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Grady Pinckard
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Post by Grady Pinckard »

I have a client that lives in a 120 year old house that she inherited from her grand parents. She needs new counter tops in the kitchen, and has requested Cypress wood plank counters. Does anyone know if cypress is toxic? What kind of oil would you use for finish? She is aware that there is a possibility of warping, cracking and checking and she is ok with that.
Thanks in advance
Grady
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Post by Michael Yeargain »

Grady,

To my knowledge the Cypress spurge (which is an herb) is the only Cypress that is poisonous. I believe this can also be found in North Carolina and surrounding areas.

\"Cypress spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias) is a naturalized herb found across southern Canada. Ingesting the plant has caused loss of cattle in New York State. This plant is usually avoided by livestock but is ingested if incorporated with hay. The plant is abundant in in some locations in southern Ontario. Some humans are sensitive to the irritant latex and may develop inflammation.\"

Ref: http://www.cbif.gc.ca/pls/pp/ppack.info ... p_sci=comm
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Post by DanEpps »

Grady

Here is a link to several sources of wood toxicityinformation.
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Post by Michael Yeargain »

That's a great resource Dan.

Thanks
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Post by DanEpps »

The \"feds\" don't have any toxicity data on cypress. Here is another resource: Forest Products Laboratory - Cypress.
Grady Pinckard
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Post by Grady Pinckard »

Thanks Guys.
I would be using bald cypress.
Dan thank you for the hyperlink, great info.
Grady
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Post by DanEpps »

And here is the USDA data. This sheet shows toxicity as \"none.\"

Now to your other question on finish--something tough :wink: . Given the way we treat counter tops in our house, I just can't see using any type of wood, it would get pretty beat-up quickly :lol:
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Post by Michael Yeargain »

I did a set of Oak counter tops for a historical house in Aiken, SC. and we used Minwax for the stain, sealed that with lacquer sealer and used a resin top coat. This resin topcoat is the same thing used in bars and some tops in restaurants.
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Post by DanEpps »

DanEpps
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Post by DanEpps »

Oh, one last comment...be sure you have the customer sign a statement detailing their understanding of the problems that can arise with a wood counter top and the finish, including the (remote) possibility of it harboring bacteria and unknown toxicity.

Customers who \"understand all the potential problems\" are usually the first to develop amnesia when a pre-discussed problem arises. :wink:
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Post by David Werkheiser »

Grady,
15yrs ago at the last shop I worked at, we used a lot of cypress for exterior work. 1yr. after building a house full of shutters we got a call from the owner, saying that the shutters were rotting. We never could find out if it was due to unknowing using sap wood or a possibility that kiln drying \"cooked\" the protective properties out of the wood.
What I hated about cypress, was that the grain has a tendency to \"lift \" and in hand sanding we would get a lot of splinters .
David Werkheiser
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Re:

Post by Mike Bowers »

Michael Yeargain wrote:I did a set of Oak counter tops for a historical house in Aiken, SC. and we used Minwax for the stain,
sealed that with lacquer sealer
and used a resin top coat. This resin topcoat is the same thing used in bars and some tops in restaurants.
Mike why did you you a sealer? I have never heard of sealing before a resin pour.
Mike
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Post by Michael Yeargain »

I just wanted to get the surface smoother to start with, because the decking was oak, This kept me from having to use so much resin. The customer wanted the gloss but didn't want that thick look of resin.
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Post by Mike Bowers »

How thick was the pour Mike?
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Post by Michael Yeargain »

a little more than 1/8\" at least. It wasn't an exact science for sure. But I haven't had the first complaint. And she loves them.
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