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Butcher blocks have customarily been made from pieces of maple or a similar hardwood bonded together to shape a solid slab. Butcher blocks have been used for hundreds of years and recently have become popular in modern kitchen designs. More lately, butcher blocks have become obtainable in a selection of imported hardwoods.
Historically butcher blocks were used for cutting meats. The thick hard surfaces were ideal for the heavy blows of a meat cleaver down to the slicing action of a carving knife. Nowadays most butcher blocks serve more of an aesthetic purpose in the contemporary kitchen.
Butcher blocks ought to be finished regularly with a mineral oil and a beeswax coating to preserve their beauty and keep the wood from warping and cracking. contemporary polyurethane and varnish finishes that are used on most furniture nowadays ought to not be utilized on butcher blocks. These finishes are hard and sit on the surface. Cutting on the butcher block will break through this barrier and allow dampness into the wood.
Butcher blocks are built from natural wood and thus suffer from the effects of dampness. Too much dampness will cause the block to swell. Too little moisture can cause the wood to dry out and shrink causing cracks. These problems can be avoided by keeping standing water and dampness (such as liquids from meats) from sitting on the surface of the block. Simply wipe the block dry when you are finished.
Winter months bring dry air and this can cause the butcher block to loose dampness and dry out as well. Placement of the block next to a washing machine or range can also cause the block to dry out. Regular applications of mineral oil is the best way to make sure that your butcher block keeps from drying out. A top coat of beeswax finish not only helps to smooth the surface, it also helps to keep away water.
When refinishing a butcher block, you may want to sand the plane of the wood to take away old stains, scratches and marks. Sanding can also be used to take away a polyurethane or varnish finish that was applied by error.
A random orbital sander is perfect for the sanding method. If the wood is in rough shape you might want to begin with an 80 grit sandpaper. As you sand the block smoother and smoother, it is significant to "work through the grits". This means that each time you sand you use finer and finer sandpaper. Each finer grade of sandpaper will do away with the scratches left by the earlier grade. An example of this is to start will an 80grit sandpaper, next use 120grit, then 240grit, and finally 400 grit. If your butcher block needs only modest sanding, you can start with the 240 grit and complete with the 400 grit. Depending on your desired finish, you may skip the 400 grit sanding.
When sanding out gouges and scratches, keep in mind that if you don't sand the top evenly you will end up with "hills" and "valleys" in the top. If you focus your sanding on one scratch to "get it out," you will end up with a valley. Very old butcher blocks probably already experience from this and you ought to most likely just consider them "character marks".
There are many oils available for butcher blocks. A few companies market them as unique "Butcher Block Finishes" or "Mystery Oil". You can save some money by buying Food Grade Mineral Oil as this is what is in truth in the bottles. (not mineral spirits - this is paint thinner)
New or old butcher blocks that have become dry might require 5-10 coats. After a block has become conditioned, regular applications of 1-2 coats on a monthly basis are suggested. A beeswax finish should then be applied for best performance.
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