Butcher block counter top

[John Mihich]

I am building a kitchen work station for my daughter.  I want to put a maple butcher block on it.  I have no issue with building one.  I just wonder if anyone has done the math on buying one versus making one.  The top will be about 50x30 - I can adjust a bit.  I can buy one at Menards for $180. 

I'm thinking that buying a used table might be cheaper.  I have seen lots of those butcher block tables in used furniture places.  

I could use oak but all I have is red oak - thinking that's too open grain - white oak would be ok but I don't have any in stock.  

TIA

[Splinter Puller]

I am building a kitchen work station for my daughter.  I want to put a maple butcher block on it.  I have no issue with building one.  I just wonder if anyone has done the math on buying one versus making one.  The top will be about 50x30 - I can adjust a bit.  I can buy one at Menards for $180. 

I'm thinking that buying a used table might be cheaper.  I have seen lots of those butcher block tables in used furniture places.  

I could use oak but all I have is red oak - thinking that's too open grain - white oak would be ok but I don't have any in stock.  

TIA

Will it be for actual chopping or are you just going for the look of wood counter top?  If the latter here is what I did.

When I redid my kitchen I wanted a section of butcherblock but I did not want to pay $$$ for custom hardwood or make up one of my own.  I purchased the cheaper Menards tops and finished them.  They are a softer wood so I dyed them and finished them with polyurethane.  A few years later they still look great.  To control the blotching on the softer wood I first brushed on a glue sizing.   This hardened the surface and kept the dye applications even.  My wife wanted the woodwork dark so I used a medium brown aniline dye.

http://web.alliancecom.net/brenner/woods...ounter.jpg

[John Mihich]

Will it be for actual chopping or are you just going for the look of wood counter top?  If the latter here is what I did.

When I redid my kitchen I wanted a section of butcherblock but I did not want to pay $$$ for custom hardwood or make up one of my own.  I purchased the cheaper Menards tops and finished them.  They are a softer wood so I dyed them and finished them with polyurethane.  A few years later they still look great.  To control the blotching on the softer wood I first brushed on a glue sizing.   This hardened the surface and kept the dye applications even.  My wife wanted the woodwork dark so I used a medium brown aniline dye.

http://web.alliancecom.net/brenner/woods...ounter.jpg

So the Menards are soft maple?   My daughter won't be chopping but will be doing baking stuff.  I think soft maple would be fine.  I used the Ikea stuff - really not too bad but too expensive in comparison to Menards.

[Bill Holt]

John, I have done two projects using Rockler's butcher block.  For me, it made a lot of sense to buy vs. build.  The first one was a top for a large rolling island 50"x60" and it was hard maple made of 2x2 stock.  Rockler apparently change suppliers before the second project.  It was made of 1x2 stock and did not have the traditional look. 

I have the DW735 and doing a large top in 12 or 13 inch sections was going to require too much time.

[Bluepine]

John the butcherblock at Menards is Birch.
Lumber Liquidators has a nice selection of butcherblock at very reasonable prices and really good construction.
I've used tops from Ikea (Red Oak), Menards (Birch) and Lumber Liquidators (Hard Maple) and prefer the L.L..

[atgcpaul]

I have IKEA butcher block throughout my kitchen. It's beech. We don't cut directly on it and it has held up very well even around the sink. I used GF Endurovar or HP poly, can't remember.

There are some caveats with the IKEA tops, though (and maybe with other commercial boards) I think their deepest counter is just 26". The staves are fingerjointed together. You won't get a continuous board running from end to end, and on the edges, you will see the fingerjoints. It doesn't bother me, but something to consider. In the past few years, not all the IKEA tops are solid. Some are a thick layer of butcher block veneer over a lighter board. Finally, there's a rough side and smooth side. Even the smooth side wasn't perfectly smooth. Again, doesn't bother me, but something to consider.

[John Mihich]

I just used the IKEA BB for a kitchen.  Yeah it's not solid.  The top coat is 1/8" thick.  It does seem pretty solid and should lay pretty flat.  We'll see.

The Menards ones I saw today said maple.  They have a 72" x 36" that I can use.

I looked at L.L. online.  We have one close by - I may take a look.

I am just starting this project so I have a couple of weeks to work this out. 

I know I can make one but the time to do it may not be worth it.  I tried pricing it and premade may cost just as much as maple boards.

[Splinter Puller]

I just used the IKEA BB for a kitchen.  Yeah it's not solid.  The top coat is 1/8" thick.  It does seem pretty solid and should lay pretty flat.  We'll see.

The Menards ones I saw today said maple.  They have a 72" x 36" that I can use.

I looked at L.L. online.  We have one close by - I may take a look.

I am just starting this project so I have a couple of weeks to work this out. 

I know I can make one but the time to do it may not be worth it.  I tried pricing it and premade may cost just as much as maple boards.

The tops I bought from Menards were birch.  I seem to recall it was called "utility butcher block" I don't remember if they stocked maple when I bought mine.   I seem to recall an 8' x 25"chuck was around $160.  I think the 36" x 6' piece was around the same.   There were dark patches in the wood and the birch would have been super blotchy which is why I basically sealed it up with sizing before dying it an even color.

https://www.menards.com/main/kitchen/cou...610326.htm

[MissouriSawdust]

I am building a kitchen work station for my daughter.  I want to put a maple butcher block on it.  I have no issue with building one.  I just wonder if anyone has done the math on buying one versus making one.  The top will be about 50x30 - I can adjust a bit.  I can buy one at Menards for $180. 

I'm thinking that buying a used table might be cheaper.  I have seen lots of those butcher block tables in used furniture places.  

I could use oak but all I have is red oak - thinking that's too open grain - white oak would be ok but I don't have any in stock.  

TIA

If you are anywhere close to Effingham Il, Boos Block has an outlet store and you can bigtime save big bucks. I bought two units from them 72 long and 30 something wide and 2 3/8 thick  I used one for my new outfeed table.  Liked to kill me movig it around but new saw does not vibrate!

[Cooler]

For the record I went to Ikea's site the other day and I did not find the butcher block.  I found butcher block look with a thick top layer of (birch?) over particle board.

My issue with my older Ikea butcher block is made from a lot of really short pieces.  It looks a bit choppy.