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DIY wood countertops

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.

DIY wood countertops

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.

DIY wood countertops

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 πŸ™‚

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!

how to make wood counters

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).

DIY wood counters

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.

DIY wood counters

Sand all of the edges after you cut each board to take away rough edges and keep everything smooth.

Wood Counters tutorial

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.

Rockwell 3RILL

Use wood screws to attach the boards together with my Rockwell 3RILL, using 2-3 in each board, all the way down.

DIY-counters

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.

wood-counter-project

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.)

Butcher Block SealerUsing 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?

DIY wood countertopsThe black counters made my kitchen look so dark, it was like a black hole!

DIY wood countertops

 

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.Β 

LCIAppPromoImageWant 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.

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Filed Under: DIY

About Gina Luker

Gina Luker is a writer, photographer and lover of all things quirky. She's usually found with a drill in one hand and a cocktail in the other while blogging along the way. She's addicted to coffee, polka dots, rock stars, Instagram, and everything aqua.

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Comments

  1. Soiledrotten says

    September 2, 2013 at 5:54 am

    How clever! I never knew such a thing existed! Awesome job : )
    Alison

    Reply
  2. Lisa@ Sweet Tea N' Salty Air says

    September 2, 2013 at 10:51 am

    Just love the look !

    Reply
  3. Kristin says

    September 2, 2013 at 10:26 pm

    I’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

    Reply
  4. Ida says

    September 3, 2013 at 9:58 am

    Awesome tutorial. I’ve been dreaming of butcher block for years. Can’t wait to redo my kitchen! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Sheila says

    September 3, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    Too 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.

    Reply
  6. Gloria Fox says

    September 3, 2013 at 7:30 pm

    Oh…I am totally doing this. This is the look I wanted but don’t have a lot to spend.
    Thanks!

    Reply
  7. Audrey Zumwalt says

    September 3, 2013 at 10:01 pm

    Nice tutorial … looks easy enough to do.
    Thanks,
    Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures

    Reply
  8. Amber O'Donnell says

    September 5, 2013 at 4:27 pm

    Love 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!

    Reply
    • Gina says

      September 6, 2013 at 7:47 am

      Thanks Amber! UptownCountryHome.com is the source for the basket πŸ™‚

      Reply
  9. Michele says

    September 5, 2013 at 6:30 pm

    Great job! Where is that adorable fruit stand from???

    Reply
    • Gina says

      September 6, 2013 at 7:46 am

      Thanks, Michele! It’s from UptownCountryHome.com

      Reply
  10. kimberly says

    September 6, 2013 at 12:46 am

    wow, great job with the tutorial. Gave me the courage to think i can do this myself. THANKS.

    Reply
  11. Laura says

    September 6, 2013 at 4:32 pm

    What 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 :/

    Reply
  12. Heather says

    September 22, 2013 at 8:48 am

    so 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???

    Reply
    • Gina says

      September 22, 2013 at 12:00 pm

      Hi 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!

      Reply
  13. Jessica@The Junk Nest says

    October 13, 2013 at 5:44 pm

    These 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!

    Reply
  14. Tootsie says

    October 23, 2013 at 10:43 am

    I 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!

    Reply
  15. Jill Frank says

    February 2, 2014 at 8:56 pm

    So, 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?

    Reply
    • Gina Luker says

      February 4, 2014 at 9:11 am

      Nope, no problems at all! I still love them πŸ™‚

      Reply
  16. amy says

    April 24, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    How did u attach them to the cabinet top? Was there a gap because of the cleats?

    Reply
    • Gina Luker says

      April 27, 2014 at 7:56 pm

      The cleats fit inside the structure of the cabinet, then we screwed it to the base. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  17. Nancy @ Little Homestead in Boise says

    July 30, 2014 at 11:09 am

    Nice job! Were you concerned about using pine, since it’s such a soft wood? I’d have gone with something a bit harder myself….

    Reply
    • Gina Luker says

      August 4, 2014 at 6:29 am

      No, we used it on floors without any issues, and had none with the counters either.

      Reply
  18. Nancy @ Little Homestead in Boise says

    July 30, 2014 at 11:11 am

    Nice basket, but $74? Ouch…

    Reply
    • Gina Luker says

      August 4, 2014 at 6:23 am

      I 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.

      Reply
  19. Rachel says

    January 20, 2015 at 10:05 am

    I 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!

    Reply
  20. marge says

    March 20, 2015 at 7:06 pm

    I’m told tO be very careful with a sealant as it has chemicals and could affect food prep.

    Reply
  21. Diana says

    March 31, 2015 at 10:18 am

    Good 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

    Reply
  22. Dana McCurdy says

    August 8, 2015 at 8:08 am

    Gina,
    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

    Reply
  23. Tori says

    May 30, 2017 at 12:40 pm

    So 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!!

    Reply
    • Gina Luker says

      May 31, 2017 at 11:43 am

      Thanks so much Tori, good luck to you, it sounds like you have a good feel for what you want to do!

      Reply
  24. Vicki mcdonough says

    July 1, 2017 at 12:28 pm

    Is Waco food safe butcher block safe to use on wooden spoons ? Knowing that they will be in scalding hot soups and water.

    Reply
  25. Vicki mcdonough says

    July 1, 2017 at 12:33 pm

    Is Waco foodsafe butcher block safe for wooden spoons ? Knowing that they will be used in scalding hot soups and water.

    Reply
    • Gina Luker says

      July 3, 2017 at 3:35 pm

      I think so Vicki πŸ™‚

      Reply
  26. courtney says

    February 17, 2018 at 12:35 pm

    Hi 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

    Reply
    • Gina Luker says

      February 19, 2018 at 1:22 pm

      Hi Courtney, you will need clamps of some type to be able to do this project πŸ™‚

      Reply
  27. courtney says

    February 17, 2018 at 12:37 pm

    Sorry I meant to write Gina

    Reply
  28. Tinika Brewer says

    August 10, 2018 at 7:58 pm

    Did you remove the old countertops or attach it to them? How were the attached to the cabinets?

    Reply
    • Gina Luker says

      August 14, 2018 at 10:07 am

      We removed the old ones Tinika πŸ™‚

      Reply

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ARE YOU A FARMHOUSE FAN?
Get instant access to this free guide to The Best Sources for a Farmhouse Style Home on a Budget!
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