pupwhipped-

We have a 2.5" butcherblock counter that was bowling alley slab in a former life, southern yellow pine trimmed in walnut, on a 5' long freestanding cabinet that's butted against windows and on our sink area.

They give great visual weight to the room and are a foil for the intense blue cab color. When we have people over for dinner we set the freestanding island up as a buffet and it gives a kinda, sorta furniture vibe (vs. feeling like "just" a countertop). We use it for prep but don't cut right on it (we have a real BB right next to it).

Here are a couple of pics from last winter (freaky seeing SC in August):

Good luck-

sandyponder

Thank you, sandyponder. I had about given up that anyone would respond. OMG!!! That is beautiful! Don't think I have ever seen it before. I love it, love it, love it!

Gonna pose a question to you as you have the real deal in your home. Do you think 2 and 1/2 inch is too thick for my little island? Pics below of my kitchen, and my butcher block choice can be seen better in the link below.

Apologies to you if you've already weighed in on this in some of my other posts. I get confused...and I'm sure many people are sick of me and my butcher block angst. If anyone else would like to weigh in, I would appreciate it.

Thank you again, sandyponder.

pup

Here is a link that might be useful: Reclaimed Redwood

Shamelessly bumping my post...hoping there might be another pic out there....or an opinion.

Thanks for ANYTHING ya got. I'll take it. HA!

Tortured pup

I do have a 2-3/4" Butcherblock top on the island and love it. Since it was put on standard height cabinets the total island is just under 37"h which is higher than the surrounding counters but it's not a problem. We don't have a problem using the higher counter for cooking either.

Even though it's a little thicker than 2-1/2" at least you can see how it looks in a normal retrofit.

steff 1, thank you so much for taking the time to post a pic. If your top is 2-3/4" then I don't think 2-1/2" will be too big for my small island. Your island looks great! If you have a minute, can you tell me how deep the overhang is? It is so hard to tell in these photos.

Thank you.
pup

Thank you, pup. Just finished painting it and starting on the perimeter cabinets this week. The thick top really adds a lot of character to the kitchen.

The island cabinets are 24"x60" with a 30"x72" top so the over hang is just a little less than a foot. I need to get a narrow stool because the breakfast table is close there. The original top was too small and practically useless.

Here's the before:

pupwhipped-

I think the thicker island top would look great in your kitchen cuz, like us, you have a lot going on; tons of windows, large space and stuff (decorative and usable) on display, so I think the thicker island top would be ideal. It would add visual weight, texture and ground the island, and be a great contrast with the beadboard.

Thanks for the compliments on our kitchen, it's not the norm, but we like it.

Good luck-

sandyponder

Hi Pupwhipped,

I love the bead board on the sides and back of your island. (I may steal that idea!) I think it would look great with a nice thick butcher block on top.

Toine in CT

Steff 1, thanks for responding. That's just what I needed to know. BTW, you have to post your kitchen when you finish up. I LOVE that green color on your island. One day when I get tired of mine, I will probably paint it green, too.

Sandyponder, thanks for the vote of confidence on the 2-1/2 inch top. I THINK we are going to order today. Oh dear, just typing that makes me hyperventilate. Where's my paper bag so I can breathe? HA! Oh, and you mentioned all the stuff. One of these days I so look forward to posting my kitchen as a "done deal" with pretty pictures instead of these crappy, STILL in process, will it ever end photos! My husband takes these pics, and did you see the dirty dish rag on the floor in the first one? Geez, I missed that and would likely not have posted it for your viewing pleasure if I had noticed. Ugh.

Dutchaccent, steal away! That's what I do. I don't have much imagination on my own. That's why I love when people post pictures here.....it helps soooooooo much. And thanks for the vote on my island top, too.

Thanks to all!
pup

You will love it! Relax, it will look great in your kitchen. Your kitchen and house are wonderful. I love pictures that look like real life is taking place.

The hardest part of painting for me was putting that first bit of paint on and making a commitment to a specific color.

Oh, pupwhipped, I just meant all of your hanging pots and pans, decorative oil containers, etc., I did not even notice a rag in your pic. Believe me when I say that cleaning in not in the lexicon of likes of the sandyponder clan, and that there is no way that anyone on GW has a house that is messier than mine, and it really doesn't bother me at all, cleaning is just not a priority. I will spend 3 hours on a weekend morning rearranging and rehanging pics in the LR and not even think of touching the vacuum (and we have 2 dogs need I say more?), let alone recycling the newspapers and magazines that have built up over the week.

And I think you should pull the trigger too, it will be stunning.

sandyponder

I think more important than the cosmetic difference between 2.5 / 3 inch is the finished working surface height.

Are you hanging anything over the edge to cover the plywood, or is that a temporary platform?

The scale of the space (love the expanse of window!) can easily handle the thicker block and it would go well with the overall aesthetic you have going on.

TorontoTim, well, the particleboard top was supposed to be temporary (like a few months at most) but it's now been there as our island surface for three years. Yep, THREE! Sad, I know. But to answer your question, when the real butcher block top arrives, the particleboard will be out the door. We may even have a bonfire with it to celebrate it's departure. LOL! FYI, the little wood sample piece I have is 2" and the particleboard is around 1/2", so both of them together simulate the 2-1/2 depth that I am most leaning towards.

And for what it is worth, if we go with the 2-1/2" top, our island will be 37" high, and our perimenter counters with the granite is 36" high.

Thank you,
pup

That reclaimed Redwood is gorgeous! The endgrain will be beautiful with that.

That's a great link for tops made of native and reclaimed wood. Lots of beautiful options, love the Madrone wood especially.

Hey Sandyponder. Oh yeah, I knew what you meant. I like stuff in my kitchen and I will always have it hanging around. It's me. In fact, I got "stuff" everywhere. I'm 55 and have never had a garage sale in my life. Perhaps I seriously need to start thinking about "destuffing" my nest a tiny bit. LOL!

I just can't wait to post a pic when this is totally done and I can get things straight in this kitchen wreck. Right now, I just don't care. For heavens sake, I have a piece of particleboard for my island top! But to be honest, it can look a boat load worse. I shared the pic below in another one of my island angst threads. This is typically what the top looks like. YIKES!

Hey there, Steff. Yes, that reclaimed redwood just called to me. A poster here on GW, Abundantblessings, brought it to my attention on one of my other "begging for help" posts concerning my island top. It appears that this is a small enterprise in Oregon, but the gentleman I have spoken with has been nothing but helpful. I'll be honest, I don't know how this may go ordering from them. Time will tell. It's not like they are a Grothouse Lumber...many recommendations for them here on GW. I'm a little worried...my mother didn't give me a middle name, but if she had, it should have been "doubting Thomas." HA! But, the coloring in this redwood is perfect with the glaze/stain (whatever you call it) on my cabinets.

Thanks for listening to me and holding my hand!

pupper

Well, I finally did it.....I actually ordered the darn thing. It will arrive in about a month. Ended up going with a two inch top. My husband broke down and built a prototype so I could really get the look and feel of this thing. He made it to size and even painted it a dark brown. Started out with a 2-1/2" version and it just felt too tall for me functionally...it looked good, though. He whacked off some boards from the bottom and it was then 2". We both agreed that this height was better.

Moral of the story, so wish we had done this prototype weeks ago. It made all the difference in helping me make my decision. I'm not good at visualizing. Our island is very small so it wasn't that big a deal to make the prototype. I encourage any of you out there to do the same if at all possible.

Congratulations, mock-ups are great if you can find a way to do them. You're getting what works for you and that's always the best option.

We'll need pictures of course.

Way to go pupwhipped! It is so hard to make a decision like that. I have a hard time visualizing what things will look like also. Glad your husband was able to give you that full visual. Can't wait to see a picture of your butcherblock. It looks awesome!