8 November 2018 Creative Reuse – Slab End Table

Creative Reuse – Slab End Table

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Slab End Table Project Gives New Life to an Old Stump

America Recycles Day is November 15th. We, at Butcher Block Co., like to raise awareness and remind our readers that you can honor the spirit of this day, every day, just at home. Be mindful of what you use and what you waste. Strive to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Repurpose. It is fitting that early November is always bulk trash week in our neighborhood, so we keep an eye out for any “treasures” we can reuse. This week’s blog highlights one of the treasures we found in bulk trash earlier this year – a huge mesquite wood stump about 20″ high and 23″  wide. This stump will be reused for many projects. We start with this Slab End Table.

The goal of creative reuse, also called upcycling, is to find a purpose for items or materials that have been discarded. Many times tossed items can have an extended, useful life. The trick, or talent, is discovering and seizing this opportunity. Upcycling ultimately should, and can, have the overall environmental benefit of reducing your carbon footprint.

SLAB END TABLE – We love the unique asymmetrical shape of the stump combined with the variation in grain pattern and color.

HOW TO:

  • We decided the large stump could be made into multiple projects so we had it cut into ten – 2″ thick slabs.
  • We then ran them threw a large planer to make the top and bottom of each slab even and smooth.
  • All the loose bark was peeled off of the edges, exposing the cream colored edge of the mesquite wood.
  • All sides were then sanded smooth.
  • We applied multiple coats of WATCO Danish Oil Finish to penetrate the grain and highlight the color and grain pattern.
  • The last step of finishing was to apply multiple coats of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal Semi-Gloss Urethane.

BEFORE & AFTER

This is a sister slab (after planing) before any prep work was done versus the finished Slab End Table in our living room.

We completed the table by attaching three 23″ black hairpin legs, from DIY Hairpin Legs, making this Slab End Table the perfect height for our sofa.

Total material cost of the project – approximately $50

SLAB NIGHTSTAND – We completed a similar project from a much smaller mesquite tree stump.

Share with us your creative reuse projects. We would love to hear from you!

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4 October 2018 Coffee Table Design Takes Butcher Block Out Of The Kitchen

Coffee Table Design Takes Butcher Block Out Of The Kitchen

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John Boos butcher block has been around for over 130 years and has been used in residential gourmet kitchens and commercial kitchens alike. But butcher block is not just for kitchens anymore! It’s finding its way into other rooms of the home. Perhaps it is the current DIY craze shared through Pinterest lovers that inspire people to create differently. And maybe it is the rise of the rustic-chic and mid-century modern influences that affect home décor now. But whatever the case, no one is going to stop you from taking butcher block out of the kitchen and into the rest of your home.

Looking around my house, I see I have more butcher block in other rooms of my home than I do in my kitchen! Sure, I have butcher block cutting boards, and a while back we featured our DIY walnut butcher block kitchen table. But I also have 15 feet of walnut edge grain butcher block countertops in my home office; over 8 feet of maple butcher block workbench in the garage; and a lovely walnut end-grain butcher block table in a guest bedroom. I know I have access to more butcher block than the average person, but the point is that with a little imagination you can easily design butcher block into other rooms of your home.

butcher block

Our most recent project is this hunky end-grain butcher block we made into a handsome coffee table for our living room!

INSPIRATION

The impetus behind this project started with our 68 pound dog, Kirby, who jumped on our leather sectional and put a huge hole through the cushion. Now granted, it was an old couch, but it happened to fit perfectly in our living room; so much so, that we had it re-upholstered and re-stuffed three times over the years. We did end up replacing the sectional with two new mid-century modern couches.  But then it was clear that our coffee table did not match, was very beat up and was 4” higher than the new couch cushions. So, we needed to replace it, too. Inspiration for our new DIY coffee table came from a number of places, one of which was from our customer, Kaleb, who built a coffee table for his home from a 4” thick end grain butcher block. For our project we used a 7” thick standard size John Boos maple end grain butcher block, 36” x 25” that had been returned with some shipping damage on two corners. The damage did not affect the integrity of the piece, but it made the block unsightly and not saleable.

PREPARATION

If you are going to make a DIY butcher block coffee table, we recommend you purchase it unfinished, to save yourself prep time. In our case, we had an end grain block that already had a mineral oil finish. Because we didn’t want to oil our table every month, we needed to eliminate as much oil as possible from the wood. We let it dry out and then wiped it with denatured alcohol. We also spent a fair amount of time sanding the block with both a belt sander and an orbital sander to lessen the crushed corners. That also helped remove some oil and our sanding was successful in removing/hiding most of the damage. We decided to router all edges, including the top, bottom and corners with a ½” beveled (Chamfer) edge which removed enough wood to even out the damage. The most challenging part of this project was in trying to maneuver this 175 pound block!

FINISHING

The existing furniture in our living room is cherry stained and we wanted our natural maple end grain coffee table to blend in, so we chose a cherry finish Danish oil (DeftOil). Then we applied urethane finish to seal and protect (General Finishes Arm-R-Seal Oil & Urethane Topcoat – Satin finish). Given this butcher block weighs 175 pounds we needed legs that were not only stylish, but also strong enough to support it. We like the look of hairpin legs and think the style blends nicely with our mid-century modern couches. We determined a 9” leg would bring our table to the exact height we needed and we sourced them from DIY Hairpin Legs, ordered a set of four  ½” thick steel hairpin legs in jet black color, and were very pleased with the quality.

Here is the completed table.

Butcher Block coffee table

Feel free to comment and share with us your ideas for incorporating butcher block into other rooms of your home!

 

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24 July 2018 Modern Rustic Kitchen Decor at Butcher Block Co.

Modern Rustic Kitchen Decor at Butcher Block Co.

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Rustic meets modern at Butcher Block Co.! Modern rustic decor is very popular right now. It is often exemplified by a mix of natural materials including stone, wood and metal. In a kitchen this could be a combination of granite countertops, a wood farmhouse table or island top, and stainless steel appliances. See a variety of ways the charm of natural wood can make your modern rustic kitchen warm and welcoming.

Modern Rustic Hand Scraped Plank

You can make your own farmhouse table, island top or countertop by ordering a Butcher Block Co. brand edge grain or plank-style wood top. They are available in 15 different species of wood and a handful of finish options. Choose a hand scraped finish if you are looking for a more authentic distressed top.

Modern Rustic Table

Country style is definitely going urban! The addition of a country-style table in your kitchen is a simple way to go modern rustic. Consider a country work table with a painted base, available in dozens of sizes, colors and features. John Boos recently introduced their Rustic Country Table which features an Ash wood butcher block top. It incorporates numerous attributes that collectively convey a classic rustic character. Most striking is the tables top’s embossed texture that enhances its authentic and aged appearance. With a caramel colored stain, this table serves as a great accent piece in a modern rustic kitchen.

Rustic Modern Live Edge Slabs

Bring the outdoors into your home with a live edge wood slab. These authentic wood pieces can be transformed into a modern rustic countertop, kitchen island top, dining table, bench and more. Available in a variety of wood species and sizes, you are sure to find the perfect piece for your project. And for a limited time, we’re so certain you will love your live-edge slab we are offering a 30-Day No-Risk Trial. If you aren’t totally satisfied we will absorb the return shipping cost and waive the typical restocking fee, so you have absolutely nothing to lose!

Modern Rustic Island Top

The kitchen is often the the family gathering place and a butcher block island is the entertainment center of the kitchen.  Highly functional, kitchen islands are great for prepping food as well as serving appetizers and eating meals. Butcher block island tops are available in custom sizes in end grain, edge grain, blended grain and plank-style wood. Select from 15 different wood species.

Modern Rustic Apron Sink

Farmhouse sinks are all the rage, and John Boos butcher block countertops can be custom ordered from Butcher Block Co. with sink cutouts specifically for your apron sink, or for any top-mount or under-mount sink, for that matter. All we need is the model number of the sink and a drawing with countertop measurements.

Rustic Modern custom cutouts

Yes, we can do cutouts for stove tops as well! We do a lot of custom countertops to meet very detailed specifications. To get started, give us a call at 877-845-5597 and we can help you determine the best butcher block configuration for your kitchen remodel.

Modern Rustic Edge Cutting Board

Elements like a rustic edge cutting board can add a vintage accent to your modern kitchen. The Boos 1887 Collection of cutting boards hearkens back to the company’s inaugural year. The very first Boos Blocks were cut from solid blocks of Sycamore wood. Like those originals, these boards feature rustic edges created by Nature – each one slightly different from the next. Available in small, medium and large sizes, in maple, walnut or cherry wood.

If you’re going for a modern rustic look, or just want to add a little rustic charm, Butcher Block Co. has what you need! We hope you’ve been inspired to bring some natural elements into your home.

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3 May 2018 DIY Inspiration from our Butcher Block Co. Customers

DIY Inspiration from our Butcher Block Co. Customers

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We are so inspired by the creativity of our DIY customers, that we wanted to share some of their work with you. We have recently received several photos of incredible DIY projects from some very handy customers. We hope you are moved to think outside the box and re-purpose something you already own, or even build something from scratch to make your own custom creation! We can help you customize just about any size top to fit your exact needs. Check out these amazing projects to get your creative DIY juices flowing!

Our DIY customer, Kaleb, designed and created the industrial style coffee table featured above. It is topped with a 4″ thick Maple End Grain Butcher Block. We love his mix of wood and steel, and the industrial style is certainly popular today. After his day job, Kaleb spends time in his workshop designing and building custom industrial style furniture and picture frames. “Making industrial furniture and construction is my release,” he says. “When you sit at a desk for 8 hours a day you need some sort of an artistic release…” Kaleb can build just about anything. His picture frames are large statement pieces usually 6 feet long. He uses wire rope, pad eyes, gears, chains, rivets, etc.. to give each piece an industrial feel. Check out this awesome portable island he made for his sister, which is a massive John Boos AA Block supported by the stainless steel frame he fashioned.

DIY Custom Island

Another happy customer, Karen, always wanted a long butcher block island in her kitchen, but could never find one that was long yet narrow enough for her space. She did have an existing console table that fit perfectly in her Savannah kitchen, so she decided to do-it-herself and make her own custom island featuring a Butcher Block Co. Cherry End Grain top  73″L x 18″W. Nicely done, Karen. If you can’t find it, DIY!

DIY Custom Cherry Console

DIY-er Elise, from Maryland, refinished the base of an old end table, added wheels, and topped it with a hefty 4.5″ thick hand-scraped Beech edge grain butcher block, creating this delightful kitchen island cart. Elise wrote us and shared her DIY story…”We had been using it (the table) as a stand for the printer in our home office before a remodel and it no longer fit with the new built ins. So, I was moving it to the basement for storage when I noticed it was the right width for a kitchen island (we have a strange kitchen and finding just the right thing has been problematic.) So I chalk painted and antiqued it, and added the wheels, and found your wonderful butcher block online. I am so pleased with the way it turned out. It is so nice having the extra workspace. And it looks so lovely. It really finished the room perfectly.”

DIY Custom Island Cart

If you have created a custom DIY project with one of our blocks, we would love to see it!

A DIY replacement of a top on something you already own is usually pretty easy, and is a great way to breathe new life into an old piece.

If you are in the market to upgrade some existing furniture or create your own masterpiece, we hope you’ve been inspired by these truly awesome projects, and we hope to help you along on your creative journey.

Looking for more inspiration? Check out these other DIY posts on our blog:

Custom Butcher Block Projects from Happy Customers

Butcher Block Co. Happy Customer Photos

Live Edge Table Project Featuring Wood Slabs from Created Hardwood Ltd

Reuse Project – Butcher Block Table

Happy Customers – Island Upgrades

Walnut Butcher Block Tops

Creative Uses for Butcher Block

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8 February 2018 Butcher Block Co. Happy Customer Photos

Butcher Block Co. Happy Customer Photos

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We love getting customer photos showing off the new Butcher Block Co. countertops and furniture in their homes! Our feature photo above highlights Walter’s New York kitchen with a Butcher Block Co. brand maple edge grain countertop inset into his quartz island countertop. The blending of natural materials like wood and stone helps to showcase the individual textural and color differences. In Walter’s kitchen renovation, it resulted in a clean, bright, and modern space. Very trendy and gorgeous!

In the recent research report, Houzz 2018 U.S. Kitchen Trends Study, we discovered some other enlightening trends regarding homeowners renovating their kitchens:

  • Homeowners who are remodeling their kitchens are paying quite a bit of attention to countertops.
  • Countertops are the most common kitchen upgrade (94 percent), followed by sinks (89 percent) and backsplashes (88 percent).
  • And countertops are the top feature (at 42 percent) on which home renovators are willing to spend a little extra.
  • The U-shaped layout of kitchens is no longer the most popular option (32 percent), as the L-shaped layout has made a comeback over the last two years (35 percent).
  • Finally, the study revealed that 75 percent of renovating homeowners are obsessed with clutter-free countertops, preferring a more minimalistic appearance.

Our customers typically order butcher block tops to serve as either kitchen island tops or kitchen countertops. Our John Boos custom tops can be ordered with stove and sink cutouts, scrap hole cutouts, miter cuts and angle cuts.  Other creative uses for our butcher block tops include laundry room counters, office desks, table tops, bar tops, workshops and more. (Check out our blog for other Creative Uses for Butcher Block).

John Boos countertops come in standard and custom sizes, in four species of wood: Maple, Walnut, Cherry and Oak. The most popular grain styles are edge and blended grain, but traditional end grain is available, too.

Butcher Block Co. brand countertops are custom made to your dimensions and offer you 15 different wood species from which to choose! They are also available in end and edge grain, but the most trendy selection is plank-style tops.

Watch our Happy Customer Photo Short Video

Visit our Happy Customer Photos Gallery to learn more about the butcher block you see below.
customer photos

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14 December 2017 Live Edge Table Project Featuring Wood Slabs from Created Hardwood Ltd.

Live Edge Table Project Featuring Wood Slabs from Created Hardwood Ltd.

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Today we are featuring our new line of Live Edge Table Tops from Created Hardwood with a special guest post from the owner of Butcher Block Co., Mark Shook. We love all the photos showing the whole process. Read on for all the details plus the beautiful finished product. Thanks for sharing, Mark!

My wife had been bugging me for a long time to upgrade the simple (and admittedly cheap and homely looking) desk squeezed against the wall of our master bedroom. I was open to the idea, but uninspired by the computer desks and narrow tables I came across. But once she discovered  the live edge tables that we had added at Butcher Block Co.,  we had our solution. Both my wife and I loved the idea that we could own a one-of-a-kind, all-natural piece of furniture that would look as though it were custom-made to fit our exact needs.

We searched scores of great-looking maple and walnut slabs, but since our bedroom furniture is dark, we narrowed our search to walnut slabs. Sure enough, we came across a long, narrow specimen of just the right length and width that was simply gorgeous.

Next, we turned our attention to selecting a base to support the table top of our dreams, and zeroed in on the Points base design. We selected the Bronze finish, which we expected would complement the dark browns in the live edge slab and in our bedroom, knowing this would extend the delivery date but feeling good about the trade-off.

We were assured that the slab and heavy metal legs would be well protected during shipment. When the massive wooden crate finally arrived, I realized they weren’t kidding! It took an hour to remove dozens of wood screws to disassemble the crate, but I love that I now have all this extra wood for various home projects.

Here’s a view of the shipping crate with its top and one end removed. You can see how much time, care and attention the packers put into protecting not only the slab, but the metal legs beneath it, as well.

Live Edge Shipping Crate

Once I removed the protective top layers, the holy grail was revealed to me. There, in all its natural glory and wonder was the prize I coveted for weeks.

After carefully moving our new, prized possession into the master bedroom, my wife and I returned to our newfound treasure chest to retrieve the base. Four bronze Point legs were secured by yet more screws to wooden braces that prevented them from jostling that could possibly mar or scratch them.

 

Live Edge Assemble

Now it was time to begin assembly. Surprisingly and pleasantly, this proved to be the quickest and easiest step in the entire process. The folks who salvage and finish these live edge slabs – Created Hardwood – pre-drilled holes into the underside of the slab, inserted metal screw inserts into the holes, and even labeled the four Point destinations, as well as the corresponding legs (A, B, C and D). Using the Allen wrench they supplied, I installed all 16 screws in a matter of minutes.

VOILA!

My wife and I could not be more pleased. Thank you Created Hardwood — a great addition to the Butcher Block Co. collection!

Live Edge Computer Table

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28 September 2017 Happy Customers – Island Upgrades

Happy Customers – Island Upgrades

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We love when our happy customers show off their beautiful butcher blocks! This week we are highlighting two gorgeous island upgrades, one featuring a standard size John Boos Blended Walnut top, and the other using custom Butcher Block Co. American Cherry Plank-style butcher block. Both look beautiful and add warmth and function to the kitchens.

The first of our happy customers is Rachel from Colorado. Rachel’s 97″ X 36″ Blended Walnut island top has a Varnique semi-gloss finish, which is ideal since this is being used as an eating area as well as extended work space. What an impact!

Happy Customers Blended Walnut

Happy customer #2 is Teri from Tennessee. We worked with Teri extensively to find the perfect style and fit for her kitchen island. This plank-style American Cherry block is a unique and beautiful accent to her kitchen. Having chosen the natural oil finish, Teri can use this block for all her chopping and food prep. Teri’s project proves it is worth it to put in a little extra time and effort to get things just right – it looks fantastic!

Happy Customers Cherry Plank

We want to see what you’ve done, too. The more happy customers, the better! Send us your photos and we may feature you on our social media pages. We love to see them, and so do our other customers!

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18 May 2017 Custom Butcher Block Projects from Happy Customers

Custom Butcher Block Projects from Happy Customers

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I get to work on most of our custom butcher block projects, so when we get pictures back from happy customers, it really makes my day! Remember the speed bag platform made from a butcher block table top? I’m not sure we’ll ever top the uniqueness of that one, but I’d sure love to see you try! Even in traditional applications, I’m always stunned by the amazing work our customers do, and I love that you all appreciate the beauty, warmth, and function that butcher block can bring into the home.

Recently, we received photos of three beautiful uses for custom butcher block.

Jerry in Georgia upgraded his workspace with these gorgeous desks made from John Boos Walnut custom butcher block with custom commercial grade stainless steel bases. These bases usually come with commercial grade Maple tops, but we had Boos put together this custom design and it looks so sharp! Since he is using these as desks, Jerry elected to go with the Varnique semi-gloss finish, for a smooth, maintenance-free surface.

Custom Butcher Block

 

Over in Arkansas, Tom and his wife built their own table base and used a custom butcher block for the table top. This John Boos Blended Maple top also has the Varnique semi-gloss finish, perfect for easy clean-up on a dining table. Isn’t this fantastic? I love the base and I’m so glad we could get the perfect size top for them.

Custom Butcher Block

Now let’s head way down south to Key West, where James has crowned his island with a stunning Butcher Block Co. Walnut Plank Style custom butcher block top. He asked for a “showstopper,” and boy did he get one! The plank style allows for wider sections of wood, which really show off the beautiful grain pattern and natural color variation of the Walnut. I think everyone should have one of these!

Custom Butcher Block

If you would like to explore the idea of adding custom butcher block to your home, give us a call or shoot over an email. We love working on these projects and seeing your creative ideas!

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12 January 2017 A New Year Brings a New Pantone Color of the Year: Greenery

A New Year Brings a New Pantone Color of the Year: Greenery

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A yellowish green, Pantone’s Greenery is reminiscent of nature and reminds us all to slow down a bit and smell the great outdoors. 

It’s critical that artists, designers, manufacturers and printers around the world “speak” a common “color language.” Toward that end, Pantone’s proprietary Color Matching System helps ensure standardized reproduction of colors across geographies, users and applications. Pantone’s system includes over 1000 unique colors, each of which can be simulated with a specific mix of 14 base pigments. Each color is assigned a distinct, numeric identifier.

Like other companies involved in the design industry, Pantone stays abreast of evolving trends and changes in consumer tastes. Each year the company selects a representative “Color of the Year” that it believes best captures the world’s collective mood. They think of it as a snapshot of worldwide cultural trends at a particular point in time.

For 2017, the company sees Greenery, Pantone 15-0343, as best fitting the bill. It’s a soft and warm shade of green that Pantone describes as “refreshing and revitalizing” and “symbolic of new beginnings.”

They believe Greenery connotes “flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors,” reminding people to “take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate.”

“Considering the harried pace of society today and the rapidity of technological change, Pantone’s message seems timely and spot-on,” suggests small-business owner Mark Shook. He and his sales team at Butcher Block Co., an online-only store specializing in kitchen furniture and equipment, much like the color trend-setters at Pantone, are in position to observe changing consumer tastes. “Homeowners and apartment dwellers view kitchens as their safe rooms – quiet and soothing places where they can get away from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. That’s why many are opting for naturally beautiful wood countertops and John Boos butcher block kitchen islands and tables with bases painted Basil Green or Clover Green,” Shook opines, in support of Pantone’s 2017 selection, Greenery.

For more information, please visit https://butcherblockco.com

Contact Info:
Name: Kathleen Grodsky
Organization: Butcher Block Co.
Address: 10448 N 21st Pl Phoenix, Arizona 85028

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10 November 2016 Creative Reuse – Furniture Projects

Creative Reuse – Furniture Projects

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It’s that time of year again, when I like to raise awareness of America Recycles Day and share the small part I play to make the earth a better place to live. Last year I introduced you to “upcycling” and highlighted the creative reuse furniture projects my son, Ben, completed. This year, I am happy to say the entire family has been busy in the workshop repurposing and upcycling furniture and more. So this blog is sort of a Creative Reuse – Part II.

The spirit of upcycling is to not waste that which has, or could have, useful life. It focuses on reusing or repurposing materials and has the overall environmental benefit of reducing your carbon footprint.  It so happens that bulk trash pickup in my neighborhood falls in October.  And as I walk my dog around the neighborhood I find valuable treasures in other people’s junk piles…items that definitely still have a useful life.  So just last week we picked up an old BBQ grill and restored it with some elbow grease, paint and a few replacement parts and it works like new!  We also found a huge tree stump that will soon become the base for a new coffee table! We will save that for another blog, but my blog today focuses more on restoring items we already had around the house.

We honor America Recycles Day, November 15th, with a blog featuring our latest creative reuse projects.

Creative Reuse – 100 year old Door transformed into a Shabby/Chic Headboard

Creative Reuse Headboard

The feature project is the upcycling of this old door found at a scrap yard. Ben knew immediately upon seeing it that this would become the headboard for his girlfriend’s new bed. It started with removing the old hardware and scraping and sanding off all of the old paint. The porcelain door knob was a gem, so he cleaned and polished it like new. He then created his own “stain” by soaking steel wool in vinegar for a few days. The longer the steel wool soaks, the darker the stain becomes. He applied the stain and then put a matte polyurethane finish over it. He padded the headboard by cutting plywood to fit the panels in the door, covering them with batting and a soft flannel material, and gluing them to the door headboard.

Creative Reuse – Furniture from the past Reimagined with Chalk Paint

Creative Reuse Furniture 3
My husband inherited his baby dresser years ago, which is now over 50 years old.  In its day it had a beautiful walnut veneer but over the years it lost its appeal and was relegated to a closet to be used for storage.  But now that my eldest son is moving into his own home, we had the perfect opportunity to do what all empty nesters do…turn his bedroom into a guest bedroom!  So out of the closet came the baby dresser, and with a coat of lovely red chalk paint, this forgotten dresser has now become the focal point of the guest room!

Earlier this year we went to the local “Junk in the Trunk” vintage market and discovered a 100 year old desk top which happened to be missing its legs. It had no useful purpose, as is, so we purchased unfinished legs and again used our red chalk paint to upcycle this unwanted piece of furniture into a beautiful desk to match the dresser.

Our final project was repurposing an old file cabinet.  Straight out of the 80’s, this file cabinet was golden oak in color and definitely did not “fit” in my antique gray furnished office.  It was in the garage collecting dust when I had an epiphany that it would be a great nightstand for our new guest room.  I love red, so yep, red it is.  The guest room is done in charcoal gray and black so the red accent pieces are not as overpowering as you might think.

Creative Reuse – Recycling old blogs for America Recycles Day

Finally, I thought, why not “recycle” our blog from a couple years ago, in the true spirit of America Recycles Day.  Read more helpful tips on how you can “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Every Day”.

Look around your house.  What do you have that could be repurposed or upcycled into something useful and beautiful? Creative reuse is good for the earth and good for your soul.

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