Happy 2012!!
I am so excited about this New Year! And I am so excited to share it with you.
The holiday rush is now over, and I am in the mood to get things in order. Are you?
One of the things I wanted to do is try to share a few posts with some more details about my kitchen. I had a lot of you ask questions about the specifics of our makeover like paint colors, stain color, etc.
So I am going to try and answer those questions. (Hope you are not getting sick of my kitchen. 
)
Here is some information that I wanted to share about our IKEA butcher block counter tops:
Here is the link to the exact butcher block that we purchased…http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20057397/#/60057395
They come in different types of wood, lengths, and depths.
Cy cut the pieces of butcher block so that there would be a seam right under the faucet, and two 45 degree seams in each corner.
Cy wanted me to make sure that I told you that he used PL Adhesive to adhere the seams together.
This stuff is the bomb! When it dries, it is actually stronger than the wood that it is holding together. By using this adhesive, it eliminates the chance of the seams splitting or shifting over time.
He also attached a 1×2 underneath the seams with screws for extra strength.
After the butcher block was attached to the cabinets, we needed to fill in any gaps in the seams with wood filler.
Here is a little trick:
When sawing the butcher block, be sure to save some of the saw dust from the floor.
Then mix some of the saw dust with the wood filler before filling the seams.
This will help the wood filler blend more evenly with the wood and help the seam to accept the stain the same as the rest of the countertop.
Next, just press the wood filler mixture into the seam with your finger.
Once the filler is dry, you can sand it smooth with a sander.
Once the seams were all filled, Cy then sanded the whole countertop really well and then applied ONE coat of this stain…
You can see that the stain gave the wood just a little bit of a deeper color.
Then we applied 4 coats of Satin Polyurethane, sanding lightly between each coat.
Perfection! I love the way it turned out!
In the video below, you can see how Cy made the rounded corners in the wood around the sink. We applied a bead of caulk between the wood and the sink to keep the moisture out.
I’ve had my countertops finished for a couple of weeks now, and I can honestly say that I am thrilled with them. They are extremely durable and easy to clean.
Here is a little video I made of some footage of Cy working on the counters.
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If I didn’t answer one of your questions in this post, please let me know in the comments, and I will get back to you.
Have a blessed day!
I’ve often wondered about IKEA’s kitchen products and wondered if they were durable. They certainly look great!
Random question, were you in Lexington on Saturday at Chik-fil-a? If not, you have a twin out there (:
Love these countertops! I had oak countertops installed several years back (not chopping block width) and they were supposed to be a temporary fill-in until I could decide what I wanted. We had just added black granite to the long island, and I couldn’t decide what I wanted to go with them, i.e. more granite, tile, etc. Well, the “temp” countertops are still there and I love them. But, after seeing yours I am thinking I would like the real “chopping block” look. I love them! Your hubby did an awesome job. Thanks for all of the great tips, too. Happy New Year!
OH THANK YOU for this!! We are in the process of our kitchen remodel and not sure about the counter tops. Found a Silestone we love, but not sure of that cost vs butcher block (which we love)!
May I ask where you found your faucet?? It’s stunning!!
Thanks again, Traci! Your home sure is coming along BEAUTIFULLY!!!
I LOVE your countertops Traci, and your tips are so so so helpful, especially that part about sawdust + wood filler! Loving your kitchen, aren’t ya? You should, it’s gorgeous!!!
xoxo
Kate
Your kitchen is soooo beautiful! I love the counter tops and the open shelves! Beautiful!
Susan
So, SO beautiful. I want to rip my counter tops out and put butcher block in! You said they are easy to clean…what do you clean them with, just any type of all purpose cleaner ? And will they ever have to be refinished? Do you have to condition them? Thanks! :) Your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous!
Beautiful work on not only the kitchen but a very nice video Traci!! I do have a question though …. when are you going to start on a new island. Your beautiful new kitchen is surely large enough for a beautiful island …. well ????? I know there was one there before, but are you planning on a new one or re-doing the one that was existing? Just curious!! Oh, and then are you going to place a big huge beautiful pot rack above it with lighting streaming down on it? hmmmmmmm … food for thought?
Anyway, thanks again for all the inspiration!
thank you so much! I mow want these wood counter tops for my kitchen…and what a price too. Yours look gorgeous!
This is so timely! My husband and I were just downstairs looking at our countertops and deciding to go with the Ikea butcher block! Seriously… 15 minutes ago. This is so helpful!
This is so awesome! I was just at Ikea last week drooling over the beautiful room designs! I wish my hubby was into DIY projects….maybe one day! Thanks so much for sharing the details!
Love them! I keep toying with those…not sure. I’ve already got a whole lot of wood going on–but I love them! And who could get sick of your kitchen?!?
:-)
shaunna
We have those exact countertops..Though we used the Ikea sealer as I did tons of searches for food safe stain and sealer. Minwax stated it was not foodsafe so we did not use it. I was wondering why you chose minwax over other types?
Your butcher block counters are beautiful! You and your hubby make an awesome team!
We bought the birch wood Ikea countertop 3 years ago for our kitchen island. We own a resort and our kitchen is commercial…the countertop has worn beautifully! I cut on it…and clean it with bleach…about twice a year we sand it down and reapply the swedish oil that Ikea sells for this countertop. It doesn’t seal it like varnish, but puts an oil finish on it. Still looks great! I think you’ll really like it over time!
Awesome blog…love reading you!!
Waterlox sells a food safe finish but you cannot cut on it. It seems to be all the rave around the Blogsphere.
I can’t get enough of your kitchen! It is so bright and fresh looking. A happy kitchen is so important!!
Great job, Traci & Cy! The countertop is beautiful! I’ve never had butcher block so I don’t know a thing about it. Are you able to put hot dishes on it or do you have to use trivets? Just curious.
Hi Traci! LOVE your new kitchen and I LOVE the new countertops! I am going to head over to Ikea and pick some up for the kitchenette in my studio that we are about to redo. Thank you so much! I am going to have to look for your shelf tutorial again too because I plan to make some over shelves like yours! Thanks so much AGAIN…..you make my life easier with all of your info!
One more thing, the wreath on your kitchen window??? LOVE it, want one……need one! Where did you get it or is it homemade? It is perfect!
(((hugs))) Rhonda~
I can’t believe it! I was actually looking at the idea of using wood countertops in my kitchen just yesterday and was thinking maybe Ikea would have them. Loved to see that they look amazing and not too hard for DIY hubbies :) Thanks for the tips….getting so excited to work on my kitchen knowing that wood is actually an option.
Love your kitchen, Traci! We are going to tackle ours sometime next year. I’m curious about the counter tops. I have five kids and it seems that I am always using bleach to clean the stains from tea, grape juice, etc. off our white counter tops. I’m wondering what would happen with wood counter tops. I think these things would stain them too and wonder how it would be cleaned.
I have my Ikea wood countertops in my garage ready to go! It seems I am not alone, many of us are planning on using them. Did you get your sink there too? You kitchen looks wonderful. Keep on sharing any tips you have, I will be painting my cabinets as well. Thanks!!!
Love it!!!!!! thank you for the seam answer. I have been racking my brain over and over on the seam. I have a kitchen that needs a 12 ft 4 in counter. My husband was at his witts end on how they only come in 12 ft chunks and how ours was done. I then showed him the strange seam in our counters that he has never seen before. however looking at your cut at your sink we may have to look into this and see if a new sink is in our budget also. thank you so much for the inspiring post. keep the good work and god bless, Amy
wow! Thanks so much for all the detailed pictures! Makes it seems easy ;-) LOL! Just loving the new kitchen!
Absolutely beautiful and love everything about the kitchen. GREAT JOB! Like some of the others, I’m ready to rip out my countertops and put in the butcher block!!! What color paint did you end up using for your walls?
Ooh thank you!! I wanted to know what you used, and it def looks amazing!!!
I LOVE these counter tops!! After seeing your kitchen, we are leaning toward butcher block counter tops and white cabinets in our downstairs nook (it’s not really a kitchen as you can’t cook but it has everything else).
Love it!!! Thank you!
Thank you so much for this post! I’ve been trying to make a decision about my countertops for the longest time ( I hate granite!) and this is just what I’m looking for. I appreciate the how-to instructions!
I love how your kitchen turned out especially your butcher block countertops! Love the video at the end! We are planning to do these in our kitchen come late spring!
Hi Traci,
OMG, I can’t believe my good fortune to have run across your blog! I found it on Pinterest by accident and must tell you that you have made my DAY! My husband and I are in the middle of a remodel of our kitchen in our little cabin in Wisconsin and are just getting ready to install our IKEA wood countertops that I bought 4 years ago! I was a little scared when my husband said he wanted to have the seam in the middle of our sink, but seeing your blog has made me feel so much better. Thanks for all your tips! Your Kitchen is DELIGHTFUL. I think I even have the same faucet that you do and am so excited because yours looks amazing. I promise to send pictures of our kitchen when it’s done. I only hope it’s half as beautiful as yours. Please pass on my many thanks to Cy. He does awesome work!
Your counter, and your kitchen, look fantastic. Did you have to apply some sort of sealer under the counter above the dishwasher? That is my only area of concern. Thanks!