Butcher block countertops are the workhouse in my kitchen. I mix, chop, roll out, knead and spill on them. Over the years I've learned a few tricks for maintaining these wood counters but the one I accidentally discovered last week is probably the best.
I'm sure you've been in this situation before. You randomly discover, invent or figure something out when you weren't even trying to. Like when you're trying to get dressed and someone knocks on the door so you quickly throw on a random sweater to answer the door and realize is looks GREAT in that mismatched, you never would have done it intentionally kind of way.
Maybe you don't have a certain ingredient to make a recipe and improvise with another substitution and it turns out better than ever. You get what I mean, right?
Sometimes ... every once in a while ... you are an accidental genius. Last week, I was an accidental genius. I'll get to that revelation in a minute.
Butcher block countertops - they might not be in the homes of everyone, but chances are everyone has a wood cutting board and if you do then this tutorial is for you too. The way you take care of wood cutting boards is the same as how you take care of butcher block counters.
If you have a completely disastrous and disgusting cutting board you should take a look at this post which describes how to get rid of the gross.
"Not very many people have those" was my mother's reaction when I told her I was writing a post on maintaining butcher block countertops. She said this while watching one of her many reality tv obsessions which includes The Bachelor (a show where people who don't know each other pretend they're going to get married one day), Say Yes to the Dress and Breaking Bad. She's kind of suspicious about the authenticity of Breaking Bad as a reality show but she likes it so she doesn't question it too much.
When I told her there are more people who have butcher block countertops than people who have successfully used a television producer as a matchmaker she just scoffed and proceeded to tell me about Tristan and Ryan for the billionth time, a lovely couple produced entirely by television who got married and are now presumably spinning off the next generation of reality show stars.
In a bold move, ignoring my mother's advice, I bring you today ...
How to Maintain Butcher Block Countertops.
When I redid my kitchen a few years ago the one and only decision that was easy was my countertop choice. I knew I was going to have butcher block counters. Genuine, 100% maple, hard as a rock, countertops.
I also knew I wasn't going to baby them and I didn't expect them to look brand new their whole life. Unlike my copper pots which I had just cleaned before this post. I actually never clean my copper pots so this is unusual. The odd time I'll clean the inside of them if I accidentally leave something that badly stains the tin lining.
For me, butcher block countertops are a tool in my kitchen. I slop, cut, roll, mash and create on them. Wood is naturally antibacterial, self healing and NOTHING makes a better sound while chopping on it than wood. I want my counters to look used and develop a patina, but they still have to be maintained and kept in good condition.
I personally don't try to get rid of the stains on my countertops unless they're so prominent they're distracting. But for the purpose of this post, I'll show you how to get rid of butcher block stains in case you prefer your counters to have no stains.
2 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW
There are only 2 ways wood can go bad. Moisture getting in or moisture getting out. Maintaining any wood surface in the kitchen means you have to a) stop moisture from getting into the wood and b) stop moisture from getting out of the wood. This according to Jason Stafford of Talbot Wood, where I got my countertops made. Oiling your butcher block creates a barrier that stops both of these things. It stops moisture from seeping into the wood and stops moisture from escaping.
To stop both of those things you need to use a water barrier - oil. Mineral oil to be precise.
What is Mineral Oil?
Mineral oil is a petroleum (paraffin) product with no colour, odour or flavour. It stops water from absorbing or releasing. For treating counters you specifically need food-grade mineral oil. The easiest place to find it is in your local drugstore. Hardware stores sometimes carry it as well, but if you're buying your mineral oil at a hardware store make sure what you're getting is food-grade mineral oil.
HOW TO MAINTAIN BUTCHER BLOCK COUNTERTOPS.
- Remove everything from your countertops.
- Wipe them with a damp cloth.
- Scrape the surface with a dough scraper to remove anything stuck on the surface.
- Scrape light surface stains away with a razor blade.
- Sand deeper stains with 180 then 220 grit sandpaper. (note your sanded area will lighten)
- Wipe counter clean with a cloth.
- Run your hand over the counter to make sure it's completely free of grit or guck.
- Pour mineral oil directly onto the counter and rub it around the entire surface with a lint free cloth.
- Allow the mineral oil to absorb. This could take as little as an hour or as much as overnight.
- Wipe the counters again to remove any residual oil.
The dough scraper will get off old stuck on flour etc. that you didn't even know was on your counter.
A razor blade can help remove very light surface stains with a few passes. It's scraping off the very top surface of the wood.
For deeper stains you'll have to use sandpaper. But know that when you sand your countertop stain away you'll also be sanding away any patina the wood has achieved. So the spot you sand will be lighter than the rest of the counter.
You have to decide whether you'd rather have a stain or a slightly lighter section in your counter.
Once you oil the area the lightened wood will become much less noticeable.
You can also sand your entire countertops using coarse, medium and then fine sandpaper to completely restore them and make them look brand new again if that's what you want.
HERE'S THE PART WHERE I BECAME AN ACCIDENTAL GENIUS LAST WEEK!
I can't even remember how it happened but I used a magic eraser to erase a stain on my counter. It was something I did subconsciously for some reason but I've never done it before.
The Magic Eraser will remove surface stains. (It won't remove dark water stains that have been there forever, but things like food stains will disappear almost immediately without lightening the colour of the wood.
NO idea why I never thought to use a magic eraser on my counter before, but there you have it. There's no explaining the phenomenon of the accidental genius.
Make sure the final wipe of your counter before conditioning it with oil is with your hand. Your hand can feel any bits that a cloth leaves behind.
I use mineral oil to help condition the wood but you can also use board butter. A mixture of mineral oil (or hemp oil in some cases) and beeswax. You can read my post on how to easily make your own Board Butter here.
Don't be skimpy with the mineral oil. You want it to pool on the surface.
When you condition your butcher block countertops for the first time the oil will penetrate into the wood immediately because it's so dry. Just keep conditioning it for the first month until you get to the point where the mineral oil doesn't soak in anymore.
Why do you need to condition your wood countertops? Because conditioning the wood keeps it from drying out and prevents stains. Water and moisture will bead up on top of the counter instead of soaking in and staining it or even worse, warping it.
Once you've finished conditioning the counters with oil or board butter you can put everything back where it came from. Unless you're me. If you're me you'll see how great your kitchen looked with nothing on the counters and you'll only put back half of what you had out originally.
Then day by day you'll allow everything to creep back until it's just as full as it was originally with the addition of a few new things.
HOW TO MAINTAIN BUTCHER BLOCK COUNTERS.
How to maintain your butcher block countertop or cutting board with mineral oil, some sandpaper for stains and a dough scraper.
Materials
- Mineral oil (food grade)
- Sandpaper
Tools
- Orbital palm sander (optional)
Instructions
- Remove everything from your countertops.
- Wipe them with a damp cloth.
- Scrape the surface with a dough scraper to remove anything stuck on the surface.
- Scrape light surface stains away with a razor blade.
- Sand deeper stains with 180 then 220 grit sandpaper. (note your sanded area will lighten)
- Wipe counter clean with a cloth.
- Run your hand over the counter to make sure it's completely free of grit or guck.
- Pour mineral oil directly onto the counter and rub it around the entire surface with a lint free cloth.
- Allow the mineral oil to absorb. This could take as little as an hour or as much as overnight.
- Wipe the counters again to remove any residual oil.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
How often should I oil my butcher block countertops?
That kind of depends. The age of your counter, how dried out it is, if it's winter or summer and myriad of other things dictate how often it should be oiled. BUT I would say a good general rule would be to oil your butcher block countertops once every month or two.
They will need more oiling in the winter when the air is drier and less in the summer when the air is more humid.
Can you sand your entire countertop?
Sure! If you'd like to start from scratch so to speak, you can sand the entire countertop to take off all of the top layer stains. Very deep black stains won't come out but all of them will be made less noticeable. To rejuvenate your entire butcher block countertop sand with coarse, medium and then fine grit sandpaper using an orbital sander.
I don't use paraffin products. What other kind of oil can I use to maintain my counters?
You can try a refined coconut oil (not the regular stuff you grab in the grocery store) which has been distilled and won't go rancid. You can also use Tung oil, but it could bring out a gold colour in your wood and because it's made from nuts shouldn't be used where anyone with nut allergies come into contact with it.
Do I need to do this more than once?
Yep. You'll need to maintain the counter regularly. ALSO you'll need to give several coats of mineral oil the first time you do this or when the counter is realllyyyyy dry. If it soaks up all the oil almost immediately you know you'll need another coat of oil. Just let it soak in for a few hours and then do it again. When it finally seems to stop soaking into the wood quickly, you can stop.
Which is about how often I hear about those lovebirds Tristan and Ryan by the way.
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Hello! I am going the refined coconut oil route. Hopefully, you can speak to this.
I applied the oil his morning, almost 5 hours ago. When I rub my hand on it now, I get a layer of oil on my palm. The counter is brand new. I was expecting it to soak in faster?? Am I just too impatient?? Thanks!
Hi Heidi! As far as I know coconut oil isn't generally recommended for butcher block counters, partly because it's a food oil that can go rancid. I'm not sure about it's ability to absorb in wood, but if you're having oil on your hands it either isn't soaking in or it's soaked in as much as it can and the rest is excess. So at this point I'd just wipe away the excess with a cloth. ~ karen!
I used pure tung oil on my birch floors and I'm about to put it on my new butcher block countertops. Here's some info I found helpful about tung oil. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.canadianwoodworking.com/get-more/tung-oil-debunking-myths&ved=2ahUKEwiluqWCg4_oAhWBpp4KHZuoATkQFjAAegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw2Wft5BofEDOaxBDRS1o0jv
Hi Lynn! You can give it a shot. But I literally just spoke with a butcher block countertop manufacturer yesterday (total coincidence!) and he's never used tung oil to my knowledge but just recently became aware of a food grade oil similar to mineral oil that he says is now his preferred oil for butcher blocks. ~ karen!
I live in Staten Island, NY. Where should I order my countertops from? Any recommendations locally?
How is heat on butcher-block? Have you ever burnt the wood that way? We do lots of canning and baking and I’d be worried about scorch marks. We usually use hot pads but my partner occasionally forgets....
Hi Rebekah. I've never noticed scorch marks, but I"m sure it's possible. I put hot pots down on it as well but I might subconsciously let them cool a tiny bit first, because I've never experienced them. Water marks really are more the enemy. ~ karen!
Funny Trista and Ryan story - They still live in Vail CO, and he STILL works as a firefighter there. I was hosting a student conference there a few years ago, where a student was had a (minor) injury, but we didn't know, so it required calling 911. Guess who was the first responder! Needless to say, the teacher chaperones were busy taking selfies with the back of Ryan's head, while he was doing his job helping the student. Not about counter tops, but still made me smile to see the reference.
That's a GREAT story! Thanks for telling it. ~ karen!
We cut a lemon in slices, put over any stain, leave overnight. Shift slices around, smoosh with fingers, let sit some more. Wipe with paper towel. If stain remains, repeat till gone. Wipe residue off with slightly damp paper towel. Re oil. No sanding necessary, just patience. Gotten rust, grape juice, black pot marks off with little effort.
I use Boose Block “food” cause it works... and am in Colorado where it’s impossibly dry.
OMG I had to do a double take when I thought I saw a Notorious RBG doll on the top shelf next to your stove.
!!! Now that you've said that I'm going to have to turn that doll into *exactly* that. Orders black robe and lace collar immediately. ~ karen!
Awesome! (Don’t forget to make a post about how to turn ordinary dolls into Notorious R.B.G. dolls!)
Help! I just purchased a beautiful kitchen island from Bassett and it came with no instructions. I wiped it off with a damp cloth and dried and now that area is rough! I’ve reached out to the company but no answer. I have no idea if it’s been oiled, nothing. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Denise! My guess would be that the counter hasn't been treated at all, but you really shouldn't do anything until the company gets back to you. If the area is rough where you sanded it that means the grain of the wood is raised because it's swollen from water, which in turn means it probably doesn't have anything on it to protect it. But like I said, just keep harassing the company until you find out for sure. ~ karen!
I do not have to scrape mine, and I rarely have to sand them. Once a year I use tung oil and citrus thinner mix from Milk Paint. Hydrogen Peroxide removes stains, I don't cut on mine, I have a pile of cutting boards for that. The Milk Paint tung oil also comes in a walnut stain you can apply to oil your butcher blocks- I may do that in the future, not really sure yet. Unlike mineral oil, tung oil is not a petroleum product- it is a nut oil and the applications become cumulative, eventually you will have a long lasting finish that rarely needs additional applications. Plus, would you rather roll your dough out on a petroleum product or a nut oil that has been used for centuries to finish wood? Hope this helps someone who is on the fence for butcher block counters, once you have them- nothing else will do.
We are just preparing to oil a new 4 foot X 5 foot butcher block island and have chosen the same product. It's nice to hear someone who has actually used it. I anticipate a long life with this thing! Thanx.
Sarah, how did yours turn out? I used almost an entire quart on the top part (only) of a dresser we're repurposing into a bathroom vanity. It's been a horrible mess... the wood now feels gritty and the oil literally will NOT stop soaking in no matter how much I slather on. The wood can't be that dry... can it?? Plus the smell is horrendous, even for a natural product.
And another question, if you're still around on this old post, would be about smells. Pretty much everything I cook has garlic and onion. Often other smelly things are included like cilantro, ginger, etc.
I'm wondering if chopping and mincing these things on a regular basis would lead to a permanent odor being embedded in the counters. I enjoy the smells while I'm cooking and eating those foods, but if I'm say making cinnamon rolls one morning, I don't necessarily want to be smelling the thai flavored chickpea fritters from the night before (or even worse infusing the rolls with those scents and flavors). Any experience with stinky stuff? Thanks.
We chop everything on our butcher block, and don't find that it holds any smells. We do chop garlic and onions at one end so that we don't end up with oniony fruit if it's cut soon after. Every once in a while I will wipe it down with 1/2 a lemon to freshen it up.
Yours is the first butcher block post I've come across that *isn't* about how to keep them in pristine condition. A mentally freeing proposition.
But could you share what you typically use them for, specifically? I cook with a lot of colorful foods - tomatoes, peppers, squash, leaves, etc, and many of my favorite foods are also quite acidic.
I like the idea of a well used, loved and appreciated, non-pristine counter. But not sure about the idea of orange/green/red stain splots in one portion of the counter.
Maybe I'm thinking about it too hard. Maybe I should just go for it and see what happens. I suppose you can always sand.
Hi Marget! The butcher block does indeed get stained, but this is mostly a problem if you don't keep up with oiling it. When you oil the counter things just wipe right off of them. My counter is definitely mottled from various ingredients but nothing that I've ever even noticed. The only real stains are under the coffee maker where coffee drips have accumulated over the years. Red peppers, tomatoes, etc ... are all cut right on the butcher block without any noticeable stains for me. Also I've never noticed any transference of smells from food to food. Hope that helps. ~ karen!
Yes, that does help. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. We'll be moving into an old farmhouse soon, and I thought butcher block would be a good aesthetic fit. Until I read your post, now I realize a *well used* butcher block counter - that will be perfect. I love the thought of all the labor and love of a kitchen being infused into the counters to show a visible record of it. The thought of a patina just gives me the warm fuzzies. Plus I use at least two cutting boards, often three, every time I cook. The thought of all that space, all that sweet freedom to cut all over , has me feeling like Chevy Chase running through the parking lot to Chariots of Fire.
Thank you SO MUCH for your post. It is hard to find examples of well used butcher block counters out there. Every post is about how not to use them. The only other example I have found is a single forum thread about one guy's butcher block island. Much much appreciated, thanks again.
I just put butcherblock in my new house. I'm so excited to be able to use it. My sink is a copper sink. All your instructions were very helpful for me,in how to care for my new counters. Thank you so much. Think we will be ready to put oil on them this weekend.
Look at that sink!! Stunning. You will love your counters. Love, love, love. ~ karen!
This is great! We just had a large maple top island installed and I love it. However, my husband left juicy, bloody meat leftovers on it all night and now it has a large stain in one side. I was not happy. I've done all the trips - lemon/salt, baking soda, vinegar, but when I re-oiled it with mineral oil, the stained area just looks darker (see photo). Should I sand? And if so, do I sand the whole thing? Or just the stained section? I love your kitchen, btw! Looks like a happy place. Thanks again for the great blog!
I just made my own butcher block on a shoestring budget. Guy at lowes said to use watco butcher block oil and finish on it. It smells a bit and i cant imagine doing this monthly!! Would i be able to just start using mineral oil or would i have to sand it down first?
Hi Jessica! You'll actually have to contact the people who make the product for the answer. From what I can tell Watco butcher block finish isn't an oil, it's an actual "finish" which means it's leaving a layer on the wood as opposed to sinking into the wood. I don't think that mineral oil would be able to penetrate it, but I'm not positive. It might be possible to give the counter a light sanding and then proceed with mineral oil. Good luck! ~ karen
Hi, fellow DIY person here. Love the butcher block. I just took an old 1980s maple table off Craig's List and a new saw blade and made it fit. Wow, was it hard as a rock and heavy! Saw blade is now dull. It is only 4 feet long, but great for preping food. "Bar Keeps Friend" will get out stains. Let it sit for a while and rinse.
That looks perfect Cindy! And yes, hard wood is *really* hard to cut through, lol. ~ karen!
Thank you so much for the tips! It's true that not many people have these, and that also makes it a bit harder to find quality post about how to care for this type of countertop..once again: thank you!
I don't cut or chop on my butcher block counters...I am not that brave I use a cutting board...but yes they certainly do need oiled...and you are right...sometimes it is hard to tell what is stuck on them...love your new kitchen Karen...
I covet your kitchen. "Nuf said.
Me too. ~ karen!
Knowing how to clean (and the benifits), gives me the confidence to put a butcherblock top island in our new home. I've always Loved ! the look but was falsely concerned with the "unsanitary myth". Thanks Karen. A timely article for me. I appreciate.
So Karen, can you stain butcher block counter tops? I have one over my washer and dryer. I think it would look great darker, but is that a bad idea?
Erica,
We stained our countertops with a non-toxic stain (Sorry can't remember the brand as it was a few years ago) and used a food grade tung oil to finish them off. They have stood up very well and I love them.