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    Home » Home Decor

    Whitewash and Seal a Butcher Block Counter Top

    Published: Jun 19, 2013 · Modified: Oct 1, 2013 by Christina Dennis · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 42 Comments

    One of the goals for the decor in Our DIY House is to have NO orangey or golden toned wood ANYWHERE. I mean, I think it looks great in some houses, but I find it really mid-90's-ish and we have it in our current Garage House (because it was the cheapest colour of laminate flooring and cabinets we could find) so I'm getting tired of it.

    We are on a very tight budget for our house build (especially here at the end) and we simply couldn't afford stone countertops. I considered laminate countertops, but I wanted something light coloured for our kitchen design and I couldn't find a light coloured laminate I liked in our price range.

    I currently have a wooden butcher block counter top on my island and I love it. I thought about butcher block counters in our new house but my only hesitations were (a) the golden colour (of the cheap Ikea ones that we could afford) and (b) the thought of it rotting and moulding around my kitchen sink.

    After browsing Pinterest and my favourite blogs, I stumbled across a few posts on how to stain and seal wooden counter tops and I had my "eureka" moment: what if I whitewashed some butcher block, and then waterproofed it? It would be the perfect solution for our kitchen!

    Whitewashing-and-Sealing-a-Butcher-Block-Countertop-by-The-DIY-Mommy

    It took a lot of work, but here's how I whitewash stained and sealed my inexpensive butcher block counter tops to get the look I wanted. I'm really happy with the results!

    How to White Wash Stain and Seal a Butcher Block Countertop

    We purchased our counters from Ikea. For our 10x10' kitchen and island, the cost was less than $800. My husband cut them to size, and I sanded them with this lovely power sander!

    How to White Wash Stain and Seal a Butcher Block Countertop

    I used some non-toxic water based whitewash stain and applied it with a brush in the direction of the wood grain. I did small sections at once (about a foot long).

    How to White Wash Stain and Seal a Butcher Block Countertop

    I wiped each section down after a few minutes (with the wood grain) with a cloth. The effect was instantly cooler and lighter which was exactly what I wanted.

    How to White Wash Stain and Seal a Butcher Block Countertop

    How to Stain and Seal a Butcher Block Countertop

    Here's the change after one coat of white wash. I decided to do 4 coats in total because I knew the sealant would yellow the counters a little.

    How to White Wash Stain and Seal a Butcher Block Countertop

    After I had stained the tops and three visible sides of each butcher block piece and let them dry for a day, I sealed them with Aquaspar - a water-based varnish that is extremely water proof and durable. I used a little foam brush which worked really well, and sanded with very fine sandpaper in between coats. I coated the counters with varnish twice before they were installed. I also sealed the sides and the underside once.How to Stain and Seal a Butcher Block Countertop

    After my husband installed the counter tops, I sealed them one more time.

    How to Stain and Seal a Butcher Block Countertop

    They're so fresh, shiny and pretty.

    How to Stain and Seal a Butcher Block Countertop

    They gleam, they're unique, AND they're waterproof!

    How to White Wash Stain and Seal a Butcher Block Countertop

    I'll use these babies just like I would a laminate countertop - not placing hot pots and pans directly on them.

    I think staining & sealing inexpensive butcher block counters is a great alternative to laminate counters when you're on a budget! Plus, they're so pretty and vintage-looking. I'm totally in love.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Allison Hopkins

      June 25, 2013 at 10:09 am

      LOVE!!!! But I could see between all the coats how this project is time consuming. Great contrast to your black cabinets.

      Reply
      • Christina Dennis

        June 25, 2013 at 11:26 pm

        Thanks, Allison! Yes, it was really time consuming but I think all the time was worth it. 🙂

        Reply
        • Judy

          July 31, 2021 at 8:00 am

          Beautiful- exactly what I want😊I love 💕 them!!! Thank u soooo much. Totally doing this to my table as I don’t like the gold either .

          Reply
        • Kiear

          May 12, 2022 at 1:02 am

          What color are the cabinets? Is that black or espresso or what?

          Reply
          • The DIY Mommy

            May 17, 2022 at 9:28 am

            The lower cabinets are black-brown Ramsjo cabinets from IKEA.

            Reply
    2. Kim Skocdopole

      August 02, 2013 at 12:36 pm

      Hi Christina!

      I LOVE your house! It's beautiful! I was just wondering where you purchased the Aquaspar from??

      Reply
      • Christina Dennis

        August 05, 2013 at 9:37 pm

        Hi Kim! Thanks so much. I purchase the Aquaspar from a Canadian online company: http://www.marineoutfitters.ca

        Reply
        • Heidi

          August 12, 2013 at 7:19 am

          Looks beautiful! Is the sealer food safe?,one of my concerns having a 7 yr old,who loves to cook with mommy!

          Reply
          • Christina Dennis

            August 13, 2013 at 10:56 am

            Thanks, Heidi! The sealer is non-toxic, but it's not labelled as food safe. I use the counter as I would a laminate counter, though, so I don't cut food directly on it.

            Reply
    3. Lynn A

      February 19, 2014 at 11:29 am

      Just re-finished my Ikea butcher block countertops this past weekend using exactly the same products you did, but went with a dark "Urban Gray" stain. They make my kitchen look completely different and it was so inexpensive to do.
      Thanks for the idea!

      Reply
      • Christina Dennis

        March 04, 2014 at 10:21 pm

        Oh, that sounds beautiful, Lynn! I'm so happy you found this idea helpful. Do you have a photo of your countertops?

        Reply
        • Lynn A

          March 05, 2014 at 9:04 am

          5yaa

          Reply
      • Pam Felts

        February 17, 2021 at 6:07 pm

        Do you have pictures of the finished gray countertop? Please share! Thanks !

        Reply
        • The DIY Mommy

          February 22, 2021 at 9:02 am

          There are a few good photos of them in this post: https://thediymommy.com/our-kitchen-makeover-with-black-stainless-steel-appliances/

          Reply
    4. Krystle

      June 16, 2014 at 12:35 am

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts about bluetooth headphones.
      Regards

      My blog - wireless headphones (Krystle)

      Reply
    5. Maggie B.

      August 11, 2014 at 11:39 am

      Do you have to use wood from Ikea or would wood from somewhere else work? We are thinking of doing this but using Craft-Art wood in Hard Maple "DIY Homeowner" and using the WAterlox. I have heard that waterlox has a slight amber tint so we will test it first.

      Do you think it would work to use this wood instead?

      https://store.craft-art.com/product-category/diy-butcher-block-wood-countertops/homeowner-diy-you-can-do-it/

      Thanks for all your wonderful DIY-ing!!

      Reply
      • Christina Dennis

        August 12, 2014 at 8:53 pm

        Hi, Maggie! I used the butcher block counter tops from Ikea. Yes, I'd recommend testing your finish on the underside of your counters first. The Waterlox does have an amber tint, but it's only slight in my opinion. Thanks for stopping by!

        Reply
        • Maggie B.

          August 13, 2014 at 10:04 am

          Thank you! I will definitely test on the bottom side. good call. I may even order a sample and test on that for some extra practice. : )

          Reply
          • Sterling

            September 21, 2015 at 9:00 pm

            Hey there Maggie, I'd love to know if you tried the waterlox with the whitewash. I have used waterlox before and liked the product very much but I was concerned about the yellowing for this. I haven't yet been able to purchase a sample kit...

            Also, cheers to Christina! I'm in the same exact position. I wanted white quartz but then I got a quote and quickly changed my mind. I've searched and searched for photos of white washed butcher block and found nothing but finally stumbled on this post! I think it looks great!

            Reply
    6. Sara Jane

      December 06, 2015 at 9:33 am

      Hi there! Love what you did with your countertops, it looks like you've had a couple years to live with them now. I wonder if you could comment on how they've worn...stains? water marks? warping?

      thanks!!

      Reply
    7. RACHELLE

      July 09, 2016 at 4:29 pm

      How does the aquaspar hold up with spills?

      Reply
    8. farman khan

      October 27, 2016 at 10:57 pm

      Christina Dennis says,
      I LOVE your house! It’s beautiful! I was just wondering where you purchased the Aquaspar from

      Reply
      • Lindsay - The DIY Mommy

        October 28, 2016 at 10:25 am

        thank you! http://www.marineoutfitters.ca/index.cfm?category=10005|10006&product=39412516&code=099345156411 This is where we purchased it from 🙂

        Reply
    9. ashley

      April 13, 2017 at 8:52 pm

      Hi christina,
      i love your countertops! we will be building this summer and i want butcherblock countertops, but dont want the orange color either! i love the idea of whitewashing them! i was wondering if you remember the brand/color of stain you used? many "white wood stain" products i have seen have reviews saying that its more like paint and that it didnt work for them. i would love to know what you used so i can make mine look like yours! haha thanks!

      Reply
    10. Mark

      April 28, 2017 at 12:38 pm

      That will not last. Looks alright but not even remotely cost-effective as it will need replacing before long.

      Reply
      • Christina Dennis

        April 28, 2017 at 12:42 pm

        We've had it 4 years in July and it's been great! I think I'll sand it and re-apply sealant every 5 years. Very cost effective in my mind!

        Reply
    11. Mandy

      December 31, 2017 at 10:53 am

      Love this look. However, is this all food safe? Is the polyurethane safe for food preparation?

      Reply
    12. Carolina

      July 04, 2018 at 12:27 pm

      Hi Christina,

      Just wondering if you could please share the name of the IKEA counter top. I know sometimes, IKEA varies in products depending in the country they're in. I would really appreciated it.

      Thanks,
      Laura

      Reply
    13. Gavin

      January 30, 2019 at 6:53 am

      Hi, You certainly sounds like you put in a lot of work but the results paid off.

      Just a little-BIG point if I can be pedantic though: the wood you've used - and other responders are referring to - is not "butcher block"! It is actually correctly called "laminated" to designate that it is made of multiple smaller pieces joined side-by-side and often end-to-end as well. Butcher block is literally even sized (usually) pieces that are glued with the end-grain facing UP just like a ... butcher's chopping block or cutting board. This is not what your bench is. Your wrong choice of terminology led me to your site posting by mistake when I was looking for genuine butcher-block wood treatment ideas. Just saying ...

      Reply
      • Lindsay - The DIY Mommy

        January 31, 2019 at 12:44 pm

        Thanks for the feedback. We really appreciate it

        Reply
        • Sara Carbone

          July 10, 2019 at 10:09 pm

          What kind of white wash did you use

          Reply
          • Sarah - The DIY Mommy

            July 11, 2019 at 9:28 am

            Looking at the can in the picture, it appears to be "Saman" but you can use any non-toxic, white wash, water based stain 🙂

            Reply
    14. Reva

      May 07, 2019 at 12:35 pm

      Hello! I found you on Pinterest while searching for this exact thing. Do you have any updates on how these help up, especially with the waterproofing. Thank you!

      Reply
    15. Jen

      November 04, 2021 at 6:35 pm

      I just did an experiment… powdered hair bleach with 30 volume developer bleached butcher block PERFECTLY!!!

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. How to whitewash & Seal Numerar Butcher Block Counters | DIY says:
      October 8, 2013 at 5:10 am

      […] For more details, you can visit this post. […]

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    2. Our (Almost Finished) DIY Vintage Industrial Kitchen – Our DIY House #FinishYourKitchen | The DIY Mommy says:
      October 21, 2013 at 3:23 pm

      […] I’m still very happy with our stained and sealed butcher block counter tops – you can see my DIY here. […]

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    3. 9 Favourite DIY Home Tutorials (From 2009-2014) » Mega Baby says:
      June 12, 2014 at 12:24 am

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