Best finish for butcher block countertops

Butcher block and wood solid surface countertops are a popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms these days. Chris Marshall: When I was in high school, I worked behind the meat counter at a local grocery store. The butcher block received nothing in the way of “ finish ” besides regular contact with meat fat. The end grain soaked up enough of that fatty oil over time to bead up when water was applied to it. The Grothouse Original Oil finish is food safe, hypoallergenic and non-toxic.

It is commonly used for butcher block countertops used for direct chopping and wood countertops that require a “green” finish. It is also safe for people with nut allergies as it does not contain Tung oils. We bought this house with a butcher block counter already installed on the islan however it was rather stained and had probably been sealed with just some wax or oil so had its natural pale color. If you are looking for different colors, check out some of the other types of wood they offer in a butcher block countertop here. Ok, now we can get to business.

When you first open your box one side will not be as pretty as the other and you will see some wood filler. Your table and butcher block bread board sound beautifully done! I have a butcher block cutting board too and mineral oil works great for that. It’s just the countertop area that’s difficult in our busy kitchen.

Poly is a great choice for a table but I was hesitant to use it for countertops because I don’t think it’s food safe. Our standard finish on butcher block cutting boards, chopping blocks and specialty boards is mineral oil. Mineral oil has been the traditional finish used by butchers for over a century to keep their blocks looking and functioning at their best. By their nature, butcher block counter tops are not an install and forget it kind of surface.

As a result, a litany of options for treating, sealing, staining, and protecting butcher block counters has popped up. Butcher block countertops can be made from a wide variety of wood types and grades (or finishings). All butcher block worktops are made in a similar way, cutting the wood to shape, sanding and buffing it, polishing and then sealing it before proceeding to install it. Premium Quality Kitchen Counters - Order John Boos Countertops Online. Save on a Wide Selection of Cutting Boards.

When considering sealers, there are two types available: penetrating and topical. Finishing a cutting board with watco butcher block. You should really only use mineral oil if you are going to use it a true butcher block where you are going to prepare food on your counters like a cutting board. Either way using waterlox or mineral oil if you like red wine then they are bound to stain over the years. They say that the third time’s the charm, and I’m hoping that’s true with my Ikea NUMERAR butcher block countertops.

Yep, this is my third time to stain and seal these things. Interestingly, even with the headache of having to sand them down, stain them, and reseal them, I’d still choose butcher block again. Discover what type of wood and style will work best in your home at This Old House. A butcher - block counter made from birch or beech can cost little more than.

Chowhound Cookware, Cutting Board food community. Join the discussion today. Hi, I am making a solid woo Mahogany or Maple, Kitchen counter top. One of the cheapest and most widely used products for finishing a butcher block countertop are mineral oil and walnut oil. It is food safe and inexpensive to use compared to some commercial grade finishes.

Mineral oil or a mineral oil and beeswax mix is used for cutting boards, butcher block counters, salad bowls, and wood utensils. In a situation where you are continually refreshing and adding finish to woo this is the standard. Adventures in Staining Butcher Block – This where I talk about our previous IKEA butcher block countertops.

I go over various ways of staining them, using Dark Tung Oil, why it didn’t work for our kitchen and link to about other posts from bloggers using different things for their butcher blocks. The process of how to seal butcher block counters is actually really easy too. Once you finish the sanding part, the many coats go really quickly. What is the best finish for butcher block countertops ? We treated our counters with wood oil for months – we used the retailer suggested wood oil and we used the method they recommended.

There are many options out there. My countertops are solid walnut butcher block from a different vendor, not veneer like Ikea’s. The Ikea butcher block is totally different. For mine, I sanded the bare wood surface gradually to finer and finer grit to make it smooth, then applied the first coat and let it soak in overnight.

Should you choose a hard surface finish for your butcher block , you may also wish to modify the natural color of your block by using a stain. I wanted to naturally darken the Ikea butcher block we purchased to look more farmhouse rustic, and wanted to use a finish that was completely food safe. The finish that met all our needs was dark tung oil.

It has been nearly two years since sealing butcher block counter tops with dark tung oil, and they still look amazing. Shop the baltic butcher block 4-ft natural straight butcher block birch kitchen countertop in the kitchen countertops section of Lowes. The Baltic Butcher Block 4-ft Natural Straight Butcher Block Birch Kitchen Countertop at Lowes.

Most butcher blocks come pre-treated with a food-safe, natural oil finish that moisturizes and protects the wood and makes it safe for food preparation, including cutting. All cutting boards and chopping blocks come with a natural oil finish. How To Remove Stains from Butcher Block. How To Sand Your Butcher Block to Look Like New. If countertop will be used as a cutting and food preparation surface, apply food-safe oil like hemp or mineral oil.

Best Butcher Block Countertop Ideas.