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Butcher countertops are my kitchen's work haven. I mix, chop, roll, knead and pour. Over the years, I've learned a few tricks for maintaining these wooden countertops, but what I accidentally discovered last week is probably the best.
Jump directly to the tutorial.
I'm sure you've been in this situation before. You discover, invent, or accidentally discover something without even trying. For example, if you're trying to get dressed and someone knocks on the door, you quickly throw on a random sweater to answer the door and realize you look GREAT in an inappropriate way that you never would have done on purpose.
Maybe you don't have a certain ingredient to make a recipe and improvise with another substitute and it will come out better than ever. You know what I mean, don't you?
Sometimes... once in a while... you're an accidental genius.Last week I was an accidental genius. I'll get to that revelation in a bit.
Butcher Tops – These may not be in every home, but chances are everyone has a wooden cutting board, and if you do, this tutorial is for you too. Caring for wooden cutting boards is the same as caring for butcher shop counters.
When you have a totally messy and disgusting cutting boardYou should check this postwhich describes how to get rid of the gross.
“Few have that”was my mom's reaction when I told her I was writing a post about butcher block countertop maintenance. She said this as she watched one of her many reality TV obsessions, including The Bachelor (a show in which people who don't know each otherfalsewill get married one day), Say Yes to the Dress and Breaking Bad.He's a little worried about the authenticity of Breaking Bad as a reality show, but he likes it, so he doesn't question it too much.
When I told him that there are more people who own butcher shops than people who have successfully used a TV producer as a matchmaker, he only scoffed, telling me for the millionth time about Tristan and Ryan, an adorable all-TV-produced couple who got married and now she's probably raising the next generation of reality TV stars.
In a bold move, ignoring my mother's advice, today I bring you...
How to maintain butcher block countertops.
AndI remodeled my kitchen a few years ago.The only easy decision was to choose the bank. She knew she would have butcher block counters. Rock Hard 100% Real Maple Countertops
She also knew she wouldn't spoil them and didn't expect them to look like new for the rest of their lives. Unlike my copper pans that I just cleaned before this post. I never actually clean my copper pans so this is unusual. I will occasionally clean the inside of them if I accidentally leave something that badstains the tin siding.
For me, butcher countertops are a tool in my kitchen. In it I pour, cut, roll, knead and create.Wood is naturally antibacterial, self-healing, and NOTHING makes a better sound when cut than wood.I want my countertops to look worn and develop a patina, but still need to be cared for and kept in good condition.
Personally, I don't try to get rid of stains on my countertops unless they are noticeable enough to be annoying. But for the purpose of this post, if you prefer your countertops stain free, I'm going to show you how to remove butcher block stains.
2 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
There are only two ways that wood can go bad.Moisture in or moisture out.If you leave a wood surface in the kitchen, you need to a) prevent moisture from getting into the wood and b) prevent moisture from leaving the wood. This according to Jason Stafford ofmadeira talbotwhere i made my countertops. Greasing your butcher block creates a barrier that prevents both. Prevents moisture from penetrating into the wood and prevents moisture from escaping.
To prevent both, you should use an oil and water barrier. mineral oil to be exact.
What is mineral oil?
Mineral oil is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless petroleum product (paraffin). Prevents water from being absorbed or released. For counter-treatment you need a special food-grade mineral oil. The easiest way to find it is at your local pharmacy. Hardware stores sometimes carry it as well, but if you buy the mineral oil at a hardware storeMake sureWhat you get is food grade mineral oil.
HOW TO MAINTAIN BUTCHER BLOCK COUNTERTOPS.
- Remove everything from your countertops.
- Clean them with a damp cloth.
- Scrape the surface with a putty knife to remove anything stuck to the surface.
- Scrape light stains from the surface with a razor blade.
- Sand the deeper spots with 180-grit, then 220-grit sandpaper. (Note that the sanded area will be lighter.)
- Wipe down the counter with a cloth.
- Run your hand over the counter to make sure it's completely free of grit or dirt.
- pourmineral oildirectly on the counter and wipe the entire surface with a lint-free cloth.
- Let the mineral oil soak in. This can take as little as an hour or as long as overnight.
- Clean the gauges again to remove any residual oil.
The dough scraper will get stuck in flour etc. that you didn't even know was on your counter.
A razor can help remove very light surface stains in just a few strokes. Scratches the top surface of the wood.
For deeper stains you will need to use sandpaper. But keep in mind that when you sand down the stain on the countertop, you're also sanding down any patina that has made its way to the wood. This way, the area you are sanding will be lighter than the rest of the counter.
You need to decide if you prefer a slightly lighter spot or area on your counter.
After oiling the area, the lightened wood will be much less visible.
You can also sand all your countertops with coarse, medium, and fine sandpaper to fully restore them to a like-new look if that's what you want.
HERE IS THE PART WHERE I BECAME AN ACCIDENTAL GENIUS LAST WEEK!
I don't even know how it happened, but I used a magic eraser to remove a stain on my counter. It was something I did subconsciously for some reason, but I had never done it before.
Magic Eraser removes surface stains. (It won't remove dark water stains that have been there forever, but things like food stains will go away almost instantly without lightening the color of the wood.
I have NO idea why I never thought of using a magic eraser on my counter, but there you go. There is no way to explain the phenomenon of accidental genius.
Make sure the final cleaning of your counter is done by hand before oil conditioning. Your hand can feel all the pieces that a fabric leaves behind.
I use mineral oil to 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 belowhow to easily make your own butter board here.
Don't be stingy with the mineral oil. You want it to pool on the surface.
When you first condition butcher block countertops, the oil soaks into the wood immediately because it is so dry. Just keep grooming for the first month until you get to the point where the mineral oil is no longer absorbed.
Why do you need to condition your wooden countertops? Because the conditioning of the wood prevents it from drying out and prevents it from staining. Water and moisture collect on the counter instead of soaking and staining it, or worse, warping it.
Once you've finished dressing your countertops with oil or board butter, you can put everything back where it was. Unless you're me If you're me, you'll see how good your kitchen looks without anything on the counter and you only put back half of what you originally had.
Then, day after day, let it all come back until it's as full as it originally was, with a few new things.
HOW TO STORE THE BUTCH BLOCK COUNTER.
construction time:15 minutes
Active time:15 minutes
Extra time:8 hours
Total time:8 hours 30 minutes
Here's how to maintain your butcher bench or cutting board with mineral oil, sandpaper for stains, and a dough scraper.
materials
- mineral oil (food grade)
- Lixa
Tool
- Eccentric sander (optional)
instructions
- Remove everything from your countertops.
- Clean them with a damp cloth.
- Scrape the surface with a putty knife to remove anything stuck to the surface.
- Scrape light stains from the surface with a razor blade.
- Sand the deeper spots with 180-grit, then 220-grit sandpaper. (Note that the sanded area will be lighter.)
- Wipe down the counter with a cloth.
- Run your hand over the counter to make sure it's completely free of grit or dirt.
- pourmineral oildirectly on the counter and wipe the entire surface with a lint-free cloth.
- Let the mineral oil soak in. This can take as little as an hour or as long as overnight.
- Clean the gauges again to remove any residual oil.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
How often should I oil my butcher block countertops?
It depends a bit. The age of your counter, how dry it is, whether it is winter or summer, and many other factors will determine how often it should be oiled. BUT I would say a good rule of thumb would be to oil your butcher benches every month or two.
They need more lubrication in winter when the air is drier and less in summer when the air is more humid.
Can you sand your entire countertop?
Clear! If you want to start from scratch, so to speak, you can sand the entire countertop to remove any top coat stains. Very deep blackheads will not come out, but they will all be less noticeable. To rejuvenate your entire butcher block, sand it down with an orbital sander using coarse, medium, and then fine sandpaper.
I do not use paraffin products. What other type of oil can I use to maintain my gauges?
you can tryrefined coconut oil(not the regular stuff you buy at the grocery store) that have been distilled and won't go rancid. you can also usetongue Oil,but it could bring out a golden color in your wood and whymade from nuts should not be used if exposed to someone with a nut allergy.
Do I have to do this more than once?
Yes. You need to maintain the meter regularly. Also, you will need to apply several coats of mineral oil the first time or when the counter is really dry. When it soaks up all the oil almost immediately, you know you need another coat of oil. Just let it work for a few hours and then repeat. When it finally stops soaking the wood quickly, you can stop.
By the way, that's how often I hear about lovebirds Tristan and Ryan.
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