It sounds like you have done your research well, you will need about $50-$100 worth of waterlox depedning on the area. Be aware if you waterlox you are not going to cut on it, most people are not going to cut on their wood counter tops anyway.

I prefer wood counter myself. It's a great surface to work on. Softer and more quiet than stone.

Undermount sinks have been done with wood counter before, I had been warned from some woodworkers about the wood expansion possibly breaking the silicone that is sealing the sink. I am not sure if that really is a problem.. I have chosen a farm style sink which does not attach to the countertop to get around this potential issue.

I live in a house that sounds similar (minus the pink cabs, fortunately) and had a Brazilian cherry countertop on my island. We had it done by a local cabinet guy, for not very much money. Everyone who walked in our house commented on it, favorably, of course. It was beautiful and fit in well with our then-30 year old kitchen. We had Corian (installed by the previous owner) on the perimeter cabs. We've ripped out the entire kitchen now and are not going back with wood now to budget issues (Lumber Liquidators and the like won't cover our new, humongous island, and our reasonable cabinet maker seems to have retired), but we'll upgrade within a year or so, when our bank account recovers.
Wood countertops can be really beautiful.

Dude, Waterlox covers 400 sq ft per gal! that's a lot of countertop. I did my whole kitchen floor with a gallon and a quart, four coats. Maybe a quart to do your countertops.
Remember, an ogee edge just requires a router and the appropriate bit.
Wood is more delicate than almost anything else, It will get dinged and scratched. If used hard it will look old fast. However, if you are die-hard DIY's, you can always sand, scrape, and renew it when needed (like when you are selling).
Unless it's a case of "true love" I'd avoid a ubiquitous wood like oak, and look at ash, cherry, beech, walnut, or mahogany. Maple has little character and is very light, but it's also the most neutral, inexpensive and available.
Casey

Here is a link that might be useful: My source for wood counters

you mentioned resale. Are you planning to sell in the future? If so....I really suggest you go with either all granite or a mix of granite and wood. Don't get me wrong....I LOVE the look of wood and would have used it myself if I had been unable to afford granite, but I don't think the general buying public will accept wood countertops since they are a little outside the "norm". A mix of granite and wood would look fantastic though and would probably not affect your ability to sell.

I think wood countertops are great. You just have to remember that even though they look like a cutting board, people (mostly guests) have to not use them like one.

I think that wood is a nice surprise in a kitchen. It's neither in nor out of fashion, making it TRULY timeless.

While corian or a cheap granite tell someone just how much you spent, wood shows a little thought and originality. I think that helps resale. It certainly doesn't hurt. At the same time, I don't think it's too different for your neighborhood. Not like, maybe, a self-mixed concrete counter full of your Nightmare on Elm Street figures.
EVERYTHING is granite these days. And if he's concerned about wear, corian can look worn too. And it scorches of you put a hot pot on it too.

In Europe, there are wooden counters that have been in use for a hundred years, pre-Waterlox. There are even wooden sinks and bathtubs. Ships and battleship decks are made of wood. We walk on floors of it. It's tough stuff. I don't know how it got the reputation that it's too fragile for a counter.

I think it's best used, and maintains its cost advantage, when you keep it simple -- I don't think you need a fancy wood or a fancy edge for it to work. I like a plank style, but a butcher block (I think it's called "end grain") is tough and widely available.

I like the way you think around a problem!

Growlery -- I love it! If I knew that a "self-mixed concrete counter" could be embedded with my favorite Nightmare on Elm Street action figures, I never woulda sprung for soapstone! Who'da thunk it?

I wonder what the resale value on that item would be. Echhh.

I don't think wood countertops make it look too country, they can adapt themselves to a lot of styles. {{!gwi}} a picture of Garrison Keillor's kitchen, and {{!gwi}} a picture of his house. The inside is beautiful and elegantly remodeled, not leaning towards "country". From this view of the kitchen it seems most of the counters are stainless steel, but there are other views that show more maple counters.

I have a maple island now, and am planning to have maple counters when I remodel. (Not around the sink -- Here I'll use marble.) Wood is a very forgiving counter material. Maple is hard and doesn't ding easily, but you can always sand it out if it does. It lends warmth to kitchens.

I live in CA and I have to buy the expensive low VOC waterlox or buy the original VOC in quarts :( I need 4 quarts to get 4 coats.

I know everyone seems to be pushing you towards wood counters, I agree they are a wonderful surface to work on for *most* areas of the kitchen, but they are a nightmare around a sink.

The house we moved into a year and a half ago has maple butcher block material for counters. The counters near the sink are absolutely disgusting, filled with mildew and cracks. There is no way to fix it. I would highly suggest you get a stone or metal counter near your sink. You will not regret it. FYI we have a drop-in porcelain coated cast iron sink.

I would also recommend against using a polyeurothane type sealer on the wood counters as several posters have recommended. I say keep them natural. Once theyÂre sanded, go over them several times with a tackcloth filled with mineral spirits to clean out the pores of the wood. Then generously coat them with butcher block/mineral oil. You will need to re-apply the mineral oil every month depending on how much you use them, but it only takes a few minutes.

I think wood counters are beautiful, they stand up to wear very well and develop a lovely patina. Stay away from the sink with them though, that is just a recipe for disaster.

PS. I really dislike the look of corian counters. Also, the process of making corian is harmful to the environment and not ecologically responsible. There are so many eco-friendly alternatives, including metal counters, granite and other stones, tile, wood, and glass.

Mine is treated with 100% pure tung oil. It's about a year old now and still holding up fine. These pics are about a year old, taken before we finished. The rest of the house is modern so we were looking for a commercial kitchen look.

I don't think people will be turned off by wood countertops if they were butcherblock, but some people will be disappointed that you don't have granite.

That said, I'm doing wood counters - not butcherblock. I think Walnut face grain. I plan on tackling the job myself to save money, too. I also plan on living in the house another 15 years until I'm 65. At that time the whole kitchen will be reassessed as to the current trends before going on the market. I install frameless cabinets, so it will be easy to just replace the doors and edging for the most current styles in 2022. ;)

BTW, I have a solid cherry desk top for about 20 years now. It has some small dents, but generally looks wonderful. No finish on it either, just mineral oil. However, you probably have to train your husband and children to respect the wood. LOL!

I think you do need to use something like waterlox to protect around the sink. Having wood exposed to water is never a good idea. You also have to be diligent about standing water around the faucets. You kind of have to do this for granite too or the stone lose their shine around standing water.

Waterlox is not a polyurethane, additional coats adhere on the previous coats unlike polyurethane, plus less of a plastic look.

Just wanted to add wood counters can be refinished or replaced easily and without much financial impact, so for re-sale, a buyer can always replace the counters with granite or whatever they want, comparing to having a existing granite pattern that may not appeal to the next buyer but make them feels like it's a waste to replace it. I know I would feel that way if I have to tear out perfectly good granite tops just to get something that looks better to my taste.

I am debating wood too. I have a U shaped kitchen with continuous counter, so I can't have granite just by the sink. Also, I have varying depths on the counter top throughout the U, so I can't use the IKEA/Lumber Liquidators counters.

I love the look of wood floor, white cabinet, wood counter. I'm just a little nervous to try it. I guess if I could get the wood for 1/2 the price of the granite/quartz, I'd definitely do it. As I could always replace again later or go with granite/quartz.

I don't intend to sell the house, so I think I should do what I want, but I'm just chicken!

We have 2 Ikea butcherblock counters. We're going to have to replace or refinish them when we put the house on the market. They're not even a year old and they look like hell. We are very messy, but they also stain a lot more than other counters, and one is turning funny colors as it's under a window.

I never thought I would find laminate to be a superior counter material, but when we move and remodel that kitchen- we'll probably go laminate.

If you plan top resell in the near future, I would think long and hard about wood counters. I was planning on using the LL wood counters in my upcoming kitchen reno but talked to my realtor first since we are military and may have to move at any time. She advised me against wood counters, saying many buyers don't like them and would see that as a big strike against the kitchen. (This opinion was seconded by the kitchen designer at Lowe's when we went in to get estimates on differing counter top options. She said buyers here are concerned with maintenance and germs with wood counters and it could hurt us when it came time to sell.)

We are going with either the "kitchen in a box" granite tile system from Bedrock Creations (they provide beautifully finished edge pieces and the tiles require minimal grout lines) or Formica Radiance laminate (that looks like quartz) instead now.

I have posted my teak countertops many times but here goes. I have used them very hard in the past 2 1/2 yrs. I sealed them with 9 coats of Waterlox myself. Takes very little to do so . Less than a qt did it. So about 20.00. They are perfect around the sink and there is no water damage at all. Maple is a whole different wood than teak so they can't be compared. Also it depends on how they were sealed. If you want an undermount sink it is not a problem. I have a small amount of overhang. Hope all the info you have received helps you decide.

I have butcher block on my island and will have black laminate on the perimeter counters. I really like it and I love the look of wood counter tops. These pics were taken in the middle of our overhaul.

I get a lot of compliments on the wood top but maybe it's because I had pink laminate before so anything would be an improvement.

Love your wood counter & white cabinets.
What kind of wood is that? Also, can you tell me how thick it is?

Thanks!

Ahh.... I've had butcher block in my past two kitchens. In my previous kit, I had entirely bb countertops. In this kit I have it on my island. Originally, we planned on cutting on it, but changed our minds when we realized we'd be cutting on only 20% of the bb, we thought that would look uneven. We love the feel and look of wood.

Okay, here is my kitchen with American Cherry counters over two years old.

Pure tung oil with citrus solvent. Like new, even around the sink. I love them, people have said they'd buy my house just for the wood counters, but I'm sure they're just being nice. But in any case, if you're doing what YOU want to do, wood counters are wonderful things.....

I'm amazed at all the wood counters, and delighted!

Oh, and by the way, I've never re-oiled. I'm just now thinking it may be time again. Even around the sink, which is like new.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cherry counters...

Kim,
Have you considered granite tile for your countertop? I found absolute black on sale for $1/sq foot several years ago (Great Indoors, Dallas). We used it to replace the damaged laminate in our vacation home.

becktheeng, I have an L-shaped area that I wanted to use two different counter materials on. I decided to use marble along the sink wall. Where it makes the 90 degree turn, the counter will change to wood, but it'll be 1 1/4" lower, the thickness of the marble. The top of the wood counter will sit right below the bottom of the marble counter. You might be able to do something similar if you want to use wood everywhere but around the sink.

Thanks egganddart..unfortunately, the corners of my U are 45 degree angles (instead of the standard 90.

I just can't figure out what I really want. I'm hoping to do a little granite shopping this weekend and seeing if anything jumps out at me.

If not, I'm likely going to try wood.

Hi all!
Thanks for your suggestions. I love that I got so many responses. That's why I love this site- all the information.

I'll be posting up my kitchen for you guys to see. Maybe it will give a better view of what I'm up against. I'm still going to try and convince my husband on the countertops. :) If not, I may try and convince my husband to let me paint the bottom counters a black or different color and leave the top white. And, put a white corian on it. Maybe that will be okay.

LL has maple and cherry. I was looking more at the cherry. I think that may look better with the oak floors rather than a light color. Has anyone just waterlox'd at the sink and everywhere else with the oil? How would you go about that?

I love the teak and the soapstone sink. And, the link to that gorgeous kitchen - a dream!

Thank you so much! :) Feel free to put more comments as I will be marking this page.

Kim

We have reclaimed antique heart pine counters throughout our kitchen - even around the cooktop and the sink. Ours are finished with a product called Good Stuff from the Ballyblock butcherblock company. I've touched up the finish once in the nearly 5 years since we moved into the house. We don't use the counters as a cutting board - any more than we would if they were granite, corian, or laminate. We're still thrilled with our choice of wood.

We have a wood island with a prep sink, and in retrospect, I think we probably shouldn't have the prep sink there. Our contractor refused to undermount the sink because we were keeping our island natural (using oil and not waterlox), and he said there would be no way to keep the cut edges nice. I think if you use waterlox (or another sealer) you could have an undermount sink. So our sink is routed into the counter and looks nice, but the wood has expanded or contracted and it's not exactly flat any more. I think we'll have to remove the sink and put in a self-rimming one. It's pretty frustrating. The island looks absolutely gorgeous, and it's what people always comment on. I love how soft it is, but I worry about it more than I want to - I'm afraid the kids will spill red juice, or someone will spill red wine. I don't know if I'd do it again - I think I'd rather have marble...

Hey evilbunnie:

I think the right owner would pay ANYTHING for that counter!

I'm looking for some soapstone, cheap. Maybe we could do a deal ...