How to stain oak butcher block island top to look like cherry.

Apr 15, 2018 5 Replies

I have an oak boos butcher block island countertop that I have been oiling for many years. Now have darker cherry flooring and would like the butcher block to be more of a similar shade. What is the best way to go about this?


I have an oak boos butcher block island countertop that I have been oiling for many years. Now have darker cherry flooring and would like the butcher block to be more of a similar shade. What is the best way to go about this?

Oak will never "look like cherry"; the only thing you can do is darken it but the grain/texture will never look like anything but oak.

Since it's already been finished, nothing will be "taken up" but the wood to any extent unless take the top down to a raw wood surface again; and since it's end grain, probably that will mean at _least_ a full 32nd if not more...

IOW, fuhgeddaboutit...ain't agonna' happen if you have to ask how...

You can enjoy the contrast or do this:

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I think any sanding and staining will just look ugly in the end.

I didn't check, Ed. Do you think that maybe they make that in an end grain pattern? ;)

You would cover butcher block? But with it well oiled how well would contact cement work over time? Put in a nice contrasting quartz maybe. Or did I miss a smiley somewhere?

But then finding a food safe stain, getting it prepped with it being consistently oiled, no quick fixes I can think of.

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