Mission San Francisco New Countertops, 2018

This Mission District renter wanted a better kitchen counter in her unit, and she was paying for it herself, so the budget mattered. She had already chosen IKEA butcher block, which is a good call. Wood countertops are warm, affordable, and forgiving, and they look far more expensive than they are.

Making mismatched cabinets line up

The tricky part was the layout she already had. The sink cabinet’s height couldn’t change, so everything else had to meet it. One section of counter hung on the wall, supported on a ledger rather than a cabinet, and it sat too high. The rear cabinet sat too low. The new butcher block needed to run level across all of it.

So the work started with demolition. The drawers came out, the old tops came off, and the old backsplash was stripped back to the wall. The hanging counter was taken down and re-hung lower, level with the sink cabinet. The rear cabinet was built up a few inches with new lumber framing, then decked with plywood, giving the butcher block a flat, solid base. Getting three pieces of cabinetry onto one plane, one lowered and one raised to meet a third that couldn’t move, is most of the job. Once the heights agree, the counter can read as one continuous surface.

Cutting outside, installing inside

All of the cutting was done on site, out in the building’s courtyard. Sawing wood indoors fills a small apartment with dust that finds its way into everything, so the cuts happen outside and only finished pieces come in. The butcher block was measured, cut to length, notched where needed, and carried in to be set and fastened.

A note for anyone considering wood counters: butcher block has to be sealed on every face, including the underside and every cut edge, especially around a sink. It needs re-oiling from time to time. Treated that way, it holds up well for years.

Her call on the joints

Where the counter meets the wall and the cabinets, she chose white caulk. That was her decision. She liked the crisp line it drew against the wood, and in her space, it works. Good design is about what helps the person living there take in the room and feel at home in it.

Renting and want an upgrade on your own budget? See what we install, or send photos for an estimate.