Butcher block in the home is generally seen in areas in the kitchen such as a cutting board or tabletop in addition to being used in countertops and traditional chopping blocks. Usually, a butchers board is created from sugar maple, which is renowned for its hardness and attractive looks. In the old days, it was commonly seen as a butchers block or meat processing plant.

Today, any new construction home of decent value will probably feature more than a few surfaces in the kitchen with attractive wood grain butchers board it. There are usually two different kinds of block; end grain and edge grain. With end grain, the board is produced by gluing wood so that the fiber is perpendicular to the chopping surface. Usually, such a block is at least 4 inches thick.

Most professional chefs prefer using an end grain block, because the surface is able to withstand seemingly endless impacts from the edge of a knife. This is possible because the surface absorbs the knife edge, allowing it to go between the fibers of the wood. Consequently, knife edges remain sharper for far longer and the surface of the board is more resistant to gouging and nicking.

Like its sister, the edge grain board is made in almost the same way — by taking pieces of wood and gluing them together — but the fibers are laid out parallel to the surface and not perpendicular. This makes the block quite a bit easier to manufacture, and hence less costly to buy.

The major thing to keep in mind when it comes to resurfacing is that an end grain board can be resurfaced many times while an edge grain block will not generally be able to be refinished nearly as many times. Both boards are manufactured through high-pressure gluing processes, with an edge grain board being less durable than an end grain, though both will need to be re-oiled from time to time.

Today's homes generally feature some aspect of the kitchen that features butchers block. This may be on all the countertops, or just a few areas such as tabletops. Countertops are usually where they are seen most often nowadays, though the traditional chopping block with legs is also seen in more expensive homes. A board is generally lower priced and can last equally as long as a granite surface.

Some things to consider before you buy butchers block furniture or cutting boards, is whether it is end grain or not. Generally, end grain makes the best butcher block and is better for using with heavy knives, because, although it is more expensive, it is far longer lasting.