How to Install a Butcher Block Countertop in a Corner

Solid butcher block can make an interesting and cost-efficient countertop for a kitchen. The thickness of the wood fits well in both country and modern settings, and the ease of maintaining the countertop with just a few drops of oil makes the butcher block a long-lasting choice. Wood adds an organic softness that can make a space feel comfortable immediately. Installing butcher block is one of the easier counters to install, even around corners. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Measure the length of the wall where the butcher block counter top will be installed. Place a long piece of Kraft paper (butcher paper) on the floor. Transfer your measurements from the wall to the paper. Mark the location of the corner with a pencil mark.

2

Place a true angle protractor so that one leg of the protractor rests on each wall. This will give you the accurate angle of the corner. Position the protractor on the paper at your mark and draw your corrected line. Use a straight edge to continue this line the depth of the counter top. Cut along this line with scissors. This will give you the base cuts for your counter.

3

Place your paper into the corner as close to the final fit as possible. It is likely that one or both walls will still be less than straight. Tape your paper sheet in place. Open a compass 1 inch. Start in the corner of the wall with the point. Guide the point horizontally along the wall so that the pencil touches the paper and catches every bend in the wall. Do the short wall first and then the longer wall. Cut along your new lines with scissors. Your paper should fit exactly. Make any minor trims. This gives you a perfect pattern for your countertop.

4

Repeat this process if you have a counter that wraps around an outside corner. Fit your inside corners first, draw your lines and cut your paper patterns. Tape your patterns together fitted to each wall. Measure and mark the depth of each counter on your paper patterns. Draw a line from the outside corner of the walls to the outside corner of the front edges of the adjoining counters. The angle should be close to 45 degrees. Mark on the patterns if you intend to round the corner to soften the edge.

5

Position your patterns on your butcher block, making sure the front face of your pattern is parallel with the lines of the butcher block wood. Trace your patterns exactly and cut.

6

Cut and insert biscuits along your 45-degree outside corner using a biscuit cutter. This is a tool that carves a football shaped hole in the side of the wood. Apply carpenter's wood glue to both sides of the angled cut. Insert the biscuits and press the two sections together. Clamp with a corner clamp. Wipe off any excess glue. Allow the wood to dry for 24 hours.

7

Glue furring strips of 1/4-inch plywood every 16 inches for solid top cabinets. Position the furring strip 2 inches from the front edge of the cabinet and against the back wall. Glue each strip down with kitchen sealant.

8

Attach a blocking board across the top of an open top cabinet. Cut 1-by-2 inch board to fit tightly inside the width of each cabinet. The blocking should be positioned 2 inches from the front of the cabinet with the 2-inch side of the board flush and aligned with the top edge of the cabinet. Screw the blocking in place with two 1 1/2-inch deck screws angled through the blocking on each side of the cabinet.

9

Drill one hole per cabinet up through the solid top cabinet at a furring strip or at a blocking strip for an open top cabinet. Use a 1/2-inch paddle drill. Apply kitchen sealant to the top of all furring strips and along all top edges and blocking. Install your butcher block counter.

10

Position the butcher block over the cabinets and make sure the counter is level. If the cabinets are properly installed, the top should be level. From the inside of each cabinet, screw up through your predrilled hole using a 1 1/2-inch deck screw with a fender washer. Tighten the screw until the countertop pulls down snugly.