Staining a Wooden Kitchen worktop

[paul2004]

i'd like to get a very dark hardwood kitchen worktop but wenge is stupidly expensive for what it is... i was wondering whether it's feasible to stain something like iroko, then oil it as recommended to protect afterwards.

does this sound plausible, or madness?

has anyone tried?

can anyone recommend a source for stains and oils for use in the kitchen?

thanks in advance
paul

 

[Jasonb]

Iroko is a very oily wood you will have a job getting any stain to penitrate into the wood.

Jason

 

[paul2004]

jason,

thanks for that, i was literally just talking to someone who mentioned that. it was really to see if anyone has stained wood and used it as a worktop before. i think the answer is yes, but perhaps iroko is not the best starting point!

paul

 

[Jasonb]

I have done a couple of jobs where the client wanted a very dark brown finish similar to wenge/walnut. I used a very strong solution of vandyck chrystals (which are made from walnuts) to colour oak. I used a water bourne lacquer to finish but seen no reason why it should not work with oil.

Oak worktops are only about £25 more than iroko for a 4m length so the cost will still be bout the same. Liberon do the chrystals, I got mine from http://www.axminster.co.uk

Here is a pic of my sample boards, white oak on the right, white oak with Van Dyck chrystal stain on the left, both with lacquer.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v156/jasonballamy/work/samples.jpg

Jason

 

[paul2004]

jason,

i learn something every day, that's really useful information!

do you have any advice as to what the best type of wood to start with would be? In other words are there any other type of woods, like iroko, to avoid if i wanted to try staining them?

thanks
paul

 

[Jasonb]

I assume you will be buying premade worktops so will be limited to what is readily available.

Maple, cherry and walnut are all quite expensive and beech is very dense so will not absorb a stain very evenly which really only leaves you with oak or mahogany as as suitable woods for staining, oak being the more expensive of the two.

Not sure how long a run of worktop you need but it is possible to have wenge veneer applied to an MDF (moisture resistant type) core which could have a solid wenge lipping along the front edge and ends this would work out less expensive than solid wenge.

Jason

 

[paul2004]

yes, i was going to get a standard block, i need something 3.5m by 900mm deep, at it's deepest, which i can just about do with an off the shelf panel.

Id never considered a veneered surface, i'd be worried that in time the veneer would scratch down to the mdf inside. Or that i edge it incorrectly. But it's an interesting idea and i shall take a look at that (any recommended suppliers?). I'd guess that you'd treat it in just the same way with oiling and maintainance. Have you seen this done before?

Thankfully it wouldn't be a high traffic worktop, i don't cook *that* often!

cheers
paul

 

[Aiken]

About 10 years ago I helped manufacture and install a whole kitchen for a well known actor at his country pile . It was made from the finest Mahogany and cost a packet. His personal stylist/designer suggested oiling the worktops with Extra virgin olive oil!! I never got to see the finished result as we finished the intstallation before any decoration but it sounded a very odd thing to do
Any comments or reactions

 

[2scoops0406]

About 10 years ago I helped manufacture and install a whole kitchen for a well known actor at his country pile . It was made from the finest Mahogany and cost a packet. His personal stylist/designer suggested oiling the worktops with Extra virgin olive oil!! I never got to see the finished result as we finished the intstallation before any decoration but it sounded a very odd thing to do
Any comments or reactions

Don't know about worktops, but it's what I oil my chopping boards with. BTW they are wood chopping boards !!

 

[Jasonb]

Durabilitry would be a disadvantage of veneered boards as most veneer is only 0.5mm thick. The other thing is that the boards will only be 2440x1220 so you would have a joint and if you were having an undermount sink then you could not have grooves for the drainer, I would go for the coloured oak.

These are the board suppliers that I use, they can get boards veneered in whatever you want. http://www.richardrussell.co.uk/

Jason

 

[paul2004]

my thinking at the moment is to not stain and not worry too much about colour. my feeling with staining is that once the worktop is scratched it's going to be even more difficult to look after.

so i'll plump for walnut or iroko, depending on getting some oiled samples.

one question though is i actually quite like the idea of a thinner worktop (27mm vs 40mm) but wonder if i'd be letting myself in for horror stories. I'm just going to be using a single length and there will be a sink cutout (not an 'under' sink) and a hob cutout. underneath the hob would be an oven. So simple stuff.

I'm just wondering whether i'd have any flexing/warping issues with a 27mm top that i wouldn't have with a 40. Trouble with samples is you only ever see such a small part!

paul

 

[Jasonb]

Provided that you have carcases under all the top athen there should be no problem with flexing. Make sure there is sufficient clearance between the top of the oven and the hob as most hobs are about 40mm deep.

Jason

 

[paul2004]

again jason thanks - that was nearly a complete disaster. Yes, the hob needs 40mm and the new oven has very little clearance at the top - so a 40mm top it will have to be.

i was thinking of running the worktop down one of the side edges (seems to be trendy at the moment). So if you were looking straight at it you'd have the worktop then on the side of the cabinet on the right there's a 45 degree mitre and the worktop continues vertically down the side. Something that im sure i could do. However - Im also reading about keeping free space for expansion of wood. So in the case where one worktop 'joins' with another are there any issues? Can this type of thing be tackled with hardwood? It would seem that the main worktop would expand and perhaps push the vertical edge out a bit?

does anyone have any experience of this?

thanks paul

 

[Jasonb]

Wood expands very little in its length, but will move in its width. This will be OK in your case as the expansion of the top & side panel will both be from front too back.

Have you thought how you will cut the mitre, its not easy to get a perfect mitre over that length in thick hardwood, a skill saw with the blade tilted will not cut straight enough. The joint will need some form of reinforcement, such as biscuits, as endgrain to endgrain does not give a strong glue joint.

Jason