Let’s Build a Butcher Block Table Top!

Recently, I had been helping one of my sons look for a side table to sit in a corner of his living room between two couches. The size we were looking for was 26″ high & 30″ x 30″. We searched the local thrift stores & Facebook Marketplace. Although we had seen several that were almost the right size, none of them were quite right. I had sent him pictures of ones that were the right size but they weren’t his style. I finally sorta pinned down what his style was when he said he liked the butcher block look. Ok, that helps. I looked a bit longer for the right size table but with a butcher block top. No luck. So, I decided to create one as a surprise for him.

Supplies Used

• Small side table
• Minwax water-based stains in Provincial & Black
• Varathane water-based polyurethane
• Skill saw
• Miter saw
• Sanding block
• Sheet of paneling
• Small paintbrush
• Seven 1″ x 2″ x 8′ Furring strip boards
• Gorilla Wood Glue
• Screws
• Drill/Screwdriver
• Clamps
• 6 in 1 tool
• Putty knife
• Wood putty
• Wood glue
• Weights
• Orbital sander & sandpaper
• Belt sander & sandpaper
• Minwax oil-based stain in Natural
• Behr water-based Spar Urethane

Step 1 – Find the base

While I felt fairly confident that I could glue together wood to make butcher block, I did not want to build the entire table from scratch. So, back to the thrift stores, I went. I found a side table at St Vincent’s. It was 25″ high and 24″ x 24″. The wood I planned to use was 1″ thick which meant that the height would be a perfect 26″! I planned to make the top larger – I’d figure out how later. The price was $30 so I decided I’d continue looking. As I was walking out of the furniture area, an employee asked if I found anything I liked. I told him I did but wasn’t sure about it. He then said it was 35% off day!!! Sold! I bought the little table for $20!

Step 2 – Sprucing up the table

When I got home, I could see that the table had some scratches. It would need to be cleaned and the lower part might need to be restained. After wiping it down with a damp cloth, I lightly sanded the areas where the stain had worn off. I then restained those areas with a combination of Minwax Provincial and Minwax Black water-based stains. When the stain had dried, I applied 2 coats of water-based polyurethane. The top would be covered with butcher block so other than wiping it down, I didn’t need to do anything with it.

Step 3 – Furring strips

Since this little table was going to be a surprise for the son, I didn’t want to spend a lot of $ on it just in case #1 – it didn’t come out good or #2 – he didn’t like it. To keep down the cost of the top, I decided to use furring strips to build the butcher block. The price was $1.77 for a 1″ x 2″ x 8′ board. Here is the definition of what a furring strip is: In construction, furring (furring strips) are thin strips of wood or other material to level or raise surfaces of another material to prevent dampness, to make space for insulation, or to level and resurface ceilings or walls. Furring refers to the process of installing the strips and to the strips themselves. They are made from high-quality, durable wood usually milled from fir wood, spruce, or southern yellow pine.

Step 4 – Gluing the strips together

After all the boards were cut, it was time to glue them together. I applied Gorilla wood glue to the narrow edges of the boards and pressed them together. Gluing the boards was messy. To prevent the glue from drying too quickly, I glued only 4 strips together at a time. When I applied glue to 3 of the boards, I clamped them together with the 4th board. Some of the boards were a bit bowed so I placed weights on those sections to help flatten them.

As I said, the gluing process is messy and it drips from the underside. To prevent the butcher block from being glued to the boards that I placed on the table, I used plastic wrap. I also set a piece of plastic wrap under the weights as some of the glue seeped up from between the boards. After clamping each section, I used a wet rag to remove as much glue as possible from the wood. I allowed the glue to dry overnight. The following day, I glued 3 of the 4 sections together and used 24″ clamps to hold them tight. I also left those sections to dry overnight. The largest clamps that I own are 24″ so I wasn’t able to attach the last section. I decided to just glue it to the others later when I was assembling it on the base.

Step 5 – Removing excess glue

Did I mention that the gluing process is messy? Here is what the underside looked like after the glue had dried. Using a 6 -in-1 tool, I scraped off the glue as much as possible so the butcher block would sit flat on the table top. This is the underside, so I didn’t need to sand it but chose to do so anyway to see what grit I would need when I worked on the surface. The wood used for the furring strips was soft pine and I wanted to make sure I didn’t damage it by using a grit that was too rough. I used 120 to remove the glue and then smoothed the wood with 180 grit.

Step 6 – Sanding

After sanding the underside of the butcher block, I removed any dried glue from the top side. There was very little excess glue on the top as I had been careful to wipe off any extra glue when gluing the strips together. Using 120 grit sandpaper, I sanded the top. Even after sanding, the top was not flat. Some of the boards were bowed a little and others were thicker. I used a belt sander to try to get the boards even with each other. For the most part, the belt sander worked to flatten the surface, but since the boards are soft pine, the belt sander started to leave some scratches. I didn’t want to add any additional damage to the wood so the top is not entirely flat. But, I can live with that 🙂 I then used my orbital sander with 180 grit to do a finer sanding to the top.

Step 7 – Creating a larger surface

The top of the table is 24″ square and I needed 30″ square, so I had to find something to attach to the top to increase the size before attaching the butcher block. The height of the table was 25″ tall and the butcher block was 1″ deep; together, they would be 26″ which is the height needed so whatever I used would need to be thin. I had a piece of wall paneling on hand and decided that would work well. It was very thin but firm enough to support the extra length and width of the butcher block. Using my skill saw, I cut the paneling into a 30″ square. Although it wasn’t a necessity, I stained one side and added a coat of poly to protect it. This is the side that would be placed down so I used the same color stain as I did for the table base. To attach the paneling to the table, I used Gorilla wood glue. As you can see, I placed a lot of weight on top while the glue was drying. The next day, I added several screws to further secure the paneling to the base.

Step 8 – Attaching the butcher block

Step 9 – Straightening & puttying

When I was cutting the strips, they were all the same length. However, when I glued them together, the edges did not line up perfectly. I thought about leaving them a little uneven but then decided to use my skill saw to fix them. I clamped a board near the edge of the top to use as a straight edge for the saw then cut each side to make the ends of the boards even. I used wood putty to fill in any gaps between the boards then used a sanding block to smooth the putty after it dried.

Step 10 – Staining & sealing

With the butcher block top finished and attached to the base, the next decision was what color to stain the wood….or do I not stain at all? I thought I would stain it to match the base but IF I did that and the son would have preferred it lighter, it would mean a lot more work. So, I decided to take the table to him ‘as is’ and let him choose whether to stain it or not and what color. I’m SO glad I made that decision. He chose Minwax oil based in Natural. I applied one coat of stain using a soft cloth. Because I was going to use a water-based sealer, I let the stain cure for 3 days. I lightly sanded the top with a sanding block, then applied 3 coats of Behr water-based satin Spar Urethane. I was only going to apply 2 coats but, boy, did the last coat make a difference in the look and feel of the wood!

Finished butcher block table

Here is the butcher block table with the couches in my son’s house. It fills the space nicely! He has ordered a table lamp. I can’t wait to see how it looks!

Tips for building butcher block

Building butcher block is simple. Basically, you glue boards together. If you are using boards from hardwood, this job will be easier as the boards should be straight and even. Below are some tips and/or things I would do the next time.

• Buy good hardwood boards
• Inspect the boards to ensure they are not bowed
• Lay plastic wrap under the boards before gluing
• Wipe off excess glue from the top of the piece
• Buy pipe clamps so you can clamp the entire section together
• Make sure you have lots of clamps
• Use clamps on any boards that are not level with the boards next to them
  • Place clamp at the end of the boards on the seam between the boards
• Use a belt sander to help level the boards once they are glued together

Before, During, After

Instructions

• Buy 1″ x 2″ boards
• Cut boards to the length you desire
• Apply glue to the edge of one board and press it to the edge of a 2nd board
  • Continue this process until you have several boards glued together
• Clamp boards to hold them together while the glue dries
• Using a damp rag, wipe off excess glue that seeps up between the boards
• Allow to time dry overnight
• Using a belt sander, sand any area where the boards are not level
• Use an orbital or palm sander to smooth the wood
• Attach butcher block to the tabletop using glue & screws
• If edges are uneven, straighten them using a skill saw
• Apply stain with a paintbrush or cloth
  • Wipe off excess stain
  • Allow to dry
• Apply 3 coats of water-based polyurethane

For your convenience

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