Butcher blocks aren’t something new on the market or even old fashion. They go back hundreds of years. At that time, the favored wood was maple or various other types of hardwood. In today?s building of the butcher blocks, they are quite often made from imported hardwoods, which gives a bit more of a variety. It must be remember that years ago there wasn?t the equipment for slicing meat that we have today. Back in the good old days, it was a lot of arm work and a good cleaver that was used to cut the meats. So needless to say why a butcher block was in order.

In our modern kitchens today, we are far gentler with our butcher-block tops and in most cases, we opt to use a cutting board and leave the butcher block top for esthetic purposes.

When it comes time to finish your project you need to know that for wood treatments it is either stain, paints or finish. They are each providing a different outcome. To tint the wood you would use wood stains. Paints sit on the wood and protect it. Some finishes are pretty much paint without any color added to it. They are the ones that give that clear protection.

Probably one of the most well known finishes is varnish. It?s a great finish because the more layers you use the stronger the finish. The major problem with varnish is it dries slowly which increases the chance for dust to get into the finish. If possible, try to do your finishing work in an area where there is the least amount of dust.

A mixture of resins and synthetics boiled together is what makes varnish. If you are using polyurethane?s then you are simply using a varnish that has had a polyurethane resin added to it. When you are using a varnish that contains a higher quantity of oil, it makes the product more flexible and this is known as Spar varnish, which makes it perfect for outdoor use because of it flexing properties.