I looked for this many times : ) There are a couple of people here that used them but I don't know if they are around anymore.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg031056147042.html?11466

Also, I did speak to the gentlemen who runs blocktop a couple of times. Very informative and seems like someone I'd do business with... However, it was more convenient to use our cab maker so I can't really give any real feedback.

Good luck : )

Thanks so much for that link, 2LittleFishies ... for some reason I never found that post in my search (I'm wondering if I don't do the searches right or something because sometimes I know I've seen a post but can't find it in any search). Sounds like that's at least one happy customer. I sort of like the idea of supporting a small shop.

I have one of their walnut countertops on a cabinet that is not a main serving area. The finish is sprayed on. If you are putting in on an area that gets alot of use I would go for the oil finish. This way you can touch it up when needed.

Thanks for weighing in lambsearl! I was planning to do the oiled finish regardless of who we went with. That's what we have on our maple island now and I really like the ability to sand it down and re-oil when necessary.

Thanks, lambsear1! I am not thinking of using them anymore but several here have asked about them so if you'd be able to share you experience with them (customer service, workmanship, if they were on time with your top) that may be helpful to others on GardenWeb. And of course any photos would be great too : )

Thanks!

I just wanted to circle back to this post. I did end up ordering from Blockhead Blocktops and our walnut island counter arrived today. It's absolutely beautiful. A touch rough in a couple spots which is no big deal at all to me as I'll reoil it with a high grit sandpaper before we install it and that should take off any rough bits. I had to make a change to it a few days after we ordered and he was very nice about making that change. It ended up being very quick service, about a week after I made the change. I'll come back and post pictures when we get installed (which could be a few days because I want to repaint the base before we install it).

Cool! I can't wait to see your walnut counter. I love mine so much. Post lots of pics!

I had to paint the leg portion of the island before we mounted the new walnut top so I'm just now following up with a picture. Sadly it's a pretty pathetic shot taken with my iPhone when the kitchen was a mess (hence the tight crop). I'm so happy to have my island back. It was only three days but I never realized how we have basically no useable counter space in our kitchen without the island. The island is also a little shorter (about 34") which I (as a vertically challenged person) find so much more comfortable to work on. Love the top. It will tide me over until we can fix up the rest of the kitchen.

We got the pencil edge which ended up being a little larger of a radius than I expected but it looks nice.

Looks beautiful! Thanks for following up : ) How thick is your top?

Our island will also be 34" : )

It is beautiful!!! Do you chop on it? Can you share the detailed specs of size, thickness, cut, and would you be willing to give an idea of the cost? Thanks. Your kitchen looks fantastic!

We replaced a maple edge grain butcher block that I think was a homemade jobber (it came with the house). It had a lot of butt joints and a frame around it (the mitered corners were separating because of the expansion of the wood). It was about 2.5 inches thick. We ended up getting a 2-inch thick walnut top purely to keep the cost down. Adding a half inch really increases the price! While I prefer the look of the thicker top, I'm fine with this one.

It's 34x38 inches which sounds small (and it is compared to most islands I guess) but like I said, it is unbelieveable to me how lost I was without it. We went for an oiled finish, which is what we had on our last island. We almost never cut on the old one (and this is so beautiful I'll have a hard time doing that) and pretty much always use an Epicurean cutting board (my favorite brand). But food does sort of spill off the board onto the block and we scrap it into a pan or something, which is why I really like the idea of a surface that CAN take cutting/scraping/food contact if needed.

I like that if you do get a stain, water ring or a cut mark that you don't want to look like you can just do a little sanding and reoiling. Much less stress about keeping it beautiful when you know you can easily fix it. It did come oiled, but it's amazing to me how much oil (I prefer Boos Mystery oil) it continues to suck up. That photo was taken with three coats of oil put on at home and it needs more. I think one or two more coats will probably do it for the initial oiling and then we'll go to a maintenance schedule on it.

It was about $400 including shipping.

I bought two pieces from them a large 5 by 5 foot island (3 inches end grain select walnut and a hutch top 3 cm side grain walnut. Both pieces are gorgeous and they charged me a third of what a local company wanted. It got splotchy on the trip to Georgia, plus I had to leave it outside for a week because our contractor had a terrible personal emergency. Still once it was waxed with the food grade wax sent along with the countertop, it was the most beautiful countertop I have ever seen. My kitchen cabinet builder (a true artisan carpenter in his 70s) is a gruff man who is very polite but not much gets him very animated and he did a double take when he saw the countertops. He called his son to come look at it. He smiled he rans his hand over the surface with satisfaction and asked me, "Do you have any idea, how long it took someone to make this thing? All those pieces have to be the exact same size and shape with no tolerance for mistakes." He also said, "That is a beautiful piece of wood."

It was fun seeing him so excited about the countertop when he so often seems underwhelmed. Plus it made me so proud of my counters. They are really beautiful. I have a Boos 18x18 walnut chopping block and it isn't one bit prettier. Blockheads Blocktops are an incredible value. It does take awhile to have it made and sent but it was worth it. Everything in my kitchen took a long time to make but for something special it is worth it. These countertops deserve the overused word "bespoke." Also the people who helped me were the nicest, kindest most generous people. I couldn't be happier.

I got ripped off. I paid full price over $2k for a butcher block counter top for my new custom built island. It came damaged from shipping. They let me keep it until they made another one because I had no counter top on my island. The second one came damaged again. The third one again damaged. I asked for money back because I purchase a NEW non damaged one.. That is what the contract was for. It was months of stress. They have now told me they have done all they can do.. So I am stuck with a counter top that is damaged that I paid over 2 thousand dollars for and I have wasted months of stress for nothing.. So I would say unless they get an entirely different way of shipping.. PASS

I used them... over $2k for a walnut counter top and it came damaged.. they made me another one.. I waited.. it came and it was also damaged.. A TOTAL OF THREE damaged counter tops over a few months of stress! I can not tell you how stressful the process was.. Each time shipped the same way all the way from EAst to West coast in a pallet crate! I am now stuck with a damaged counter top after all that and they did not reimburse me any money for having a damaged product.. I would never recommend them to anyone because of that reason.

We used them for a top for our island during a kitchen remodel this past July. The top is beautiful, and Mark was fantastic to work with. He accommodated our tight time frame and made it easy for us to pick it up when it was convenient for us. The price was also extremely competitive. We can't say enough good things about the quality and customer service we received, it was outstanding!