But I like butcher block!

/ Katie

Another day, another old house update. (Are you bored with these? You can tell me. I won’t be mad. And you can tell me if you’re interested and want to read more of them. I also won’t be mad.)

At any rate, work continues at ye olde Tail Feathers (our house’s name, for those who haven’t seen it in previous posts), and it’s going pretty well! We’ve got a plan for the main bathroom, the ceiling is looking much more secure and will be finished soon, and I think we’ve fixed the leak in the shower. And by “we,” I mean our contractors. Because Graham and I certainly couldn’t figure it out, despite years of trying.

Next on our list: the kitchen.

I like my small kitchen. I have no plans to expand it, but I would like to brighten it up and make it feel a little more like Graham and me. I think we’ve decided to paint the cabinets a very pretty blue, and the walls a nice, bright white. Not sure about a backsplash, as we’ve not decided on a countertop yet. I HATE the tile that’s currently there, and anything would be better. But we’re trying to decide between quartz…

And butcher block.

I love butcher block. As you can see, we used it for our small wet bar in the basement. I think it’s lovely and warm and makes a space feel cozy and homey. It’s also, unfortunately, pretty high maintenance, and when we’ve mentioned to friends that it’s what we’re thinking about, they’ve been…less than enthusiastic. But you guys, it just feels right for the space! And I don’t mind wear and dings and water spots and such. I mean, a house should feel lived in, right?

But as we think about it, we both realize that quartz, which basically requires no upkeep at all, is probably the wiser choice. It’s also more expensive, though, by a lot. So that’s the question at the end of the day: Is quartz a few thousand dollars (or more) more convenient than butcher block? I don’t know.

Sigh.

What would you do?

28 thoughts on “But I like butcher block!”

  1. Having done my share of “fixing up” you likely know I enjoy the posts of your updates, so I say keep them coming! Interesting conundrum on the counter tops, definitely. We bought pre-cut butcher block counters for the lag time in getting our counter tops after the cabinets were installed, and just laid them across the counter bases. Son J built Randy a custom desk with them afterwards, finished in a dark grey that is almost black. I must say, it looks stunning! We looked at quartz, but the problem for us was none of the quartz stone complemented the cabinets so we ended up going with the solid composite Corian in “cloud” which has been a perfect coordination between the white uppers and the drift lowers and low maintenance. We went with a polished marble backsplash cut in small subway tile. It is simple but elegant. The original backsplash we picked looked great in the store, but we later realized it was just too much on the walls. The more you can lay your colors and textures next to each other, the better. We also used the Home Depot kitchen designer tool, which let you use tile, paint, or color to mock up the room, or you could use their kitchen photos online and change colors or designs. It gives you an idea that is really helpful in making choices.

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    • It is so hard to know if things are going to work together until you see them together, and for us, together and in the space. We have so many samples of tiles and countertops and flooring, I think we could open our own shop at this point. But it’s totally worth it when everything comes together and you can see the finished product. 🙂 I’ve not even thought about Corian! Something to look into, I think. (And I’d love to see pictures of that desk!)

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    • I do, too! And the countertop in the basement isn’t too hard to take care of. I worry about the kitchen, though, since it’s definitely a more used space. We shall see! So many choices, but it is a lot of fun, and seeing the end result is just super cool.

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  7. Go for quartz. We have quartzite and I absolutely love it. We also painted the cabinets, white on top and blue/grey on the bottom. If you do it yourself use Benjamin Moore Advanced. It’s well worth the price and they have the best colours. Have fun!!

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  9. I just looked up the Williamsburg Wythe blue, and I love that color. Design examples paired the cabinets with a dark gray-black quartz that was stunning. The examples with butcher block were really nice, too. Either could work…and one example used both a dark blue-gray quartz and butcher block! Just saying…you have marvelous taste–it is going to look stunning.

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  10. Pingback: Choices, Choices (Or, The Great Backsplash Tile Dilemma of 2023) | A Virginia Writer's Diary

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