When it comes to selecting furnishings to add a work surface area to your home kitchen, you have several options to choose from. With their rugged durability and attractive appearance, butcher blocks are often the counter top of choice for home chefs who are looking to increase their kitchen working space. Butcher blocks are the ultimate working surface for a variety of cooking tasks. Their flat, smooth tops are ideal for baking and pasta-making, and with many styles, you can cut right on their surfaces without the use of a cutting board.

The top manufacturers of butcher blocks offer them as counter top working surfaces on a variety of kitchen island and kitchen cart styles. Deciding that a butcher block is right for you is the first step in the shopping process. From there, you'll need to decide what style will best suit your home kitchen. You'll also need to decide the very best type of butcher block for your decor and working needs.

To help you make an informed buying decision, we have created our Buyers' Guide to Butcher Block Counter Top Kitchen Islands and Kitchen Carts. When putting together this guide, we compiled our customers' most common questions on all things butcher block and kitchen home furnishings. Reading over the guide from start to finish will give you the background information that you need to envision the very best butcher block counter top kitchen island or butcher block counter top kitchen cart for your home.

What styles of butcher block counter top kitchen islands and kitchen carts are there?

As you begin to shop, you'll encounter a variety of styles in today's lines of butcher block kitchen furnishings.

• Kitchen Tables are a style of kitchen island with an open space below the work surface. Essentially, the butcher block is situated on four legs. Storage options in butcher block kitchen tables can range from one open shelf that runs parallel to the working surface, groups of two or three shelves, drawers and more. Some styles are even completely open beneath the butcher block. Overall, butcher block kitchen tables are designed to look attractive while serving as a convenient, durable working surface. They are often made entirely of wood and may have painted bases to match your kitchen decor.



• Work Tables are a type of island design similar in overall shape to kitchen tables; however, with work tables, manufacturers place emphasis on the durability of the working surface and its base rather than on its aesthetic appearance. Butcher block work tables usually have stainless steel legs. Storage in the form of shelves, cupboards and drawers is commonplace in this style. Some designs also include backsplashes to protect the walls and sidesplashes by keeping liquids and food particles off the floors.



• Kitchen Islands combine a large working surface with ample storage space. Typically, these styles include at least one set of cabinets, though many have two sets for a total of four hinged doors. Drawers are also standard features in most classic butcher block kitchen island styles. Manufacturers include a wide variety of additional storage options in kitchen islands, including knife racks, towel racks, wine racks and condiment racks. Some styles, called rolling kitchen islands , are mounted on casters to make them shift-able for cleaning the floors or creating more space in the kitchen for large crowds or gatherings.



• Classic Carts consist of a butcher block mounted on four legs that have casters for shifting. These styles range from attractive showpieces designed to coordinate with kitchen decors to minimalist styles where the emphasis is on function rather than form. Most classic carts have at least one open shelf for storage and many have additional storage options like drawers and towel racks.

What style is best for my home?

To decide what style will work best in your home kitchen, consider the following:

• Space Do you have enough room for a permanent piece of furniture in your kitchen? If so, table and island styles are often preferable. If not, carts are a great solution as they can be kept in an out-of-the-way corner or an entirely other room and then rolled into place.



• Storage While many people add butcher block kitchen islands and kitchen carts to their homes to enjoy the working surface, added storage is a benefit of most styles. Before you shop, take some time to evaluate how well your current storage solutions are working in your kitchen. If you feel well organized and still have plenty of space, table styles may be your preference. In kitchens where you could use more space or your tools and cookware are hard to find or access, island styles with more storage may be ideal.



• Visibility What style you prefer for your kitchen may depend on how visible the piece will be. If you always receive guests in your dining room, a more functional work table or less ornate kitchen island with tons of space may be best for you. Homes with eat-in kitchens or kitchens that must be passed through to access the rest of the rooms often benefit from more decorative styles of butcher block counter top kitchen islands and carts.



• Function Last, but certainly not least, you'll need to think about the ways in which you'll use your butcher block kitchen cart or kitchen island. Will it be primarily for working? Some styles, such as tables, are more conducive for multi-tasking, such as using the piece to double as a seating or serving area.

What types of wood do the butcher block counter tops come in?

There are five types of wood commonly used for butcher block kitchen furnishings. Each type of wood has its own unique color. Hardwood types also differ by their levels of hardness. The harder a butcher block, the more durable it will be; however, all of the woods commonly used for butcher block counter top kitchen furnishings can stand up to most common food preparation tasks. The five types in order of hardness from greatest to least are:

• Maple, which has an attractive golden light brown color




• Birch, which is also a golden light brown and differs from maple mainly due to its durability




• Red Oak, an attractive golden color with a hint of red




• Walnut, which is a deep rich brown color




• Cherry, a warm red-tinted wood

What is the grain of a butcher block counter top?

The grain refers to how the rails of hardwood are cut and arranged to form the butcher block.

What grain is the best?

One grain is not better than the other when it comes to butcher blocks. Of the two most common grains, edge and end grain, each is suited to a different priority for home chefs.

The end grain is considered the more durable of the two types and is gentler on knife blades than edge grains. The grain is made by using only the ends of hardwood rails. The rails cut and placed in a checkerboard configuration, which is completely visible on the finished butcher block.

The edge grain has a more uniform appearance than the end grain because it is made with fewer rails. The grain is created by using long, whole rails that are trimmed to the butcher block’s length. The rails are laid one above the other to the desired width, creating slightly visible horizontal seams across the butcher block surface.

If aesthetic appearance is your top priority and you like the uniform look rather than the checkerboard style of the end grain, the edge grain is likely the better choice for your kitchen. Home chefs that are interested in the function of the butcher block counter top may opt for the end grain.

What is the finish of a butcher block counter top?

Wood dries out over time as the moisture that was contained in its fibers evaporates. The finish is a protective covering that either seals in the moisture to protect against evaporation or to replenish lost moisture. The purpose of the finish is to keep the wood from cracking and splitting due to brittleness.

Which finish is the best?

There are two types of finishes used for butcher block counter top kitchen islands and kitchen counters, both of which are equally as good for protecting the wood. Like grains, the different finishes are beneficial under certain circumstances.

The natural oil finish, which replenishes lost moisture, is the finish that you must choose if you want the convenience of using your butcher block counter top as a cutting surface without a cutting board. The wood will gradually absorb the finish, meaning that you will need to reapply it every four weeks to continue to protect your counter top.

The Varnique finish locks in moisture and is only applied one time, making it the choice of those who are worried about adding butcher block maintenance into their busy lifestyles. The finish is suitable for all food preparation tasks, except for knife work. To cut, chop or mince, a cutting board is always necessary on a Varnique butcher block counter top.