Sealing around a wooden worktop

ajkgordon · 17 Jan 2008

Good morning.

I am renovating an old mahogany kitchen worktop and would like any advice on sealing the joins around sinks, etc.

I have removed the old oils, which have turned to a waxy surface, with wax remover and wire wool and then sanded it down. It sits over a porcelain sink.

My question is which order should I do the next steps? Silicon sealant then oil or oil then sealant?

I have concerns for both. If I silicon the gaps first, won't water get through the wood behind the silicon? But if I oil first the silicon won't stick! Or is there a better solution?

Any advice gratefully received. Thanks.

oilman · 18 Jan 2008

You could use linseed oil putty. It is used on wooden boats with varnish coats over the top, or though for kitchen use waxing over the top would be a solution. Silicone sealer will cause plenty of potential problems for the future. Shame you removed all the protection which had built up over the years.

noseall · 18 Jan 2008

oil based mastic.

we used to use it in the old days when wooden door and window frames were still in use.

ajkgordon · 18 Jan 2008

oilman said:
You could use linseed oil putty. It is used on wooden boats with varnish coats over the top, or though for kitchen use waxing over the top would be a solution. Silicone sealer will cause plenty of potential problems for the future. Shame you removed all the protection which had built up over the years.

The wax surface was hiding all manner of sins. The worktop needed stripping because the many applications of oils over the years had turned into a hard wax in places and water was getting underneath and staining it, much like a varnish. I thought about putty but it's not flexible enough. A flexible mastic seems to be the best solution. I'm simply wondering about the order - oil then sealant or sealant then oil? Someone else has suggested oil then sealant then oil again.

ajkgordon · 18 Jan 2008

noseall said:
oil based mastic.

we used to use it in the old days when wooden door and window frames were still in use.

How do you tell if it's oil-based? I've got Unibond translucent Kitchen Sealant.

noseall · 18 Jan 2008

oil based mastic is specific to wooden frames, and stays soft but cures with a skin. it is NOT a silicon rubber. nor is it a caulk. nor is it an acrylic based sealant.

ask for traditional oil based mastic sealant.

ajkgordon · 30 Jan 2008

Well, it all seemed to work just fine. Treated the wood with a coat of Danish oil first and cleaned it off with meths before it had dried. Gave the wood a chance to absorb some before the silicon went on. Sealed the joins, waited 24 hours and then did the final two coats after that.

The only problem is that the oil is coloured so you can see where the translucent silicon is, i.e. the wood is now lighter under the sealant. But I'm expecting the colour in the oil to fade and I'm doing a monthly treatment with clear oil from now on.

Thanks for all your help.

diynot

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Sealing around a wooden worktop

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