Working on Sink Cut Out for Butcher Block Countertop

Working on the sink cut out for our butcher block countertop made it feel like we were getting really close to the finished product.

man placing kitchen sink in custom butcher block countertop cut out

There are many steps involved in building your own custom butcher block countertop. Have you ever tackled such a task? I’m not sure we knew what we were getting into before we started the project.

SMALL KITCHEN DESIGN

Our little pine cottage is very tiny. I’ve heard some say that a small house or cottage is around 1200-1400 square feet. Try 744 square feet here!~ Now that is tiny. Not to be confused with a tiny house, which can be around 200-400 square feet. We’ve got that one covered too and have lived in small dwellings like that.

We had to figure out a creative way to build our kitchen since our cottage is so small. Remember, our living room and kitchen basically share one large open area. It’s plenty of space for the two of us. Yet, it was challenging to design a standard kitchen in such a small area.

This is part of why we’ve ended up basically building a custom home. Most of the renovations done diy style by the awesome Mr. Nate (my hubby). A man who has surprised me with his carpentry and engineering skills. I’m the one who writes our blog and edits our vlogs. And let me tell you, when I start editing the video clips he’s taken, I’m incredibly impressed. He has been able to accomplish much more than I ever thought was possible.

SINK CUT OUT

In the last blog, I alluded to the next step of our countertop build. A task that required precise measurements to cut out an opening for our kitchen sink in the butcher block countertop.

Nate set up his workstation in the backyard and placed the countertop on a platform of some scrap wood. He used a jig saw to make the cut out using different sized blades. A larger size to cut straight and a smaller size to go around the corners. It worked out great.

man making kitchen sink cut out in custom butcher block countertop

The countertop was made from old growth pine wood and even the saw dust coming out from it was darker in color than new pine. The smell and look of old growth pine is just the best compared to the new stuff. Reminds me of fine wine~ it’s get better with age!

man removing kitchen sink cut out in custom butcher block countertop

He placed the countertop in the kitchen and then grabbed our heavy vintage sink to test out the results. It plopped right in and would only need a few adjustments for a perfect fit. The sink is old and grimy, but we knew it could be cleaned up. And it would be a nice addition to the time period we were going for.

kitchen sink cut out in custom butcher block countertop

Maybe old is not your thing. I get it and thought the same when we lived in our luxury apartment studio. But~ now that I’ve been around older salvaged items, I realize the difference in quality. Sure, the new stuff looks nicer at first, but then also fades and gets grimy over time. Yet~ instead of remaining classic and sturdy, it just becomes junk over time.

However, old stuff like our vintage sink was made with such great quality. It’s heavy duty cast iron and can take a beating, but will not give out on you. And it maintains a classic look and feel. Think nostalgic and cozy. No wonder these old salvaged items are not cheap. Check out your local Facebook Marketplace and you will see what I’m talking about.

BUTCHER BLOCK COUNTERTOP TRIM

Nate also decided to add trim around the countertop to give it a finished look and feel. Not sure if this is even done very often, but I loved how it was all coming together. There is nothing like customizing your custom build project anyway!

man adding trim to custom butcher block countertop

He was able to find some old scrap wood (also old growth pine) to build the trim with. It would add more structure to the countertop and provide a nice aesthetic look and feel. Good job Nate!

There was a lot of measuring, gluing, clamping, and sanding going on to work on this part. Not to mention tons of dry fitting and more cutting to get all the measurements right. A lot of detailed work was involved. It was worth it though.

A tip for those of you also working on something similar. Don’t forget to remove any screws in your wood before you cut it down with a saw. If you watch our video you can see how Nate made that mistake and forgot about the screws. He quickly removed them and was able to finish the project.

That’s the thing with custom builds. There are no instructional manuals to look at. You have to do your research, use the knowledge and skills you’ve obtained over time, and then just give it a go the best you can. Mistakes will happen, but you learn from them and get better.

Cheers to those of you working on your own custom diy projects. A challenging yet rewarding experience. Not to mention the additional skills you get to include in that tool belt of yours. Keep going~ and making unique beautiful gems! We sure will be!

Working on the sink cut out for our butcher block countertop – check! In the next blog, we’ll wrap up the project and reveal the final product.

CHECK OUT OUR VIDEOS

Thanks for joining us on this journey! We hope that you will find inspiration watching us learn as we go while we’re attempting to renovate and rebuild this old small historic cottage mostly on our own~ while working full time jobs! Stay tuned for more progress updates ahead. Read more about us here.

You can also watch a video about this here.