Advice On Butcher Block Countertops

Butcher block countertops add warmth and beauty to any kitchen.  They are especially nice on a kitchen island.  You can either put butcher block throughout your kitchen, just on a small work area or just on your island.   

One thing to consider is the finish.  The mineral oil finish is one that makes the butcher block a cutting board.  Its purpose is to condition the block so it won’t dry out and crack or warp.  It is non-toxic and never dries.  Every time you wash the butcher block you will remove oil, therefore you must re-oil the top every four to six weeks.  Since oil isn’t a true finish it does not block stains but they can usually be sanded out and you can re-oil to make it look new again.  Oil also isn’t waterproof so the grain will raise making the wood feel rough but this will wear off to a reasonable smoothness.  Cut marks from knives can easily be sanded out and re-oiled.   

Having a sink in an oiled top isn’t a good idea.  A lot of people like the idea of having an under mount sink and an oiled top so you can cut vegetables and scrape cuttings into the sink.  Since oil isn’t waterproof it will turn the area around the sink black.  You also could potentially have splitting or warping issues due to excessive water.  You cannot just seal around the sink and hope it will remedy the problem because oil and water both will creep under the sealer finish forcing it to peel off.  Some people chose to take the chance, especially on a secondary sink.  In that case if you oil the top all the time, are careful to wipe up any standing water, and immediately sand any discoloration you might be okay.

The varnique finish is a baked on satin polyurethane finish.  It is safe for food contact and is a low sheen which most people find pleasing.  This is a finish you don’t want to cut on because once you cut through the finish it leaves the wood with no protection from the elements and water.  It is very hard to fix cuts in the varnique .  The advantages though are huge if you are not cutting on it.  It is maintenance free.  If you spill grape juice, cool aid, red wine or what ever it wipes right up without leaving a stain.  It remains smooth to the touch and the grain doesn’t raise since it is sealed.  It is okay to have a sink in this finish because it is waterproof. 

If you have a kitchen with mixed surfaces like granite and butcher block countertops people usually want the butcher block as a cutting area so they want the oil.  If you only want it for looks then I recommend the varnique.  If you have a kitchen that is all butcher block then I recommend mostly varnique except an area designated for cutting and chopping which can be oiled. 

When ordering butcher block countertops it is important to know what you are ordering.  Lots of people just look for who has the lowest prices but that isn’t always a good idea.  Some companies only offer finger jointed butcher block which is okay for a piece that you are not going to cut down, clip corners, arch or cut a sink into.  If you are going to do this it will expose ugly finger joints on the cut edge.  Also finger jointed tops typically don’t last as long as full length strips and aren’t as strong.  If you want something cheap then finger jointed tops is the best idea but know that they are a lower quality than full length strips.  Some companies offer both full length strips and finger joints.  If you call them for a price they will generally offer their best quality product first so be specific. 

Wood species is another choice.  Some companies offer many species of wood at many different prices.  Hard rock maple, also called sugar maple, is always the best choice for cutting on because it has the tightest grain and is the hardest domestic wood.  Some companies not only offer finger joints but lower grade maple such as western maple, or soft maple or Chinese maple.  These are very soft and a bad choice if you are going to use the top for cutting on. 

Other woods such as cherry and walnut are quite a bit softer than maple but very beautiful in color and quite a bit more expensive because only the heart wood is dark.  You can get discounted finger jointed options on these woods too and lower prices if the light colored sap wood is mixed with the darker heart wood.  Red oak is a very rough and grainy option to use but is usually one of the least expensive options.  Some retailers offer beech or ash at an even lower price point or they make thinner butcher block countertops.  Thinner than 1.5” is never a good option.  There are even some companies who are practically giving away their tops comparatively because they finger joint together what ever random scraps of what ever wood they have and call it a butcher block.  Mixed woods like that could have extreme issues of splitting because different woods have different sized cell structures, therefore they expand and contract at different rates.

Exotic woods are not typically found at low end companies.  There are companies that sell butcher block countertops in nearly every species of exotic wood you could think up and some of their prices will shock you but they make wonderful products that are very high end.  They also make patters in the right ways so that expansion won’t rip them apart.

End grain is the last option to consider.  If you are butcher or chef or someone who just love cutting you might want to consider end grain.  It is a butcher block with the orientation of the wood grain in a vertical pattern so you are looking at what would be the rings of the wood in the top.  This is a very unstable glue up because it is made of to many small pieces each with their own personality.  Cracking and warping is common so there is usually a 2.25” to 4” thickness requirement to even make end grain glue ups.  Then there are size limits because it expands and contracts so much in every direction.  Most companies limit the size to 60x38.

Thickness is another thing to consider when buying a butcher block countertop.  Inch and a half thick is standard and the thinnest.  It is a quarter inch thicker than granite and all that is necessary for anything up to 42” wide.  After that most companies require 1.75” thickness.  Any thickness after 1.75” is not necessary but some people like the look of something thick.  Hopefully you like it enough to pay for it.  At 2.25” thick which is commonly the next standard after 1.75” the price nearly doubles and more than doubles at 3”.

There is no price per square foot for butcher block countertops so don’t ask.  Have your size, shape, species of wood, thickness, finish and any cutouts ready for a quote because all of those things affect the price.  Also butcher block tops longer than ten feet is less per square foot than anything longer than that because it is harder to glue up straight and harder to find clear wood that long.

Packaging is probably the most important thing you can ask about when ordering on line.  Freight companies throw packages around.  They slide them on the ground with forklifts and push them with forklifts.  If packing the truck requires them stacking something on the top they will.  They also might turn a heavy wide top up on edge against the wall of a trailer and when it’s time to move they don’t want to muscle it to the ground they just flop it down.  If they are hauling a heavy, pointy engine block the most convenient place to stack it is on a nice flat butcher block.  Some companies ship in cardboard which almost insures the product will get damaged.  Then you send it back and wait another four weeks for something that may come damaged again.  Other companies may put a thin piece of ply wood on each side and some corner protectors.  Other companies completely crate them with 2x4 ribs and frame and heavy OSB skins.  These professionally crated ones are the only ones that are 99% safe to ship to you and well worth it if you have to pay extra for the crate.

Location of the dealer isn’t that important these days.  Most companies offer free shipping and some can get it to you faster than any local company you might find.  They also might have lower prices than any local company.  In a lot of cases the local company you are buying from may be buying from the online dealer you are calling and marking up the product.  You think you are buying local but really your just handing cash to a local guy for handling an order that you could have placed yourself.  Some local cabinet shops may try their hand at making a butcher block for you but if they don’t know what they are doing your butcher block top will end up splitting on you.  There is a lot to it besides gluing up a bunch of sticks.

Finally, holding on to your money in tough economic times may end up costing you money in the end.  Most companies do not stock butcher block.  They are made to order in 4-6 weeks.  There are one or two who do stock them but the chances of them having exactly what you need is about 50%.  If you waited till the last minute because you wanted to hold on to your money and figured someone would have it you may end up paying more money to have a stocking distributor cut down a larger size that they do have in stock to meet your deadline.  In the end while you earned interest on your money sitting in the bank you may end up paying 30%-50% more to get the piece you need in a rush.  There is also the possibility that they have nothing larger either so you will miss your deadline which will cost you return trips with your contractors or another month of interest on your building loan.  The best choice is to plan ahead and order ahead.  Even if the company you call has the piece you need in stock four weeks before you need it doesn’t mean they will still have it on the week you do need it.  Ask them if you can pay for it in advance to hold it and have them ship it when you need it so you don’t have to store it.

Ultimately butcher block is a fine choice; just educate yourself before you buy, so you can buy wisely.