In between working on my bedroom, building a porch & all the other 89 projects I have going on around here, I’m slowly working on sprucing up my kitchen a bit by adding some new DIY wood countertops. When we first remodeled our kitchen nearly 5 years ago, it was our initial decent into major DIY. We’d always fixed things around our own home, but that project was where we cut our teeth on ripping out walls, taking out floors, and even building our own cabinets. Start small? Not us. Full throttle or nothing, baby.
Fast forward to now, and we can look back and see things we wish we’d done differently. Now, I’m honest enough to say that there’s nothing really wrong from a building perspective, mostly design/taste choices that I’ve now grown to know that I didn’t really love for the long haul. Then we used whatever we liked and could afford — now we think, plan and save to get where we want to be. Our first kitchen makeover was all about speed & budget. We knew we couldn’t live without a kitchen very long, so I’m happy to say that all these years later I still love my cabinets, island and flooring. The things I don’t really love can are getting spruced up a bit now. I’ve already painted the cabinets, but after living with black counters for all this time, I know they suck the light out of my kitchen, so I was ready to lighten things up a bit, and I decided on DIY wood countertops. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it was definitely time to spruce up my kitchen before the holidays creep up on me.
Before we get started on the full DIY tutorial, I’ve got to first say that I’ve lived with wood counters for nearly 5 years, since our old counters were made from cabinet grade plywood that were painted and poly’ed. I am well trained in the habits of not putting a hot pot on top of them, always using a cutting board and all of the other precautions of wood counters. If you’ve ever lived with butcher block you’re nodding your head.
If you’ve ever wanted butcher block but it was out of your price range, you’re in luck because this is how I got that look for less 🙂
Start with 1×6 pine boards. Depending on your counter size, you may need three 1x6s and a 1×8 (I did.) Just measure your original counters, then do the math to see what size you need to put together. You could also rip down the boards on a table saw if need be to get them to the right size. Since I did this project by myself (yay me!), I opted to do the 1×6 + 1×8 method to make it easier.
You’ll also need a couple of pieces of 1×4 to create cleats on the bottom to keep it all together, some screws & butcher block sealer.
Let’s make this!
Start by measuring your wood. Mark it where you want to cut, and pay attention to the wood so you are cutting from the back side (meaning the part you want facing down).
Next line up your blade just outside the mark, so once it’s cut you will have the correct size. You want the blade edge to hit on the outside of the line, not the line itself.
Sand all of the edges after you cut each board to take away rough edges and keep everything smooth.
After all of your boards are cut to the correct length, you’re ready to assemble. Put all the boards together, face down and line them up so the edges are even. Now measure inside your cabinets, because you don’t want the cleats to hit the inside structure. Make sure your cleats are long enough to catch all the boards, yet short enough to not cause any problems with your cabinet structure.
Use wood screws to attach the boards together with my Rockwell 3RILL, using 2-3 in each board, all the way down.
Pipe clamps come in super handy to keep all the boards together nice and snug, but if you have an extra person helping they can pull the boards together tightly for you.
Once you have them all together, they’ll look like this. My counters were pretty small, so if you’re using longer lengths, be sure to use plenty of cleats to give it all the strength it will need (especially if supporting a sink.)
Using the directions on the can, seal your counters with butcher block sealer. I asked the nice paint guy at Lowe’s and he told me this was the best kind, so it’s what I chose. It looks like a small can, but a little goes a long way! Give your DIY wood countertops 24 hours before using and you’re good to go!
Let’s see a little before and action, shall we?
The black counters made my kitchen look so dark, it was like a black hole!
Better, huh? This project was seriously quick, it took about 30 minutes of hands on time to do two counters (one for each side of the stove.) And, before I go, I’ve gotta share that basket – it’s my new fave find from Uptown Country Home.
Want more ways to get creative? Lowe’s Creative Ideas is full of them – and it’s FREE!
*Thanks to Lowe’s, Uptown Country Home & Rockwell for partnering with me for this post. All words, images, ideas & opinions are 100% my own.
Soiledrotten says
September 2, 2013 at 5:54 amHow clever! I never knew such a thing existed! Awesome job : )
Alison
Lisa@ Sweet Tea N' Salty Air says
September 2, 2013 at 10:51 amJust love the look !
Kristin says
September 2, 2013 at 10:26 pmI’ve wanted butcher block for so long, I wonder if I could talk my husband into doing this.. He seems to think our countertops are fine – which they are NOT!
Looks great! Good job!
Kristin
Ida says
September 3, 2013 at 9:58 amAwesome tutorial. I’ve been dreaming of butcher block for years. Can’t wait to redo my kitchen! Thank you for sharing!
Sheila says
September 3, 2013 at 2:27 pmToo late to do this in my kitchen, but I really like. Previously, I painted my kitchen cabinets black, now after seeing your’s I think I will repaint gray.
Gloria Fox says
September 3, 2013 at 7:30 pmOh…I am totally doing this. This is the look I wanted but don’t have a lot to spend.
Thanks!
Audrey Zumwalt says
September 3, 2013 at 10:01 pmNice tutorial … looks easy enough to do.
Thanks,
Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures
Amber O'Donnell says
September 5, 2013 at 4:27 pmLove the countertop but I really love the 3 tiered basket! Could u email me and let me know Where u got it?
Thanks for sharing!
Gina says
September 6, 2013 at 7:47 amThanks Amber! UptownCountryHome.com is the source for the basket 🙂
Michele says
September 5, 2013 at 6:30 pmGreat job! Where is that adorable fruit stand from???
Gina says
September 6, 2013 at 7:46 amThanks, Michele! It’s from UptownCountryHome.com
kimberly says
September 6, 2013 at 12:46 amwow, great job with the tutorial. Gave me the courage to think i can do this myself. THANKS.
Laura says
September 6, 2013 at 4:32 pmWhat a clever idea for the butcher block look!
Having sealed butcher block and learned from my own mistakes, may I suggest that you seal your wood with one coat before you assemble, then seal again 2-3 coats on the bottom and top and sides and ends… Before you put it in place!
I had bb installed as a surprise to my husband and then sealed the top afterward. The humidity difference between the sealed top and unsealed bottom caused a 3″ crack within a few weeks :/
Heather says
September 22, 2013 at 8:48 amso with this butcher block can you use it as a cutting board and put hot pots on it? Or do you still have to be careful and use a cutting board and hot plates???
Gina says
September 22, 2013 at 12:00 pmHi Heather,
With any wood counters you have to be careful when cutting or placing hot pots. It’s just the nature of the product. But, because I’m already acclimated to using wood counters, it wasn’t a big shift for me.
Thanks for reading!
Jessica@The Junk Nest says
October 13, 2013 at 5:44 pmThese are nice for the price and time spent. I’ve been wanting butcher block countertops for a loooong time. Now I know we can do this one ourselves!
Tootsie says
October 23, 2013 at 10:43 amI am absolutely going to look for that sealant. I have always wanted to try this and I have the perfect project house to try it in! Thanks for the inspiration!
Jill Frank says
February 2, 2014 at 8:56 pmSo, now that these have been in place a little while, have you had any problems with the wood shrinking excessively? Did you use kiln dried wood?
Gina Luker says
February 4, 2014 at 9:11 amNope, no problems at all! I still love them 🙂
amy says
April 24, 2014 at 8:21 pmHow did u attach them to the cabinet top? Was there a gap because of the cleats?
Gina Luker says
April 27, 2014 at 7:56 pmThe cleats fit inside the structure of the cabinet, then we screwed it to the base. Hope this helps!
Nancy @ Little Homestead in Boise says
July 30, 2014 at 11:09 amNice job! Were you concerned about using pine, since it’s such a soft wood? I’d have gone with something a bit harder myself….
Gina Luker says
August 4, 2014 at 6:29 amNo, we used it on floors without any issues, and had none with the counters either.
Nancy @ Little Homestead in Boise says
July 30, 2014 at 11:11 amNice basket, but $74? Ouch…
Gina Luker says
August 4, 2014 at 6:23 amI had one like that stuck in my head and looked everywhere for it before finally finding that one. With all of the budget savers I do, I know that tiny details like that one makes me even happier in the end, so I went for it.
Rachel says
January 20, 2015 at 10:05 amI would really like to try this! How much sanding did you do before you assembled the wood? Would you think that you could stain and seal the wood with poly or something similar instead of the butcher’s block seal? I have darker wood floors and I’m not sure how the natural pine would jive. Lastly, did you screw the countertops in by screwing the cleats to the cabinets? I would think that would take a pretty long screw!
marge says
March 20, 2015 at 7:06 pmI’m told tO be very careful with a sealant as it has chemicals and could affect food prep.
Diana says
March 31, 2015 at 10:18 amGood Morning,
I am looking for a butchers block piece to cover my kitchen island. I have found the work bench from home depot that matches the dimensions that I’ll need. Will just need to seal it with the Watco? Are there any other steps involved in the process?
Thanks,
DJT
Dana McCurdy says
August 8, 2015 at 8:08 amGina,
I am in the middle of a camper/trailer remodel, and have been thinking these counters would look really nice. Thanks for sharing your tips.
Dana
Tori says
May 30, 2017 at 12:40 pmSo even though this is an older post…it’s given me the push to redo our little teeny tiny counters in our mobile home. I really like the look of thick, chunky butcher block. So my idea is to use thicker pine boards. 2×6 and 2×8’s. My other thought was that since these boards have a slightly beveled edge on them, I would rip them down, giving them a straighter edge. I liked the other posters comment about using the sealer BEFORE putting them all together. Will plan on that as well.
Just love your blog! I’m still wishing I could get my hands on the same fabric you used for your curtains!! Love those!!
Gina Luker says
May 31, 2017 at 11:43 amThanks so much Tori, good luck to you, it sounds like you have a good feel for what you want to do!
Vicki mcdonough says
July 1, 2017 at 12:28 pmIs Waco food safe butcher block safe to use on wooden spoons ? Knowing that they will be in scalding hot soups and water.
Vicki mcdonough says
July 1, 2017 at 12:33 pmIs Waco foodsafe butcher block safe for wooden spoons ? Knowing that they will be used in scalding hot soups and water.
Gina Luker says
July 3, 2017 at 3:35 pmI think so Vicki 🙂
courtney says
February 17, 2018 at 12:35 pmHi Gins
I know this post is a few years old..
I’ve always been a late bloomer… But we’re doing a vintage trailer makeover and have decided it needs butcher block countertops due to the fact its lighter.. If you don’t have pipe clamps what would be an alternative?
Courtney
Gina Luker says
February 19, 2018 at 1:22 pmHi Courtney, you will need clamps of some type to be able to do this project 🙂
courtney says
February 17, 2018 at 12:37 pmSorry I meant to write Gina
Tinika Brewer says
August 10, 2018 at 7:58 pmDid you remove the old countertops or attach it to them? How were the attached to the cabinets?
Gina Luker says
August 14, 2018 at 10:07 amWe removed the old ones Tinika 🙂