Butcher Block Countertops

Non-Porous Butcher Block Countertops Make Sense

Traditional butcher block countertops in your kitchen can be very appealing. There is an indefinable beauty about real wood, maturing over time, that makes a butcher block countertop a timeless centerpiece. Wood countertops are traditionally made by gluing prime strips of wood together. This creates one solid piece of wood. It is not surprising that they are prized for the charm and warmth they bring to any kitchen.

Butcher block countertop types come in a bewildering array of colors and finishes. They are applied to any number of kitchen surfaces such as wood countertops, kitchen islands, carts, cutting boards, dining tables and tops, carving boards, bakery tables, workbench tops and even laboratory tops.

The main difficulty, and it is a big one, is that wood butcher block countertops are porous. Not the best idea for food surfaces. Even those treated regularly with vegetable oil expand in the warmth and contract in cooler temperatures. So there is always the danger of absorbing bacteria and allowing them to grow. Then there is the constant danger of cross contamination from raw to cooked foods.

Better by far to have a butcher block countertop surface that is not porous and can be sterilized regularly without damage. This can be achieved with granite, concrete, laminate, formica, glass, soapstone, marble or tile.

With regard to prices of butcher block countertops the top of the range items would be custom made and fitted items from a specialist company such as Wilsonart. But if you are willing to shop around and do some painting and installing for yourself you can have a butcher block countertop at a cheap price.

Generally speaking the price of your butcher block countertop will vary according to the material from which it is made. The more natural a material and the more work involved in shaping it to your needs, the more expensive it will be. Thus a unique piece of Italian marble will set you back far more than say a Silestone countertop surface. Silestone is mostly quartz with a synthetic resin bonding agent. Corian is another synthetic material invented by DuPont that is a popular material for the butcher block countertop. It is very versatile and lasts forever. Corian is impervious to everything and can worked just like real wood. It comes in over a hundred colors too.

More expensive again is Cambria. This would be a butcher block countertop made from pure quartz. This is the hardest non-gemstone found on Earth.