When we first moved into the Farmhouse the kitchen was, shall we say, less than desirable and also seriously lacking in counter space (stay tuned for before {and} afters of the kitchen reno). It's a nice size room with a terrible layout, but there was a big empty space in the middle of the room with valuable potential for a nice island. Trying to prepare food in there with other people using about 2.5 feet of counter space was like a scene out The Three Stooges. That situation had to be dealt with pretty quickly before I lost it, so off to the drawing board I went.
I kept going back and forth with buying something pre-made or creating a custom piece. We ended up doing a little of both. As we went to check out what potential ideas there might be at a local salvage store we kinda hit the jackpot. We came across a base cabinet that matched the ones in our kitchen for a mere $10. Now, it was a ridiculous deal, but it didn't come without any hitches. It was in horrendous shape. The drawers were broken, it was missing the back panel, and there were stains on it that looked like it might have been evidence in a crime scene at one point. But, nonetheless we adopted it to be part of our new kitchen island. We figured for $10 if it didn't work out no biggie.
After Matt cleaned and sanitized the cabinet like five times (a job I always leave to him) it was ready to begin its makeover. I then spent the next few days repairing and painting it. Once it was up to par and looking all perty I was ready to make the butcher block top for it.
Now let's get down to the nitty gritty, let's get the show on the road. Follow below to find out how to make a butcher block top for yourself.
What You Will Need:
- Safety Wear: googles, dust mask and gloves.
- Wood: I used 2x2x10 pieces of Fir. Now this is a soft wood and not traditionally used for butcher blocks, however I was not planning to use the physical counter to chop on so it didn't matter. I also wanted the option of changing stain colors in the future. If you're planning to use your block as a chopping surface, or if you're making a small butcher block piece, you will want to buy a nice hardwood like Cherry, Walnut, Bamboo, or Maple. (FYI: The cost of using hardwood will be significantly higher)
- Saw: a chop saw if you have one. If not you can either borrow or rent one, or you could use a hand saw. Also, if you know the size you need your wood to be just have the lumber yard cut it for you (they only charge a minimal fee for a small job like this).
- Wood Glue: you want to use a water resistant, food safe glue. I used Titebond III.
- Clamps: 2-4 Bar Clamps. Make sure they open wide enough to clamp your piece. (I did mine in 3 stages to accommodate)
- Electric Planer: you can rent or borrow a planer if you don't have one. If you're a wiz with a hand planer go at it.
- Sander: you will need a power sander to finish up the job.
- Sandpaper: coarse #60 and fine grit #120
- Butcher Block Conditioner: or walnut oil
- Wood Stain: this is only necessary if you use a soft wood like I did and want to stain it a particular color. Even though I was not planning to chop on my surface I still wanted it to be food safe, so I went everywhere and finally found an FDA approved stain (from the UK). The brand is OSMO and it's a really great safe green product.
- Varnish: food safety was an issue here as well so I went with Salad Bowl Finish which is supposed to be non-toxic when cured.
- Hinges or Liquid Nails: to adhere the counter
How To:
- Figure out the size of your butcher block. Don't just think about the height and width, but how thick do you want the depth to be? Do you want a thick 2" profile or is 1" the look you're after? Buy your soft or hardwood accordingly for your project.
- Measure and cut each board. After you have a few done, bring them into your space and make sure that the size feels right before you continue on.
- Now that all the pieces have been cut it's time to start gluing. Run a generous, wavy line of glue on each piece lengthwise and smear it over the entire surface.
- Put an extra piece of wood between each end of the clamps to even out the pressure and clamp together. (in hindsight I would have used one more clamp in the middle)
- Clean off the glue that has squished out on the surface (any excess will be sanded off later). Let the glue dry for 24 hours.
- I glued my block in two separate pieces and then glued them together.
- Next comes the planing. Since the surface is most likely not going to be perfectly smooth, you will need to use a planer to even it out. (this is definitely the most trying part unless you are a planing expert)
- Once the planing has come to an end you can take a few passes with your coarse sandpaper to fix and gauges that may have occurred in the previous step.
- Now that everything looks even, it's time for the fine sandpaper to get that silky soft baby bottom like surface.
- You are either at your last or almost last step depending on the wood you bought. Hardwood: lather on your wood conditioner and you're done. Softwood: later on your wood conditioner and keep it up you're almost there!
- After you have conditioned, grab a rag or brush and paint on your stain. Do as many coats as you ned to get your desired result. (I sanded the stain off different areas and put on a second color stain on to give it more depth and enhance the wood grain)
- Once the stain has dried, if you want to protect the wood even further you can add the varnish at the end.
- Lastly, either secure your new gorgeous butcher block down with hinges or Liquid Nails. (this just depends on how permanent you want it to be)
Tips:
- When trying to imagine an island will effect your space and flow of the room mock up the exact size you are thinking of with some card board boxes. Live with it for a bit and see how it visually feels in the room and how it is to move around it.
- If you have never used a electric planer before do a few test rounds on some scrap wood.
Cost:
- Wood: $45
- Stain and Varnish: $30
- Clamps: $30
- Glue: $5
- Sandpaper: $10
- Hinges: $2
- Wood Conditioner: $8
Total: $130
Final Thoughts:
Would I do it again? Yes, without even thinking about it. It took some effort for sure, but honestly the hardest part was having to wait for things to dry. The cost was minimal, it wasn't difficult, I learned a lot and it helped transform the kitchen into one of our now favorite rooms in the house.
More Posts on the Kitchen Renovation:
- How To: Plank a Wall
- Before {and} After: the Breakfast Nook
- How To: Make This Industrial Schoolhouse Bench
Images: alysha findley
