Recently on Instagram, I asked for opinions on wood countertops in the kitchen, and the response has been tremendous with over 700 responses! At the time this analysis was compiled, there were over 16,000 likes and 612 comments… 434 were positive, 111 were negative and 67 liked them but had concerns. Following is a breakdown of the commentary along with a plethora of beautiful kitchens with wood countertops for inspiration…
Of the 434 positive responses only 127 had personal experience or knew someone who had experience with a wood counter top. Of the 111 negative responses, only 25 had personal experience or knew someone who had experience with a wood counter top. Of the 67 responses that were generally positive but with reservations, only 9 had personal experience or knew someone who had experience with a wood counter top. Taken as a whole, of the 612 responses to the post, only 161 or 26% had any type of experience with wood counter tops. Therefore most responses were either overwhelmingly positive or negative or with reservations without actual experience with wood counter tops.
Examples of positive responses are “stunning”, “gorgeous”, “looks so extravagant”, “soooo beautiful”, “simply elegant”, “magnificent”, “homey feel”, and “classically beautiful”. Positive comments of people with some type of experience with wood counter tops suggested “easy upkeep” or “easy maintenance”. Some people had them 6 years, 12 years, 15 years, 18 years and 20 years with no major problems. The consensus seemed to be that success with kitchen counter tops was all in the sealant. Some indicated that if there was a problem, they would simply sand them and refinish. The consensus of those positive responders with experience was that they would not want anything else.
The most common sealant listed was marine type sealer, including boat shellac. Other sealers mentioned were lacquer, varnish, epoxy (like used on butcher blocks), Tung oil and mineral oil. Another important factor pertaining to kitchen counter tops was the type of wood used. By far the most common suggestion was mahogany, followed by walnut and maple. Also mentioned several times was teak. Other woods mentioned were cherry, oak, beech, and hickory. Again the most favorable experience with wood kitchen counter tops was with mahogany.
Examples of negative responses include “too much work to maintain”, “gets black around the sink and faucet with mildew”, “too susceptible to dings and scrapes”, “gets soft and yucky over the years”, “hot items cause damage to the wood”, “after 20 years mine are a disaster”, and “thumbs down”. Of the negative responses, most were concerned about “high maintenance required”, “durability”, especially when one has young children or is considering using them in rent houses since tenants might not do what was necessary for upkeep.
Examples of responses for people who liked them but had concerns are “beautiful but terrified of damage”, concerns about “upkeep” and “cost”, “resale appeal”, and “sanitation” and “hygiene”. Most concerns pertain to use of wood around the kitchen sink and faucet. Some suggested replacing the wood around faucets and taps near the sink with granite or marble. Some suggested use of cutting boards to protect the wood. Others suggested using wood only on the center Island and butler’s pantry. The final precaution mentioned was that if you are going to use wood counter tops, get a qualified and licensed contractor to install them.
Since most of the comments pertaining to use of wood on the kitchen counter tops are positive, the consensus seems to be that they were so beautiful that whatever maintenance was required was worth it, but obvious precautions such as the type of wood used and the type of sealer used is very important.
So what do you think about wood countertops? I think they are beautiful, and I would love to have them in a butlers pantry. A huge thank you to my parents for the hours they spent compiling these responses! To see all of the original Instagram commentary, please click here.
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Wood tops are certainly beautiful but maintenance is an issue. With so many other, more practical options such as natural stone and synthetic surface materials such as quartz, wood has to be an accent. I struggle with hardwood floors in my kitchen. While very pretty, in my opinion they are not practical. After a decade, I must now have them refinished to erase the dents and dings accumulated over time. Crossing my fingers that they will look the same and still match the adjoining rooms. The photos in this post are swoon worthy, as are all of your posts, btw. Being a practical person, I think that I agree with you that wood is great in a butler’s pantry, but not around sink areas or even on the busy, center island. Kitchens are the most loved room in everyone’s home.
I”m astounded that you find hardwood floors in your kitchen a “struggle”! Are they site-finished? I’ve had hardwood floors in two houses over the years and I have found them wonderful. Yes, I have dogs – at one time I had 5, plus some cats. Yes, my kitchen opens directly to the outside – no mudroom. A good mat at the door makes a big difference – I like the WaterHog mats.
My daughter also has the same, plus 2 boys – the floors were there before the boys were and boys are now 16 and nearly 19. She also has a SAHH and he’s far from being the careful type.
Hers have not worn quite as well as mine as she has a satin poly finish on them, as are the rest of the hardwood floors in her house. I have a high gloss (gym floor) finish and it holds up so well. SO easy to give a quick sweep to.
I found this post very interesting, and I loved seeing all of the beautiful examples of wooden counter tops. We renovated our kitchen 3 years ago and my husband installed ours I had known for many years that I wanted counter tops made of wood, and I have no regrets about our decision. I didn’t have the expectation that my counter tops would always look perfect, but I don’t mind the look of wear and tear since mine are in a kitchen that gets a lot of everyday use. I know they aren’t for everyone or every kitchen, but I’m happy with the warmer and softer look of wood over a stone or marble.
Hi Andrea! We’re in California at the beach and I don’t think we can even buy certain sealers or paints here – even for boats. We’ve had so much rain our gates (plus all the other gates in our neighborhood) are swelling, cracking, rotting, bubbling and generally not functioning. I see repair people working on everybody’s gates all the time (ours too). I would be personally disinclined to use wood in the kitchen for this reason. I do love how wood gates look and wouldn’t change them but no wood in the kitchen and certainly not on floors (we have faux wood tiles that have been great with children, sand, golden retrievers, our life). Other states have more relaxed laws so perhaps they can use products strong enough to make it work in a high traffic kitchen.
Xo Elizabeth
I love the look of wood counters, but would just have the in butler’s pantry and on island. It adds a degree of warmth and beauty. The rest of kitchen I would have, and do, stone of some sort. Also, wood floors!
If “Escape to the Country” homes are typical of many in the UK, then it appears that butcher block countertops are prevalent there! They never show a house where the countertop is just awful looking.
But like everything, it truly depends on how one lives in ones kitchen. If there are a lot of things that are hand washed and not dried, but put in a drainer, I would think that even with a rubber mat, water would get under that mat and eventually look pretty awful. If people never wipe down water from the countertop and are “vigorous” when washing dishes, then it’s going to be a disaster around the sink. Glasses with moisture on them put down, wet towels – all will do such a countertop no favors, unless marine spar varnish is used.
I have an Ikea island cart that has a solid birch top. I used mineral oil and applied it multiple times over a period of a few months. Then my cleaning woman set down an almost empty bottle of toilet bowl cleaner on it – it was wet. Yes, it left a ring. More oil has helped but it’s still there. This is not a problem for me as the cart cost $100 and I don’t require perfection. This past week, she left a pile of wet rags on it – found that in time.
I love the warmth of it and the contrast from my Glacier White Corian countertops (talk about bullet-proof!). I’d use it in a butler’s pantry in a heart beat (those shown are fabulous – oh be still my heart!), but probably not an expensive mahogany one in my kitchen, even on an island. Too many people one just can’t control who just don’t think.
I have solid wood cabinetry in our kitchen, a darkish reddish hardwood. It’s been fabulous and still going strong. But I didn’t want wood benches. We have light bone coloured corian benches which are a dream to clean and maintain and very forgiving of heavy handed husbands banging down china on them. The bone is the perfect match for the backgound colour of the tiles which are copies if the tiles in Monet’s kitchen at Giverny. I would be concerned about chemicals used in sealants for wood benches. Are they low voc and are there any other toxic materials. This is a kitchen after all. Is it safe to knead bread on or roll out pastry?
Wood counters, especially the examples you found, are gorgeous. True, they need a bit more care and attention but most good things do….and are worth it! Definitely helps to have another surface on a focused work space which also adds to the thoughtful and custom feel in the room. I rarely comment but wanted to use this opportunity to tell you how amazing your work is, the photos and homes you found for this post are beautiful….something you seem to always give your lucky readers! I can’t imagine how you continue to create such a glorious blog every time. “The Glam Pad” in my inbox is always a moment of delight and always lovely time spent reading it. Thank you!
Oh my goodness, thank you Jane for the kind words, they mean the world to me! 🙂
Xx,
Andrea
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