Home Kitchen

Butcher board refinishing is easy

Posted by admin

The beauty and warmth of wood will enrich any kitchen. However, over time, a wood work surface like a butcher’s cutting board can wear down and deteriorate. Pen marks, knife marks, and wine stains affect the appearance of a once-beautiful surface. If you’re remodeling and thinking of replacing a butcher counter, or butcher island, consider renovating it. It’s easy, inexpensive, and a great “green” option. Your block or countertop can be restored in just a few hours and look brand new. Restore your butcher board with the easy steps listed below.

Some butcher block surfaces have been treated with oil and wax only. Others, most often countertops, have been treated with an oil that has a bit of varnish mixed in (commonly called a salad bowl finish). Either finish sands easily with an orbital sander, which will get the job done quickly without leaving swirl marks. Use your sander to remove a thin layer of your butcher board, exposing the intact wood underneath.

Step one: The general rule of thumb is to start with a coarse grit sandpaper and work in stages towards a finer grit as you go. Starting with a 80 – 100 grit should be fine. The goal is to sand out imperfections that years of use have created. Using long, even strokes, sand with the grain of your butcher board. If you press hard or unevenly, the sander will sink into the wood and create a wavy, uneven surface. Remember, you are not rubbing scratches! Just let the sander do the work for you and keep your strokes long and consistent.

Second step: When you have sanded the surface down to where all visible blemishes have been removed, change to a finer grit, say 150. The goal is to sand away any small scratches left by the previous grit. Again, use long, even strokes. After going over your butcher board with this finer grit twice, increase your grit to about 240 and repeat the process. Continuing with finer grits will give you an increasingly smoother surface, but it’s not necessary.

Once you have finished sanding, thoroughly clean the sawdust by vacuuming and then wiping with a tack cloth. When your butcher block is totally free of sawdust, you can seal it.

You can seal your butcher board in one of two ways:

1) a “salad bowl finish” or

2) mineral oil and beeswax.

A food-safe “salad bowl” finish is a hard, glossy finish containing varnish that is not only water and stain resistant, but also cleans easily. Cutting directly on this finish will damage it and dull your knives more quickly. It is best used on a butcher counter and is not recommended for direct food preparation. If you decide to use this type of finish, you can find it at your local hardware store and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for application.

An oil and wax finish is usually a mixture of food grade mineral oil and beeswax. This type of finish is best used on a butcher cutting board for direct food preparation. The oil penetrates the wood making it resistant to water and humidity changes. The wax remains on the surface creating a slightly shiny waterproof layer. This type of finish is not damaged by knife blades. There are many table oil products on the market, as well as home recipes that are easy to prepare. Note that the oil of choice is food-grade mineral oil, as it does not go rancid.

Step three: To finish your oiled butcher block, first gently heat the oil. Warm oil penetrates better than cold. Brush or rub in a thin layer of oil, moving with the grain, and allow it to absorb before applying another coat. Excess oil that is not absorbed within an hour or so should be removed before it becomes thick and resinous. Repeat this oiling, soaking, and cleaning process until the oil is no longer absorbed. The amount of oil you need to apply will depend on how dry your butcher board is. Finish your project with a beeswax sealing coat. Buff the wax to a soft sheen with a soft cloth and stand back to admire your handiwork.

Any wood surface, whether it’s a butcher block island or a large butcher cutting block, can be easily restored by sanding and re-oiling. It is an economical and ecological solution to improve a kitchen and will restore any wooden surface to its former beauty.

Leave A Comment