Solid wood worktops - are they worth it
Discussion
Don't oil, use satin Sadolin PV67 as discussed on here many times.
Of course, if you're happy oiling then go ahead, but the above is a harder wearing and after 6 years of hard use our oak worktops are only just now showing signs of wear.
Laminate is OK but it is what it is. It's like getting plastic windows. All down to personal preference!
Of course, if you're happy oiling then go ahead, but the above is a harder wearing and after 6 years of hard use our oak worktops are only just now showing signs of wear.
Laminate is OK but it is what it is. It's like getting plastic windows. All down to personal preference!
I have had the Ikea oak worktop for 10 years now and have had to replace the piece by the sink as my wife is terrible with water and we have the black rot yet again so will probably go with laminate although she would like granite of some description but at 10 metres required it will not be cheap
Here's ours...bit of a PITA to be honest. They have got more resilient as the oil has built up, I tend to do them once every 4 months or so, but to start with the marking, and blackening around the sink, was pretty frightening. They do very much "work" in the house, however if you can stretch to granite or something similar I'd be going down that road instead.
We have walnut and whilst wood can be warmer and less clinical than stone or composite, it can also be tiresome to live with.
We use a linseed-based oil on ours, as recommended by the supplier, but over time it has resulted in a vaguely sticky feel to the surface. We have to make sure to wipe any splashes around the sink umpteen times a day and any spillages that go unnoticed can cause staining/swelling. Strongly coloured foods can stain the wood too. As others have said, if you have children they can inadvertently damage the wood with toys or craft activities, particularly if you have a breakfast bar area that they sit at. Even something falling out of a wall unit onto the worktop can leave a dent.
Yes, you can sand them and restore much of the original look but it can be a fiddly and time-consuming job.
Personally I think I'd go for something more durable and with less maintenance next time.
We use a linseed-based oil on ours, as recommended by the supplier, but over time it has resulted in a vaguely sticky feel to the surface. We have to make sure to wipe any splashes around the sink umpteen times a day and any spillages that go unnoticed can cause staining/swelling. Strongly coloured foods can stain the wood too. As others have said, if you have children they can inadvertently damage the wood with toys or craft activities, particularly if you have a breakfast bar area that they sit at. Even something falling out of a wall unit onto the worktop can leave a dent.
Yes, you can sand them and restore much of the original look but it can be a fiddly and time-consuming job.
Personally I think I'd go for something more durable and with less maintenance next time.
We have a double-depth peninsula of Ikea oak worktop, something like 2.5m x 1.2m, huge chunk of wood (well, lots of little chunks of wood all working as a team) which was treated 4 times with Osmo Topoil (PolyX is similar if not the same) before fitting, and maybe once a week for a month after that, and then lucky if it gets treated once a year since then (4 years ago). Still looks great, no worries about water spillages, can leave damp mug rings to evaporate with no staining or marking, side of the sink still looks spotless. Only thing to watch is damp cans which can leave black circles, but a quick sand and re-oil (of that area, no need to do the whole thing) and it's back to new. So Osmo all the way.
Risotto said:
We have walnut and whilst wood can be warmer and less clinical than stone or composite, it can also be tiresome to live with.
We use a linseed-based oil on ours, as recommended by the supplier, but over time it has resulted in a vaguely sticky feel to the surface. We have to make sure to wipe any splashes around the sink umpteen times a day and any spillages that go unnoticed can cause staining/swelling. Strongly coloured foods can stain the wood too. As others have said, if you have children they can inadvertently damage the wood with toys or craft activities, particularly if you have a breakfast bar area that they sit at. Even something falling out of a wall unit onto the worktop can leave a dent.
Yes, you can sand them and restore much of the original look but it can be a fiddly and time-consuming job.
Personally I think I'd go for something more durable and with less maintenance next time.
I did a re-oil of ours with rustins Danish oil and found that it seemed to just not dry, and felt sticky. I gave it a wipe over with white spirit on an old tshirt, let that dry and then reoiled and it dried hard like the initial coats.We use a linseed-based oil on ours, as recommended by the supplier, but over time it has resulted in a vaguely sticky feel to the surface. We have to make sure to wipe any splashes around the sink umpteen times a day and any spillages that go unnoticed can cause staining/swelling. Strongly coloured foods can stain the wood too. As others have said, if you have children they can inadvertently damage the wood with toys or craft activities, particularly if you have a breakfast bar area that they sit at. Even something falling out of a wall unit onto the worktop can leave a dent.
Yes, you can sand them and restore much of the original look but it can be a fiddly and time-consuming job.
Personally I think I'd go for something more durable and with less maintenance next time.
I wanted oak but the misses said no as I'm a bit OCD and would always be moaning at her not keeping it clean ha
I then wanted quartz but it was over 2k and we want to move in a couple of years.
so went for a white wood look. Was new to magnet at the time I believe. Felt it looked better than the fake oak, and suited the kitchen.
Happy with it, it serves it's purpose, looks good and requires no maintenance Next house will be granite or quartz though as we'll be staying for a few years.
I then wanted quartz but it was over 2k and we want to move in a couple of years.
so went for a white wood look. Was new to magnet at the time I believe. Felt it looked better than the fake oak, and suited the kitchen.
Happy with it, it serves it's purpose, looks good and requires no maintenance Next house will be granite or quartz though as we'll be staying for a few years.
uluru said:
I've been pleasantly surprised at how little maintenance our oak worktop has required. One of the benefits for me is that a slight dent or similar just adds to the patina....
Ah yes, that slightly worn look, when the rest of the kitchen is spanking 
Did I mention wood can fade in direct sunlight as well?
You can 'iron' out dents in wooden worktops.. 
or rather use the steam generated to iron them out. e.g. http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-remove-a-de...
or rather use the steam generated to iron them out. e.g. http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-remove-a-de...I would, had an iroko worktop in last house which was oiled by previous owners. Didn't take long to sand it back & re-oil it (seeing my mistake based on the comments on Pistonheads...)
For a new kitchen myself, I WOULD go for wood again - however, I would look to try and mitigate future problems a) Follow advice above and b) see if I could install some form of wall mounted tap, even if it was poking out the lower half of a window sill, like the below... would make it much easier to keep dry....
For a new kitchen myself, I WOULD go for wood again - however, I would look to try and mitigate future problems a) Follow advice above and b) see if I could install some form of wall mounted tap, even if it was poking out the lower half of a window sill, like the below... would make it much easier to keep dry....
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