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susanlutz_gw

Butcher Block Countertops with a farmhouse sink?

susanlutz
9 years ago

Hi All,

We just bought a house that needs major renovating, and I am looking at ideas for kitchens. We renovated our current house 4.5 years ago, but after having our 4th (and final!) kid, quickly realized we need more space. We did our current kitchen with the white cabinet, black honed granite look. I still love this look and want to do almost the same in our new house, but...I am leaning towards a big island with white cabinets and a butcher block countertop. We want to make the island big enough so that all 6 of us can eat around it, as well as having our friends gather around when we have cocktails. Currently, we have the sink and dishwasher in our island, and definitely like the convenience of having that.

So my question is, what do you think of having a farmhouse sink and dishwasher in the island WITH butcher block counters? Would we be crazy to do that with the water that would be getting on the butcher block around the sink area as I clean up from meals? I currently clean up any standing water on our granite as soon as I see it, but standing splashes of water is inevitable around the sink area.

Thanks for your help!!!

Comments (10)

  • lavender_lass
    9 years ago

    I've read butcher block can be more maintenance...but with that big an island, couldn't you have a different surface around the sink?

    Just an idea :)

  • crl_
    9 years ago

    I had butcherblock with an ikea farmhouse sink, so the sink was actually top mounted. It was okay, but it wouldn't be my first choice. We only lived there for a little over a year (unexpected job transfer) and it still looked okay when we sold it, but I felt like it was deteriorating/wearing more quickly around the sink and might not hold up as well as I wanted over the long haul. I wanted to be able to cut on my butcherblock so I used mineral oil to finish. A more water resistant, but not food safe, finish would probably hold up better.

    What about granite for the island and butcher block on the perimeter?

  • Hydragea
    9 years ago

    If you seal it with Waterlox, I think it will be fine. I had butcherblock for 3 years, and I had a few dings, but no mold or rot or anything around the sink. It was perfectly fine.

    For the cut out, I would add a lot of sealer because the end grain soaks up a lot of it.

    bbtrix and breezygirl have amazing wood countertops with sinks in them.

  • mostone
    9 years ago

    I had butcher block counters that I sealed with several coats of raw tung oil and they were completely waterproof as well as food safe. I am doing another kitchen with butcher block and a farm house sink and I think it will be fine. I will put a line of clear caulk right at the edge of the counter where it meets the sink.

    This post was edited by mostone on Thu, Nov 27, 14 at 21:09

  • dovetonsils
    9 years ago

    We had a butcher block island with an overmount stainless sink for 28 years and it was a total disaster. It looked good for a few years, but ours kept getting worse and worse over the years and I tried everything to stop it from getting black and rotting out. We really tried to take care of it, but it was hopeless. Maybe one problem is that our sink wasn't that deep and splashed more than modern sinks. In contrast, our perimeter laminate countertops looked the same as when we moved in - basically "yawn", but nevertheless, no deterioration.

  • jakuvall
    9 years ago

    The wood tops I use are sealed with marine epoxy in the sink cutout and a few inches of the under side. The tops themselves are an oil finish.

  • Hydragea
    9 years ago

    Dovtonsils- how was your wood sealed?

  • mostone
    9 years ago

    It is important that the counters are sealed before the sink is installed.

  • dovetonsils
    9 years ago

    Hydragea - We bought the house about two years old and there was already some minor water damage, but overall the butcher block still looked great. We tried oil for the top at first, but it didn't help. At some point, I put a coat of poly on the top which totally changed the look, but we were desperate at that point. The poly protected most of the top, but the biggest problem was next to the lip of the overmount sink. Water pooled there and you (or someone) had to be fast to wipe it up. This led to some separation and swelling of the butcher block sandwich and it was all down hill from there as water got into the unprotected wood underneath. I couldn't believe the mess underneath near the sink when the counter was replaced last year.