Stripping a Vintage Butcher Block
Hi friend!
So glad you stopped by the blog today! It means the world to me! If you read my last “This Week at the Farm” article then you knew this one was coming! Before I get into stripping a vintage butcher block let’s talk about where it came from.
Where Did I Find the Butcher Block?
I found it on the FB Marketplace awhile back after looking for quite some time, story of my life! Serioulsly though, I feel like the farmhouse has basically been furnished by the Marketplace lol! But I’m usually a specific vintage shopper who’s looking for a deal, which makes the Marketplace a quick and easy place to search!
I Love a Good Vintage Deal
I snagged this one for $100! Isn’t that insane?! They’re usually 4-5 times that much! I was eating lunch and browsing the marketplace when I found it and literally said interested and I can come right now! You gotta be quick not to miss out on that kind of a deal!
Butcher Block History
The woman I bought it from said it belonged to her grandmother. It’s from the 1870s and was made here in good ol Illinois. I did a little research and apparently lots of butcher blocks from that time period came from here, which I think is pretty cool!
Stripping the Butcher Block
The only thing about it I didn’t love was the orange color but there are lots of ways to fix that! ;)I’m still not exactly sure what was on it. Stain? Gel stain? Wax? Who knows, but it was sticky and yucky. I decided to try Citristrip on it first. Mostly because I had it on hand and have had good luck with it in the past.
How I Stripped it
I applied a generous coat to the whole thing and let it sit on overnight. Then, I used a paint scraper to remove all the stripped areas I could. Next, I wiped it down with odorless mineral spirits to get any excess goo off. The next day I used a bristle brush to get off any left over residue out of the nooks and crannies. Make sure you let your piece completely dry before you decide whether it will nee more stripper! I also gently went over the sides and top too. After that I treated the top with linseed oil.
Stripping a Vintage Butcher Block
It took some elbow grease, but I love how it turned out! Having it in this corner of the kitchen has felt like we’ve expanded the kitchen’s usable work space to the other side of the room that previously didn’t have a function.
Creating a Functional Corner
This is the view straight across from the front door. You see that unfinished drywall behind it? We’ll be taking that wall out to expose the staircase behind it soon. And I propped what will be our new front door in front of the little closet opening under the staircase because it’s next on my project list! If you missed it this easy diy peg rail is another part of making this corner functional too. You can check it out HERE!
What projects are you working on in your home? Have you found anything good on the Facebook Marketplace? I’d love to see!
Have a great day!
