What to Know About Your Butcher Block Countertop

You've moved into a home that has butcher block countertops. Lucky you! Simply, if you're apprehensive, here's what you need to know nigh these beautiful, natural work surfaces.

via Forest Welded

You've moved into a home that has butcher block countertops. Lucky you! Just, if you lot're humble, here's what you need to know nigh these beautiful, natural work surfaces.

Butcher block checks off a whole lot of boxes on the list of nice-to-take features in a countertop.

Durable? Aye! It's a true work surface for food preparation.

Eco-conscious? Many are certified green.

Affordable? Costs more than laminate only typically much less than solid surface and natural stone.

Check out fifteen Concrete Countertops We Call up are Really Cool

The warmth of a wood countertop adds tremendous graphic symbol to a kitchen. And the kitchen will be quieter because dishes don't clatter on wood the way they do on near other surfaces.

Here are some Reclaimed Wood Shelves Nosotros Love

Another plus: Yous can cutting directly on a butcher cake countertop, as long equally the wood hasn't been varnished (recall wood cut boards). And when the surface shows marring from knives or marks from placing likewise-hot pans on it, you can lightly sand it to restore the appearance. But yous'll also have to put in some regular maintenance—basically, proper cleaning later on use and oiling intermittently. If you're willing to practice the maintenance, you and your butcher block countertop tin take a beautiful friendship that lasts for decades.

Check out this comparing of high-end countertop materials.

Types of Butcher Block

Butcher block countertops are made of hardwoods, like maple, cherry and red oak. You lot can also observe bamboo and reclaimed wood as options. Butcher block can be finished with a waterproof sealant like polyurethane (recommended effectually sinks or anywhere else that might need to be impermeable), but and then yous won't exist able to cutting directly on the countertop. Or yous can treat it with mineral oil, which repels moisture and allows y'all to cutting on information technology.

Learn how to finish a woods-top table with polyurethane in this tutorial.

In that location are three types of butcher block. They're distinguished by what part of the boards are visible on the surface.

• Edge grain: Strips of wood are laminated together with their edges on the surface.
• End grain: Film traditional butcher cake cutting boards. End grain is somewhat more durable than edge grain, according to Woods Welded, and tends to show less wear than border grain.
• Face grain: The wide side of boards create the surface, and so it has fewer seams.

Material Costs

If you lot're curious, according to Butcher Block Co., material costs range from about $35 to $200 per square foot, depending on the type of wood and the grain way. Compare that to solid surface ($75 to $150) and granite ($100 to $250).

Edge grain tends to be the cheapest option. Maple is the cheapest wood, then red oak, followed by cherry and then walnut. Prices also vary depending on the thickness.

Consider All-time Dining Room Colors This Year

An unsealed butcher block countertop needs your attending regularly to proceed it make clean and to keep it from drying out and cracking. But it doesn't require a lot of your time. Wood Welded recommends the post-obit:

After each use, clean your butcher block countertop with soap and h2o. When needed, disinfect with a weak solution of bleach and h2o.

When the wood starts to appear dry or chalky, employ a food-safe mineral oil. This might be necessary every few weeks or every few months—information technology depends on utilise and how dry out or boiling it is in your home.

Learn more about how to cull and apply food-safe oils on wood surfaces.

Occasionally, you may desire to sand the surface to remove nicks, stains or other marks.

At present, aren't yous glad your new home has butcher block countertops? Enjoy!

Check out these ten trending kitchen countertops.

schroederquirded.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/what-to-know-about-your-butcher-block-countertop/