A walnut countertop is one of the best surfaces you can use in the kitchen. Not only is it a sturdy species, it also comes in an array of natural colors. Walnut’s versatility helps it complement any kitchen.
Why a Walnut Countertop is Perfect for Your Kitchen
Walnut is one of our most popular wood for kitchen surfaces due to outstanding features like:
- Strength
- Shock resistance
- It looks great with colorful walls
- It works with other woods
- Its ability to be neutral or stand out
- Its amazing color range
If walnut sounds appealing, we’ll help you choose the best features for your home and needs.
Why Shock Resistance is Important in a Walnut Countertop
If you buy only the best cookware, knives and cleavers, you probably have cast iron or stainless steel. Dropping a cast iron frying pan can crack inferior woods. However, if you use heavy cookware, walnut is ideal.
Walnut’s strength means that it will stand up to years of heavy use. That’s an important consideration when you’re investing in custom wood countertops.
Construction Styles
You have a wealth of wood design options to choose from when you select walnut for your countertops. It enhances any construction style and takes both food-safe and waterproof finishes well. While you can choose to stain your countertops, most of our clients forego stain after they see the full range of walnut’s natural palette.
We’ve become well-known for our heavy end grain walnut butcher block. We recently built a Delaware walnut end grain piece to house a client’s sink. The almost black and golden cubes are both walnut and weren’t stained.
A log consists of heartwood and sapwood. The sapwood, or outer layers, can be very pale compared to the heartwood. If you’re looking for butcher block with contrasting colors, walnut is our first suggestion.
End grain butcher block is best if you want a showpiece. For functional butcher block countertops, edge grain is best. It’s easy on your blades and not as busy as the end grain checkerboard style.
Other constructions styles are solid slab and premium wide plank. Solid slabs are the full width of the tree. Their price makes them best for islands and small bar tops.
Premium wide plank is the easiest and least expensive style. It’s a solid surface of any size built from planks. It’s classic and always looks good. We use this style for countertops, islands, bar tops and tables.
Color and Your Walnut Countertop
Most walnut is a milk chocolate shade. Slabs often have a striking golden glow. A premium plank countertop allows you to experience all the natural colors of walnut. Walnut can be tawny and even light reddish brown. You can use walnut’s palest sapwood to accentuate its dark heartwood.
Do you love your painted walls? A warm shade of walnut with warm walls makes your kitchen feel cozy. Blue is a trendy color for painted cabinets and island bases. Both cool and warm shades of walnut look especially good with blue.
If you prefer neutral colors like white, off white or even gray, American black walnut adds just the right amount of color and warmth.
Do you want an accent piece for your granite island? Walnut’s knotholes and prominent grain contrast beautifully with stone.
Discover how a walnut countertop can be perfect for your kitchen. To schedule a consultation or to learn more about our other wood species, call Maryland Wood Countertops today at 443-840-7373.