In home kitchens, butcher block tables do it all. They serve as sturdy working surfaces for food preparation tasks, giving you a place to chop vegetables, slice meats, roll dough, operate counter top appliances and much more. When it's mealtime, butcher block tables can seat your family or provide extra seating space for company. If you have a big meal, you can line up items on their surfaces for buffet-style serving.

The incredible versatility of butcher block tables has made them one of the most popular styles for home butcher blocks. Each year, demand for table butcher block styles increases, and manufacturers respond by developing new models so that their collections have pieces to accommodate every kitchen decor and to suit every aesthetic taste.

Using different types of woods for the butcher block tops on tables is one of the many ways that manufacturers introduce variety to their product lineups. Many of today's top brands include cherry butcher block tables among their many models to suit kitchens with matching cabinetry and flooring.

Our Buyers' Guide to Cherry Butcher Block Tables was created to help you select the ideal piece for your home kitchen from the array of styles offered by today's manufacturers. We have also included a brief introduction to cherry wood to familiarize you with the material and care tips to keep your butcher block table looking beautiful for years to come.

About Cherry Wood

Cherry trees are a part of the Prunus genus of trees and shrubs, which also includes peaches, apricots, plums and almonds. More than 430 species of trees make up the family, and dozens of these are considered cherry varieties.

For butcher block tables, the American cherry tree is the most common source of wood. This species of tree grows throughout the United States and has rich, red-brown tinted wood in its inner layers. The tone of cherry's color and the wavy appearance of its wood make it extremely popular for all types of furnishings.

American cherry wood is very resistant to moisture, making it excellent for use in butcher blocks.

Determining Size

The quickest way to begin narrowing down the selections of cherry butcher block tables available on the market today is to start by determining what size is best for your home.

Getting Started

When determining the appropriate size for your table, start by measuring the overall size of the area where you will place it. Picture how your table will fit into the space, particularly where people will need to walk past the piece. Then, take the length and width measurements for the overall area and subtract 30 to 36 inches for each side where you need to leave a walkway.

For example, if your space measures 15 feet in length by 15 feet in width, and people will need to walk only in front of your table, you would subtract 36 inches or 3 feet from the width measurement. This means the largest table your space could accommodate would be 15 feet in length by 12 feet in width. If you needed to leave space to walk along the sides of the table, you would subtract 3 feet for each side or 6 feet total from the length.

Establishing the Dimensions

Once you have determined the maximum size for your cherry butcher block table, you're ready to figure out the minimum dimensions that will suit your needs. The perfect size for your butcher block table will depend largely on how you will be using it in your kitchen.

If your table will primarily be a work surface, you'll need to allow for 32 inches of length to comfortably complete food preparation tasks. Longer styles give you even more room and can allow a second person to work beside you at the table.

When considering the width, measure any large counter top appliances that you may want to use on the table and ensure that the styles you choose from are wide enough to accommodate them.

For the height of the table, look for styles that are 36 inches tall if you are between 5'4" and 5'10" in height. Styles that are 34 and 35 inches are best for those under 5'4" tall, and if you are over 5'10" tall, a table that is over 36" in height will be ideal.

If your table will primarily be used for seating , you'll need roughly 24 inches of space for each person that you want to be able to seat. As an example, for a family of six, a table that measures at least 48 inches in length by 24 inches in width would be ideal.

The best height for your cherry butcher block table will depend on the type of seats that you will use with the piece. For standard chairs, tables that are under 34 inches in height are generally ideal. Higher chairs and lower bar stools are appropriate for tables that are 34 to 35 inches tall. For a table that is 36 inches tall, high bar stools are often best. Keep in mind that eight inches of space between the seat of your chair or stool and the tabletop is ideal to accommodate the laps of your family and your guests.

If your table will be used both as a work surface and a seating area on a regular basis, you'll need to carefully balance the size requirements for the two tasks. This will be most difficult in the necessary height for your table. To spare your back and make it easy to work, you may need to invest in higher chairs or stools, so that you can maintain a comfortable working height at your cherry butcher block table.

Selecting the Block

After you have determined what size of cherry butcher block table will be the best for your space and your needs, turn your attention to the butcher block itself.

Grains

The first decision you'll need to make about what type of butcher block is best for your table is what grain you prefer. The grain refers to the way in which manufacturers prepare the cherry wood rails to create the butcher block. Manufacturers can use long rails that are the length of the tabletop and place them one above the other, creating what is called an edge grain. Another option is to use shorter cherry rails that are arranged end to end and from top to bottom, making a blended grain. The final method for making butcher blocks is slicing the ends off the rails and lining them up to produce an end grain.

If you will use your cherry butcher block table primarily for seating, the appearance of the grain will likely be the deciding factor as to which is best for your kitchen. Edge grains offer the greatest uniformity in color and have seams visible only as faint horizontal lines across the block. End grains have the least uniformity and have surfaces that appear like checkerboards with a large variation of color. In terms of color uniformity, blended grains fall between edge and end grains and have visible seams that run both horizontally and vertically.

For a cherry butcher block table that will serve primarily as a working surface, the function of the cherry wood butcher block grain will likely influence your decision along with the style. End grain butcher blocks are generally the most durable and the gentlest on knife blades. Blended and edge grains are equal in their durability and are still sturdy working surfaces.

Finish

The final element to selecting your cherry butcher block table is choosing its finish. The finish is the protective coating that is placed over the butcher block top to prevent the wood from drying out and splitting. Two finishes are available for butcher block tables, and these determine how your table looks as well as how you can use it and how you must care for it.

If you want the freedom to cut right on your tabletop with no cutting board, the natural oil finish is for you. Its food-safe mineral oil formula allows you to perform knife work directly on its surface. A cherry butcher block table with a natural oil finish must be re-oiled or waxed every four weeks to keep the wood moisturized.

The natural oil finish can be damaged by standing water and harsh cleaners, so care must be taken when cleaning it. We recommend removing solid particles with a metal scraper and then wiping down the tabletop with a cloth dampened in soapy water. A second wipe-down with clean water should follow. Then, as a final step, pat the tabletop dry. If you scratch the cherry tabletop, you can sand them out and refinish the table yourself.

A Varnique finish gives your cherry butcher block table a semi-gloss appearance that is very easy to maintain. No oiling or waxing is necessary with Varnique, and you can clean the tabletop the way you do your counters, with a mild cleanser. If you opt for a Varnique table, you will need to use a cutting board for all knife work; however, since the finish is food-safe, you can still roll dough and complete other tasks directly on its surface. Should you develop a scratch in your cherry tabletop, you will need professional help to make repairs.