Today, we’re going to talk about a couple of pretty unique and insanely intriguing custom countertops. It’s because of their out-of-the-box design that we love them so much, and I’m pretty sure you’ll come to adore them, too. In this post, I’ll lay it all on the countertop and give you reasons why these particular styles have captured the interest of homeowners across the nation and why they continue to be a hot, trendy style in kitchen and bathroom design. As countertop experts in Louisville, Newport, and Cincinnati, we are here to share our expertise on these two unique countertop options.

Custom Countertops: Butcher Block

There’s no denying it – they’re edgy. I mean, they’re not called custom countertops for nothing. Unlike the typical granite or marble, these countertops have a more creative, quirky feel to them. The butcher block is a natural at maintaining the traditional country home or cottage style kitchen setting, and because of its natural tendencies, it persistently looks fresh, giving the impression that it’s just been cleaned. There’s versatility in them, too! Since it’s made of wood, you can apply any color of stain and compliment the other features in your kitchen or bath to tie everything together. If the color doesn’t grow on you after a period of time or you simply want to switch it up a little bit, there’s a cost-effective way to make that change. Simple, too. Even with a sealed finish, it doesn’t take too much elbow grease to sand down and refinish the butcher block countertop. Then, when you’re done, apply that new color of choice. See, change doesn’t always have to be difficult.

Another thing, I bet you’ve probably already guessed it, but you’ll never need a cutting board again. Depending upon the finish applied to it, you can slice-and-dice all you want on these bad boys with no worry about knife trails. It’s truly a chef’s dream. The longevity of this style is one of its greatest appeals, though. With a simple cleaning solution (water and vinegar), you’ll keep that same shine and finish decades, yes, decades later. Now, if that doesn’t pique your interest, then take a look at the pictures. Nice, right? See what I mean about the different finishes and colors of stain. Listen it’s your house, your kitchen – make it your own with a sleek, unique style like this one! At Builders Surplus, we’re happy to provide you with such a style. Butcher block is a special order product, so please contact one of our designers to discuss your butcher block countertop options.

Custom Countertops: Concrete

Concrete countertops provide a whole realm of possibility. It’s concrete, so it obviously has to be poured. This means you can mold the concrete in any fashion to make it your own. There’s an abundance of really cool, off-the-wall designs that can make a kitchen or bath truly one of a kind. You can mold the edges how you want to. Don’t like hard-cut, 90° angles?  Well, smooth it out, and give your custom countertop the kind of curvature you want! I really appreciate this feature because, if you’re like me, you’ve turned a corner too sharp and been subject to that merciless, pain of the corner jab. But, you’re probably not like me and know your way around a kitchen.

With that said, these custom countertops are incredibly durable and very near impenetrable to common damages including chipping, scratching, and cracking.  The finish protects it from pesky stains, too. Consider it an instant repellant to spaghetti sauce, wine, or grease. The maintenance on these slabs are almost too easy. Warm, soapy water usually does the trick, but if you want to get really crazy, you can use pH cleaner, as well. Either way, this style is designed for simplicity.

While you may think that if you can pour quick dry concrete, you can DIY concrete countertops. Well, that’s probably not the case. While they may seem like an easy DIY project, they are far more complicated to install than you might think. The main concern is getting every single bubble out of the concrete. If you don’t, you risk cracks, which make this stunner more of a bummer. Our suggestion, use a professional. Use reputable sites like Thumbtack or Home Advisor to find reputable installers. You can see reviews from past customers and they have already been vetted by the company.

What are your thoughts on concrete and butcher block countertops? Would you ever use them in your home? Let us know in the comments below!