Kitchen Help/Designers in Knoxville (Charlotte: countertops, appliances, house)

[Servpro Will]

Hello all, any help will be greatly appreciated. We are in the middle of completing a house remodel, and one area the "honey-do" list has me on now is completing the kitchen. We've done some funky cabinets, wooden beams, new colors, etc. But, I'm in need of wooden countertops, butcher block style for the whole kitchen. Anyone know a good place that may offer these? Lowes and the Depot didn't have any viable options. Anyone that has a kitchen designer recommendation or know where to track down a good product please post or PM me. Thanks in advance for any help!
Will

[knoxgarden]

You don't see many wood counters these days. Too hard to clean and sanitize.
Ikea has some, but you'd have to drive to Atlanta to get them.
IKEA | Kitchen cabinets & appliances | Countertops | PRONOMEN | Countertop (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40057754 - broken link)
Might try Dixie Kitchen on Broadway.

[Servpro Will]

Yeah, sanitization is the one drawback of the wooden. After proper "googling", we've determined that the style is just the look that we want for the house, so I've been doing some research on proper care (sealing every three months, what to use on top, not setting hot dishes or pans on it, etc). We've decided to use mobile cutting boards for most of our prep work to cut down on food exposure. Ikea does have some reasonable options, but I'll check Dixie. Thanks.

[bebette]

Originally Posted by knoxgarden

You don't see many wood counters these days. Too hard to clean and sanitize.
Ikea has some, but you'd have to drive to Atlanta to get them.
IKEA | Kitchen cabinets & appliances | Countertops | PRONOMEN | Countertop (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40057754 - broken link)
Might try Dixie Kitchen on Broadway.

IKEA in Charlotte, NC has their grand opening this week!!!!

[knoxgarden]

How about bamboo? Ecologically sound and supposedly harder than maple.
Totally Bamboo:Countertop Gallery
Beautiful colors.

[tennmoto]

The bamboo counters are attractive, and I saw them on one of my Green websites.

[Beretta]

William -

The Home and Garden show is this weekend. You might want to go there and see if there are any kitchen designers you like. Of course, you know to check references, etc. Also, homebuilders and others there can give you recommendations or steer you away from some. I love the look of butcher block and if you utilize a cutting board you should be fine with proper care. I can't wait to see pictures!

Good luck.

[cgarvey73]

Have you thought about finding a local woodworker or mill work shop to fabricate them for you? I don't know how many square feet, dimensions, etc. that you need but with a table saw and a decent planer, making butcher block counters isn't that difficult. Did you want the standard maple, or some other wood?

[Servpro Will]

Thanks everyone for the responses. My ideal was the maple, since its harder in substance and easier to keep clean. I've thought about trying to fabricate myself, or have someone comission to do it for me. I like the bamboo look, though since our house is a refurbished 1930's farmhouse, I think the butcher block will keep the country feel the best. Smoky, I will definitely try and take in the H&G show this weekend if I'm not too booked. Surely I can find someone there to help, so thanks for the heads up! Is it at the expo center or somewhere else?

[Beretta]

It's at the Convention Center. Here's the linky. Have fun whatever you end up doing!