Wooden countertops

[onomatopoeia]

Anyone have any suggestions or major issues? Anyone have the Ikea ones?

We have a 120 year old farm house and currently have horrible 40 year old broken laminate counter tops. We are replacing them, and thought wood would look great as we like the warmness of wood.

We understand they require more work (oiling and the like), but want to get some opinions before we dive in.

[nornet]

No comment on the Ikea branded tops but past experience has shown them to be a low end supplier so there's no reason to expect otherwise. I'm in the process of building my own (hickory) counter top. The main reasons for hickory is that it's hard and I have access to it. Beside the sink, there's a cutout for a butcher block cutting board. Sounds as if you've done some research on cleaning (oils etc). Make sure you don't use the wrong one, vegetable oil springs to mind. I've seen it recommended but have the feeling it would putrefy over time.
AS for the, cutting board, it couldn't be easier, just plain old salt. Don't oil the block initially. Check this with your butcher.

[Dustbunny]

I have the Ikea butcher block countertops. I had them installed last year because I have an older house too and wanted something other than the standard stuff people have.

When I was shopping Ikea's were a whole lot cheaper than the custom butcher block companies but then again, you have fewer wood choices. Meanwhile I got the oak and have sealed it with the product they sell at the store and have been really impressed with them. No big deal with maintenance and I know if I have a problem, the sander will take care of it. I really like the look of them considering the price was so reasonable (but a good sanding job goes a long way to getting that look).

I will warn you, I had one of the installers put them in and they did a good job but needed to install the sink before I could seal the wood. That meant the silicone or whatever they used to install the sink ended up seeping into the raw wood which ended up looking like a water stain. Turned out to not be too big a deal as I sanded it out when I sanded the top down (that took some time to get silk smooth) and once I got the sealer on it, it vanished. Just be warned that it can stain like that if you can't seal those inner cuts by the sink before installation.

If you want to find out about DIY, types, stains, experiences, you might want to check out http://www.ikeafans.com/ and do a search because there are a lot of people who have the wood counters and have tried different things with them.