which wooden worktop oil?

siany · 25 Jul 2008

having read lots of posts on worktop oil i am still undecided. tung oil is the recurring winner, but having checked out the liberon website it says it is not suitable for nut-allergy sufferers - this is a problem in our house!

i have ikea solid oak worktops waiting to be fitted and have just been convinced by a local shop to buy some hard wax oil - is this a good idea? i'm particulary worried about the sink area as several people seem to have had problems with water seeping in and turning the worktops black.

any adivce much appreciated!

JohnD · 25 Jul 2008

Advice if you are thinking of using oiled hardwood as a kitchen worktop.

Don't

awbcm · 25 Jul 2008

JohnD said:
Advice if you are thinking of using oiled hardwood as a kitchen worktop.

Don't

I totally concur. One big, big load of maintenance there after.

siany · 25 Jul 2008

ummmm, anything more constructive? the wood worktops are definitley staying!

awbcm · 25 Jul 2008

Danish Oil Or exchange the work tops for a good quality laminate, glass or granite one.

JohnD · 25 Jul 2008

siany said:
ummmm, anything more constructive? the wood worktops are definitely staying!

don't tile right down to them, and fit them in a way that makes them easy to remove when you change over to laminate in a couple of years.

Buy a couple of large plastic chopping boards and some trivets to put hot pans, mugs and teapots down on

clean it every day and oil it every week

Buy a very large paper towel dispenser to wipe up drips and spills immediately

have kitchen lighting that you can put dim bulbs into so people won't notice the shabby worktops

Majjie · 28 Jul 2008

Aww .... you're all very discouraging.

I come across quite a few people who love their wooden worktops - they regard a few marks as a sign of character. And if you think it's too tatty looking ... then you can sand the whole thing and start oiling again.

I think you'll find that Danish oil is a mixture of oils ... often including Tung oil.

Hard wax oil - which I believe was developed for oiling floors might be your best bet - as long as the oil part doesn't contain nut oil. It gives you a harder finish than just oil and you can still re-apply it in areas that get harder wear - without sanding down. I've noticed that a few worktop suppliers have started to recommend hard wax oil for their worktops.

Black marks on oak are often caused by iron cooking utensils ... and by leaving wet items on the worktop before you've built up a water resistant oily finish.

Majjie

awbcm · 28 Jul 2008

Majjie said:
Aww .... you're all very discouraging.

Being a professional cabinet making it is my duty to inform the OP of any disadvantages as well as advantages. And I can’t think of any advantages of having a solid timber work top.

woodfinishes1877 · 28 Jul 2008

In our opinion you'd be well advised to stay away from Hardwax Oil - it's not durable enough.

Either go for Danish Oil or Worktop Oil. Both are extremely durable and provide a desirable matt finish (depending on manufactuer).

Hope this helps.

Woodfinishes1877

woodfinishes1877 · 28 Jul 2008

In our opinion you'd be well advised to stay away from Hardwax Oil - it's not durable enough.

Either go for Danish Oil or Worktop Oil . Both are extremely durable and provide a desirable matt finish (depending on manufactuer).

Hope this helps.

Woodfinishes1877

siany · 29 Jul 2008

thanks everyone.

anobium · 29 Jul 2008

awbcm said:
Majjie said:

Aww .... you're all very discouraging.

Click to expand...

Being a professional cabinet making it is my duty to inform the OP of any disadvantages as well as advantages. And I can’t think of any advantages of having a solid timber work top.

I more or less wrote the same some months ago and got slated for it, seems that we must have quite a few suppliers and fitters on this forum

For what it's worth I cannot understand why people continue to buy wooden work tops.
They are easily scratched, they are unhygienic, they require frequent maintenance, and they are expensive.
Yes they look nice in the showroom but even there they are usually pitted with scratches.
Next time you go into the showroom, just run your fingernail across one to see what I mean, and then think what all your cutlery and pots and pans will do to it.
The laminates nowadays are far superior in every respect, and far cheaper, however I accept that Corian and other similar materiels have merits above laminate., but even these are over shadowed when the cost is taken into account.
For it to be worthwhile you would need to retain your Corian worktop for about 20 years, and what wife would want the same worktops for that long.!
Your wooden worktop will eventually succumb to chemical degradation no matter how many times you oil it.
Don't get me wrong I am a great lover of wood, I served my apprenticeship as a cabinet maker, but it just annoys me to see people being conned into buying these without knowing the facts.
I could go on about solid wood /laminate floors but I think that this was covered some time ago.

oilman · 2 Aug 2008

anobium said:
For what it's worth I cannot understand why people continue to buy wooden work tops.
....................... they are unhygienic ........................

In which case why are butchers permitted to have wooden chopping blocks?

JohnD · 2 Aug 2008

they aren't oiled or varnished, they are scrubbed, scraped and sterilised daily.

hands up who wants to do that daily to their kitchen worktop?

Majjie · 2 Sep 2008

Sorry ... got distracted and never came back to this thread. Just for the record:

I don't supply worktops - I just design them (with the rest of the kitchen

) and I always ask people who are interested in having solid timber worktops whether or not they will be prepared to give them some tlc. If they're not - then I recommend them to have some other material.

I often do a combination of timber and granite (or quartz composite) worktops, so that the timber isn't next to the sink and the cooker - where it is most likely to get wet and greasy - and where you might want to leave wet pots.

The belief that timber worktops are unhygienic is old fashioned I believe. There was a time when butchers were prevented from having timber blocks and had to have plastic ... then research found that timber was actually more hygienic. I don't see why oiling them would interfere with that.

I bow down to woodfinishes superior knowledge on wood treatment ... but I wonder why some suppliers have started to recommend hard wax oil? Surely it's not in their interests to have dissatisfied customers?

anobium and awbcm are obviously cabinetmakers who don't like wood worktops but I know quite a few cabinetmakers who love them. I do a lot of work with one who has them in his own kitchen.

If you love the idea of wood worktops - don't let the naysayers put you off - but be aware that, unlike other choices you could make, they will need some upkeep. There's nothing worse than unloved timber worktops

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which wooden worktop oil?

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