This is my inspo pic

There was a section of butcher block countertop in this house when we bought it. The previous owners used it for cutting and no amount of scrubbing or bleaching could remove the black stuff that lived in those cuts. They also had installed a prep sink in the middle of that space so the water stains were another issue. My personal opinion is the only time butcher block looks good is when it is never used as a cutting board. I love it as a “look”, but don’t trust the guest who wants to help and decides to use a serrated knife on it.

I would definitely never cut on it. the water staining is what worries me more.

We have two butcher block counters--one beech on a stretch of cabinets, and one birch on our island since it came with that. Both IKEA but they don't make either anymore unfortunately, and not sure how their current options compare. We don't cut directly on either (agreed that this is a bad plan no matter how you treat it). One is finished in Waterlox and the other in a no-VOC alternative (can't remember what, but somewhere in between mineral oil and Waterlox in terms of durability). Both have held up pretty well to kids. The Waterlox is glossier (but always was) and darker (but that may just be the beech vs. birch). It does have a couple of spots on it where a kid set something penetrating down--at some point we need to sand it out and refinish that section but haven't gotten to it. Neither is in regular contact with water but both are pretty durable for spills or wipe-downs with a wet sponge. I wouldn't use it right up against a sink or a stove--we have stone there--but otherwise really like the wood.

We considered wood counters and every kitchen designer and countertop vendor - even those who stock and supply wood tops, warned against it on a sink side counter. We have a galley kitchen and did the dry side wood and wet wall a solid surface. I think they look great together. I like caring for the wood. We do not cut on it. I would never get it on a wet side. I like not having a fuss.

My kitchen is tiny- basicallly a small ’L’ with the little leg if the ’L’ the sink. i dont think i can choose two different countertops….

" I would like to install solid wood "

Ikea and most of the inexpensive brand are or were (maybe not any longer) veneered (particle board or furniture board), making them about impossible to truly use as a butcher block.

@Kendrah I love the photos I’ve seen of your kitchen. What was the source of the wooden countertop? Maybe there’s another source I can investigate.

My dream is to have wood on my large island. I’ve been repeatedly told wood is expensive. Ok, but what does that mean? Two to three times more than granite. Ok, but IDK what granite costs so that‘s not helpful.

I did get one estimate and it was shockingly expensive. I’m sure part of the problem is the size of the island but I don’t want to decrease it.

Sorry for the slight hijack but maybe the OP will benefit by my inquiry.

We have purchased several butcher block countertops from Walnut Woodworks. Not cheap, but gorgeous! He seals with a wax. We use soapstone cleaner to protect it about once every month or so.

We did an island in walnut, and in our new home, dry area counters in maple, floating shelves in maple, bathroom vanity in walnut, floating shelves in walnut. All are gorgeousgorgeous!

IKEA used to have quality solid ones. (I have one on a mobile island that is solid oak.) I think they have changed.

More recently I got a cherry counter from these guys https://hardwood-lumber.com/ and had a good experience. Different "cuts" are priced differently, as are different woods of course. I recommend speccing out a counter on the website and then seeing if the shipping is too brutal. :)

Yes, our old IKEA ones (Numerar, I think?) are great. They are solid wood edge grain, in beech and birch. But they don't make that line anymore, sadly. I don't think any of the current options are comparable, but you could check--IKEA is good about clearly labeling veneer vs. solid wood. For a new project I looked at Butcher Block Co., which seemed to have some reasonably priced options, but I don't have any direct experience with them since we haven't tackled that project yet. I liked that you could get custom-cut counters--a big downside to IKEA was that we had to buy the full counter piece and cut it down ourselves, which was a bit daunting (but worth it at the time for the cost savings).

Oh no, thanks to the above info, now I have hope again. Maybe a wooden island top is achievable! 🤞🏼

@hhireno

My son in law got a piece of bowling alley lane and they are using that as the top of their island. It is beautiful!

@kathyg_in_mi I bet that looks striking. He was lucky to find spare wood.

I’ll see myself out, to the gutter.

"Every couple of years needs the sinks dropped, and the underneath scraped and sanded and treated, with new silicone between the sink and wood. The line where the cut edge meets the underneath is where all the rot starts."

Failure of a silicone joint between the bottom of any countertop and the top of a sink flange is the fault of the mechanical means of attachment. A properly strapped sink, not clipped or blocked, will provide decades of service with no maintainence.

@hhireno

GROAN! 🤪

We’ve had butcher block in 2 kitchens and loved them. Both times we had only wood, even around the sink, with no issues. I like that they are pretty, warm to touch, quiet, affordable, and easy to maintain. Keep them sealed and don’t let water sit for too long and you’ll be fine. Or, if you aren’t so careful, you can sand and fix any issues very easily.

I also like that butcher block is a decently “green” option too. The wood can be reused for any number of projects but will also break down in the landfill.

I just wanted to weigh in on the "cutting directly on the countertop" debate. We have had teak (well come to find out it's not actually teak - that is now banned - it's some sort of hardwood from South America) in our kitchen for eleven years now. Including around the sink. The area I prep food on is end grain, the rest is edge (the grain runs the "long" way). I only use beeswax/mineral oil on it and cut everything but poultry on it. It's had hard use (lots of summer chopping and canning goes on there) and it still looks great. No problems under the counter either, though next time I'm not going to do a negative reveal on the sink cause that gets a little dirty.

Also, I just inherited a stand-alone butcher block from my MIL, purchased in the 80's and well used (neglected for the past decade by my SIL who had it and did not use it). Sanded it up, waxed it and it is beautiful! Does it have cut marks in it? Yes, but I doubt there is any 40-year-old E. coli colony waiting to jump out and attack us. Using it in our garage apartment/tiny kitchen:

So... put in what you love! it will be fine...

Ive only done all wood tops for one client. She chose a very durable wood called Bubinga. They did their kitchen 10 years ago and they still look amazing!!!

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