An Honest Review of Our Butcher Block Countertops (And If I Would Choose Them Again)

Butcher block countertops in kitchens and other hardworking areas of your home are a beautiful, often times budget-friendly option that can be easily customized with stain and different edge profiles. Although butcher block can be a bit high-maintenance I love the look of it in kitchen, pantry or laundry spaces. Especially when mixing countertops, using butcher block just on the island or in the butler’s pantry adds a great layer of laid-back texture and warmth. We have them in both our kitchen and laundry spaces, and now that we’ve lived with butcher block countertops for a few years I have some honest thoughts and tips if you’re considering using them in your next project.

our butcher block countertops

Back when we bought our house in 2016 I wasn’t even sharing on Instagram yet, so this first version of our kitchen is probably new to you. The week we got the keys to the house we spent every day and night painting, doing small updates and working on the kitchen – including replacing the countertops. To save our budget I had the idea at the time to use stock butcher block from our local Menard’s in the kitchen. Living in a historic Craftsman home I thought it suited the house and would also bring some warmth into the kitchen with the dark tile floor:

I really loved this first update to our kitchen, especially the cabinet color (Benjamin Moore Storm Cloud Gray) which is now the color of our tv den. Then in 2020, we did a mini-renovation in 2020 of the kitchen (you can read the post with all of the details and sources here) where we removed all of the uppers on one side of the room, built out the hood, updated lighting and changed the cabinet color. We kept the butcher block and also added it to our new laundry area beyond the kitchen.

living with butcher block

Butcher block is a maintenance surface, especially if you use them for food prep and are cutting directly on them like a chopping board. More than likely they will need sanded down and resealed at some point while you’re living with them. Heat and certain liquids or foods (coffee, wine, heavy oils) will stain or breakdown the sealer on butcher block over time, and if water sits on it for too long you run the risk of it penetrating the sealer and raising the grain on the countertops. When water damage occurs or food stains the surface, the only way to remove those imperfections is to sand the imperfections out and reseal.

Depending on how you use your countertops, you can finish them in one one of two ways: with water-based polyurethane or a food-safe oil sealer. The polyurethane is a more long-term sealer while using a butcher block oil will require more reapplication in the long run. Each have their pros and cons but it really comes down to how you use your kitchen and countertops. We’ve used both; since installing our countertops we have refinished and sealed them twice. We first applied a butcher block oil to them and after about 2 years they needed refinished. We used butcher block oil a second time, and this third time around of sealing them we used a water-based polyurethane. We use our kitchen heavily and are hard on our countertops – which is why we went with the polyurethane sealer this time to hopefully avoid refinishing them again anytime soon.

The worst spots are always right next to our sink where they’re exposed to a lot of water and cooking action. On the opposite side of our kitchen – where they get moderate use – the countertops usually look as though they even don’t need refinished when the time comes to sand them down. The same goes for our laundry room area where they aren’t used for food prep or are often exposed to water.

when to install butcher block and if I would choose them again

If you’re considering installing butcher block in your home, ideal spaces would be:

Butler’s pantry
Kitchen island, perimeter prep or baking station
Basement kitchen
Laundry room

To avoid consistent maintenance my recommendation is to install them in places that are not the primary or most heavily used spaces for cooking and food prep. These secondary spaces are great options for butcher block countertops – especially when you’re being mindful of budget and do not want to spend all the money on countertops for lesser used spaces.

While I do love the look of our countertops, I have considered replacing them over the years based on the fact that I have to be mindful of how they’re being used most days. If I was to do it over I would use them in our laundry area but not our main kitchen area – and opt for a natural stone in our kitchen instead. But for the low investment up front, these countertops have been really great and have held up beautifully through refinishing. I would still choose to replace the original not-so-pretty countertops with something that requires a bit of maintenance. In this instance, it’s beauty over function for me.