Congratulations on your selection of this solid wood hardwood top. Great care, in the selection of materials and craftsmanship, has gone into the manufacturing of this top for you. The top’s rich appearance, distinctive grains, character marks and color variations are the purest expressions of nature. Just as no two trees are alike, no piece of wood in the fabrication of this quality top looks exactly like another. No man-made material can duplicate hardwood’s variety, natural integrity and authenticity. As with any natural wood product, it is not unusual for some areas to appear darker in color than others. Please familiarize yourself with the following suggestions prior to installation.

This Butcher Block top is intended to be used as a true cutting surface. It is coated with an acrylic finish, DURAKRYL 102, which does not require any maintenance. It is not necessary to sand off this finish prior to using the top as it is approved for food service use. The finish is formulated to repel most household solvents. Stains can be cleaned off with finger nail polish remover or bleach; neither of these two substances can hurt the finish. Although the finish is durable, it will scratch.
Clean it like you would any cutting surface, not allowing water to remain on the block for any length of time. To help preserve your block, if used as a cutting surface, it would be advisable to periodically reseal ONLY the area in which you cut on. Mineral oil can be used. If it becomes necessary to refinish your block due to usage, we suggest sanding the finish off and applying either an oil finish or resealing with ‘Good Stuff” Urethane Gel clear protective finish

All Butcher Blocks are at a moisture content of 6% when fabricated at the factory. Occasionally the blocks may take on additional moisture while being transported, especially in the spring and fall of the year, and slight warpage may occur. The block may expand as much as 3/16”. The wider the block, the greater the expansion. This is only temporary, once your top has become adjusted to its new surroundings, the moisture content will equalize and the panel will straighten out. 

The block will never change in length, only the width expands and contracts. Measure your block prior to installation to determine if it has changed in width. If it has changed, it would be advisable to allow the block to become equalized to the surrounding atmosphere. Under normal conditions the block will return to the original dimension during the winter months and will expand during the summer months when the humidity is greater. In areas where temperatures drop to 15 or lower in the winter, the indoor humidity can drop to as low as 10% relative humidity. At that low relative humidity a 25” block can shrink as much as 1/8”. Be sure to make allowances for this dimensional change.

Warping is caused by the expansion of either the top or bottom surface. This condition is easily corrected by placing the block on the cabinet bases and drawing the block down to a level position by attaching screws. All counter blocks should be attached to bases on or at least near all four corners.

Should the warp be too severe to fasten down, allow both sides of the block to be exposed to the same atmosphere. This is a temporary condition. The warpage will be corrected as the moisture content of the block is equalized on both top and bottom surfaces.
Where attaching the block to a cabinet base is not possible, attach one or more 20 angle irons to the underside of the block. Use 3 screws to draw down to each angle iron. Be sure to allow for expansion and contraction.

It is not advisable to set the counter top with adhesive caulk; the top must be securely fastened to the base unit by using appropriate length wood screws. Most cabinet manufacturers provide corner blocks within the cabinet for attaching the counter top to the cabinet base, and pilot holes predrilled through the corner blocks into the underside of the top. Be careful that you do not drill too far into the top. 

Some manufacturers of cabinets and appliances take into consideration expansion and contractions by slotting the screw holes. Where a manufacturer has not made such allowances, you should use an undersized screw with a washer or counter sink pilot holes are drilled at the extreme ends of the slots and the block has expanded, you negate the advantage of the slots.

A suggested way to make this allowance in attaching wood parts is to counter sink the pilot holes where the wood part attaches to block, or make the pilot holes oversized using a flat head screw and a washer.

If you were installing a back splash along with the counter top, it would be advisable to attach it at this time. The back splash is usually attached to the surface, not to the back edge that would be against the wall.

In many areas post-form counter tops are popular. Butcher Block does not come in this shape, but many fabricators will use a hand router to round the front edge of the block to conform to the front edge of the post-form top. When this cut is made, sand smooth and finish with “Good Stuff” Urethane Gel clear protective finish.

Whenever a block is cut, either for size adjustments in length or width, sink, or cook top cutouts, the cut edge needs to be refinished at once to prevent possible cracking on the glue lines.

Either lacquer or a polyurethane finish can be used. We do not recommend just applying oil, such as vegetable oil or mineral oil as this will not provide a permanent seal. We suggest resealing this cut edge with either our finish, “Good Stuff”, or a polyurethane or lacquer finish. Any edge detail change that is done or tops that need to be reduced in size must be resealed.

For cook top cutouts, applying an aluminum heat reflective tape with attached insulation after the edge has been refinished will dissipate heat into the cabinet below. This also will allow the top to expand and contract more evenly. A good brand to look for is M-D Insulated Foam "Pipe Wrap"Item # 02378 which can be purchased at many building centers. 

Michigan Maple Block Co. or Bally Block Co. cannot be responsible for blocks that have been cut or reworked in any fashion.

Turning the corner with a 4-foot block saves 25” of cabinet top that is cut away for the miter. Separate pieces are easier to install and any variations in this corner angle can be compensated for on the job.

On the other hand a well fit miter joint is a very handsome installation indeed and while it is more expensive the taste of the end user should be considered. It does bear mentioning at this time that mitering to the corner will NOT align the laminations. The rails within each block are of random width and therefore cannot line up.

This condition is caused by the contraction of the butt ends and not that of the center part of the block. These cracks can occur on the glue line where the wood is the weakest or in the lamination itself. This could be a sign that your home is too dry or the block was cut prior to installation and not properly resealed. (See section “Cutouts and Cutoffs.”) Determine what the relative humidity is and make proper adjustments. These cracks should be filled promptly with wood filler, sanded smooth, and finished with “Good Stuff” Urethane Gel clear protective finish. Split ends can also be caused by not allowing for expansion and contraction when attaching items to the block. See “Explanation and Contraction.” Relieve tension at once by removing screws and repair splits as suggested above.

Most cooks prefer an area between the cooking surface and the sink for the block work area. Size is a matter of personal choice. When properly placed the Butcher Block gets all the knife marks and hot pots that can blister laminate surfaces.

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