WaterLox(ed) Butcherblock Counter Tops After 1 Year

I am still a fan of the butcher block counter tops, I might like them more now than when they were first decided upon.  They look beautiful, they clean easily (aside from one issue I had with a plant), and I am not sure what else counter tops are suppose to do but I haven’t seen any down side. 

As the 1 year mark approached I wondered if they needed maintenance. I didn't find a conclusive answer on the general internet so I emailed WaterLox.  I got a very nice response that said: only if they need it, add a few more coats.  So I figured I was great, no work needed to be done.

The next morning I saw it, a dried out place around the sink which needed more WaterLox to protect it.  

I cleaned around the area, taped around the sink, and lightly sanded with 220-grit.

I applied 3 coats, each take 24 hours to dry between and I didn't want to inconvenience my housemate, which he would say was silly of me, so I had a limited time frame to get it done.

I would like to do another three coats so that I get more than a year between re-applying.  

Cold Frame and Anti-rabbit Cedar Box

A cold frame is a sheltered space that plants can be kept safe early or late in the season. It has glass on the top, recycled windows are popular, the frame can be made of stone, wood, etc (whatever you have on hand).  My plan was to build a box that could be covered in windows to use as a cold frame and then be used as a barrier to keep rabbits out of my greens during the summer.  

Last year I tried to grow greens in pallet planters which was nice because they were off the ground but they all dried up and I didn’t get to

eat any green out of them.  So this year I want to make self-watering containers to grow greens in, to prevent the dry out problem.  it seems like the raised beds discourage the rabbits from partaking in a salad, and I have a pesky rabbit in my yard (whom from now on I will call Peter) he may look cute, but but he is a garden destroyer!  Of course Peter really only destroyed my bean plants and pea plants last summer, but as the greens will be more accessible I want to keep Peter at bay.

I decided to use cedar for its anti-microbial properties, it can be left bare with minimal maintenance. In the future I might add a stain but for the first year it will look great as natural.

I was debating between it being two 1x8 tall or three 1x6 tall, the difference in cost was negotiable so I went with the 1x8’s.   To stiffen it I bought a 4x4 to put in the corners.  My plan was to alternate which board had its end showing v. bevel corners.  Mostly for simplicity, the straight pieces were able to deal with small misalignment better than angles would have.

Dad convinced me to add some handles, they could be made more permanent later, but for now the twine will do just fine.

Here it is with the three containers for greens, the next step is to acquire the windows.