On The Chopping Block

11/10/2013

As you’ve seen we gutted the kitchen.

It was incredibly liberating getting rid of all the old crap but a lot of time was spent agonizing over the new layout, type of cabinets, color, appliances, the list goes on!

The countertop was one of those things.  We looked around at our various options as settled on doing butcher block.

 

 

We chose it for two reasons: 1. We liked the look and 2. It was the cheapest most affordable option.  Their biggest downside is that they are bit high maintenance….which brought us to our next big decision- how are we going to protect and seal them?

Originally I wanted to use a waterproof sealant to protect the wood because it requires the least amount of upkeep.  But the more I read about it, the more disconcerting it sounded to rub chemicals all over a surface that we’d be preparing food on.

So we decided to use mineral oil and beeswax.  To start we need to saturate the wood complete with mineral oil and so that it will repel other liquids that hit the surface.  After the initial period, we’ll continue to oil the counters about once a month (or so I’ve read).

 

 

Stay tuned to see how they look installed in the kitchen.