Wood Kitchen Countertops 101

We could – and actually have – spent hours upon hours sifting through our vendors’ catalogues and websites, trying to decide on what you, dear reader, might need or want to know.

If you’ve been following us, you know, for example, that we love great ideas for organizing spaces, are always excited to see what new products appear in our inboxes, and especially love sharing special cabinet promotions.

Warm and totally functional wood countertop from Grothouse.

But let’s get back to the basics with a lot of product to help you with the vast amount of choices you have when choosing your new kitchen. So, somewhat randomly, we are starting with wood countertops, which we have and love – and think you should consider, too.

Thanks to our friends at Grothouse Lumber for providing an intro to wood kitchen countertops.

Construction Styles

Wood kitchen countertops are constructed in flat grain (plank style) or edge grain (strips). The flat grain construction highlights the grain of the wood. The planks can vary in width from 4″ wide to 14″ wide and are hand selected to be the most uniform in appearance. Edge grain highlights the color of the wood countertop, and is often used as a chopping surface as well. Edge grain countertops are boards set on the side and glued together. The individual boards are roughly 1-3/4″ wide, providing a striped appearance.

Finish

A Grothouse kitchen wood countertop of flat grain construction is typically finished with its Durata® permanent finish. Staining the wood countertop to match cabinetry or flooring is also available in stock or custom colors. Durata is safe for rolling dough or preparing food, but should not be cut on directly, as this will compromise the waterproof characteristics.

When using a wood countertop for direct chopping, Grothouse Original Oil should be used to protect the wood. It is hypoallergenic and so safe you can drink it.

Pricing

Wood countertop pricing will vary greatly depending upon the construction style, wood and finish choice. An example of entry-level wood countertop pricing would include Ash edge grain with Grothouse Original Oil finish. A higher priced wood choice would be flat grain Zebrawood with Durata finish. Call us to look at some samples and request a quote.