Plank-style wood tops, also called face-grain countertops, are crafted using the flat face of each board. This style highlights the wood’s wide grain patterns, showcasing its natural cathedral grains and beautiful swirls.

We build our plank countertops from boards 3"–10" wide, carefully selecting lumber to match your preferences and create the most visually appealing result. Because every piece of wood is unique, your custom countertop will be truly one-of-a-kind.

Quarter Sawn (pictured at right)

Quarter-sawn lumber is made by first cutting the log into four quarters, then flat-sawing each quarter. This produces boards where the growth rings run roughly 60–90° to the face, creating a straight, linear grain without the “cathedral” pattern seen in plain-sawn wood. In red oak and white oak, quarter-sawn boards also reveal attractive flecking, or medullary rays, in the grain.

Because this method requires more labor and generates additional waste, quarter-sawn lumber is more expensive than plain-sawn. 

Rift Sawn (pictured at right)

Rift-sawn wood planks are cut from a log at a slight angle—typically 30–60° to the growth rings—producing boards with a very straight, linear grain and minimal flecking or medullary rays. Because the process requires more labor and generates additional waste, rift-sawn planks come at a higher cost, but they deliver a sleek, refined look for contemporary designs. 

When choosing a wood countertop, it’s important to remember that these surfaces are products of nature. Like people, each board is unique — colors, tones, and grain patterns will naturally vary. Our craftsmen carefully hand-select materials to achieve the best color and grain match, but some variation is inevitable, and it’s these individual differences that give every wood countertop its charm and character. Because of this, your finished top may look slightly different from any small sample you’ve seen.

The thickness of your custom countertop is limited only by the raw materials available. Our standard thicknesses are listed on the Ordering Your Countertop page, but if you don’t see what you need, call or email us — we may be able to source thicker boards to meet your specifications.

All of our plank-style countertops are finished with durable, time-tested coatings to protect the wood. At Sprague Woodworking, we use Waterlox Urethane Formula, which is food-safe and non-toxic when fully cured. For more details, see our Countertop Finishes page.