Wood countertops add warmth, texture, and charm to a kitchen or bath in a way that not many other materials can! Wood does require careful sealing and/or special treatment to keep it looking nice. Butcher block is meant to be cut on and needs to be treated differently, whereas non-butcherblock wood countertops can be sealed to be completely to lock out any moisture that might cause damage. See what these bloggers’ experiences tell you about whether or not wood countertops are right for you.
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Wood and Butcher Block Countertop Reviews
Jill | The Rozy Home
Jill recently DIYed her herringbone wood countertops in her kitchen makeover — and they are stunning! See the full tutorial here.
“I created the countertops using 2″ white oak and cut them into small blocks. I placed the blocks into a herringbone pattern and finished them with a white wash pattern. I think that with wood counters, you have to really stay on top of them. I’m terrible about not following behind my kids with a sponge so sometimes it takes a bit to find messes. When I do find them, a simple scrub and they are good to go. Note: I put 3 coats of Watco on the back countertops and only 2 on the front. I honestly think the island could use about 4 or 5 because of its constant use.”
YES, Jill would do this again, and she rated her countertops as a 5 (Amazing. I expect this to last for many years.)
Jill’s tips: If you are doing this on an island with a sink, start at the sink area first. The sink was the last section we did and there wasn’t enough wood to support it the first time, so we had to go back and redo the pattern in that area to give the sink support.
Andrea | Keeping It Cozy
Andrea made her own butcherblock countertops for her kitchen four years ago, using reclaimed wood, salad bowl finish, and plenty of hard work! She shared the tutorial with us here as well. And her country style kitchen is gorgeous — see more here.
“After using our butcher block countertops for the past four years, I can’t imagine having another type of countertop material. Our countertops have only become better with age. The regular use and cleaning has left them darker in appearance and extremely smooth. The best part about butcher block countertops is that if you ever have a ding or a burn mark, you can so easily sand it out and reapply a sealer.”
YES, Andrea says, “Absolutely I would recommend this to a friend, and have done so many times! The material is extremely durable, beautiful and natural. The only maintenance is sanding if needed and resealing every 3-6 months.”
Andrea rates the durability as a 5 (Amazing. I expect this to last for many years.)
Andrea’s tips: Here’s a post I wrote a couple years ago on sealing and maintaining butcher block countertops. Another great product if you’d like to go the more natural route, is citrus solvent and tung oil (like this). A good source for affordable butcher block is Ikea. Since our original post, we added some additional countertop and cabinet space and used a solid oak butcher block from Ikea, which we’ve been very happy with.
Vanessa | This and That
Vanessa installed IKEA beech butcherblock countertops with an undermount sink in her kitchen over 6 years ago. She sealed it with Waterlox, and they still look great! See the full tutorial here.
“We have had the countertop for 6 years now. I feel like it has held up pretty good. In the past 2 years they have gotten a lot more wear and in the past 6 months I can see the result of that. Around the built in soap dispenser there have been some places that soap has dripped out and sat overnight and it looks like it has eaten the water lox off. There is one other area of the counter that looks like this and it is where I unknowingly dripped some Dawn Ultra Concentrated and didn’t clean it up. I think it is the Dawn in a non diluted state because nothing else has done this to the counters. They are getting a little dull so I plan on applying a fresh coat of Waterlox in the winter.”
YES, Vanessa would (and has) done this again! “This is our 2nd time having these countertops. 9 years total and if we got new countertops tomorrow I would do the same thing.” She rates the durability is a 4 (Great) and “other than the Dawn spots I would rate as a 5.”
Vanessa’s tips: Read more in her blog post here — including great details about installing the undermount sink.
Ashley | Domestic Imperfection
Ashley made a new countertop for her upcycled dresser vanity nearly 3 years ago, using unfinished wood flooring (which was sealed with tung oil finish, and then later stained and sealed with polycrylic). Full details here.
“It has held up okay. We installed it about 2 1/2 years ago and it still looks good and does it’s job, but it needs to be sanded down and refinished. The sealer is getting kinda foggy and the countertop isn’t as smooth as it once was. Plus I accidentally burned it a bit with a flat iron.”
Ashley says YES, she would do this again. “This countertop is certainly budget friendly and I think it looks pretty great, and if the if the sealer did a better job I don’t think there would be any issues.”She rates the vanity top as a 3 (Good. It does its job.)
Ashley’s tips: Choose your sealer carefully. In our kitchen there we have butcher block countertops and sealed them with Waterlox, and they are holding up much much better. (You can read about those here and here).
Read more about wood countertop durability on the next page –>
The post DIY Butcher Block & Wood Countertop Reviews appeared first on Remodelaholic.
Comments
- Thanks for the input, Marci! by Cass
- We have had Ikea butcher block countertops in our kitchen for 8 ... by Marci @ Rainbow Nest
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