>I don't know how so many people have so much time to have reddit discussions just for the sake of discussion.

Escapism comes in many forms

I agree, I used much of the methodology in my recent build but it is still cheaper.

On top of, not instead of

Or rather, instead of the socks 😆

Any sanding at all would ruin most antiques value if what I learned on Antiques Roadshow is true.

The discoloration is because you used an oil instead of a water base of finish. Water base is always cloudier vs oils make the wood more yellow and the grain richer.

If you do this, you're going to sand through the paper thin veneer.

It's a finished top..you sanded off the finish my good man..never sand a finished product if it doesn't line up with the bolts and biscuits realine it

Hey OP, you did the biggest abortion of a remodel. The other seam of the counter is equally horrid. Plus, who installs the faucet right at the trim of a window where the pipes will freeze in a cold snap.

Also, I doubt the sink drain has proper venting, which would be an island vent system.

and keeping the stain from absorbing into your skin.

I currently have a brace like that and even under the best of circumstances going to the toilet is annoying as hell. Couldnt imagine doing it under those circumstances.

This post has the answer. The finish that you used is causing the color difference. Mineral oil, like any oil finish, soaks into the grain of the wood. It makes it look wet, deep, and sometimes almost translucent. Think about how a drop of oil looks on a piece of paper, and then imagine that soaking in through all the wood fibers. Mineral oil is colorless and doesn’t amber like linseed oil does, but the depth it brings makes the wood dark.

The finish IKEA used is probably a film finish made of some kind of plastic. This post mentions a UV cured finish. It’s likely on the surface of the wood only; these finishes can be crystal clear, adding no color, which is great when wanting a cooler-hued tone to natural wood or to preserve the bright, light color of light colored woods. They might not soak in or make the wood look wet. This accounts for the color difference.

The good thing about mineral oil is that it doesn’t cure. It’s also not super resistant to water. So with use and regular cleaning, it will eventually wear or wash away, and the countertop will look lighter and even dried out. The way my cutting boards and wooden spoons get when they need oiling! Once the countertop is all dry and thirsty looking again, OP can choose a more suitably matched finished than oil was.

I noticed it in the thumbnail and would be irritated to see that all the time. If the vaneer is damaged or sealant ruined and not resealed it could seep in water from the nearby sink, causing more damage and repairs to complete. I would recommend finishing it up now instead of waiting for more issues later.

^^^^This is the way to minimise havoc and dust in the attic and upper floor room. It’s how tower chimneys are disassembled by steeplejacks.

Using veneer for countertops is .. living dangerously already.

Sanding more is dangerous. This is 1/8th veneer, which stands some chance, but ...

Ikea also claims to use a UV cured finish on these. You will never match that, either in toughness, or in exact coloration, with a random mineral oil. If you want consistent coloring, you will have to resand the entire thing.

Depending on veneer thickness, and also what's under it, it's also unfortunately possible for the oil to soak all the way through the veneer and puddle a bit. Sort of like stains under your carpet.

Honestly, i'm not sure i'd try to fix this unless you are willing to redo it entirely.

A. It's very easy to sand through veneer if you aren't experienced

B. You will have to have strip the entire UV lacquer off (which will be very difficult) to get the color consistent with any form of oil (since it will need to soak into pores at an identical rate everywhere). This is going to be hard without sanding through the veneer, depending on the coating. Some UV coatings i have had to strip are tough enough that anything less than 120 grit takes forever. But once you are through at that grit, if you hit it for one more extra second you will destroy the countertop by sanding through the veneer.

C. You are going to take off a much more protective finish and use a much less one, which, on veneer, is going to dramatically shorten the usable lifetime.

This is pretty risky. I would also say - if you do go for it and accidentally ruin it, you can get wide plank red oak countertops (non-veneer) for reasonable prices if you look around. These will last basically forever and you won't have to worry about (you can steam out dents, etc).

You can also just get them in custom lengths/widths/etc made for you, so you have no seams in the straight part.

Example: https://hardwood-lumber.com/red-oak-wide-plank-butcher-block-countertop/

(this was the first one that popped up, there were a lot)

I know it is super noticable to you, but unless it's pointed out, I doubt other people will notice it. I'd just leave it.

At some point it's likely you'll need to reseal some parts anyway (somebody not using a cutting board, hot grease being spilled/splattered, etc), you can sand and reseal the whole counter then if it still bothers you.

wifi signal are gonna hate that.

pancake batter consistency

As someone who has sanded through a few veneers before, you're absolutely right, but unfortunately there's no other solution. The surface roughness is inconsistent due to OP's sanding of the area at 150-grit.

Since we don't know what grit Ikea finished their own veneer to, this is now the new baseline that the whole countertop needs to be brought to.

You're right tho, this might be one of those situations where trying to fix it just ruins it entirely.

I think the nitrile not absorbing the stain is part of the point.

If you're at the point of refinishing, I'd recommend a hardwax oil (e.g. Osmo Polyx or Rubio Monocoat). Easier to apply, but also far easier to spot repair.

As others have pointed out though: you're in a tricky spot: removing a non-film finish without sanding through the veneer, having already sanded that area could spell disaster - it may already be that the veneer is so thin near that joint that it's taking the finish differently.

Wouldn't recommend too much sanding near veneer. Sometimes less is more.

You could try posting in r/bdsmdiy

Honestly if I’m in your shoes, I’m not giving up this dream without giving it the ole college try.

It isn’t metric. It’s just the only way to divide eight feet into five even parts.

It was meant to simplify, but it failed. Which is why it didn’t really stick.

Go all the way and use some cheap cotton gloves over some nitrile gloves.

I would guess is glue