The other thing that's a factor for Craft-Art is where you live---we looked at them, and also at IKEA, MapleBlock, John Boos, and a few small PNW places. Because we're on the West Coast, the shipping at Craft-Art killed us---made it about five times more expensive than IKEA for our space. (If you live close enough to go get it, it's a lot less, but even so, for a 2x4 counter, was $200+ vs. $90 at IKEA.) I did like the woods better at Craft-Art (and basically at most places other than IKEA!) because I really wanted fir or cherry, but I don't think there's any scenario in which it's cheaper or even comparably priced. The difference is mostly that with smaller counters, it's easier to close that gap---had it not been for the shipping, we would happily have paid an extra $100 (i.e., more than double the cost) to get cherry vs. beech, for instance. When you're looking at more counter, though, that difference is magnified.
We did end up with an IKEA beech Numerar counter, and while they're not perfect---the wood is definitely not free of imperfections or perfectly uniform in color as it would be with a custom counter, though the butcher block is well-constructed and even/level on the piece we have---they are definitely the best deal we could have gotten for the money. I hired our cabinetmaker to cut it because we don't have easy access to a table saw; he'd originally given us a bid to build us custom cherry butcher block for the space that was roughly ten times the IKEA cost (though that included finishing, cutting, and installation---by the time we've finished and installed the Numerar and paid him for cutting it, we'll probably have tacked another $150-$200 onto the cost). He observed that it was nicer than he'd expected it to be, asked me how much it cost, and was pretty stunned when I told him. Basically, he couldn't have come close to matching it even using lower end wood.
Does that mean it's as good as what he would have built, or what we could have gotten from Maple Block or Craft-Art? No, I'm quite sure it's not. However, it's sturdy and finished up beautifully (surprisingly so---I wasn't thrilled about some of the wood coloration, but once the finish was on, the whole thing became a deeper rosy red and came together in a way that I'm very pleased with). And I absolutely think it was a good deal given what we paid---plus it allowed us to finish our project within budget. So as much as I would have liked cherry plank counters, I don't regret the route we took. If you have the extra money, I think it's great to spend it on quality counters or a beautiful type of wood, but if you don't or have other priorities for your budget, I think the IKEA counters are a great option.
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