My Butcherblock Countertops Seven Months Later (and I Spy a Problem)
Well, it’s been seven months since I got my butcherblock countertops from Ikea. I still love them today just as much as when I first got them, and I’m still amazed at how they warmed up my kitchen.
Remember what I had before?
cabinet doors, which is why they’re all missing.)
That laminate countertop was standard apartment-grade cheapness. And let’s face it, the color did absolutely NOTHING for the kitchen–that drab, stained, yellowish white color. Yuck!
But my butcherblock…now there’s nothing apartment grade about that!!
But over the last month or so, I have noticed a problem…
Do you see it there? The bleached out ring on my countertop? That’s the biggest area, but there are a couple more small spots in other places.
Now I’ll admit, I’m not the neatest person in the world. I’m quite busy, so sometimes my dinner plates will sit there for…well…sometimes a couple of days before I get to them. (Hey, don’t judge me!!!) :~D
But what would make a ring like that? Certainly just regular ‘ole spaghetti or milk from a cereal bowl wouldn’t eat through layers of resin and stain, would it? Of course not!
So eliminating all other possibilities, I believe I’ve finally found the culprit.
My salads that I eat so very often. No, I’m not talking about the veggies, or the cheese. It’s what you can’t see…a yummy lemon juice-based salad dressing that I make from fresh lemons.
That has to be it. That super-acidic juice sitting on the countertop for hours eating through the finish that I labored over. I mean, if citrus juice can eat through the finish on granite and marble countertops, then it can certainly do the same on butcherblock.
So I guess the moral of this story is, if you have butcherblock (or granite, or marble), don’t let lemon juice sit on your countertop. You have to wipe it up immediately. Or perhaps the moral of the story is that I should really learn to keep my kitchen clean.
So do any of you know of a magical fix to my problem? Or am I just going to have to sand down those spots, re-stain, and re-seal? Uugghhh…I really do need to learn to keep my kitchen clean. I don’t have time to keep redoing projects I’ve already finished!!
I’m hoping that one of you has an easy answer!!
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Oh, well that just sucks. I have no magical ideas for fixing it, but it seems like you'll have to sand down and re-stain.
Before you do the sanding, etc…I would try a baking soda…make a paste with a bit of water and see what that does to the ring
Laurie Moss
make a paste of ashes and water, apply to the ring and let dry over night–the ring(s) will disappear.
We added many extra coats of beeswax to our ikea butcher block–it looked great!
A friend of mine tried the ash paste idea that paige suggested and it worked for her too. I'll have to tell my friend about the bees wax though. Hope this works for you.
Hi,
I can only think that with ThinkGlass Countertops you would not have these problems. Glass is durable, easy to clean and will never stain or change color. Also ThinkGlass countertops are pure glass countertop, one of the greenest countertops available and it is 100% recyclable !
I don't like opportunistic spammers, and I would never get rid of my butcherblock countertops.
I wish I could scold you and say keep your kitchen clean, but I am right there with you… what do dishes sitting on the counter a couple days hurt. But I have formica countertops and not beautifully slaved over butcher block. So I also wish I had an easy fix for you….sadly I don't but I look forward to answers from your friends….
I have maple countertops and the same situation occurs. But one swipe with my magic elixir and, voila, imperfection gone! It's dark tung oil! Don't try and substitute the regular 100% raw tung oil, it won't hide the lightened spot. It's got to be the 100% dark stuff.
Hi,
I can only think that with ThinkGlass Countertops you would not have these problems. Glass is durable, easy to clean and will never stain or change color. Also ThinkGlass countertops are pure glass countertop, one of the greenest countertops available and it is 100% recyclable !
Nice kitchen countertops 🙂