Butcher Block Kitchen Counter Top?

Question

We are remodelling our kitchen and want an inexpensive but trendy solution. The house was built in 1920 so we want to maintain that feel but still modern. Suggestions, tips, problems with butcher block?

Answer 1

Maple is a far more sanitary option than most plastics. When you are cutting raw meat you will want to use a seperate cutting board to prevent cross contamination with other foods. depending on the look you want you can either use mineral oil on a regular basis to keep the wood sealed (best if you plan to do any cutting on the counter tops), or you can use ANY (yes any) commercially available clear wood finish. there are some people that claim that some finishes are not food safe, but studies have found that once fully cured, any finish that is commercially manufactured for sale in the US is safe to use on food contact surfaces. All US finish manufacturers only use ingredients in their finishes that are on the FDA's approved list for food contact surfaces once fully cured, but they do not go through the expensive testing process involved in getting FDA approval so that the cans can say FDA Approved. If you decide that you will not use the butcher block as a cutting board surface you can seal it with several coats of finish and once cured it can be wiped with a damp cloth just like any other counter top, but you must wipe up spills immediatly. I have a butcher block Island that I use for all my chopping chores that don't risk cross contamination, to care for it I disinfect it once a week with a chlorine based bleach and let it dry thoroughly, then I liberally saturate it with food grade mineral oil and let it soak in for 15 min. before I wipe any excess off and let it sit over night. We have had this for 10 years and have never had one case of food poisoning. Our block is stained and scratched and full of character.

Answer 2

That sounds really cool and useful but keep in mind that butcher blocks are very hard to keep sanitary and usually harbor bacteria much longer than a plastic (vinyl) or marble counter top (or any wipeable hard surface). In order to preserve the look of the kitchen, I would avoid cutting with serated-edge knives, etc and limit what you cut on the counter to vegetables and breads. Use a cutting board for meat or foods that pose the risk of cross-contaminating others.

Otherwise, go for it. That sounds like it would look great and it would definitley make your kitchen much more functional. It's neo-classic design. The "old-new"

Answer 3

Butcher block is a high maintainance option. It also does not repond well to water, near the sink.

A better inexpensive option would be one of the new laminates with a more scratch resistant finish, there are great new colors and patterns that are the latest trends and can simulate all kinds of stone and even concrete. It is easy to maintain too.

Answer 4

Butcher block would look great but, you have to do a lot of maintance to keep it looking nice. I would suggest if you install it, you rub it first with vasoline, helps keep from staining easily. You would rub the vasoline in and then wipe of with clean soft cloth. And this should be done at least once a month.