Could this be turned into a counter?

10 years ago

I am big on using salvaged materials and we are thinking about butcher block countertops. This is NOT for an island, but for our actual counters, so it would have an undermount sink.

I just saw this on craigslist. This particular piece is 3 inches high. That means I would need to find someone who could shave it in half. Would that be hard to do? Does this make sense? Are there other factors/ challenges I am not considering?

Comments (11)

Brandywine72
Original Author
10 years ago
Forgot to attach picture!
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
10 years ago
Brandywine72:

It is not whether or not something can be done, the question is can it be done cost-effectively? It would be difficult to saw this in half ((2) 1 1/2" pieces) cost effectively.
louislinus
10 years ago
I love that table as an island! How much is it?
debrak2008
10 years ago
Why shave it in half? I would try to make it work and have a slightly higher counter.
robo (z6a)
10 years ago
Keep the extra thick block...it looks awesome!

I'm doing BB and just bought an offcut of caesarstone for around the sink (so using two different countertop materials).

Don't know how it looks yet but psyched to get the water away from the BB (I know a lot of people have successfully put sinks in BB we're just messy and lazy).
chesters_house_gw
10 years ago
If you could deliver it to a sawmill they could do it - then you'd have two. If you kept it at its current thickness you'd need to think about the facet and find the most shallow undermount sink you could find (adding 3 inches to a 10 inch deep bowl would be awkward for a lot of backs).
cookncarpenter
10 years ago
That is one gorgeous hunk of wood! I would do whatever I could to keep the full thickness, including building lower bases, and or routing out under the sink area so that the sink could sit up at the 1-1/2" level.
Otherwise, a saw mill could cut in half, then it would need to be surface planed and sanded, which would probably net you two 1-1/4" thick pieces.
Edit to add another option... if you don't need the other half, it could be planed down to any thickness you want, and just have a bit higher counters...
I think 2-1/4" is a very nice looking thickness, which I used for my bar top counters.

This post was edited by ctycdm on Fri, Jan 10, 14 at 15:18
andreak100
10 years ago
A potential other option if you wanted to keep the thickness of the counter but not increase the height of the countertop would be to decrease your toe kick area. I'm not sure how that would work overall, but it might be a possibility.
chicagoans
10 years ago
I think the thick wood as is would make a great counter top! I deliberately raised all my counters to 39" (I'm tall), and it's more comfortable for me. If you don't want higher counters, I like the suggestion to see if you can lower the toe kick a bit. (You could try mocking up a higher counter with a large cutting board on top of some books to see what you think of the extra height.)

Of course you would have twice as much wood if you managed to slice it in two, but I like the chunky look and I'd be worried about damage if it were sliced. Could you salvage the metal shelf at the bottom of the table for other counters or a sink surround?

Regarding the sink and the butcher block, here's an idea showing a wood counter with a different material (some kind of stone) around the sink.

This post was edited by chicagoans on Fri, Jan 10, 14 at 17:52
lazy_gardens
10 years ago
It could be sawed in half, but it would be expensive and you run the risk of inner flaws and delamination wrecking it.

Making custom shorter cabinets is not hard, but mounting a sink in it would be tricky and you would have a three inch deep hole of wood that needs to be sealed and protected before you get to your sink. on the sink.

I'd keep it as a part of your design, but figuire out a way to use it as is and have something else near the sink
rockybird
10 years ago
That is a beautiful piece. I would try to incorporate it as is - maybe as an island. Nice find!