Fitting a solid wood work surface

[andy2306]

Hi

Ive decided to get a wooden work surface for my kitchen, and after arranging for someone to fit it and purchasing the worktop and having it in my kitchen for a couple of days it now turns out he cant do it for 6 weeks. My question is.

Is fitting a solid wood worksurface a DIY job? Im a competent DIYer but probabaly dont have all the correct tools.

Can you tell me the tools i'll need, I want a mitered joint not just a joint to but up to the other surface and any other things to look out for. I am fitting 5.3m of worksurface. with 1 90 degree joint between a 2.3m and a 1.5m length the other is 1.5m with a cooker integral. I will also need to cut out for a belfast sink and drain lines into the sink

Please help, if its not a DIY job how much would this kind of work cost

Thanks
Andy

 

[Scrit]

Is fitting a solid wood worksurface a DIY job? Im a competent DIYer but probabaly dont have all the correct tools.

Yes, if you have the right tools:-

Good quality 8 or 9in circular saw with fine blade + straight edge "system"
Jack, smoothing and block planes, all freshly sharpened
Industrial jigsaw which can cut 40mm solid wood straight (so no B&Q £10 specials)
2000 watt plunge router and bits - for drip grooves, cleaning-up cut-outs, edge profiling, etc
Sloping jig for drainer grooves
Decent quality auger bit(s) - for cut-out corners, tap holes, etc
Heavy-duty corded or large cordless drill for use with same (or even a brace - I carry one at all times in the van)
Belt sander, 4in
Trestles (4 off)
G-cramps/QR cramps
Sandinf block
Cordless drill/driver
Chisels, sharpened

or at least that's the main tools I carry for this job. Oh and for big tops like these you'll also need a competent helper as the worktops are not lightweight.

I want a mitered joint not just a joint to but up to the other surface and any other things to look out for.

Well if you are working with solid timber tops MASON'S MITRED JOINTS ARE COMPLETELY THE WRONG TYPE OF JOINT. Sorry to shout, but almost every competent joiner I know says that and some kitchen fitters and DIYers still insist on mason's mitres. They (mason's mitres) are designed for laminate tops and will eventially open up because wood expands and contracts much more across the grain than with it, so a non-glued butt joint is the only way which will work over the longer period.

To do the job properly will take a couple of days as the tops need to be sealed and well oiled. So I'd only tackle the jonb if

(i) I had at least some of the tools and
(ii) I'd already got experience of working hardwoods in the past as a cock-up could be expensive.

As it happens I'm pulling out and replacing a DIY solid wood worktop next week which almost caused a divorce.......

Scrit

 

[andy2306]

ive managed to get a joiner to fit it, but can anyone tell me the best way to oil the wood worktop nd once oiled do i need to seal

 

[Scrit]

ive managed to get a joiner to fit it, but can anyone tell me the best way to oil the wood worktop and once oiled do i need to seal

The joiner should know, but oil is the sealant. Worktops need to be oiled 3 times or more after they have been cut and routed but before they are fixed in place. Thereafter you need to reoil at intervals.

Scrit

 

[oilman]

Avoid using fast drying oil such as danish oil, they will be a problem later.

 

[mr_mike]

Danish Oil gives a great finish, my favourite, and easy to use !

3 coats top and bottom & 5 coats on end grain and any fresh cut out areas
before fixing the worktops. Then once a month for the first six months, and to be honest, just as you see fit afterwards. You'll notice if they become duller, or, if water droplets don't form nice little spheres on the surface indicating it's water resistance-ness (!?).

Use Rustin's Danish Oil......it's grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat !

(in the words of Tony the Frostie's Tiger......)

 

[kanina]

Hope you don't mind me joining in on your thread, but I have a few questions.

We recently bought some harwood worktop surfaces for our kitchen thinking we'd cut the holes and fit them ourselves. But as we don't have any of the tools and don't have that much wood experience, we have now decided to get someone in to cut it for us.

We get the wood delivered soon - should we go ahead and oil it before it is cut, or do we need to wait untill it has been cut?

Thanks

 

[oilman]

Danish Oil gives a great finish, my favourite, and easy to use !

..................

The problem with oil finishes is really brought home if you have a wooden fruit bowl with a piece of fruit in which you have not noticed is going soft underneath. With any of the surface finishes which leave a gloss surface, the fruit juice can get through and stain the wood. This is less of a problem with danish oil, and it's practically non-existent with tung oil. The reason for this is the depth of penetration. Since the tung oil takes weeks to polymerize, it can get further into the wood and give better protection than something that is faster drying and so doesn't get the chance to penetrate so far.

I spoke to Rustins many years ago, and they would recommend tung oil for the best protection, provided people have the patience. The problem being people want something in a hurry, and as the advert says, with every clever thing that happens, something dumb happens somewhere else to maintain the clever/dumb balance.

 

[oilman]

.........

We get the wood delivered soon - should we go ahead and oil it before it is cut, or do we need to wait untill it has been cut?

Thanks

If I was doing it for me I might oil it first, then again I might not, but it would depend what I was going to do with it, and how.. If someone else was going to do it, I would leave it till the work had been done. It can be irritating to have a router cutter getting hot and sticky as it picks up the oil, when it just cost you £60 or more.

 

[SimonWray]

ive managed to get a joiner to fit it, but can anyone tell me the best way to oil the wood worktop nd once oiled do i need to seal

As noted before, the oil is the 'seal'. The oil resists the water penetration, which should gather on the surface much like it would on glass or plastic, then you just wipe spillages off.

I oiled mine (Beech) with Rustins tung oil and it works a treat. 3 coats underside, then another 3-5 on the top, done overnight. We've had it about 2 months now and I've added a coat recently and am planning to add another couple over the next few months to allow time for the tung oil to soak and polymerize and build up a good layer of protection.

I found that we had a 90 degree exposed edge on one end that was wearing and so instead of having raw wood exposed and continually need oiling, I rounded it over and re-oiled to avoid knocking/denting/bare wood.

If you've got a washing m/c, dishwasher or boiler underneath the worktop anywhere then I would recommend getting a damp-proof ('DPM') sheet for the underside to protect the wood from heat & moisture off the appliance.

 

[kanina]

So how long does it take to oil? For 3-4 coats to be applied with drying in between? Say we use Danish oil?

Thanks

 

[oilman]

You'll have to get someone else to tell you about danish oil. For tung oil you leave it a day between coats, and keep going till you get bored with it. The more coats the better. You can use it while you're adding the oil, and it's not obviously wet. It's not poisonous, or dirty. Don't be in a hurry, I expect you want the work top to last a while, long after you've forgotten the installing and finishing.

 

[andy2306]

I went for the danish oil, mainly because when i looked for tung oil i couldnt find any and secondly when i took the time to read the ingredients in danish oil it turned out to be tung oil plus a few wax derivatives. I also expect that there is some EDTA in for absorbtion reason. So it seams that good old danish oil is tung oil with a few additives.

Ive put the 1st coat on and plan to put 1 a day on until installation, will try to post pictures when installed, Im also having drainage holes routered in next to the belfast and will keep these well oiled

 

[oilman]

I went for the danish oil, mainly because when i looked for tung oil i couldnt find any

You could have easily found it from an internet supplier, such as Axminster Power Tools.

and secondly when i took the time to read the ingredients in danish oil it turned out to be tung oil plus a few wax derivatives. I also expect that there is some EDTA in for absorbtion reason. So it seams that good old danish oil is tung oil with a few additives.

And paint is water with a bit of pigment in it. Well, I expect you'll learn, same as I did. Good luck.

 

[kanina]

Thanks for your replies.

So really I need to start oiling well before the fitter comes to cut it? So as to get all the many layers it needs (otherwise, how would I do the underside)?

So if I was to start a week before the fitter/cutter comes, and do one coat a day, would that be good? Obviously I wouldn't be able to do the ends where it will be freshly cut, would that be a problem?