Wood counter

Looking for a wood counter for a desk area in our kitchen. Would prefer cherry to stain to match cabs (we have the stain) but open to other thoughts. Would prefer more bar style than butcher block. Anyone know a local provider?

Or to save money I was thinking of getting the IKEA birch butcher block but sanding and staining it. Thoughts on this idea?

TIA!

I have used a lot of the IKEA wood countertops in projects and I like them. They hold up well when sealed and are easy to rout and sand.

I thought this question would be about the person who could answer the eternal question "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood."

How old are your cabinets? Too great an age difference will result in uneven aging of wood. Since you still have the matching stain I'll assume your cabs are fairly new...less than 2 yrs? If so have cabinet maker make the desktop.

If OTOH there's a 'long' time diff I would have desktop made to match your counters.

Kitchen is brand new. Our original counter source fell through. Do you have the name of a cabinet maker? I don't know if anyone who would take this small a job.

Good to know about the IKEA tops. I see that their tops are 1/8" solid wood over particle board. I'd be worried about sanding enough to stain but you are saying that isn't an issue? For the price this is definitely an option.

Thanks!

No, not that stuff. That's trash. They make a solid wood top, about 1 1/4" thick.

http://m.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/art/80274963/

This is one version.

if you're looking for a local fabricator/ installer try dave Greene const- an MOL advertiser

wendyn said:

Kitchen is brand new. Our original counter source fell through. Do you have the name of a cabinet maker? I don't know if anyone who would take this small a job.

I didn't make myself clear- try your original cabinetmaker not your countermaker to make the desktop. To them it would be liking a the top for a living room cabinet; they would use the same materials and techniques to best match desktop to your cabinets.

If not, Red knows about these things, check out his rec.

thanks all! I do have a request in to my cabinet guy for a price on a top. He said when we ordered the cabs that the cabinet manufacturer does make wood tops but they are much more expensive than getting something made elsewhere, so I didn't even get a price. I'm waiting to hear on that but not hopeful that it will be reasonable (and I'm not even sure what reasonable is at this point).

Thanks for the tip on the IKEA counters, if we decide the low price is woth the butcher block look we may go that route.

And thanks for the tip on Dave, I may give him a call as well.

usually cabinet manufacturers offer pieces that match the cabinetry, like deeper shelves, end panels, etc. if it's just a desk top I wouldn't use butcher block. The wood with a finished edge would be totally fine—basically like a furniture top. A lesser expensive option would be a sheet of finish grade plywood cut to size with trim on the exposed edges, stained and sealed with a good finish. I did this in my butlers pantry years ago (replaced what was there with similar, just a nicer finish) and aside from a few spots near the sink that had water sitting for too long, it looks amazing.

Any finish carpenter could do this for you. We had mahogany counter tops installed 20 years ago. They are rubbed with Tung oil. Love them; they're traditional too.

thanks! I'm waiting for a price on the manufacturer's top. My cabinet guy says it is pricey, but I'm not sure what that means.

I have no contacts for a finish carpenter or someone who could do a plywood top (my contractor could but doesn't have time right now). Any leads besides Dave mentioned above?

I made a long counter with butcher block from lumber liquidators for our basement. They have several different types of wood, including cherry. Finished it with salad bowl finish. Looks great, food safe, and stands up to abuse.

wendyn, check with @iwasmim. She has bamboo counters in her kitchen - they look very nice and I think she is happy with them. Not sure how well they'd work with the stain, though. What about the reclaimed wood place, or is that too rustic?

We did mesquite counters and they are gorgeous and have held up beautifully. Not inexpensive and had to order them online. But we love them. Check them out.

update: thanks to filmcarp we went to IKEA and got their hardwood top in birch for $119. A bit more butcher block look than I originally wanted but for the price it wasn't bad. My contractor matched the stain pretty well and we are happy! Much less expensive than the $800 the cabinet manufacturer wanted for plywood or $1500 for a custom solid cherry top.

Pics show the desk which is to the left of the table, other pic shows (an older pic of) the rest of the kitchen to the right of the table.

That looks great!

Very nice.