This butcher block was white washed with one coat of thinned paint & sealed with poly.
To whitewash our butcher block I used half Benjamin Moore White Ceiling paint (has more white pigment) and half water applied in sections. It was lightly wiped off with a cotton cloth minutes after application. A piece of 1" X 4" clear pine board was also cut and whitewashed for the backsplash. Three coats of "Varathane Triple Thick Waterbased Polyurethane" in a clear matte finish was used to seal the counter on all sides, using a 320 grit hand block between coats. Finally Bill added 1/2" furring strips to the counter back to gain depth. A good studio counter.
The faucet area of the counter was taped off and painted "White Dove" marine paint.
First, this birch butcher block was cut to 23" deep with a skill saw (new blade) and thin; long piece of finish-edged sheetrock clamped down as a "fence". The sink hole had 4; 1/2" holes drilled at the corners with skill saw cuts between, and a hand saw finished the cut-out. A plane and sandpaper were used on the edges to soften them and the counter sanded with 220 grit.
Leanne Ford "whitewashes" (like this) and anything with anything. Photo Amy Neunsinger.