Who are these degenerates?? Just kidding. I have butcher block countertops & love them. Don't listen to the nay-sayers. I have never regretted them & it's 4 years on now. Dirty, grungy? Are you kidding me? Are these people slaves of HGTV & feel granite is the ONLY way to go? Sorry for the rant!

they are beautiful, and my favorite. I grew up with them, and to this day they are still in good condition. They are fine around the sink, but my mother always wipes them down when done, and oils them once a week- water is not allowed to sit.

It may say more about them than about butcher block or you. I know myself - butcher block would be a real disaster in my house. There are always puddles of water, etc on the counters and I wouldn't do the upkeep. I got dekton because I didn't want to bother with pot holders! I'd put them on an island not at a clean up sink. That being said I think they are beautiful and for the right person a great choice.

Read this blog post and see if it helps you Lessons Learned from a Disappointing Kitchen Remodel

Don't let other people tell you what you don't want. If you know the pros and cons and are making an informed decision (and it sounds like you are) then go for it.

I initially chose butcher block because I love the look and feel of it. I decided it was definitely for me by process of elimination. I don't hate granite but don't love it either. I don't care for the sound of glassware and dishes on stone either. I probably would have made an exception for soapstone, but that's so far out of our price range it isn't even funny. Laminate, which I don't despise, would have cost even more than IKEA butcher block. I'm a cake decorator, and my kitchen sees a lot of food coloring, so I thought long and hard to make sure I can live with it or fix it if I get a stain. Our light colored laminate has been fine for 7 years, so I think wood will be fine for us. Also, the fact that I can do the whole kitchen for about $400 doesn't hurt at all.

Unfortunately IKEA isn't going to work for us. It would be $1400 to do our kitchen in their solid oak option, and it would take a lot of work to make it work. I'm not confident in cutting the curved-corner undermount sink hole, and our island is too wide so we'd need to laminate 2 pieces together, etc. it's just not worth the savings in the end.

My my mother is actually most vocally disapproving of our plan, and she's an obsessive compulsive neat freak whose sinks and counters are always dry and spotless. She'd probably find butcher block less work than her dark marble, which she regrets choosing.

Off to to read that blog post now. Thanks!

I had butcher block in my last home and loved them. But, when we moved and rented the home out, that was another story. Renters did not take care of the counter tops We even supplied the oil needed for them, didn't matter.

Point being, if you are inclined to care for them...go for it. If not, pass.

I don't have butcher block, but I know about naysayers. We did our kitchen 16 years ago I wanted soapstone. Everyone cautioned me against it- kitchen designer, GC, friends, etc... everyone said I was making a huge mistake so I ended up going with granite. I hated that granite counter every single day. With this remodel I put in soapstone and I'm in love with my counters. Go with what YOU want!

I would have done it. DH really didn't want them. When you consider the thousands that any non-wood counter will cost, wood would still be more effective even if you replaced it every five years...

I just got presented with an interested option in a beautiful locally sourced marble. We could potentially do a reclaimed douglas fir butcher block island, salvaged from a local legion hall and then for the perimeter surfaces could do this tlupana blue marble shown here: http://victoria.modernhomemag.ca/classic-farmhouse-kitchen/

It would add at least $1500 to the budget, which I'm not keen to part with. Is it worth it? I might just have to find somewhere else in the house to include this local marble. The fireplace surround or a bathroom vanity maybe.

It really is gorgeous. And the local connection sweetens the deal. I would be sorely tempted, but it really depends on how firm your budget is. I probably couldn't squeeze it into mine, but everyone's situation is different.

Lived with ikea butcherblock in a house I was renting for 3 years. I wasn't an abusive tenant but didn't really pay much attention to them either. They didn't hold up very well, particularly by the sink. Maybe I'd do better with them now but I'll never find out because I wouldn't get them again.

DrB477, this is good to know. Sure I'll be good about keeping things dry, and could expect my husband to do the same, but what's going to happen when my 2 little kids are old enough to make a mess of the kitchen when I'm not around?

We ended up with a black walnut island countertop. There was a sink in the island. The only way I could get around it was to put quartzite around the sink perimeter. It worked really well & was functional. I loved the island & plan to do the same in our second build. I would have abused the heck out of it otherwise. This was a great compromise.

I have no opinion on butcher block countertops other than to say that every single thing I was talked out of in our remodel, I regret not doing. Over the past 10 years I have slowly done them all. :) I'd say go for it!

We also were talked out of having butcher block..

I wouldn't probably surrender so fast, but our cabinet guy was adamantly against it. He didn't have anything to win by it, since it would be additional work for him. and I kinda dreamed of walnut..really expensive as well. He said wood and water and fire don't do great together; and the sink should be drop-in then(which I didn't prefer)..and the kitchen is small, and people usually do just a part in butcher block, say in an island, and we have no space to integrate it so it won't look weird(he was right in that).

He's a very knowledgeable guy; so I sighed and took his advice. No way to check now whether it was right or wrong.

We didn't go with granite; went with Quartz. I can't say I continue to think about it too much; but I do envy people that just do whatever they want..:)

I'm going with an induction range, so I'm not worried about that, but I do worry about the sink. The manufacturer I'm thinking of going with doesn't seem concerned that we're doing an undermount sink. They said they'd just be extra thorough in sealing those areas.

My worry is how the kids will treat the counters. But I'm okay with doing the maintenance, and I suppose if they do something terrible I could always sand it down and resell that spot.

Mid range quartz would be 2.75x more expensive than butcherblock, so that's out of the question.

I'm not a granite lover, though I'd consider honed but that is double the cost of butcherblock and not what I really want anyway.

The local marble could be used around the perimeter with butcherblock island would be about 25% more than butcherblock alone.

We had originally planned on doing IKEA butcherblock DIY to make this a place to save money. Then we factored in the work involved, some of which we weren't comfortable doing ourselves (undermount sink hole), and it made sense to get custom wood counters made up that we could install ourselves. The marble+wood solution would solve the concern of laminate splitting and wood discolouring around the sink, but marble needs to be babied too. I'm okay with a patina and surfaces showing some age, I just don't want them to rot and split like I've been warned would happen.

Hmmm. Wood, water, and fire work just fine in my kitchen. There have been many discussions about wood countertops on Gardenweb over the years which are a wealth of education to help your decision. The search function will point you to them. Success, failure, and an abundance of knowledge await. Bottom line is you have to love wood and be willing to take care of it. The finish you choose is paramount. I've had Black Walnut plank for 2.5 years and love it. My island is finished with Waterlox. I'm currently doing an inexpensive Birch counter in another property finished with Rubio Monocoat. This counter will not hold up like mine, but will still be easily reparable. That's the thing with wood. But you have to love it and be willing to care for it.

IKEA have some of the most inexpensive wood counters, yet you say you can't do them. Which are you looking at? I'm wondering what everyone is recomending that will be cheaper.

Don't ever count on children following your rules for the countertop. Children are always in a hurry and one hears a lot of "I'll wipe/clean it up later!". Damage is done by then.

I had a 24" piece of butcher block between my stove and refrigerator for 32 years. It would get grungy even though I wiped it. Every 4-6 months, I'd have to scrub it with Comet and use a pasty scraper to get off the grunge, then start the reoiling process. Perhaps Waterlox would have worked better. When the refrigerator was moved and I now was going to gave a 5' countertop, I was going to use butcher block. I re-thought that and put in white Corian to match the other counters. Since I love the look, I have an IKEA cart/island with well oiled butcher block. It will be fine as its a landing zone, not a prep area.

You posted while I was typing. I have marble perimeter and wood island. I think you are wise to get custom wood since you aren't comfortable with DIY. It is a lot of work. My sink is in the island and there is no way it's going to rot! But please be prepared for wear and tear from kids, but it's ok.. My two year old grandson loves to help me cook, banging on the counters and dragging anything he can grab. It's all patina. I will refinish at some point but likely not for years. It all still looks new! Go with your gut and what you love.

I've gotten lots of great info on butcher block counters using the search function here. But no definitive best way to do things. People are polarized between Waterlox or the like vs food safe oil. I won't be using these as cutting surfaces so I'm going to use the product suggested by the manufacturer, which will likely be Osma. It's recommended I reapply it ever other year.

We were planning to use solid oak IKEA counters, and still will in the laundry room. But the length our sink is on is too long, and our island both too long and too wide, and the seams both add more work and more potential to go wrong. More importantly, I've had skilled carpenters (including a brother) tell us not to attempt to DIY the undermount sink hole with curved corners. My brother didn't even feel confident enough to do it himself. So once you factor in having to buy extra pieces to join together because your island is 3" too long and wide, and having to hire a finishing carpenter to cut the hole, it's just not enough of a saving to make it worthwhile. I can get maple for a surprisingly reasonable price if I'm willing to put the kitchen on hold until spring because that's how far out they're booking, or for the same price I can get reclaimed Douglas fir with a cool story to it in 2-4 weeks.

Anglophilia, was your countertop used as a cutting surface or did it just get that way from being next to the stove. And yes, the kids are my big concern. But I can sand them down and start over if there's a disaster, and I can't do that with the local marble, right? At least it's not whitemarble though so it would be more forgiving.

You're right, there is no definitive way. Your situation would not lend to DIY. I love my Waterlox top and it's very durable, but I didn't want to wait the very long application and curing time so I went with Rubio Monocoat on the one I'm just finishing. I considered Osmo which is similar. I chose it it because it's one coat combo of oil and hard wax and can be sanded and refinished. It will take extra care around the the sink. My daughter will live in this house with her two year old so it has to take abuse. It's inexpensive and refinishes very easily. Cost was a factor, but mostly we chose it because we've been very happy with our wood island.

The only issue with marble seems to be etching. The marble is supposed to get etched a lot and create a "patina" and look.... well loved. It really depends on where the lighting is in your kitchen as to whether the etching will show in a way that you find a palatable or not.

I grew up with butcher block counters. Like one of the pictures above illustrates, it's best to surround any wet area such as a sink with some sort of surface that will repel water. We liked them. I never thought of them as being unsanitary. You just wash them off like any other surface and seal them when/if necessary. I don't recall us ever sealing them. Buy what you like, not what your mother or mother-in-law likes. After all, it's your kitchen, not theirs.

We are most likely going with butcher block. I have 6 children, the oldest 5 are boys, so even though they help with a lot of kitchen chores, they are NOT meticulous. We have a butcher block island/peninsula right now that is in fairly rough shape after 4 years, but if we weren't getting ready to gut the kitchen, I think that we could sand and refinish it and bring it back for the most part.

I would like corian or silestone or even soapstone, but the cost difference is SO much, we felt that, as Practigal expressed, we could replace butcher block in 5 years and still come out ahead. I LOVE the look of wood, so given the price, I think it is worth the gamble, hoping that if it does need replacing in 5-10 years, we'll be in a better place to afford a more substantial surface.

FWIW, have you looked into DIY soapstone kits? I think it was about twice as much as butcherblock when I priced it, but I thought it was a cool idea. I came across some people selling custom sized slabs on Craigslist for $49 a square foot and then found a site online that was not much more. Apparently, you can cut soapstone with regular power tools.

I commented on your other thread a few days ago, but thought I would reply on this one since it's more relevant. Here is my IKEA beech butcher-block.

This last photo shows some damage in my most heavily used prep area. I cannot figure out what makes those circular marks, but they don't bother me at all. My counters are almost 2 years old.

I stained the counters with minwax special walnut, and then finished with lots of coats of Waterlox satin. It is worn shiny in several spots.

The backsplash is a piece of beech we stained and finished to match. It's about 3 inches tall and 1 inch thick.

In your case, I would consider doing marble around the sink somehow. I love my counters, but putting them in around an undermount sink would give me pause. I have no personal experience with it, but in my own obsessive research, I read enough about splitting and discoloring to worry me!

on your other thread, you mentioned wondering whether to put paneling behind or on the wood splash. I would go behind. Also, don't put it behind the range. Could you get a short trim on your stove to continue the horizontal line? Are you planning to do the paneling behind the range?

sheesh, sorry about the gigantic pictures!

I seriously considered the stone around the sink idea, but it seemed to add a lot to the cost since I would a piece big enough to provide the space around the sink and then cut a huge hole out of it, which costs money as well. I have yet to actually inquire about remnants at the tile/stone shop, but calculating based on estimators online had it costing around $800, which seemed like a lot for protecting less expensive wood.

I'm leaning toward face grain Eastern hard block maple throughout. I just got another quote and the price is so reasonable and I could have them delivered in 2-3 weeks. I think I might do this... Just the wood backsplash along the top length which is the wall the window and sink are on. To the left of the range I'll have an open shelf as shown in the mock up and could panel behind that with tongue and groove or beadboard. I could do the same behind the open shelf to the left of the pantry wall. I'd probably run the wood backsplash behind all the perimeter counters but I'm not sure how to handle the range. I had though I'd panel the entire wall the range is on, but maybe it should just be painted in a highflier paint directly behind the range under the hood and leave it at that for now. I had thought that if I did the marble on the perimeter surfaces I could run it on the wall behind the range as shown, but remember hearing horror stories about marble behind the range.

I'm finding all the positive stories about wood counters very encouraging and thank you to those who've said I should stick to my guns and do what I want!

My kids were quite abusive to our walnut island. They ate the majority of meals there & did their homework & art projects on the island. Microfiber placemats were key when they would eat. I used a beeswax & coconut oil paste to oil them. In the event the kids scratched the counters, I sanded them & reoiled & we were good to go. The day we sold our home after living there 2.5 years, the walnut looked good as new.

When I installed butcher block in our shore house IKEA kitchen many years ago I learned about raw tung oil on this forum. I ordered it from Real Milk Paint, followed their instructions and loved the completely water proof finish. We used the house as a rental, and I ended up with one burn and several cuts, but no water damage, even around the sink. Eventually I sanded and refinished it. In my opinion it's a great place to save some money in a kitchen.

Wow Beth, that's so great to hear that tung oil held up so well. That's something I'd be comfortable doing ourselves and it would save us on having them finished professionally and cut down on time to delivery by at least a week.

I think the grunge on my butcher block next to the stove was more from the stove than from the limited cutting we did on it. When I cut on it, I always cleaned it up immediately. I do think that it being oiled was part of the problem - the oil was kept somewhat soft by the heat from the stove (5 pilot lights!) and it attracted dirt. My island is far enough from the stove for this to not be a problem.

I have MANY high maintenance things in my house and I love them! But when it comes to kitchens and bathrooms, I do NOT want high maintenance - the rooms are just used far too much and by so many different people under different circumstances. So I go with "sleek and easy to clean", thus my love for my Glazier White Corian countertops. After 32 years, they still look perfect and are so easy to keep. I chose honed Carrera marble large subway tiles for my backsplash...with fear and trepidation. I had them sealed multiple times. It's now been 4 months and so far, so good. But I would never had used marble for a countertop - just too high maintenance for me.

I made my own maple butcher block. Always wanted it. And I stick with what I want. Everyone else can go ... er ... take a hike.

I find it interesting that it's so terrible that butchers have used it for generations. That antique butcher blocks bring $1000s if you can even locate one. Hacked up? No. Worn smooth in interesting ways? Yes.

I cannot remember right now, which wood it is, but there's one out there that is somewhat anti-bacterial. Again, generations ago somehow people managed to survive with a lot of soap and water.

Get what you want. For goodness sake, there isn't a thing that cannot be changed. After all. Look at all the remodels...!

When I used the raw tung oil, they recommended thinning it with a citrus solvent, but now they sell a product that is half tung oil and half citrus solvent. It has a very nice finish too. Yes, get what you want!

I love the look of butcher block -- it's a softer look, and I like that. However, I wouldn't get it myself. Why? Because I've been me for a lot of years, and I know it'd be a mess sooner rather than later, and I'd be disappointed -- but that has nothing to do with you.

If you've done your homework and are sure that you'll be okay with the upkeep, go ahead and do it.

If I were going to go with butcher block, I'd consider doing some type of stone around the sink ... and keep the butcher block in the prep area.

Keep in mind, too, that if you're unhappy with it, you can probably replace it 4-5 times before you reach the cost of granite. Of course, replacement isn't just about cost; it's also about deciding to do it, making a choice, scheduling the work, cleaning out ahead of time ... but financially it makes sense.

We've had granite counters and a butcher block island for ~30 years now. The current island is 3.5 x 9 ft of curly maple, finished with pure tung oil. It is used heavily for food prep and is wet a lot-- essentially all of the cooking happens at the island. It looks like a work surface in a working kitchen, not perfect, but appropriate, I think, to a working space. (no high gloss kitchen magazine finishes here!) Every year or so I reapply tung or walnut oil, every five years or so I plane the recalcitrant stains off the surface and have a fresh start. I've never found a work surface I like better. The granite is nice and impervious around the stove and sink, and the combination looks quite nice.

I haven't had time to read all the comments so I'm sorry if I repeat anything others have said. I put cherry butcher block in my island at our last house and we all LOVED it. It had a huge farmhouse sink in it (the ikea single) and they looked gorgeous together. I have three messy kids and I'm too busy to be super careful all the time. The counter held up beautifully for 5 years and I'm sure it will for a long time to come. No problems at all with water staining or any marking at all, even from the odd hot pot, though everyone told me I was crazy to put a sink in it. We just oiled the wood, no varnish, and we used it to chop directly on it. The first few cut marks were hard to take but soon it developed a beautiful patina. I figured I could always sand it down if I didn't like the look of chopping right on it but we loved it. Some foods would stain (strawberries are the worst) but even food colouring drips faded out naturally within a day or two. Can't say that about the porous granite in my new house. I oiled it occasionally with whatever I had on hand - usually a beeswax/lemon oil blend, or just regular mineral oil. I avoided neem oil just in case we ever had kids with nut allergies over.

Friends also put in butcher block but they put a high gloss varnish on it and I never liked it as much. Simply not to my taste when new but after a year or so, every little scratch and ding showed up terribly, unlike when you just leave it with nothing more than oil.

bbtrix, what did you use to finish your counter?

Waterlox Original.

I'm going a different route with this work in progress.

We had a butcher block counter with a sink that came with the house. It was a total failure. I tried everything to be vigilant and wipe up water and tried various sealing products but it was a mess. The biggest problem that we had was that splash water would collect next to the relatively shallow sink's over-mount lip and work it's way into sink cutout verticals and the cracks between the butcher block laminations. When it was taken apart when we replaced it, it was worse underneath than I ever thought. In retrospect, I can see that a very deep under-mount sink might work and maybe that is the secret to success that people are having

My husband would prefer the local marble be used around the perimeter, which may need to happen because there's a chance the butcher block manufacturers won't ship it with the sink hole cut as it may not be stable enough, and then we're back to the same place we were at with the Ikea countertops. Well not quite, but still needing to find a finishing carpenter willing to make that cut. It turns out that not even the butcher block makers like cutting undermount sink holes.

BUT... the marble would be standard 1.25" tall, and our cabinet boxes are 34" from the floor. The minimum height of the cooktop surface of the induction range we've purchased is 36". I feel like a 3/4" difference between the counter height and cooktop is more of a deal breaker for me than the chance of the butcher block getting gunky around the sink. I can get the butcher block at 1.75" so there would just be a 1/4" difference between the cooktop and countertop.

Ikea BB oak (8yrs ago) Did 4 coats Waterlox original. Main counters still look great, but I should have added an extra coat or two around the undermount sink...

In doing my research on Gardenweb, I've seen a few different pros mention putting epoxy on the sink cut out after using a product like Rubio Monocoat or Waterlox, but in all of the tutorials I've seen, I've never seen someone do this step. Is there a particular brand or method to use to do this? I'm imagining painter's tape on the top near the edge and then applying it on the opening and the under edge.

There has been enough doubt that my husband convinced me to change our plans. Also affordable and beautiful local marble played a part. We'll just stick with butcher block on the island, and do honed marble around the edges. I think that ultimately just because I can keep the sink area dry, doesn't mean my entire family can, and I don't want to blame my kids for ruining the countertops. That's not really fair to them because they're just kids and it's their house too. Even the butcher block manufacturer told me this decision is wise, and that's saying something.

I'm placing my order for the butcherblock today and keep going back and forth between face grain vs. edge grain. Do any of you Plain English lovers have a preference? I feel like face grain would be more appropriate but haven't seen a lot of examples and wonder if it would compete in a weird way with the wide plank oak floors.

Gorgeous photos of the wood tops. My parents had butcher block tops throughout the entire kitchen for over 30 years and they looked great. Just make sure you oil them regularly with mineral oil.

I really like the edge grain over the face grain. It feels more casual, like British Baking Show, and like a *work* surface.

That said, I agree that Plain English trends towards the formal, especially when paired with marble, which look to be the face grain.

I'm definitely going modern country family kitchen, and not formal at all. The images below show the marble we'll be using combined with an edge grain maple island, and I like it so much I'll just copy the combination.

I like it!