or you think in the apartment semi installed would be ok. I can open the front door with a fan blowing out & I have a window above the sink that has a dual exhaust fan that would help, bc taking the tops in and out is a no go, I have a herniated disc 🥴😂. Your tops looking really good! 👍🏼. I ordered their sample kit but I think I already know I wanna do the dark half 😆.

Interesting , thanks .

Which species of wood did you use for your countertops?

Oh another question! Did you do any finish to the underside or is the tung oil on top the only finish?

Love the color on your cabinets. What color are they ? Thank you for everything

Can you put down the dark toung oil over a stained butcher block? Like stained with honey from minwax water-based not oil ?

I got the Dark Half for my butcher block and really liked how it looked after the first two light coats, but after putting a third coat it’s starting to look a little dark for my taste. Is it going to continue get darker with every coat? I’m wondering if I should use the standard Half (not dark) for the rest of the coats

Hi! I just wanted to clarify - do you use the Tung oil to finish your actual cutting board as well? I have been recently searching how to finish/preserve/maintain a nice wooden cutting board, but haven't found anything that seems 100% ideal yet

Hi what happens if you mistakenly leave a glass on them

I have unfinished butcher block countertops. My dark half just arrived.. should I return for half n half, I am nervous it will be too dark?

Just got ours delivered. Why can't they be stained?

My issue with Tung oil and citrus solvent is the horror stories I’ve heard regarding lingering or unbearable odour?

What kind of wood did you use for the wood butcher blocks? Ty

Thanks so much for this!! Saved me so much time of research and having to dig through all the options out there. I have one technical question; why do you not sand past 150 grit?

I wonder how Tung oil hold up against water damages around the sink.

Thanks guys this is gonna help me