How to Revive Old Butcher Block (plus, nachos!)

Today, I’m going to show you how to revive old butcher block. And how to make a yummy snack! But first, of course, a story:

I really wanted an island in my kitchen, but could never find one small enough that would fit.

Click on this photo to see how I renovated my kitchen on a budget (starting three days before guests arrived for Christmas!)!

My kitchen is pretty small, and we don’t have much counter space.

I’ve tried different options for an island, but nothing worked. I found this small island at IKEA, but it was $200 (at the time; now, it’s $150).

I thought it would work size-wise, but the price wasn’t in my budget. That is, until I found it on a yard sale page on Facebook (sorry for the fuzzy photo):

Of course, I jumped at it! (Not literally. I just drove over and picked it up.) For $60, I had the perfect island…except for the butcher block top.

As you can see, there were lots of scratches and dings on it. And some crayon. And marker.

I’m going to show you how to make a butcher block island top look like new!

Materials Needed to Revive Old Butcher Block:

I’ve included an affiliate link to Amazon so that you can find the product(s) more easily.

Sandpaper: 120-grit and 220-grit

Mineral oil

Rags

Seriously. That’s all you need.

Instructions for How to Revive Old Butcher Block:

Go outside to do this, by the way. It’s going to be messy.

(1) Take the 120-grit sandpaper and rub it over the butcher block.

Rub it WITH THE GRAIN of the wood. You don’t have to push down or rub hard to do this – let the sandpaper do the work for you. Just lightly rub it in the direction of the grain of the wood.

The 120-grit sandpaper is the more course of the two sandpapers we’re using, and it will take off crayon, dirt, and other stuff, plus it will smooth out the wood where there are scratches.

After you have sanded the butcher block so that the scratches and other imperfections are out – this took me two or three sandings – use the 220-grit sandpaper to get a nice, smooth finish.

(2) Once you are happy with how it looks, wipe it down with a damp (not soaked) rag to remove all dust.

Much better, right?? But wait! There’s one more step.

(3) Take another rag and put some mineral oil on it. Start with maybe a quarter-sized squirt of it on the rag.

Wipe it over the wood, again in the direction of the grain. You won’t believe how the wood just perks right up!

See what I mean? It’s gorgeous, dahling!

Before:

After:

Not bad, for $60 and some elbow grease!

And now, time to cook on it!

I thought this snack idea would be perfect for The Big Game coming up (GO FALCONS!!): DIY Nachos with The Laughing Cow Cheese!

This snack could not be easier to make:

Ingredients:

• Tortilla chips
• The Laughing Cow cheese – I used Spicy Pepper Jack and White Cheddar
• Toppings: I used lettuce, black olives, avocado slices, salsa, and sour cream
• Sheet pan (covered in aluminum foil)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil and cover with your favorite tortilla chips. Then, using a knife, slice pieces of The Laughing Cow cheese onto the chips. The cheese is creamy, so you can spread it on the chips, or you can just cut slices and lay it on the chips.

Bake the chips and cheese until chips are brown and warm – not quite 10 minutes (watch them so the chips don’t burn!).

Add toppings and enjoy!

Check out the video of how I made the DIY nachos:

Now you can revive your butcher block just in time to make nachos and other yummy snacks for The Big Game!

Thanks to the Laughing Cow, which provided me with product, a $50 gift card, and a sweepstakes entry for this post. For my full disclosure policy, please click HERE.