Are butcher block countertops a good choice for countertops in your home’s kitchen? Often times people feel that because wood is an absorbent material that it does not make a sanitary surface for food preparation in everyday use in the kitchen. While yes it is true that word does absorb smells and liquids, there are precautionary measures that can be taken to ensure that the hardwoods surface countertops are completely sanitary for daily use.

These per cautionary measures are actually just regular routine maintenance that needs to be done to butcher block countertops weekly, monthly and yearly. Special conditioners and cutting board oils need to be applied to the countertop surface on a regular basis. This allows for food preparation and sanitary eating conditions.

Butcher block countertops are completely renewable and natural resource for your kitchen countertops. There are many different hardwood trees that are being used to create butcher style countertop’s. Some of these hardwoods consist of cherry, walnut, Oak, bamboo and lyptus. These natural resources for your kitchen countertops also provide a countertop that is 100% unique to any other home’s countertops. Just as a human fingerprint is completely unique from anyone else’s in the world, so is the woodgrain in a tree.

Mix and match different wood grains with trees and natural color variances to get a kitchen countertop that is unlike any man-made countertop you can buy today. Some color variables that are often seen in butcher block tops will range from dark browns to light browns, tans, Reds, oranges and even yellows. True there are laminate countertops that are made to mimic the look and even the feel of natural wood countertops, but in reality they are a far inferior product.

Butcher block kitchen countertops can be installed by the do-it-yourselfer in most cases with the help of one other person. You can pre-order countertop slabs to be cut to the exact dimensions of your existing counters. It is up to you whether or not you prefer to attempt to install the countertops yourself or to hire a professional contractor to come in and do the work for you.

Butcher block countertops have been around since the 1800s and have proven time and time again that they are a reliable, sanitary food preparation station for any home. With a little bit of required maintenance, butcher block countertops make a great countertop surface for any home.