# Butcher block oil vs conditioner?too dark



## Lupus (Sep 4, 2011)

Hey all I just finished a cutting board and put Howard's butcher block conditioner on the bottom and it made it way too dark. Will regular mineral oil be lighter?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Yes, even water would darken it. It's just dark wood.


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## Lupus (Sep 4, 2011)

But the regular mineral oil will be alittle lighter? Is there anyway to remove the oil so I can do the whole thing with the same kind of oil? It just made it so the Purple Heart and paudak look the same. Kind of makes it look a mess to me.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

This is an end grain board. The cells are open on end grain and will absorb any oil or as Steve mentioned, even water would make the wood look dark.

The butcher block conditioner is a mix of wax and oil. The oil part will darken the woods.

End grain purpleheart becomes very dark with oil. Padauk may be dark, and will get darker with exposure to UV.

A thread some months back on end grain boards and oil vs wax by TomC who did not like how dark the wood became with oil.

TomC stripped back to bare wood and then applied beeswax which did not make the wood as dark.

You can try cleaning off with solvent, but I expect you will also need to sand to expose fresh wood.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/end-zgrain-cutting-boards-51699/


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## Lupus (Sep 4, 2011)

Well that stinks! I love the way it looked before the oil. Guess I will stay away from dark wood next time. Thanks for the info


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

Probably should have had a lighter color between the purple heart and padauk. The darkness the oil imparted will fade fairly quickly and not be so obvious.


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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

First and foremost, I think it looks great as it is. I know you wanted more contrast between the padauk and the purpleheart, but there's lots of other contrasting pieces in there to add interest and the purpleheart and padauk may very well change in time anyway. I think you could get the old finish out by repeatedly washing it down with naphtha, but keep in mind that the naphtha will be getting into the pores you're trying to get the oil/conditioner out of. If you're planning to use it for actual food preparation, that's not good. Also, naphtha is very flammable, so be careful if you decide to use it.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

I would not use any solvents on it....even if you don't plan on cutting on it, some day someone else might. 

I for one think it looks great.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

Lupus said:


> Hey all I just finished a cutting board and put Howard's butcher block conditioner on the bottom and it made it way too dark. Will regular mineral oil be lighter?


Looks good to me :thumbsup:


Always test your finish on an offcut of the workpiece .

If the product has any colour at all , it will add colour to the work as well as darken it


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## Lupus (Sep 4, 2011)

Well I would love to keep it unfinished but I thought it was bad to leave it like that. I thought it would crack and spilt.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

Are you going to be using it at home ?


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## Priusjames (Jan 13, 2014)

If you use it for a while, especially if you wash it now and then, the butcher block will lighten up again before too long...at least, that's been my experience.

It looks great...I can see the difference between the darker woods already!


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## Lupus (Sep 4, 2011)

Yes, I wanted to use it in the kitchen. Will it split or crack if I don't oil it anymore?


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

Lupus said:


> Yes, I wanted to use it in the kitchen. Will it split or crack if I don't oil it anymore?


 No , not at all .
(Well not if you keep it out of the oven , the microwave , the dishwasher , and scalding hot water .
It does happen :laughing: )

Don't wipe it clean or dry with cloth or wash in soap , detergent or dishwashing solutions.

Scrub it with a stiff plastic bristle brush while* holding* it under hot running water and leave it to drain dry .
Store in the open light.

As said above , the surface will fade in time . 
The mineral oil that has penetrated deep into the wood will prevent fat and grease from getting in and going rancid etc.


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## Lupus (Sep 4, 2011)

Great! I think I will do that. Just wondering but why not even wipe it dry?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

If it were me I would keep it oiled from time to time. Not oiling the cutting board will allow the water to penetrate further into it causing more expansion and contracting causing it to crack.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

Lupus said:


> Great! I think I will do that. Just wondering but why not even wipe it dry?


Wiping can lift off oil that may have risen to the surface ,
letting it dry naturally will allow that oil to draw back in .

Wiping with cloth can become a habit , and lead to using a damp cloth to clean it , when dirt and grease can get driven into the timber.

When you first oiled it , did you saturate it so that puddled oil had to soak in , or just give it a wipe and a polish ?


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## Lupus (Sep 4, 2011)

I have been wiping it with oil once a day for a week and then I was going to do it it once a week for a month then once a month for life.


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

Lupus said:


> Well that stinks! I love the way it looked before the oil. Guess I will stay away from dark wood next time. Thanks for the info


I don't even like the way it darkens the maple I use. Also, I didn't like the way the wax only held up on my board. I am continuing to use mineral oil until someone comes up with a better solution.
Tom


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

Lupus said:


> I have been wiping it with oil once a day for a week and then I was going to do it it once a week for a month then once a month for life.


 I know that that's the old way of doing things with raw linseed oil , 
is it the normal process for butcher block conditioner ?


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