Why You Should Choose Butcher Block for Your Next Home Project?

One of the best countertop, table, cutting board, or work desk surfaces to add to your home is butcher block.

Maybe you're a home owner interested in adding a cozy country cottage or farmhouse style to your kitchen and dining area. Or, you work at home and you're looking for a better quality surface for your desk.

Either way, you'll benefit from butcher block for your next DIY home project!

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Why Butcher Block?

There are plenty of reasons why we and so many of our clients love butcher block. Here are just a few reasons:

1. Multiple Wood, Style, & Color Options

To start, butcher block offers a wide range of wood types, including gorgeous maple, oak, cherry, teak, beech, walnut, mahogany, and hickory. Each of these woods come with their own natural coloration and wood grain, however, there are a number of options available for food safe oils and stains/finishes to further bring out the color, protect the wood, and enhance the quality overall.

At Forever Joint Tops, we offer hard maple, red oak, hickory, and walnut woods in edge grain butcher block. These pieces are made straight cuts of wood that are meticulously cut with CNC precision equipment and glued together in slabs side by side. From very light maple and oak to medium and dark brown tones provided by walnut, butcher block has a wide variety of beautiful, unique colorations to choose from. Another popular alternative is end grain. Learn about edge vs end grain butcher block here.

2. Easy to Clean & Refinish

Fortunately, butcher block doesn't require much effort in order to clean. In fact, all you'll need is a sponge, approximately two cups of warm water, and about a teaspoon of dish soap to clean off its surface. For disinfecting or removing stain, you can use vinegar, salt, and lemon juice. More information here on how to clean butcher block.

If you ever need to refinish your butcher block, you'll need to use a fine-grit (220-grit) piece of sandpaper to sand any scratches. Then, reapply the food safe oil or finish that your butcher block countertop specialists provided or recommended when you purchased the butcher block.

3. Cost

While not quite as cheap as laminated countertops, butcher block surprisingly offers more affordability than quartz, marble, or natural stone countertops. On average, butcher block runs between $30 to $40 per square foot, however, please note that this depends on the type of wood you've chosen. Some higher-end butcher block woods will cost more per square foot.

If you opt to DIY install the butcher block yourself, you can avoid installation cost. However, labor cost to install butcher block countertops may be anywhere between $50 to $70 per square foot.

4. Longevity

Another reason you should choose butcher block for your next home project is because it is a long-lasting material for any countertop or table surface. In fact, butcher block can last for up to 20 years or more with regular maintenance. This is a similar longevity when compared with granite. One reason why homeowners like butcher block is because not only does it look beautiful, but it also usually outlasts laminate.

However, as you likely have guessed, butcher block wood is likely to get scratched or stain easily from day-to-day use. To help achieve the best, long-lasting results, we recommend using Waterlox® products.

More information below.

Notes on Waterlox®

We always recommend Waterlox® to our customers, since it is a high-grade Tung oil and resin blend with a water-resistant finish sealer that, when applied, does an excellent job showcasing the natural beauty of wood while also providing long-lasting, durable protection so you can enjoy your butcher block for 20+ years.

• Waterlox® is food-safe and non-toxic. This means that it's very safe for cooking, baking, preparing, and serving food on. Still, be sure to NOT USE WATERLOX® FOR CUTTING DIRECTLY ON THE BUTCHER BLOCK WOOD.
• Also, note that Waterlox® butcher block sealer is heat-resistant and won't crack, peel, or chip.
• It is known for its great ability to lock out and protect against water, making it the perfect choice for butcher block surfaces.

Please note: Once you use Waterlox®, no regular oiling/conditioning is needed.

If you don't plan to use Waterlox®, to prevent from drying out or getting stains and nicks, you'll need to regularly apply a food-safe mineral oil or conditioner, about once every few weeks. More information on applying mineral oil and organic beeswax here. Depending on the amount of wear and tear your butcher block experiences, you'll need to resurface it. Simply sand with a fine-grit sandpaper to remove stains and reseal it.

Read More: 5 Reasons You Should Choose Wood Countertops

DIY Butcher Block Installation

If you're interested in DIY butcher block installation for your home office, kitchen, or work area, Forever Joint Tops can assist! We'll work with you on the specific customizations you're looking for. We use CNC precision equipment to get just the right cut you're looking for - no matter if that's a kitchen island, countertop, desktop, table tops, and bar tops. Then when you receive your butcher block shipment, follow our butcher block installation guide steps here.

Please note: butcher block will need to acclimate to the temperature in your home prior to installation. It's worth noting that wood will expand in the summer and contract in the winter.

Are Butcher Block Countertops Right for My Home?

Butcher block comes with many advantages. When it comes to durability, resistance, affordability, and versatility, you'll love the natural beauty that comes with butcher block.

What's great about butcher block is that it fits in naturally with just about any kitchen or dining room style - from classic, to country, to modern. One final note: as long as you maintain your butcher block countertop installation as described in this article and don't treat it like a cutting board, you should enjoy the benefits of your butcher block for 20 years or more. It's a one-time investment that you won't regret! Order your butcher block here.