*
We are looking into building hardwood countertops in our new kitchen. My husband is very a very talented wood worker but does not have any knowledge of kitchen countertops. We need suggestions as to what woods to consider and how best to protect the wood after it is in. We are putting in light cherry cabinets so a darker wood would likely look good with the cabinets. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
The FHB Podcast crew takes a closer look at an interesting roof.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
*
Colleen, wood is not a great choice for a countertop. Aesthetics aside there are fewer worse materials. No heat resistance, easily stained, high maintenance, little water resistance, succumbs easily to abrasion and dents and scratches easily and this is after it's finished.
Practicality aside, it is a rich and beautiful material. Be forwarned, it will never look better than just before you start using it and there are no finishes that will make it impervious to the rigors of normal use for very long.
Good luck with your decision. I would suggest that you post this over at the Knots message board and go fishing for a response from Jeff Jewitt.
Lee
*
I second Lee's comments. Using wood for countertops--especially around sinks--is a bad idea. Stone, concrete, stainless steel, solid surfacing material or plastic laminate are all far superior. You can make a nice maple (looks great with cherry) chopping block and put rubber-bumper legs on the bottom, so that you can move it around where it's needed. By the way, those light cherry cabinets you referred to will darken considerably over the next couple of years. The rate at which they'll darken depends on the finish and how much light you get in your kitchen.
*Again: don't use wood, it will look beautiful the day you install it and its all downhill from there.
*
I am sure that Lee, Bill, and Fred know a whole lot more about this than I do. But if they have failed to dissuade you from using wood, I notice that two of the houses in this month's Fine Homebuilding Houses issue have maple counter tops, pages 54 and 81. Then there is the ad for bamboo flooring on page 28: "As hard as maple". Hmmm...
Rich Beckman
*Hardwood is not such a bad choice with a few caveats. I have a bar top made out of 1/2 oak flooring that has survived 20 years of cleaning with a wet sponge. BUT for a kitchen counter you will need to use a wood with a closed grain. My first choice would be maple. As a matter of fact my only choice would be maple. It won't be dark. There may be some exoctic tropicals that would work and be dark but I would be extremely careful. I wouldn't recommend teak in contact with food. Don't even think about laying it flat. The best choice for wear is built up out of endgrain blocks. This is how the best butcher blocks are constructed, but it would have to be at least 2.5 inches thick. The other choice would be edge grain, but don't cut on it. Make it at least 1.5 inches thick. You will need to avoid prolonged exposure to water, but most people don't leave puddles on their counters. Clean and oil it reglarly. You will have to be prepared for it to develop a patina with age. It won't look new but that may be the look you are after. I have not built one in a long time, but I used to use plastic resin glue. There are much better choices now-a-days, epoxies etc.
*All the 'pros' said NO WOOD countertpos in K. Glad we did not listen. We had salvaged full 2" maple BB, edge grain laminations from an old kitchen and re-used it. Finished with Behlin's Salad Bowl Finish. It's been in a year and looks as good as when it went in. We do not cut on it directly and try to avoid standing water. You can't put a red hot skillet on it but most pots are fine. The only extra precautions we took were A) to miter, T&G and epoxy in edge grain cross pieces at the sink to keep water away from exposed end-grain and B) to T&G & silicone any joints between sections of BB.As to color the natural maple went well w/ the white painted 'country' look cabinets. Don't have a suggestion for going darker.
*Be sure to use an edible oil if you do oil. Varnish is toxic. I don't like the look, but a couple of former cook friends loved their unfinished butcher-block maple countertops, and think all the knife scars add to it. Stains, such as tomato, come out with bleach. If you have wood and don't want scarring (my pref), there will always be some nitwit house guest who might hack away at its unblemished surface or park a 900° pan on it (maybe you have smarter friends than we do). And black waterstains around the sink look awful to me. You just need to be careful.I would suggest laminate or tile or whatever with a block as suggested by Mike. Remember that wood harbors microorganisms well in its nooks and crannies -- keep the raw chicken away... I like -thick- plastic cutting boards that casn go in the wash.
*Colleen, I agree with Mike, but will email you with some questions...
*C'mon GWC, she stated CLEARLY that she is married! - yb
*There was some research from one of the universities which found wood cutting surfaces naturally inhibited bacteria and that bacterial levels were lower on wood cutting surfaces than on plastic!
*1) should have been more clear: the end grain would have been exposed at the side of the sink (Kohler 'Dickinson' (TM) farm sink with exposed front) because it was undermounted.2) I'd be more concerned about heat with Solid Surface or Plastic Laminate materials than with wood.
*Yeah, I remember that too!Rich Beckman
*I just remember from using an autoclave that wood was the hardest to sterilize, if it was even possible.Of course, basic cleanliness is the important thing, and not allowing foods eaten raw near the meat. I haven't gotten food poisoning from food cooked at home, ever. And we don't even have Corian! (P.S. Pls don't use the dishwasking sponge to clean the floor. You'd be surprised how many people do.)
*One study of bacteria in kitchen found that the numbers were cyclic and varied orders of magnitude from the low to high points of cycle. Counts would rise over time and then fall suddenly. Further study found that the sudden reductions in bacterial counts on kitchen surfaces coresponded to the homeowner throwing out the old sponge and replacing it with a new one. I try to leave mine up on edge against the faucet so it dries out. I figure each time it dries out completely the colony has to start all over again.Wood has evolved to have all kind of pesticides, fungicides, etc. Some (redwood, cedar) are potent enough to discourage wood-eating termites. But a plastic cutting board can be put in the dishwasher (highly akyline detergent and high temperatures) and cleaned more thoroughly. -David
*Wood is good. Stainless steel is neat, and so is ceramic tile. I have, of course, all three in my kitchen. The stainless steel-topped counter is between the stove and fridge, and has taken over fifteen years of abuse from children, adults, hot pots, knives, and one jolt of electricity. It continues to look, well, like stainless steel, which I happen to like. On the other side of the stove, there is a 18" wide cabinet, which sports a temporary wood top that's been there for, oh, I guess about forever (something from the Depot, I think). At one time it was oiled with old Crisco fish-frying oil, by one of my daughter's boyfriends, who, though quite messy, could sure fry up a batch of good fish. It, too, has taken much abuse, and still looks, well, interesting. The ceramic tile is on the sink counter, because I just like the way it looks. Did you know that you can drop things like a hammer from a ladder ontoi setceramic tile, and it won't hurt it? Ceramic tile is amazing. The little cracks you sometimes get from dropping things onto it only serve to add an authentic fifteenth-century look. And there is yet more wood (sinker cypress) on the breakfast counter, which is attached to the other side of the tile sink counter. It was originally finished with polyurethane. No food preparation was supposed to be done here, but who knows. Anyway, nobody got sick or died. This counter is gorgeous. I love the "oops!" personality which the X-Acto knife gouges give it, along with the red fabric dye that I have spilled on it. And with glitter glue stuck in the gouges, it looks even lovelier! Of course, all this added personality broke my ex's heart, as he liked the original look of the wood (actually, I think it was a territorial thing, and I peed on the tree first). But what did he know? He couldn't even stay on a ladder. Oh, yeah, about the sponge thing: Heloise (I adore Heloise!) says that if you rinse out your sponge withi coldwater, it won't smell. Hey, if it doesn't smell, it can't have bacteria, right? ; ) I also occasionally throw my sponges in with my dish towels, which I wash in hot water and Clorox. Clorox is a wonderful toxic chemical, and the dryer will make that old sponge as stiff as new! Of course, once I saw what small children, men, and dogs ingest, and live through, I became less finicky about bacteria and dirt.
*Colleen, don't let me scare you off. Most of the people here act normal. : )Patty
*
DScott,
I too used Behlin's Salad Bowl Finish on my maple BB
countertops, following the directions carefully and
ending up with 8 coats. It looked beautiful for a
few months and then I started to get raised grain in
areas everywhere water had touched, not just near the
sink! It's now been 10 months and I am looking for a
new finish. I posted an inquiry on the Knots
discussion board, and got two responses about
refinishing, one suggesting beeswax and mineral oil,
and the other tung oil and WB urethane. We don't cut
on it, and liked the fact that "salad bowl" was
non-toxic, but I am considering the tung oil and
urethane. (any thoughts on that?) I am wondering
what you did differently to still have a great
finish?! I bought the butcherblock stock from a local
woodworking store 1 1/2 thickness and only had to
make one joint where endgrain hit edgegrain to form
an L-shape, but that joint still looks beautiful as
little water gets there (only from sponging it down).
Thanks for any suggestions that you
*
Laurie, we have really tried to avoid standing water and have not noticed the raised grain problem. We got a stainless steel basket that straddles the sink and stack utensils and small pots & pans in it to drain. Everything else goes in the DW or drains on a separate maple cutting board. The 'boss' liked the idea of a curing finish like Behlin's - a little glossy. I've seen BB counters in deli's that seem to get constantly washed down and reoiled. It's a different, less finished look. I'd want to research whether cured tung oil remains toxic.
*
Patty!
Glad to see you back - thought the appraiser might have gotton you. How're those floors coming?
Your evil twin, Lisa
PS George and Mark C. have been picking on me again...
*
You can always throw the damp sponge or dishcloth into the microwave for a minute or so. Every once in awhile I think to do so. That pretty much takes care of the bacteria for the moment. Just let it cool off a bit before trying to remove it!
I wonder if you could do that with a wood cutting board?
Rich Beckman
*Mark C and George are being their usual naughty selves, huh, Lisa? They are just probably finishing up their Breaktime withdrawals - unlike me, whoi neverchecked to see if the damn boards were up and running!Wow, yet another use for the microwave! And I thought they were invented for only two things: 1) heating coffee, and, 2) proving that cockroaches are really more evolved than we are. Let me know what happens to that cutting board, Rich. ; ) I got the glass ones, but before that I rinsed my boards in, yep, wonderful Clorox. Now that I no longer really cook, I just chop things on the desk, to the left of my computer; might as well, I eat here, anyway. (NOTE: Doi noteat Popeyes chicken with your mouse hand.)
*I dare you to name three, PattyLee
*Sorry, Patty. There are no wooden cutting boards in this house. Just a little round thing from Rubbermaid (I think). Someone else will have to try it out.Rich Beckman
*Microwave uses, continued:3) erasing sensitive information from CD's. Takes about 3 seconds as small bolts of blue lighting spread across the CD until all the metal film has arced into very small pieces between the plastic layers,4) grape races - heated to boiling, the steam coming out the stem end will propel a grape on a greased plate. Paint on names, faces and racing stripes first with a laundry marker,5) making ivory soap foam like cotton candy. Still works afterwards (unlike the CD's and the gapes)Do not think that because exploding eggs is fun, exploding a coconut would be more fun. It can take the hinges off! -David
*More fun with grapes and microwaves:http://www.sci.tamucc.edu/~pmichaud/grape/Rich Beckman :-}
*
We are looking into building hardwood countertops in our new kitchen. My husband is very a very talented wood worker but does not have any knowledge of kitchen countertops. We need suggestions as to what woods to consider and how best to protect the wood after it is in. We are putting in light cherry cabinets so a darker wood would likely look good with the cabinets. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you