Care and Maintenance for Butcher Blocks, Countertops and Kitchen Islands

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Care and Maintenance for Butcher Blocks, Countertops and Kitchen Islands<

The wood is widely considered the healthiest building material in the world. The solid wood represents a reliable, sturdy material that can last very long without requiring excessive protection.

However, wood is a natural living material and, unlike man-made materials, it reacts to different environments in specific ways. We would like to draw your attention to the basic maintenance instructions for the solid wood countertops, island tops or butcher blocks. Following these directions will result in having a great looking, easy to maintain custom countertop that will last for many years.

Tops with a Mineral Oil Finish

The panel must be oiled carefully on top, bottom and sides, giving a special attention to the end-grain area, as the section that the wood is most likely to absorb humidity through. Each cut or drill you make in the panel (either for size adjustment, sink cutout or other purposes) must also be oiled thoroughly. Proterra mineral oil (Hesse, Germany) is a product that we recommend for kitchen tops applications given that it was specially designed to come in contact with foods.

For situations where there is a great deal of humidity involved (like sinks, water faucets, etc) the mineral oil only will not assure the best protection and it is advisable to use polyurethane or any other similar finishing instead.

With a soft brush, oil the wood generously on all sides or simply pour a small quantity of oil on the wood and then spread it with the brush. Let the wood soak the oil for about 20-30 minutes and then remove the excess with an absorbent paper towel. When the top is first installed, it is advisable to apply 2-3 successive coats of oil, after which, the oil can be applied once several months or whenever needed. Every time you sand the area to remove scratches or cut marks, a new coat of oil must applied.

Maintenance

In order to keep your wooden top clean, periodically scrape or brush away any food residues existing on its surface, wash with warm soapy water and dry it well using either a dry cloth or paper towels. Apply a new coat of oil any time needed. Alternatively, you can warm up a 1:4 combination of beeswax and mineral oil until the mixture becomes homogenized and then apply it uniformly on top’s surface, thus getting supplementary protection against both stains and humidity.

Avoid setting your wood top next to extreme heat sources like stoves unless there is appropriate insulation between the heat source and the top. Avoid spilling vinegar on a wood top having a mineral oil finishing, as it can cause cupping or cracking. Do not use corrosive chemicals or excessively harsh detergents on a wooden top having a mineral oil finishing, as they can cause irreversible depreciation.

Repairing

If properly installed and sealed and periodically oiled, there is no reason that your top won’t last a long period of time in the same good shape it was when new. Sometimes however, due to poor maintenance and improper environmental conditions, some problems might arise; it is our duty, therefore to inform about these problems and the way to solve them.

+ Cupping and warping

Are prone to appear whenever there is a significant difference of moisture between the topside and the bottom side of the panel. If possible, place the top on a flat, hard surface, concave side facing down. On the convex side, uniformly place some fairly heavy objects. It will take up to 12 hours until the panel will straighten completely, after which, oil it abundantly on all sides.

If it is not possible to manipulate the top, simply apply generously mineral oil on the concave side until the panels straightens. In this case, however, you might need to repeat this operation several times to obtain the desired result.

+ End splits

Will manifest whenever the panel is placed in an excessive dry environment without being properly sealed. To repair, mix wood sand with a small amount of water-based wood glue and fill the cracks thoroughly. Allow 15-20 minutes to cure, sand the area with a 120 grit sand paper and then oil the top freely.

+ Scratches, cut marks and food stains

Can be removed by sanding uniformly the affected area, brushing away the resulting wood dust and applying a new coat of mineral oil. The finger-jointed panels can be sanded to a 3/8” depth, while for the continuous lamella panels and the end-grain butcher blocks, there are no such restrictions.

Tops with a Polyurethane Finishing

A solid wood surface finished with polyurethane based finishing requires no maintenance at all. However, scratches, cut marks and other damages will be difficult to repair; therefore extra care is required.

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Kitchen Islands Anchor All That’s Good in a Kitchen

Custom Kitchens, Flat Pack, and DIY Kitchens by Modular Kitchens Northside

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Custom Kitchens Brisbane

Eighteen years of creating custom design kitchens in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Kitchen Islands Anchor All That’s Good in a Kitchen

The kitchen has historically had three main design components, the cabinets, work space and the appliances. The cupboards are used for storage, counters are used as preparation areas and the appliances for meals preparation or varied different handling like refrigeration, cooking, chopping, etc. Up till after World Struggle II, in the United States all three had been supplied by stand alone pieces of furniture. In huge English kitchens giant work tables had been magnets for households in addition to helpful counter space.

After World Warfare II, when there was a growth of cookie cutter house building within the U.S., kitchens acquired built in cupboards and counters. The kitchen turned more utilitarian and was often reserved for the woman of the house and used completely for cooking, while different elements of the house have been designated for the precise eating and all different activities.

Fashionable kitchens have reverted to the older model of a more social, open and customized kitchen. Everybody results in the kitchen. It again appears to be the place to congregate – more often there may be multiple cook and families use the house for hanging out.

One new design element that has crept into the kitchen because it (re)advanced is the kitchen island. The island seems to be bringing again the thought of the reliable work table, solely now it's oh so adaptable.

For those who’re constructing a new kitchen or transforming an older kitchen and contemplating building a kitchen island, take a second to determine if that's certainly what your kitchen needs. Vastly useful and engaging, in can nonetheless be inappropriate for sure kitchens.

Your kitchen needs to be large enough for an island, often at the very least thirteen ft wide. The size of the actual island may even rely on the overall available space. You want to make positive that there is sufficient room to walk between the island and cabinetry as nicely as open all doors (cupboards, dishwasher, compost bin, etc.). Additionally, in case you are planning to have barstools or chairs on the island, be certain there is sufficient room with them there.

Islands work best with L, U and G shaped kitchens. These shapes make for relatively enclosed kitchens and the island can help to encourage extra interplay in the space without making the circulate awkward.

Next, take into consideration what you'll use the island for. The island is accessible from all sides and depending on size can have many applications. For example, children can use it as a desk to do homework on while dinner is being cooked. Or, the stove top might be on the island and helpers can use it to chop and stir. If there are a number of cooks, a free standing structure just like the island is convenient and will present you with more room to move around and cook dinner with out getting into each others’ way. Maybe you'll use it to set up buffets that folks can access whilst you continue to prepare dinner using the opposite counter space. A properly arrange island can even operate as an off-the-cuff dining or breakfast area that's more akin to an actual desk and extra social than an alienating, single line countertop seating arrangement.

Depending on your wants, you may select to put a sink or a stovetop on the island. Or you'll give you the option to go away it as pure counter space. It may be multi-stage and customized shaped or rectangular and level. Additional, you have to use the block as further storage by including drawers and doors.

The island adds lots of practical benefits to the kitchen, but it might also help to construction the usage of the space. It works as an area the place individuals congregate, however it also works as a border, keeping them separate from the cooks or those cleaning. By bringing people into the kitchen however retaining them separated, the kitchen island encourages a social atmosphere with out letting extra people get in the greatest way of the activity. Or if they’re helping, it gives them a separate house to work.

Finally, the island becomes a focus within the kitchen not solely functionally but additionally aesthetically. It is, in some ways, a large piece of immovable furniture. By inserting it in the middle of the room, you're putting it in the spotlight. You can also make it stand out more through the use of different countertop supplies from the remainder of the kitchen or try to blend it in by making everything match perfectly. There are numerous decorative components that can be applied to the kitchen island, starting from colours and complicated, decorative mouldings to island shapes and arrangements.

The kitchen island is a great addition if your kitchen can accommodate it. Verify when you want one (or do you have already got sufficient storage and counter area? And a table on your children to hang out at?) and may fit it. Designing it's the fun part.


By : Ellie Park

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Custom Kitchens, Flat Pack, and DIY Kitchens by Modular Kitchens Northside

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