# Birch butcher block counter top cupping



## srs (Mar 5, 2017)

Two weeks ago I bought three pieces of birch edge grain butcher block counter top from IKEA. They were the 6 foot sections, I believe. I brought them home, set the boxes in my spare room (in the house) to acclimate to the interior temperature, and there they've sat for two weeks. They were wrapped in plastic, in their boxes, and stacked on top of one another. Today, I've come to the part of the kitchen remodel where I'm ready to start cutting. I pulled the first piece out and noticed that it was cupping (with the middle bowing up, rather than down, just FYI). I checked the other two pieces, and they're all the same. Is this normal? Was it something I did? Can anything be done to remedy it? Or, should I be complaining to IKEA?


----------



## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

may well have been the plastic sealing in moisture/humidity....


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Wood needs to breathe. Rather than leaving them in the box it would have been better to have stacked them laying flat off the floor on something like saw horses with sticks between them. Basically when the moisture content changes from one side or the other wood will cup warp. The side with the crown has gotten more moisture than the other. You could help them by wetting the crown side with a damp cloth while putting some dry heat on the crown side. This will hurry the recovery but the safest fix would be to stack the wood with sticks and wait for them to flatten on their own. 

Now, when you get them flat and use them be sure to put a finish on the underside of the tops to prevent them from warping again. Both sides need a finish to equalize the moisture content. Otherwise the top side would be sealed and humidity can get into the wood from the bottom.


----------



## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

They could also just need more acclimation time, it sounds like your house is dryer than Ikea's warehouses. The moisture leaves the edges first, so they shrink and cause the middle to cup. Being wrapped in plastic certainly wouldntve helped things, that likely delayed the acclimation further


----------



## srs (Mar 5, 2017)

Two followup questions then. 

1. I know this is impossible to say for sure, but how long are you guessing this will take to either acclimate and/or reflatten (assuming I don't assist it other than allowing it to breath and do its thing naturally)? Are we talking days? Weeks? Months?

2. Steve, what you say makes sense to me (about how I should have taken it out of the box and how it needs to be finished on all sides. BUT, this is contrary to everything we've read. This is where my frustration comes in. Every source seems to say something different (and usually opposite) regarding what to do. IKEA's instructions specifically state NOT to remove the counter tops from the boxes/plastic until you are ready install them. Likewise, several sources say NOT to finish the underside as this will cause problems. Now, maybe they're referring to Waterlox or poly, but it's confusing regardless. (We were only planning on using a mineral oil/wax finish, FYI.)

Thanks for the advice and tips.


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

srs said:


> Two followup questions then.
> 
> 1. I know this is impossible to say for sure, but how long are you guessing this will take to either acclimate and/or reflatten (assuming I don't assist it other than allowing it to breath and do its thing naturally)? Are we talking days? Weeks? Months?
> 
> ...


Yea, I know where you are coming from. There is all kinds of bad information out there. Sealing both sides of a panel though is woodworking 101 stuff though. It doesn't have to be the same finish as you use on the top but it needs something to keep humidity out. 

The timeframe to naturally flatten the top would be impossible to guess. It wouldn't be days, it would probably be more like two weeks to a couple months. A more gentle way to push it since it's not hot weather yet would be to lay it on saw horses with the crown side up in the sun. Just be sure you use enough horses it doesn't bow lengthwise. 

The reason they say not to take the tops out of the box until ready to install is people would take it out of the box and lay them flat on the floor where air could only get to one side. This for sure would cause them to bow. Another reason is once out of the box someone is likely to spill something on it or damage it in some other way. 

If a person used waterlox or poly on both sides of the top the only problem might be the smell of the finish inside the cabinet. That would go away in about a month. A mineral oil finish would probably let off less smell. 

How did they say to install the tops to the cabinets? Usually a countertop you spread a bead of liquid nails around the cabinet and set the countertop on it. This would be very bad for your tops. Since it is solid wood over time it will shrink in width. If it's glued firmly to the cabinet when it shrinks the tops are likely to split to releave the pressure. The tops need to be allowed to shrink. A good way to do this is with the Rockler table top fasteners. You could cut the slots in the cabinets with a biscuit cutter.


----------



## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

srs said:


> Two followup questions then.
> 
> IKEA's instructions specifically state NOT to remove the counter tops from the boxes/plastic until you are ready install them. Likewise, several sources say NOT to finish the underside as this will cause problems. Now, maybe they're referring to Waterlox or poly, but it's confusing regardless. (We were only planning on using a mineral oil/wax finish, FYI.)
> 
> Thanks for the advice and tips.



is it possible they were warped prior to you receiving them. I would try to return them, personally, since you followed their directions. they may not return to flat.


----------



## srs (Mar 5, 2017)

We've decided to return them. Not sure how much grief they will give us, but keeping them isn't worth the hassle. Instead, we've decided to buy some sections of butcher block from Menards. My final question would be, if I plan on cutting and installing them this weekend, should I go buy them now so they have a chance to acclimate, or is this not necessary? If I do buy them tonight, how should I store them until Saturday? I assume like stated above, unwrap them and stack them flat with spacers between them.

Thanks again.


----------



## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

on any large flat panel, glued up or not, always store it so that air can reach all sides evenly. in other words, do not lay it flat on a table/floor.


----------



## 35015 (Nov 24, 2012)

Hello SRS,

I've scanned the post above, and not sure it I am going to be much help. I don't care for "box store bought" Butcher Block stock...It is usually not really that good and WAY too thin.

I have built several tradtional Butcher Block (aka the type actually found in a traditional Abattoir) and they are never thinner than 100 mm...with most being 300 mm or thicker to start. This is why we find some that are over 300 years old and still in use today!

The reason Ikea (et al) have you leave them in the box, is they know they will move. They want them installed as fast as possible to a frame work to stop them for cupping and/or bowing. This also takes on the matter of how to afix them to a counter top and still allow seasonal movement...Doable but can be a pain in the butt also...

Both sides get finish (in real Butcher Block) with only traditional oils...NEVER!!!...modern finishes or plastics like polys. Most common blend is:

Flax Oil
Tung or Walnut Oil
Pine Rosin
Beeswax
Citrus Oil thinner

Bottom and sides tend to get a heavier wax finish and tops are often coated in nothing but Olive, Coconut, or Walnut oil. I like Walnut, and then Coconut...Olive can (rarely) go rancid as it is the least active of the "non drying oils."

Good luck!


----------

