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Butcher block sold by the foot for countertop ranges from 11⁄2" to 3" thick, although some end grain products, used mostly for chopping blocks, can be up to 5" thick. For residential kitchens, the 11⁄2"-thick material is the most available and most affordable choice. Stock length varies but 6-foot and 12-foot slabs are common. You can also order the material with sink cutouts completed. Premade countertop is sold in the standard 25" depth, but wider versions (30" and 36") for islands are not difficult to find.
Butcher block countertop material comes pre-sealed, but a finish of varnish or oil, such as mineral or tung oil, is recommended. Seal cut wood around sink cutouts and on trimmed edges to keep it watertight. A self-rimming sink is the easiest type to mount in a butcher block countertop, but undermount types can look stunning (just make sure to get a perfect seal on the end grain around the sink cutout.
End grain vs. face grain: Traditionally, butcher block countertop surfaces were made with square sections of wood (often maple) oriented with their end grain facing upward. This orientation creates a better, more durable, knife-friendly cutting surface. For economy, many of today’s butcher block sections are edge-glued with exposed edge grain or face grain.
Typical countertop material is 1½" wide and 25" deep, available in a number of lengths from 4 ft. to 12 ft. long.
End grain
Face grain
Edge grain
Butcher block that’s constructed with the end grain oriented up is the most desirable, but it is relatively hard to find and fairly expensive. Material with the face grain or edge grain facing up is more common and more affordable (prefinished, it still runs around $30 a linear foot).
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