A lot of things have changed since I left my bachelor pad behind.
One of the biggest changes that I’ve noticed is the relationship I have with my kitchen, and more specifically, my kitchen counter.
The one-bedroom apartment lifestyle has its conveniences, but a tiny kitchen and an even tinier countertop are not on that list.
Having a bamboo countertop and a bamboo butcher block really opened up my home cooking experience as much as it improved the look of the kitchen overall!
With more space to work with, I found myself looking forward to cooking in a way I hadn’t before.
That just goes to show that having the right tools for the job makes a world of difference, and anything bamboo is the right tool for me.
After doing a little digging online, I found out that a bamboo countertop is pretty much identical in function to standard plywood and laminate or even a wildly expensive solid wood countertop, making it a great eco-friendly upgrade to your workspace!
The process of making a bamboo composite is very similar to creating plywood or particleboard, but using a much faster growing and easily replanted grass as opposed to slow and steady trees.
And while bamboo is far more sustainable than your typical hardwoods, it has just as much durability and style as any of the other materials that have been popular for the past few decades!
Something I hadn’t even considered when I started doing my research, however, was the durability of a wood (or grass) based countertop.
I decided to look a little deeper into what kind of wear and tear your counters should be able to handle.
As it turns out, not really that much.
A lot of companies fail to mention that just because you’re used to a wooden cutting board does not mean that your wooden countertop will double as a cutting surface.
In fact, cutting on your countertop will both damage your counter and create unsanitary conditions.
This is how I found out that there is an important difference between a bamboo countertop and a bamboo butcher block, and that the industry as a whole has a big problem with calling countertops butcher blocks when they really are not at all.
More on the butcher blocks and how they’re different later. For now, let’s focus on the best bamboo countertops I found in my deep dive!
Best Bamboo Countertops
Countertops, unlike butcher blocks, are meant to be used only as a work surface and therefore cannot double as a cutting surface, but they still offer a beautiful and natural style to your kitchen aesthetic.
That being said, the main difference between these bamboo countertops is going to be the style and the overall size, which can be very important depending on how big your kitchen is.
Fortunately, you can rest easy knowing that many of these styles come in a variety of lengths and widths to suit any kitchen!
Best Overall
Starting from the top with my top choice, we have the Sparrow Peak 8-ft Unfinished Natural Straight Bamboo Kitchen Countertop.
This is a beautiful countertop on its own, but with a lot of added potential for any DIY fans out there.
This bamboo countertop made my Best Overall because of its style, a gorgeous vertical grain with a perpendicular center core that adds an eye-catching visual to break up the smooth lines of the natural grain.
Being an unfinished countertop as well, this option from Sparrow Peak offers unlimited customization, allowing you to cut it to any size needed for your oddly shaped spaces, and then lacquer or finish it in any color you’d like!
Of course, if you’re not looking to get your hands too dirty during your kitchen remodel, you can always check out their other options at Sparrow Peak’s bamboo page.
If this bamboo countertop or any of their other choices grab you, head over to the Sparrow Peak 8-ft Unfinished Natural Straight Bamboo Kitchen Countertop product page.
Best Bamboo Countertop for Large Kitchens
Having a large kitchen is certainly a blessing – plenty of space for prep as well as extra room for the coffee maker, toaster, and any other gadgets.
Until it’s time to remodel.
Finding a larger bamboo countertop for your space that suits your style and your eco-friendliness can be a challenge, so a countertop that comes in variable sizes that will match when placed side-by-side is a must.
Meet the Teragren Bamboo Countertop, an absolutely stunning choice for anyone looking to orient their kitchen around sustainability, and look good doing it!
The variable size options are great to meet the dimensions of your workspace perfectly, but the aesthetic is the real kicker for this bamboo countertop.
This beauty is available in four distinct styles – my personal favorite being the Caramelized Parquet End Grain pictured below.
If you like this style or are interested in the other styles offered, head over to the Teragren Bamboo Countertop product page!
Best Bamboo Countertop for Small Kitchens
The struggles that come with redoing your kitchen aren’t all universal, but finding a great bamboo countertop for a smaller-sized kitchen workspace can be just as difficult, if not more so, than shopping for a larger one.
While a lot of this can be avoided by going for an unfinished countertop and then cutting it to size, that isn’t a route that every homeowner wants to take.
If that’s not something you’re up for, finding a ready-made option helps take a lot of unnecessary work off your plate!
My choice for this category was a shoo-in with the Q Solutions 6-ft Natural Straight Bamboo Kitchen Countertop, a great choice for anyone looking to make their smaller kitchen more modern and eco-friendly.
A nice variation of colors meet in this bamboo countertop, complimented by the perpendicular core, a style that I’m very fond of, personally.
While it is made for smaller kitchens, this would be an excellent choice for an island countertop as well, something that I think most home chefs would agree is the ultimate work surface upgrade for any home!
See this beautifully compact option over at the Q Solutions 6-ft Natural Straight Bamboo Kitchen Countertop product page.
Best Bamboo Countertop for Bathrooms
I imagine that for a lot of folks, myself included, you don’t give your bathroom sink too much thought unless there’s an issue.
Well, when that issue comes along, be it a leaky faucet, bad pipes, or any other minor disaster you can think of, make the best of it by giving your sink a quick but impactful revamp with a fresh bamboo countertop!
If you’ve read any of my other articles, you’ve probably noticed I’m Sweede – er, sweet – on IKEA, and the TOLKEN Bamboo Countertop is just the latest item on my list of reasons why.
Clean and cool, this is a perfect cherry on top to your sink cabinet that needs a new look, with a nice natural finish and that eye-catching core that sets this bamboo countertop apart from any of your standard counter materials.
Find yourself falling for this budget-friendly option over at the TOLKEN Bamboo Countertop product page!
Bamboo Butcher Blocks
So here’s the deal – lots of companies and manufacturers use the term “butcher block” to describe what’s really just a wooden or bamboo countertop.
The main factor that differentiates them is whether the surface can truly be used for cutting or not.
As a little background, butcher blocks used to be used mainly by butchers to separate cuts of meat using a heavy cleaver – hence the name – and are designed to have significant resistance to the repeated cutting action.
The key reason a butcher block is different from just an extra durable countertop is that butcher blocks are also intended to be cut or sanded down and then refinished in order to keep the surface food-safe, something countertops are not really designed for.
When you cut on a wooden surface, even an extra durable one, the knife will leave small scratches and pits which over time can accumulate small bits of food.
This particle buildup naturally leads to harmful germs and bacteria being a little close for comfort to all the food you prep.
Not good.
Bamboo butcher blocks are great for those of us who want to get serious about meat preparation and safety, or for those who just like the look and style of a butcher block to go with whatever work surface they already have at home.
Wrap Up
Well folks, that concludes this list of the best bamboo countertops and butcher blocks, I hope you found the one for you, and if you didn’t – don’t worry, there are plenty of other options out there that might have slipped past me!
If you do find another awesome product that fills that bamboo countertop or butcher block shaped hole in your heart, make sure to let us know – we’d love to hear from you!
