When you start looking for worktops for your kitchen renovation or remodel you will more than likely hear the term solid wood worktops.  These are made out of wood but they are not a single solid piece.  A large piece of wood that would be necessary for a wooden worktop would never be able to dry without cracking. Antifreeze is toxic so there is no place for it in a cooking area; but some people have spread it on a large piece of wood to prevent it from cracking.  As they say on TV, “Don’t try this at home.”
A solid wood worktop is mainly comprised of several small blocks of wood glued together to form a large, flat surface.  Vertical grain is the first of the three main types or styles available.  With this procedure, the pieces of wood are placed on the edge so that their faces are glued together showing the edge of the wood grain, which is usually very appealing.  The grains are in fact the growth rings of the tree and the closer the rings are together the more mature the tree is generally.
The second style is produced by assembling the pieces flat and gluing the edges together.  This is called the flat grain and exposes the knots and grains structure in the piece.  This is possibly the second most prominent type of wood work.  The butcher’s block style has this name because that is what it looks like. Leaving the end of the wood exposed, the pieces are cut even shorter than in the other two styles and then the edges and faces are glued together.  This is how the butcher blocks were built because the knife will not get dull by slicing in to the end of the boards.  In addition these can be equipped with interchanging colors of wood which results to a checker board look.
Even if a solid wood worktop is not actually solid wood, it is always very appealing to look at and adds a great touch of beauty to your renovation.