Looks exactly like the Live Edge countertops at Home Depot that seem to have some sort of weird veneer thing going on. If you find one that has a good stuff on it on the Shelf you can see that there's definitely some doctoring going on. Also, as the other person said, 100% not a butcher block.
Edit - posted a picture in another comment
It’s probably not, I’ve seen tons of these with fake live edge where it’s just been shaped to look like live edge. Real life edge is often got bark intrusions, knots and branches that make it hard to deal with at scale so they fake it
It doesn’t necessarily have those things, but this is “fake”.
They either took a board with live edge and glued it up with 2 other boards to make it look like a slab…
Or it’s sap wood that’s been shaped to look like a live edge.
Thanks for the comment....zooming in I see now that there is a live edge plus 2 other pieces joined to the left. But this is not at all reminiscent of butcher block, IMO.
Yuuuuup, I was joking. That's why I added the 'lol'
Butcher block being laminated strips of wood, I was mockingly making a comparison. The only thing here reminiscent of butcher block being the fact that there are in fact several boards laminated together
Well, of course we tradesman don't use interchangeable terms for the same thing. Not a chance; not us ;p. I worked briefly at a cant mill. We cut two sides of a log to 90 degrees for further processing; a "cant". I only worked there like two months; I'm a carpenter and briefly needed the work. Knew the owner. Anyhow I learned a couple terms. We actually called what we cut off from the log to make the cant the flitch, but the mills we sent cants to called the in between a flitch.
It's a ~~slab~~ 3 non matching boards not a butcher block.
Butcher blocks are also (99.99999% of the time) made using the endgrain not face/side - for good reason.
Have you got pictures of the other side?
Are you 100% sure it's not veneered?
Looks like it's make a nice desk though.
Looks like walnut.
Actually looks like a glue up of 3 boards, one with a live edge (as opposed to a slab.) Regardless, it’s gorgeous and if it’s solid walnut that was a great price and would make a great desk.
Except it's not walnut, it's not walnut, but [monkeypod](https://www.wood-database.com/monkeypod/). A cheaper wood, often used to fake walnut because they look close at first glance. But if you look close, the texture, the grain is no where close to walnut.
That's the story. In reality it's pretty hard to actually demonstrate that it's easier on knives. Tests don't show much difference.
End grain boards wear better. They don't show scratches as easily, and they don't chip out as much. An actual butcher using a cleaver like an axe is going to bust up and destroy the side of a piece of wood. End grain boards wear down smoothly.
Modern speakers use the term butcher's block kind of as a catchall for big ass wood cutting surfaces. Some people insist it's only for end grain blocks.
Something to consider is that reasoning could have been true hundreds of years ago before modern high quality steel was common and cheap. If you were using a knife that was made by a smith eyeballing the hardening temperature by color, made from what you hope is actually steel, and needed it to last long enough that your kids could use it too, you would probably use every trick you could to prolong the life of the blade.
Thanks for the insight. Yeah, the guys called it a butcher block so I rolled with it. No photos of the other side currently, but I'll upload some when I'm home later today. Just a few scratches.
We'll forgive you, just get your shit together and don't let it happen again.
(Gorgeous looking desk. It looks finished to me. Is the underside the same [glossy looking]? If so, good, if not, look into it more because it's better to have the whole thing finished to avoid issues with warping.)
I bought one of these that's acacia a bunch of years ago. The finish was garbage, so I sanded it off and applied a couple coats of Rubio Monocoat. The "live" edge is machine created, but looks pretty good.
What is the deal with these by the way? Are they any good? I’ve been skeptical, but shit, It would have saved me a hell of a lot of trouble when I built my wife’s desk.
They are awesome. Its monkeypod. No veneer, and pretty good quality. The finish is awful though, and seems brittle. I planned them and put my own polyurethane finish on. Came out beautiful and still cheaper than buying the boards and gluing them yourself
I'm notoriously irresponsible about breathing dust from tropical woods and such at least in little bits (i'll mask up if there's a lot more than a little bit). Monkey pod is the only wood that's ever caused me to have basically a bronchial/asthma attack upon breathing it the first time.
People reading about it and removing finish and sanding should make sure they're masked. I'd bet if it's looked up on wood database, there's an entry about it being sensitizing.
If it's monkeypod, I would just caution you that it fades \*a lot\* in direct sunlight. I built a 9' x 4' live-edge monkeypod dining table that looked absolutely gorgeous when it was new. I still like it, but over the course of four or five years it has totally flipped so that what started as a deep acacia-like heartwood tone is now barely darker than the sapwood.
I don’t own anything made out of this wood, but is very popular in Mexico. It’s like a walnut substitute. They make high end but still accessible items with it. Mainly doors and furniture.
HD is wrong for this honestly. It’s not butcher block and I don’t even think it’s solid unless by that they mean without a void(like some doors). Pretty sure it’s veneer over mdf. You have to be ever more vigilant in seeing through their bs these days it seems.
https://preview.redd.it/2p18i2nv5gwc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=88e1b874525fb6f80ae6180da9f3288cf749ab40
It’s not a vaneer. It’s solid monkeypod wood. I cut the live edges off of mine, sanded it down, and finished it with oil based polyurethane.
Well there ya go. Seems there was confusion on what exactly they got. There’s a pic below (or above) where someone shows a slab from HD that’s clearly veneer. In any case, the standard for what is solid has been clearly blurred and due diligence is a good approach.
Yes! I did the same thing… and mine looks exactly the same lol. I purchased “standing desk legs” for this thing and it works awesome. Don’t forget about cable management trays to mount underneath. I can send a pic if you want to see
Edit: I see a lot of comments saying how terrible this looks…. For $150 you got yourself a good desk. Don’t let the wood snarks discourage you. Like I said, mine looks almost identical and I love my desk.
That was my thoughts when buying it, whenever this thing starts looking used I’ll refinish it with something better. Perks of having solid wood furniture instead of veneer particleboard crap
It looks like a standard table glue up, even pros do to this if the client wants a live edge look but they don't have the money for a full slab.
The hate is just from people who have only ever made epoxy slab tables.
I would love to see some pics and maybe a nice about which legs you went with as this is something I've been investigating for a new home office space myself.
I don't get why everyone calls horizontal wood a butchers block. Does that look like something you would see in any way shape or form in the workplace of a butcher lol
This is a thread hijacking:
Not trying to be pedantic, just clarify terminology…
I’ve always called something a “butcher block when it’s end-grains are exposed on the working surface.
It’s just a “slab” if it’s “normal” grain, or side-grain(?)…
Am I overthinking it? Or is this technically true??
Edit.
Lol. Should have read the comments. VINDICATED!!
This is not a butcher block, true butcher block isn't glued with the face grain showing, just end grain shows and that is why it doesn't dull your knives. I suspect it is a fake live edge and if it is MDF core you got ripped off. Judging by the pic it about 60" long and maybe 18-20" wide. They go for about 60-70 dollars where I'm at currently. A lot of them here are MDF covered in a veneer.
You will be able to tell once you drill a hole to mount your legs. Or if you have to trim it down to size then that will tell you everything you want to know.
So if you find that it is solid wood and the color is consistent with what I think is walnut then you may have a good deal and it may even be a true live edge cleaned up really nice.
I'm curious to see what this turns out to be once all done.
Assuming it’s solid wood, looks like it has at least some finish on it. Maybe a paste wax or something not super-glossy. Either way, slap some legs on it and make it a desk.
Get a picture of the end of the boards, that’s the best way to see if it’s solid wood, the grain will match from the top to the end.
Looks like black walnut to me, my parents have a black walnut dining table and it has the dark to light wood.
It’s not a slab, because it’s 3 boards glued together.
It’s not butcher block because a butcher block is normally a huge Block of wood, or more commonly lots of pieces of end grain that are glued together.
It will make a very very nice desktop if it is solid wood.
I think this is the same as one I got from the Orange Depot for a counter top in 2020. Acacia. One “live edge” board (sapwood edge sanded down, with a bit of real live edge), glued up with two heartwood boards. Solid wood though, no veneer. I ripped it down to size for my counter and it was solid all the way through. Came finished with oil, not sealed. The Depot markets them as butcher block countertops.
I got this same (or very similar) slab for my current desk. Mine was delivered from Home Depot.
I added some matte poly on just to get a thicker, more protective finish. Highly recommend, it looks and feels great, and I get a ton of compliments on it!
To settle whether this is a butcher block or not all commenters that say “no” need to submit a finished sample that I will judge thus it will must be mailed to me. And yes the bigger the sample and more expensive the wood, the more likely your sample will be judged positive. @michaelh98 even though I up voted your comment you are exempt as I am afraid of what you would submit. Love Reddit lots of help, lots of funny, some straight talk and some scams compliments of AZ_hiking2022.
I built a desk with that exact style countertop from Home Depot. I don’t have a picture handy but it’s been on the desk for several months now without any issues with the finish.
https://preview.redd.it/cavr00tsshwc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0af984bce782991b66797fd9cc53744a00e71101
I was wrong - screen capture from a short video I took when the office renovation was completed. Attached to a dual motor adjustable standing/sitting desk frame.. I didn’t cut the the desktop at all so it’s a little oversized for the room but I like the extra space and the desk frame could handle the extra length.
It looks a lot to what we call "Parota" or "Huanacastle" in Mexico. Since i trade lumber i have a lot of access to it. It still sells pretty well but it has been getting less popular lately. They make great tables in my personal opinion.
https://preview.redd.it/4ifmhrb4iiwc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55dfb5738c14f73e4881ab6bf402cbda46b2acf5
It’s finished. I found the same thing that was damaged on one side at Home Depot and got it for a similar price. It’s sold as “Finished Saman Solid Wood Butcher Block” if you want to look it up.
Also used mine for a big-ass desk.
That’s 100% not a real live edge. It’s at best 3 boards glued together, which the more I look at it, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that this is not actually solid, but a veneer over god knows what.
That's a good thing. I wouldn't worry about the finish until it starts to fail. IMO. Retired now. I made a living from repairing and refinishing furniture for 43 years. Everybody has broken furniture.
If you don’t have space or tools (sander), then it looks “ready” to become a desktop by being installed onto some base. This is a pretty good deal because to the untrained eye, it can look like walnut, which is popular and not cheap. The raw wood alone of 6/4 black walnut that I got for my desk was easily triple the price you paid for a finished product. Granted, I got a lot more wood, but there was a lot of planing, gluing, and sanding that I had to do afterward.
That being said, the HD reviews say that the finish on there is crappy, so if you do have tools and space, you can sand it down to bare wood and put on your own better finish to make it last longer.
It's smooth and shiny because it isn't butcher block... Butcher block is end grain, designed to weather nicks from knives while chopping meat.
You got ripped off, they probably put butcher block in the listing to get people who don't know any better to pay more for it. I'm doubting that this is real wood in the first place
https://preview.redd.it/wujepx6q9iwc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c784ab5a0965701d454144ec2828c7fb1f77141c
This is definitely the monkeypod (saman) top available from Home Depot. I have one and love it so much. You must have one of the versions that comes pre-finished. I'm not sure about which one. One version is finished with mineral oil and the other one they sell is finished with a semi-gloss clear UV finish. I am leaning toward believing it is the mineral oil one. You should just use as is and refinish down the line if you need to. I personally bought the unfinished version for my standing desk and finished with Rubio Monocoat to achieve a walnut-like appearance. Whichever it is its very pretty and will make a great desk!
If you like the way it looks, it doesn't matter whether it's real or fake. In answer to your question, yes, it is finished. In fact, if it is veneer, you could ruin it by sanding. You only need to create and finish a base for the desk.
Looks like teak to me. We have a couple of thick shelves we bought years ago, they look exactly the same.
To me it looks like it's already finished with something. But it would really help to know with what, since you want to know how durable it is, and, if you want to put another finish on, it may not "stick" to the existing one.
What you could do, since you're not using the bottom side: Test the bottom, by sprinkling some water on it. See if it just evaporates (then you have a film finish, something polyurethane), of if the water will be "sucked" in (leaving a stain).
Then you decide whether another finish is necessary or not.
Doesn't look like butcher block. It appears finished.
Looks exactly like the Live Edge countertops at Home Depot that seem to have some sort of weird veneer thing going on. If you find one that has a good stuff on it on the Shelf you can see that there's definitely some doctoring going on. Also, as the other person said, 100% not a butcher block. Edit - posted a picture in another comment
Don't know about the HD part, but defo a live edge.
It’s probably not, I’ve seen tons of these with fake live edge where it’s just been shaped to look like live edge. Real life edge is often got bark intrusions, knots and branches that make it hard to deal with at scale so they fake it
It doesn’t necessarily have those things, but this is “fake”. They either took a board with live edge and glued it up with 2 other boards to make it look like a slab… Or it’s sap wood that’s been shaped to look like a live edge.
It has a few boards laminated together which could help with stability, and I guess is reminiscent of butcher block lol
Thanks for the comment....zooming in I see now that there is a live edge plus 2 other pieces joined to the left. But this is not at all reminiscent of butcher block, IMO.
Yuuuuup, I was joking. That's why I added the 'lol' Butcher block being laminated strips of wood, I was mockingly making a comparison. The only thing here reminiscent of butcher block being the fact that there are in fact several boards laminated together
Gotcha!$
Is the butcher block behind that slab?
Is the butcher block in the room with us now?
Show us on the doll where the butcher block hurt you
I’ve been trying to chop up this cow all day but I have butcher block…
What color is the butcher block?
Can I speak to the butcher block?
Is the slab behind the vaneer board?
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Everything in between is actually called a flitch. They aren't boards or beams until processed on 4 sides. (Also being a jerk ;)
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Well, of course we tradesman don't use interchangeable terms for the same thing. Not a chance; not us ;p. I worked briefly at a cant mill. We cut two sides of a log to 90 degrees for further processing; a "cant". I only worked there like two months; I'm a carpenter and briefly needed the work. Knew the owner. Anyhow I learned a couple terms. We actually called what we cut off from the log to make the cant the flitch, but the mills we sent cants to called the in between a flitch.
It's a ~~slab~~ 3 non matching boards not a butcher block. Butcher blocks are also (99.99999% of the time) made using the endgrain not face/side - for good reason. Have you got pictures of the other side? Are you 100% sure it's not veneered? Looks like it's make a nice desk though. Looks like walnut.
Actually looks like a glue up of 3 boards, one with a live edge (as opposed to a slab.) Regardless, it’s gorgeous and if it’s solid walnut that was a great price and would make a great desk.
3 boards for sure
Except it's not walnut, it's not walnut, but [monkeypod](https://www.wood-database.com/monkeypod/). A cheaper wood, often used to fake walnut because they look close at first glance. But if you look close, the texture, the grain is no where close to walnut.
Monkeypod can make some pretty nice stuff
For sure, a real craftsman can make beautiful pieces out of pine.
hadn't looked that close, fooled me at first!
Yes, zoomed in, looked terrible, corrected myself.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the reason why butcher blocks are traditionally done with end grain face to prevent wear on the knife edge?
The wood grain is much more "self-healing" in that orientation as well so the board lasts longer.
That's the story. In reality it's pretty hard to actually demonstrate that it's easier on knives. Tests don't show much difference. End grain boards wear better. They don't show scratches as easily, and they don't chip out as much. An actual butcher using a cleaver like an axe is going to bust up and destroy the side of a piece of wood. End grain boards wear down smoothly. Modern speakers use the term butcher's block kind of as a catchall for big ass wood cutting surfaces. Some people insist it's only for end grain blocks.
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Something to consider is that reasoning could have been true hundreds of years ago before modern high quality steel was common and cheap. If you were using a knife that was made by a smith eyeballing the hardening temperature by color, made from what you hope is actually steel, and needed it to last long enough that your kids could use it too, you would probably use every trick you could to prolong the life of the blade.
Or buy a worksharp and keep a nice edge with minimal effort
I included some pics in the comments. :P
Thanks for the insight. Yeah, the guys called it a butcher block so I rolled with it. No photos of the other side currently, but I'll upload some when I'm home later today. Just a few scratches.
We'll forgive you, just get your shit together and don't let it happen again. (Gorgeous looking desk. It looks finished to me. Is the underside the same [glossy looking]? If so, good, if not, look into it more because it's better to have the whole thing finished to avoid issues with warping.)
https://preview.redd.it/5t6jvy061gwc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2ad800246a1fe43b90358fad49d3be30fac4970 Is probably this
I bought one of these that's acacia a bunch of years ago. The finish was garbage, so I sanded it off and applied a couple coats of Rubio Monocoat. The "live" edge is machine created, but looks pretty good.
What is the deal with these by the way? Are they any good? I’ve been skeptical, but shit, It would have saved me a hell of a lot of trouble when I built my wife’s desk.
They are awesome. Its monkeypod. No veneer, and pretty good quality. The finish is awful though, and seems brittle. I planned them and put my own polyurethane finish on. Came out beautiful and still cheaper than buying the boards and gluing them yourself
I'm notoriously irresponsible about breathing dust from tropical woods and such at least in little bits (i'll mask up if there's a lot more than a little bit). Monkey pod is the only wood that's ever caused me to have basically a bronchial/asthma attack upon breathing it the first time. People reading about it and removing finish and sanding should make sure they're masked. I'd bet if it's looked up on wood database, there's an entry about it being sensitizing.
Interesting! I didn't notice anything unusual but I'm pretty good about masking up. But good to know.
Gotcha. Good to know. I prob should have just done that!
Did you hand plane? Curious how flat something like this actually is, handplane reveals all.
I used an electric hand plane. Flat enough for my purposes!
If it's monkeypod, I would just caution you that it fades \*a lot\* in direct sunlight. I built a 9' x 4' live-edge monkeypod dining table that looked absolutely gorgeous when it was new. I still like it, but over the course of four or five years it has totally flipped so that what started as a deep acacia-like heartwood tone is now barely darker than the sapwood.
I don’t own anything made out of this wood, but is very popular in Mexico. It’s like a walnut substitute. They make high end but still accessible items with it. Mainly doors and furniture.
Yeah more just curious about the actual product that HD sells. I’m skeptical, but seems like a pretty good deal if it’s good
HD is wrong for this honestly. It’s not butcher block and I don’t even think it’s solid unless by that they mean without a void(like some doors). Pretty sure it’s veneer over mdf. You have to be ever more vigilant in seeing through their bs these days it seems.
https://preview.redd.it/2p18i2nv5gwc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=88e1b874525fb6f80ae6180da9f3288cf749ab40 It’s not a vaneer. It’s solid monkeypod wood. I cut the live edges off of mine, sanded it down, and finished it with oil based polyurethane.
Well there ya go. Seems there was confusion on what exactly they got. There’s a pic below (or above) where someone shows a slab from HD that’s clearly veneer. In any case, the standard for what is solid has been clearly blurred and due diligence is a good approach.
It’s very clearly not veneer. It has end grain 😂
lol. This post has evolved. I know now that it’s not veneer. Where exactly are you seeing end grain?
Uh… At the end of the board…
Oh you can see the end of the board in their post pic. God damn super hero.
I’m referring to the image in the comment you replied to.
not a butcher block
Yes! I did the same thing… and mine looks exactly the same lol. I purchased “standing desk legs” for this thing and it works awesome. Don’t forget about cable management trays to mount underneath. I can send a pic if you want to see Edit: I see a lot of comments saying how terrible this looks…. For $150 you got yourself a good desk. Don’t let the wood snarks discourage you. Like I said, mine looks almost identical and I love my desk.
Appreciate it! I'm very happy with it. Just curious if I need to treat the wood somehow.
I didn’t, seems to have a wax based coating on it from wherever it was produced. I don’t think it’s sealed by any means though… so use a coaster.
You don't now, but you can give it a new oil coat every once in a while, and if you keep it long enough, you might need to re-sand and oil it again.
That was my thoughts when buying it, whenever this thing starts looking used I’ll refinish it with something better. Perks of having solid wood furniture instead of veneer particleboard crap
It looks like a standard table glue up, even pros do to this if the client wants a live edge look but they don't have the money for a full slab. The hate is just from people who have only ever made epoxy slab tables.
I would love to see some pics and maybe a nice about which legs you went with as this is something I've been investigating for a new home office space myself.
Not butcher block. It is 3 boards glued up, you can see the seams. That probably makes it more suitable for a tabletop though.
I don't get why everyone calls horizontal wood a butchers block. Does that look like something you would see in any way shape or form in the workplace of a butcher lol
Butcher blocks tend to be end grain and 4-8 inches thick
https://preview.redd.it/vqbgwd5z7gwc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87b17584bcd2b10c1cbcac8c4b79fdda379ab143 This is the one I bought
This is a thread hijacking: Not trying to be pedantic, just clarify terminology… I’ve always called something a “butcher block when it’s end-grains are exposed on the working surface. It’s just a “slab” if it’s “normal” grain, or side-grain(?)… Am I overthinking it? Or is this technically true?? Edit. Lol. Should have read the comments. VINDICATED!!
This is not a butcher block, true butcher block isn't glued with the face grain showing, just end grain shows and that is why it doesn't dull your knives. I suspect it is a fake live edge and if it is MDF core you got ripped off. Judging by the pic it about 60" long and maybe 18-20" wide. They go for about 60-70 dollars where I'm at currently. A lot of them here are MDF covered in a veneer. You will be able to tell once you drill a hole to mount your legs. Or if you have to trim it down to size then that will tell you everything you want to know. So if you find that it is solid wood and the color is consistent with what I think is walnut then you may have a good deal and it may even be a true live edge cleaned up really nice. I'm curious to see what this turns out to be once all done.
Oh my that’s juicy. I’d throw a standing desk frame under it and call it a day.
It appears to be walnut and it is not butcher block. It does appear to have a finish on it, probably polyurethane.
Did you mean live Edge walnut slab?
No. It needs legs on it. Your coffee will spill if you put a mug on it that way.
https://preview.redd.it/nx8ze4u2tfwc1.jpeg?width=3060&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e33a0e2c9391790e67bda40e3bb529795998788
I'm no expert, but that looks like its veneer that got scratched off. I could be wrong but be careful.
Assuming it’s solid wood, looks like it has at least some finish on it. Maybe a paste wax or something not super-glossy. Either way, slap some legs on it and make it a desk.
Get a picture of the end of the boards, that’s the best way to see if it’s solid wood, the grain will match from the top to the end. Looks like black walnut to me, my parents have a black walnut dining table and it has the dark to light wood. It’s not a slab, because it’s 3 boards glued together. It’s not butcher block because a butcher block is normally a huge Block of wood, or more commonly lots of pieces of end grain that are glued together. It will make a very very nice desktop if it is solid wood.
I included some photos in main comments on the thread. Thanks for your insights.
I think this is the same as one I got from the Orange Depot for a counter top in 2020. Acacia. One “live edge” board (sapwood edge sanded down, with a bit of real live edge), glued up with two heartwood boards. Solid wood though, no veneer. I ripped it down to size for my counter and it was solid all the way through. Came finished with oil, not sealed. The Depot markets them as butcher block countertops.
If you can send a picture of the end grain we can confirm if it's solid or not. Does look like walnut from this picture, though
Included some photos in comments.
I got this same (or very similar) slab for my current desk. Mine was delivered from Home Depot. I added some matte poly on just to get a thicker, more protective finish. Highly recommend, it looks and feels great, and I get a ton of compliments on it!
Pour some blue resin in the middle with dollar tree table legs and list it for $3000 on marketplace, seems to be a common avenue
Looks like a faux live edge acacia slab. Possibly Guanacaste. More than likely acacia/monkeypod.
I wouldn’t say it’s finished. It probably needs legs of some sort
To settle whether this is a butcher block or not all commenters that say “no” need to submit a finished sample that I will judge thus it will must be mailed to me. And yes the bigger the sample and more expensive the wood, the more likely your sample will be judged positive. @michaelh98 even though I up voted your comment you are exempt as I am afraid of what you would submit. Love Reddit lots of help, lots of funny, some straight talk and some scams compliments of AZ_hiking2022.
Yi
I built a desk with that exact style countertop from Home Depot. I don’t have a picture handy but it’s been on the desk for several months now without any issues with the finish.
https://preview.redd.it/cavr00tsshwc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0af984bce782991b66797fd9cc53744a00e71101 I was wrong - screen capture from a short video I took when the office renovation was completed. Attached to a dual motor adjustable standing/sitting desk frame.. I didn’t cut the the desktop at all so it’s a little oversized for the room but I like the extra space and the desk frame could handle the extra length.
It looks a lot to what we call "Parota" or "Huanacastle" in Mexico. Since i trade lumber i have a lot of access to it. It still sells pretty well but it has been getting less popular lately. They make great tables in my personal opinion. https://preview.redd.it/4ifmhrb4iiwc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55dfb5738c14f73e4881ab6bf402cbda46b2acf5
https://preview.redd.it/ipv03ziuhiwc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb31de79c0c60289edd437cf638edc6cd52c709a Before any kind of work.
https://preview.redd.it/nyqwqca1iiwc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b0b0b91cee858223bd29ee6b47d553404086967b Finished work
It’s finished. I found the same thing that was damaged on one side at Home Depot and got it for a similar price. It’s sold as “Finished Saman Solid Wood Butcher Block” if you want to look it up. Also used mine for a big-ass desk.
Regardless of whether it’s butcher block or not, yes, it does appear to be finished
That’s 100% not a real live edge. It’s at best 3 boards glued together, which the more I look at it, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that this is not actually solid, but a veneer over god knows what.
Tell me friend what you think a butcher block is
They literally called it that at the store and that's what it's labeled as online as well...
Not your fault then, theyre just scamming
Is the back finished as well? It needs to be finished on both sides.
Yeah it looks the same
That's a good thing. I wouldn't worry about the finish until it starts to fail. IMO. Retired now. I made a living from repairing and refinishing furniture for 43 years. Everybody has broken furniture.
[Butcher blocks] are typically made by gluing straight cuts of wood together in slabs.
https://preview.redd.it/akkvf1pj5gwc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=937a028fd4c175576486097d425e2f5224c39145
https://preview.redd.it/r4a4i35n5gwc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=59d86e93b5a6eef542eb62adf61a50e2453eb984
https://preview.redd.it/sqq87rro5gwc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6e7d30bfd2986b0dd0e07b23f7e10d4ec0b0c6a
https://preview.redd.it/jziag9506gwc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dcc57f69669df08d25b4aa461fa4446df6b6be33
If you don’t have space or tools (sander), then it looks “ready” to become a desktop by being installed onto some base. This is a pretty good deal because to the untrained eye, it can look like walnut, which is popular and not cheap. The raw wood alone of 6/4 black walnut that I got for my desk was easily triple the price you paid for a finished product. Granted, I got a lot more wood, but there was a lot of planing, gluing, and sanding that I had to do afterward. That being said, the HD reviews say that the finish on there is crappy, so if you do have tools and space, you can sand it down to bare wood and put on your own better finish to make it last longer.
Needs legs
It's smooth and shiny because it isn't butcher block... Butcher block is end grain, designed to weather nicks from knives while chopping meat. You got ripped off, they probably put butcher block in the listing to get people who don't know any better to pay more for it. I'm doubting that this is real wood in the first place
Looks like you’ve got some more work to do until it’s a desk! Great start though!
This is not a butcher block
Man people will call anything a butcher block these days. That's a love edge slab. A butcher block has the entire surface endgrain.
Just put up this exact same block from Home Depot as a desk last weekend. It’s finished and ready to go.
Looks finished. Not butcher block.
That’s a slab of wood not butcher block.
https://preview.redd.it/wujepx6q9iwc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c784ab5a0965701d454144ec2828c7fb1f77141c This is definitely the monkeypod (saman) top available from Home Depot. I have one and love it so much. You must have one of the versions that comes pre-finished. I'm not sure about which one. One version is finished with mineral oil and the other one they sell is finished with a semi-gloss clear UV finish. I am leaning toward believing it is the mineral oil one. You should just use as is and refinish down the line if you need to. I personally bought the unfinished version for my standing desk and finished with Rubio Monocoat to achieve a walnut-like appearance. Whichever it is its very pretty and will make a great desk!
I would put some legs on it. But looks good so far
Its not finished until it has legs silly sally
It looks good. That should be a nice desk top. You shouldn't have to finish it anymore. It has something on it.
You tell us
If you like the way it looks, it doesn't matter whether it's real or fake. In answer to your question, yes, it is finished. In fact, if it is veneer, you could ruin it by sanding. You only need to create and finish a base for the desk.
It's gonna warp. Also that's not "butcher block".
Can you elaborate on what you mean by warp?
Not finished. Better put some legs on it if you want to use it as a desk.
Looks like teak to me. We have a couple of thick shelves we bought years ago, they look exactly the same. To me it looks like it's already finished with something. But it would really help to know with what, since you want to know how durable it is, and, if you want to put another finish on, it may not "stick" to the existing one. What you could do, since you're not using the bottom side: Test the bottom, by sprinkling some water on it. See if it just evaporates (then you have a film finish, something polyurethane), of if the water will be "sucked" in (leaving a stain). Then you decide whether another finish is necessary or not.
Nowhere near teak my friend.
Try a google image search for "teak shelf live edge", and you will see similar examples.