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Simple Steps You Can Take For Keep Your Butcher Block Looking Striking.

By: gary thomas

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Butcher blocks have traditionally 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 of late have become popular in contemporary kitchen designs. More recently, butcher blocks have become obtainable in a variety of imported hardwoods.
Historically butcher blocks were utilized 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 blade. Nowadays most butcher blocks serve more of an aesthetic use in the modern kitchen.

Butcher blocks should be finished regularly with a mineral oil and a beeswax covering to maintain their beauty and keep the wood from warping and cracking. contemporary polyurethane and varnish finishes that are used on most furniture today should not be used on butcher blocks. These finishes are hard and sit on the surface. Cutting on the butcher block will break through this barrier and allow moisture into the wood.

Butcher blocks are built from natural wood and thus undergo from the effects of dampness. Too much dampness will cause the block to swell. Too little dampness 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. Merely wipe the block dry when you are finished.

Winter months bring dry air and this can cause the butcher block to loose moisture and dry out as well. Placement of the block close to a washing machine or oven can also cause the block to dry out. Recurring applications of mineral oil is the best way to make certain 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 surface of the wood to take away old stains, scratches and marks. Sanding can also be used to get rid of 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 get rid of the scratches left by the previous 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 begin with the 240 grit and finish with the 400 grit. Depending on your desired finish, you might skip the 400 grit sanding.

When sanding out gouges and scratches, keep in mind that if you don't sand the top consistently 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. Antique butcher blocks almost certainly already undergo from this and you should most likely just consider them "character marks".

There are many oils available for butcher blocks. Some companies market them as particular "Butcher Block Finishes" or "Mystery Oil". You can save some cash by purchasing Food Grade Mineral Oil as this is what is really in the bottles. (not mineral spirits - this is paint thinner)

New or aged butcher blocks that have become dry could need 5-10 coats. After a block has become conditioned, regular applications of 1-2 coats on a monthly basis are suggested. A beeswax finish ought to then be applied for optimal performance.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

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