View Full Version : Talk me out of wood countertops
iris lilies
5-17-14, 11:54am
My latest obsession is for wood countertops in the kitchen. Cherry or dark wood. A dark stained oak would be ok, too.
I know that oaks countertops are classic. Who here has lived with wood countertops for years? How do they hold up?
DH keeps telling me that we would be too hard on them. I think that means I'd bang them up, gouge them.
A hot pot would make short work of them or stain so badly as to be disappointing. I like very low maintenance, BTW, so ignore my comment if that is not an issue for you.
iris lilies
5-17-14, 4:47pm
A hot pot would make short work of them or stain so badly as to be disappointing. I like very low maintenance, BTW, so ignore my comment if that is not an issue for you.
Staining! yes. Yes, I do discolor things all the time.
This is working...
I forbid you to buy them.
Don't make me come over there.
That's it. You're grounded.
iris lilies
5-18-14, 12:54am
I forbid you to buy them.
Don't make me come over there.
That's it. You're grounded.
yes! continuing to work....
rosarugosa
5-18-14, 6:11am
Sorry, IL, but no help from me. I want butcher block countertops myself.
Love, love, love them but have talked myself down too so you can.
My argument to myself is not to buy too easily destructible it areas of my house that get lots of use.
Last mistake was 5 years ago rugs in lower level....they are still beautiful EXCEPT on the most used
walking path/ stairs to everything....they look awful, awful. I really want new flooring but, I am trying to get a couple more years.
Miss Cellane
5-18-14, 9:21am
Just about any counter surface can be damaged by a hot pot or pan--even granite. I'd worry more about water damage from splashed water from the sink.
If you really love the look of wood countertops, look carefully at your kitchen. Is there a run of counterspace that isn't right next to the stove or sink? You could put the wood countertop there, with less risk of harm. Then use some other countertop material--stone, solid surface, laminate--on the rest.
It's pretty common to see kitchens with two different counter surfaces these days. And an inset of butcher block counter is something I've seen around for a long time.
My cousins have a summer home with wood counter tops. Before the house became a summer home, it was lived in full time by a family of five. Yes, the wood is dinged. Yes, the counter needed to be refinished every 5 years or so when the family was living there. Think of it as patina.
Miss Cellane, you aren't helping Il by talking her out of it, are you?:laff:
When we built our house (ourselves) 38 years ago we put in wood countertops because we were running out of money and had left-over wood. We don't live there anymore, but we went "home" to visit our house two years ago and they're still beautiful! They've been refinished once, I know, and the people who live there now love them, as did we. I can't remember now what kind of wood they are, but it was thick, maybe 2" or so, and had grooves, like paneling, and we put the grooved side up, which was cool. DH "rounded" the grooves, and it sounded kinda weird at first, but we loved it, it worked out great, and we'd do it again! If that's what you want, go for it ...
I, too, think they would stain badly in no time.
I forbid you to buy them too. :)
rosarugosa
5-18-14, 11:21am
Kestrel: You posted a picture of those counter tops in a previous thread, but I cannot find it. It looked really good though. I remember the description had sounded kind of weird to me, but the photo was quite impressive.
ApatheticNoMore
5-18-14, 11:43am
Just about any counter surface can be damaged by a hot pot or pan--even granite. I'd worry more about water damage from splashed water from the sink.
not tile. You'd probably have to take a hammer to it, to damage it.
You folks have got me thinking. Years ago my Dh made a bar, you know the 80,s rec room thing...lol
He had got all fancy with a whole brick wall and rounded bar and yes, we where running out of money
when he got to the top. So, he found a piece of I think mahogany that he cut to fit, he then stained it
and put 5-6 coats of clear varnish or whatever it is you use to get a nice hard finish, sanding between
each coat. It turned out beautifully and looked very expensive. It did stand up for the 12 years we where there
with lots of abuse, pop, alcohol, food, popping corn you get the idea.
I think Miss Cellane has a good idea to put it on a side counter or island idea.
I was thinking Iris Lily was talking about plain wood......like an untreated butcher block. I'm sure it would hold up longer with lots of varnish on it, but I'm not sure you'd want to use it for food all the time.
Tussiemussies
5-18-14, 3:29pm
Do you have to wash them with a special solution to keep them sanitary?
IL - You can try my way. Around my sink and food prep areas I have tile - that original mint green 1950's tile which can pretty much stand up to a nuclear blast and still look good (in it's funky retro way). Then I have a high snack bar counter opposite that (seperates kitchen from dining room) that is wood. When I bought the place the wood was all stained and gouged up (warning to you!) but being cheapskake ol' me I didn't want to replace the huge thick wood top. So I just bought an inexpensive oak veneer sheet of wood - very thin - and glued that to the wood surface, trimmed, sanded and routed it to fit the rounded corners, stained and sealed it and then put a nice molding around it. Looks brand new and like it's all one piece. The sealant keeps it from staining or gouging further, and if I put something hot on it (and I do because it's next to the stove) I just put a dish rag or trivet-thingie down. Looks good with the funky tile and all white cabinets too. And if it ever do need to repair it, I can just lightly sand it, re-stain and re-seal. I do all my eating and computer use on top of it and it still looks great. The heat from the laptop doesn't seem to do anything to it either (no melting or staining of the sealant). But if you want it near water or heavily used surfaces (knife use) I wouldn't get wood.
Sorry, can't help to talk you out of it. Wood counters are my favorite.
Wouldn't they be hard to keep.clean?
I think with several coats of kitchen-approved sealant on it, it would be lovely. You aren't going to use it as a cutting board, I presume. (You might want a buffer zone around the sink.)
http://www.bobvila.com/hard-maple/8532-12-wow-worthy-woods-for-kitchen-countertops/slideshows#.U3lDnyj-Kdw
http://www.bobvila.com/articles/8462-wood-countertops-a-buyer-s-guide/?bv=ymal#.U3lD1ij-Kdw
rodeosweetheart
5-20-14, 3:46pm
We have had them in three houses now and adore them. No problems with staining whatsoever. We used IKEA butcher block once because I was working there--that is probably the easiest and cheapest, but there are many other options.
I oil mine on Sundays (well, I used to, this new house has fake butcher block laminate, lol. I thought I would hate it, but not bad enough to change it.
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