Solid wood worktops and drainers

[AandA]

All,

Being a bit of a lucker on here for a while & have gotten some great info but I've finally taken the plunge & logged on to ask a specific question regarding solid wood worktops.

I see some wood worktops have drainer channels routed into them when using butler, belfast or undermounted sinks. However one of the disadvantages of these tops is that excess spillage is required to be wiped off as soon as possible.

So why have a drainer cut into the surafce then? Is the idea that the cutlery is immediately dryed after washing & then the surface can cleared of excess water without delay?

Cheers,

AandA

 

[JohnD]

the runnels make it less likely that water will collect on the flat surface, blocked in behind a plate or something.

However wooden worktops need a lot of maintenance, they will look traditional, not smart, as they are marked by water stains, hot pans, sharp objects etc.

A wooden draining board will be as dull as a wooden scrubbing brush.

 

[AandA]

I realise solid wood worktops require maintainence and I'm not entirely sure I'd be offended by the worktop not looking smart. Somehow a pristine showroom looking kitchen just tells me that it is never used....

But it'd be good to know if leaving wet cutlery on the worktop, say overnight, would impact the longevity of the wood taking into account normal oiling maintainence schedules.

AandA

 

[chappers]

Not if properly oiled with enough coats of a decent hard setting wax oil.
The best way though is to actually rebate a slope into the draining area, rather than just rlying on the fall of the runnels, that way all water will run off rather than just that falling onto the runnels.
Alternatively there ar loads of plastic try type cover out there.
Proper protection and maintenance particularly to the drainer area is the way to keep wood worktops looking good.