Renovation guides

How to install a butcher block countertop

Draft guide written from standard practice, not yet reviewed by a licensed pro. Follow product labels where they differ.

Difficulty 3 of 5 · 2 weekends · careful

Photo of your room, the look you pick, then this guide with the materials counted for your room.

Step by step

1. Step 1 of 12

   Take off the old countertop

   If the old top is still on (with new cabinets it left with the old ones): shut the water off at the sink's valves and unhook the faucet supply lines and the drain trap, or have the plumber do it. Unscrew the old top from below, cut any caulk along the wall, and lift it off with a helper. Do not pry against the cabinets.

   Before you take the old top off

   • Water is off at the sink valves and the sink is unhooked — or a plumber is doing it
   • No gas range or cooktop will be moved or disconnected by me — a licensed pro does that
   • Home built in 1980 or later, OR the old top, its backsplash and adhesive tested negative for asbestos and any paint I disturb tested negative for lead

2. Step 2 of 12

   Check that the cabinets are level and solid

   Lay the level and the straightedge across the cabinet tops front to back and along the run. Shim any low spot and fix any loose box now. Every base cabinet must be screwed to the wall and to its neighbors. The slab lies only as flat as the cabinets under it.

3. Step 3 of 12

   Let the slab acclimate in the kitchen

   Bring the slab into the room and keep it flat on even supports, wrapper opened, for the time the manufacturer gives. Do not stand it on its edge or lean it against a wall: it bows.

4. Step 4 of 12

   Measure each run and plan the cuts

   Measure the back wall and the front edge of each run, and check the corners with the square. Plan the front and side overhangs within what the manufacturer allows without brackets, where the sink center falls, and where any corner joint goes. Note where the dishwasher and the range sit.

5. Step 5 of 12

   Dry-fit the uncut slab and mark the cuts

   Set the slab on the cabinets with a helper. Leave the gap at the walls the manufacturer specifies. Scribe the back edge to a wavy wall, mark the length at each end, and mark the sink's center line. Lift it off before cutting.

6. Step 6 of 12

   Cut the slab to length

   Support the slab on both sides of the cut so neither piece drops. Tape the cut line, clamp the guide, and cut in one steady pass. With a circular saw, cut with the good face down: the blade chips the face it exits through. Cut a corner joint the way the manufacturer says.

   Before you cut

   • The cut lines are marked from the dry fit, not only from a tape measure
   • Measured twice, and the overhang and the wall gap are counted in
   • The slab is supported on both sides of the cut and the guide is clamped
   • Safety glasses, hearing protection and a dust mask are on

7. Step 7 of 12

   Cut the sink opening

   Trace the cutout from the template that comes with the sink, centered on your mark, and check it against the sink base below. Drill a hole inside each corner, then cut along the line with the jigsaw. Screw a scrap across the cutout so the drop-out cannot fall and tear the edge. Drill the faucet holes the faucet maker calls for.

8. Step 8 of 12

   Sand the cut edges and ease the corners

   Sand every cut edge and the inside of the sink opening smooth, with the grits the finish label names. Ease the sharp corners slightly. Vacuum, then wipe off the dust.

9. Step 9 of 12

   Finish every face: top, bottom, edges and the sink cutout

   Apply the finish the slab maker names, the same number of coats top and bottom, with extra attention to the cut ends and the sink cutout. Follow the can for how much to apply, how long to wait between coats, and how to wipe off the excess. Lay the oily rags flat to dry or dispose of them per the can.

   Before you finish the slab

   • Every cut is done: length, corner, sink cutout and faucet holes
   • The dust is vacuumed and wiped off every face
   • The finish is the one the slab maker names, food-safe if you prepare food on it
   • Windows open, and a plan for the oily rags as the can says

10. Step 10 of 12

    Let the finish cure

    Keep the slab flat and supported while the finish cures, for the time on the can. Dry to the touch is not cured: water and a sink rim press marks into a soft finish.

11. Step 11 of 12

    Set the slab and fasten it from below through slotted holes

    Fit the barrier over the dishwasher and beside the range where the makers call for one. Set the slab with the wall gap from the dry fit. From inside the cabinets, fasten through slotted holes in the cabinet corner blocks or rails with screws and washers, or with the fasteners the manufacturer specifies — snug, so the wood can still move. Mount the dishwasher the way its maker says for a wood top.

    Before you fasten

    • Holes are slotted, or I use the fasteners the manufacturer specifies
    • The screw is shorter than the slab thickness plus the rail it goes through — it cannot come out the top
    • The barrier is in over the dishwasher and beside the range where a maker calls for one
    • The gap at the walls is left as the manufacturer says

12. Step 12 of 12

    Set the sink, seal the wall joint, and check for leaks

    Set the sink with the sealant the sink maker names and its clips. Run a bead along the joint to the wall. Reconnect the faucet and the drain to the existing valves and trap, or have the plumber do it, then open the valves and run water for a few minutes while you look underneath.

    Quality check

    • No drip under the sink after running water, at the valves, the supply lines and the drain
    • The slab does not rock or move when pressed at the ends and the front edge
    • Sealant is continuous around the sink rim and along the wall
    • No raw wood shows at any edge, cut end, or inside the sink opening

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