How to Install Butcher Block Countertops Family Handyman

Learn how to cutting, install and stop butcher block countertops yourself! These woods kitchen countertops are an piece of cake and affordable option.

Butcher block countertops are a classic option for a kitchen, simply are frequently passed over for more expensive materials like stone. We chose a wood countertop to add warmth to our white and stainless steel kitchen, and it was super easy to install!

Still, butcher block countertops aren't for anybody. Check out the pros and cons in this commodity, and compare the different types of countertops to run into which ane works best for you and your kitchen.

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What is butcher block?

Butcher cake is comprised of strips of hardwood that are glued together to grade a thick, solid countertop. When properly cared for, the surface can be used for nutrient preparation and chopping without dulling your knives.

Traditionally, butcher block is assembled with the finish grain facing upwardly then the surface looks similar a grid of squares. This is the well-nigh durable selection and won't evidence pocketknife marks fifty-fifty with heavy use. Withal, this is the about expensive option and can be difficult to find.

Budget friendly butcher block countertops use the confront grain or border grain of the boards, rather than the ends. This option looks less busy, considering it uses longer boards rather than short ends.

You can still utilise an border grain butcher block countertop for food preparation, but you may desire to sand out the visible cut marks periodically. However, some people similar the character of a well-worn woods countertop!

Where to buy butcher block countertops

IKEA is a mutual identify to showtime when shopping for butcher cake countertops. They offer a few different forest species and sizes at an affordable price. However, many of their countertops aren't solid wood, but rather a thin veneer of nicer wood over a cheaper wood core.

This cheaper option is bully if you plan to use cut boards instead of the countertop for all your food prep tasks. Otherwise, you can easily ruin the surface with knife marks that tin't be sanded out without exposing the cheap wood below!

Dwelling house improvement stores similar Home Depot and Lowe's have a swell selection of butcher block countertops, but they're usually but available online. If yous desire to inspect the surface earlier you buy, cheque out specialty stores like Floor & Decor for in-store stock.

I purchased my maple countertop from Dwelling house Depot, and I was able to get it shipped direct to my doorstep instead of lugging it abode in a rental truck. All that forest is really big and heavy, and there's no way I could get information technology into the machine!

You can also make your own butcher block countertops! I almost went this route, since I already have all the tools in my workshop. Just when I accounted for the time it would take to aeroplane the wood flat, cut it to size, glue upwards all the strips, then sand the finished panel, I decided to skip all that and buy 1 instead!

Bank check out the video below for an overview of the procedure if you're interested in making your ain butcher block countertops!

How to measure for countertops

I'thou but using butcher block on our kitchen island, so I didn't have to deal with any corners or sink cutting outs. If you have a lot of cuts to brand, make a template out of paper-thin first. And then you lot tin can transfer the design directly onto the countertop to minimize errors and maximize your materials. Check out the video below for tips on how to create a countertop template.

Our kitchen island is simply under 8 feet long, so I only had to trim well-nigh half a foot off the end of the countertop to get it to fit. You'll desire to exit 1-2 inches of overhang on either side if both ends are exposed, and cut information technology flush if the end is upwards against the wall.

Audit the entire countertop before making any cuts, and adjust your template to avoid large defects. I found this black knot at one stop, and I was able to cut it off when I trimmed the butcher cake to fit.

Use a long directly border and a foursquare to mark your cutting lines directly on the wood surface. Make sure it'southward square to the front and back edge.

How to cut butcher block countertops

Instead of wrangling this huge, heavy slab downwards to my basement workshop, I cut information technology right in the kitchen! The track saw has great dust collection (fifty-fifty when it'due south not hooked up to a store vac!), so it didn't make a huge mess.

You can also use a circular saw to cut your countertop down to size. You'll want to employ a direct edge or a round saw jig to make sure information technology's cutting a perfectly direct line. Check out this article on the difference between a track saw and a circular saw for more info on these tools!

Set the cutting depth on your saw and then that it cuts all the fashion through the material in one pass. This butcher block countertop is 1 ½" thick, so I set the depth to one click past that measurement on the rail saw. Make certain the saw is ready for a xc caste cut.

Normally I just rely on the anti-slip cloth on the underside of the track to proceed it in place, just you merely become ane shot here! These Bessey track saw clamps ensure that the track stays put.

Now, accept a deep breath and prepare yourself to cut that expensive countertop! Double cheque all your measurements and that the track or guide is square. Then outset upwards the saw and brand the cutting!

If you're making a sink cut out, you lot can use the track saw to make a plunge cutting forth the directly sides first, then utilise a jigsaw to stop off the corners. Utilize a pigsty saw to drill holes for the kitchen faucet and soap dispenser. The video below goes into more than detail about how to cut a sink pigsty in a wood countertop.

How to sand butcher block countertops

With all the cuts made, it'south fourth dimension to sand! If your cutting edges are going up against the wall, an appliance or a corner, you'll want to keep those edges crisp. But mine will be exposed, so I softened the sharp corners with a sander held at a 45 degree angle.

Start with a lower dust sandpaper to even out the surface and work your manner up to the higher grits. I used 80 grit to smoothen out whatever imperfections first, then used 150 grit and 220 grit to make the wood polish to the touch on. Cheque out this article on sandpaper grits for more info!

Later on sanding with the highest dust, y'all need to raise the grain of the wood by wiping down the unabridged countertop with a damp fabric. The wood will blot the water and expand slightly, leaving a rough surface. Once it's dry, sand one last time with 220 grit sandpaper to remove the raised fibers.

Once y'all're finished sanding, remove all the grit with a tack cloth. You lot don't want anything left behind to ruin the cease!

How to seal butcher block countertops

Now that your beautiful butcher block countertops have been cut to size and sanded smoothen, you need to seal and protect the wood! Otherwise, the surface will absorb stains and harbor mold. The stop you choose depends on how you plan to use the countertop.

Make sure you apply the finish to both sides of the countertop. If you only seal the height, the wood will absorb moisture in the air underneath differently and may cup or bow over time.

If yous're joining two sections of countertop together (such as at a corner), you lot should avoid getting whatever terminate along those edges. Y'all'll need to apply wood glue to both sides of the joint, and it won't adhere properly if there'south finish on the wood.

Food rubber finishes

If you're going to cutting direct on the countertop, you should not employ any toxic wood stains or acme coats that could get into your nutrient. Food prophylactic finishes that contain natural ingredients such as beeswax or mineral oil are your best bet. They will repel moisture without introducing any unwanted chemicals.

I started off with a few coats of butcher block conditioner. Simply eject information technology over a section of wood and rub it in with a clean rag. You can see the departure between the finished and unfinished sides of this maple wood countertop beneath.

Merely later on living with it for a couple of weeks, I decided I wanted something with a bit more shine. The butcher cake conditioner soaked deep into the forest fibers and left the surface looking dry and tiresome.

And so I lightly sanded the surface and practical multiple coats of Walrus Oil (not made from walruses!) This gave the maple countertop a slight sheen, and repelled moisture much amend.

I set a reminder in my phone to use additional coats of oil in one case a week for the outset month, then one time a month after that. Somewhen, the woods fibers volition become completely saturated with oil and won't demand so much upkeep.

Stained wood countertops

Want to change the colour of your wood countertops? You'll need to stain and seal them with a protective tiptop coat such as polyurethane. This will make them completely waterproof, and so it'southward a adept selection if you're prone to spills while cooking and cleaning!

You may also want to consider applying wood conditioner before staining. This will even out all those unlike grain directions of the butcher block, then the stain gets soaked upward evenly.

I have a side-by-side color comparing of various grayness wood stains if you desire a gray butcher block countertop. My dining table had a maple butcher block top, and the gray wood stain turned out amazing! It would really popular against white kitchen cabinets!

Desire to become even darker? Check out these black wood stain options as well!

I recommend General Finishes High Functioning Acme Glaze for sealing stained butcher block countertops. It'due south super easy to apply, and holds up really well to wear and tear. They even take a super flat version if you lot want to continue the natural forest look with the added protection of a top coat.

How to install butcher cake countertops

At present that your new countertops are looking neat, it's time to adhere them to the base cabinets! Y'all can learn how to install base cabinets and get them level and affluent here.

If you're joining ii sections together at a corner, you'll need to drill holes for the countertop connector hardware first. This volition allow for wood motion while keeping the seam tight.

There should be stretchers across the superlative of the base of operations cabinets. Refer to the diagrams in this commodity about the parts of a cabinet if you're non sure where they are.

Choose screws that will be long enough to go through the stretchers and into the countertop, simply not so long that they poke through the surface. I recommend predrilling the holes with a countersink bit to hide the spiral heads and foreclose them from interfering with the movement of the drawers below.

Once you become the countertop in identify with even spacing on the front end edge, spiral through the stretchers and into the underside of the countertop to secure it in identify.

This video gives a swell overview of how to install butcher block countertops, including the corner connectors.

With the countertop installed, nosotros can finally apply this section of the kitchen again! It's really starting to come up together now. You can larn about how to build a wall chiffonier, and I'll have tutorials for the doors and drawer fronts coming presently!

Check out these other kitchen renovation ideas!

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