Kitchen Counter Question

[skyking1]

I think it makes sense in that way. Treat it as a counter top. Don’t treat it as a cutting board.

That is how we are doing it.
As mentioned in a few posts above, the island can be treated to provide contrast.
I am building natural finish cabinets and a 12' pantry wall.
The plan is to paint the island and put a wood top on it to break up the sea of wood cabinets.
The working countertops are quartz. I had my fill of granite.
I'll make cutting boards that can go where they are needed, and go to the sink.

 

[old medic]

That's what I'm thinking. I may go as far as to buy and hold extra granite/quartz when I do the counter tops just to ensure that I can match the existing countertops if I choose to replace it.

Great minds think alike... we were going to use Formica in the garage but its covered with a spare 6 ft piece of the Golden Garnete granite in case we ever need it.

Ours in the build up stage.....

 

[Ronstar]

I couldn't convince DW to let me put butcher block counters in the house (not her style), so I made one for my workshop instead. It takes a beating and I sand it a little and refinish with oil and it looks as good as new.

I like the idea posted above where folks have a butcher block counter top, but use wooden cutting boards for cutting.

Some of the cutting boards that I've made are used for cutting, and some for charcuterie boards. If I know that they will be used for cutting, I make an end grain board. If for charcuterie, I make edge grain. I just make them from scraps of maple, walnut, and cherry, sometimes with some mahogany. All spritzed with water to raise the grain, then final sand and finished by soaking in a tub of mineral oil.

 

[old medic]

I like the idea posted above where folks have a butcher block counter top, but use wooden cutting boards for cutting.

Some very nice work there.

 

[Ronstar]

Some very nice work there.

Thanks. DW has me embedding turquoise chips in some boards lately. Definitely don't want to use those for cutting. Knives slicing turquoise is not good.

I made a little counter top for my niece's camper bathroom vanity with turquoise/epoxy in the butt joints. I think she finished it with a marine varnish to keep it waterproof.

 

[skyking1]

I am looking forward to making cutting boards again. Thank you for the inspirations @Ronstar .

 

[old medic]

I am looking forward to making cutting boards again. Thank you for the inspirations @Ronstar .

Can you make me this one?

 

[skyking1]

I made one really cool MC Escher-inspired board with 3 species, I may find pictures of it some day. I glued them together and sliced them in my table saw and then re-glued them. It was fun.
That table is above my pay grade LOL.

 

[catii]

I'm wondering if anyone has ever had a butcher block counter top. I'm remodeling the kitchen and thinking about using butcher block for the island. The rest of the counters would be granite/quartz and the island doesn't have a sink so there would be no direct water issues. My intent would be to actually use the butcher block for food prep but I would refrain from cutting meat (raw or cooked) directly on the butcher block.

I built an island with a foot-thick butcher block that I assembled from hard-rock maple. Still works like a charm 40 years later. We like that so much, that when we did a total kitchen remodel back in 2004, all of the countertops are butcher block - around 32 linear feet. The only problem we've had are termites in one section. We use plastic & titanium to cut things, that aren't on the island. No other problems, & we wouldn't change a thing.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I had one once and didn't like it. I left a flier on the counter once and it got wet and the color (orange) bled into the butcher block. It had some sort of finish on it, and I never could get it out.

 

[SDHiker]

We recently remodeled and went with granite. We love it. We use cutting boards (wood or bamboo) for food prep.

 

[Sanbenito1]

I used to have a butcher block countertop. The person before me used to occasionally use it to cut things and there were slices and scores in it. The part near the sink was often wet so it collected muck in the seams and that impacted the look. Due to the moisture from the sink and cooking (steaming pan lids), it required quite a bit of maintenance, which I did twice a year – a light sanding and then rubbed in tung oil (I think?). Sounds like yours won’t have water nearby and a center island would look nice with it, but if you or your guests start cutting on it, all bets are off and I would still use a cutting board. I did think the wood looked nice, it was just higher maintenance than other tops. I agree with another comment that it might look odd/less good if it is too close to your other countertop, given the dissimilarity in materials.