Wood Kitchen Worktop Restoration Query

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Hi

We just moved house and the previous owners did not treat the real wood kitchen worktops very well. cirucular burn marks all over the place and stuff like that! I've sanded it all down and applied 3 coats of "Behandla" wood treatment oil from Ikea which has worked a treat at bringing the colour back. My question is I know with real wood surfaces you're supposed to avoid contact with any water as much as possible, so it there something I can apply to the surface now which would allow us to "wipe down" the kitchen worktops just like a laminate one? I'm thinking of a clear sealant type product that would be suitable for use on real wood kitchen worktops?

Thanks in advance.
 
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matt82 said:
My question is I know with real wood surfaces you're supposed to avoid contact with any water as much as possible, so it there something I can apply to the surface now which would allow us to "wipe down" the kitchen worktops just like a laminate one? I'm thinking of a clear sealant type product that would be suitable for use on real wood kitchen worktops?
The problem with using stuff like polyurethane lacquer on solid wood is that most of it just ends up looking "plasticky". If you want a real wood surface finish in a kitchen which is easily repairable (and kitchen worktops come in for a lot more abuse than any other wood furniture in your household) then the only solution is to use oil it and keep oiling. As to contact with water, etc it surely doesn't take that much self-restraint to remember to wipe-up spills promptly. And other stains? If you had a white laminate worktop and you persisted in leaving curry sauces, tomato puree or beetroot juice on it then you'll still end up with stains - only difference is that unlike a solid wood top there's sometimes no rectification possible. Why not just accept that with a natural product you need to treat it appropriately - or if you need the serviceability of a laminate worktop, just rip it out and put one in. Wood is not, and can never be laminate, nor be made to work that way. Here ends Materials Science 101!

Scrit
 
Scrit said:
...The problem with using stuff like polyurethane lacquer on solid wood is that most of it just ends up looking "plasticky"...

The "Toffee Apple" finish ;)
 
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JohnD / Scrit,

Thanks very much for the advice, it's greatly appreciated.

We are 100% very careful with kitchen worktops, always trying to avoid making unecssary spillages and marks on it, etc, it's a shame the previous owners were not so! My only concern was that there comes a time when you need to wipe down the kitchen worktops for whatever reason and I guess what I should have asked it will a light wiping down undo all the hardwork of applying the treatment? It's seems stupid having real wood worktops if you have to be scared and worried on getting a drop of water on it from time to time!?

I've applied three coats of the ikea stuff over the past couple of days, making sure the excess was was wiped off within 10 minutes. I can honestly say that it does not look like a plasticky or toffee apple fninsh at all! I just didn't know if there was something else you should put on to finish it and seal it for good, so-to-speak?

Woops I should have took some advice first before putting the ikea stuff on it! Maybe in a few months i'll sand it all down again and start from scratch, what would you recommend is the best stuff to use? Apologies if I sound really dumb and stupid asking these questions this is the first house I have owned so i'm still learning! I do appreciate your help!
 
I put (linseed) oil on some external hardwood last summer, it soaks in and leaves a satin finish unless you keep putting on more and more after it has soaked in and become saturated. The finish looks, I would say, like a smooth sanded surface that has been damped by having a wet sponge wiped over it. If you wipe the surfce after 15 minutes you will take away any excess that has not soaked in. Beware that rags used for oils are liable to self-ignite (true!) so wet them with water before tying in a plastic bag to throw away.

Mine has been out in the weather all winter and still looks OK to me.

You can wipe it with a damp sponge to keep it clean (even with washing-up water though I imagine that will tend to clean away the oiliness). The oil oxidises and becomes hard in time like a varnish, but not glossy as it has soaked in and is not lying on the surface.

I believe Teak oil or Danish oil (which is thinned to make it quicker to apply) are the most common products, though some swear by Tung oil.

My Linseed has a discernable odour but I am happy with it outside.
 
matt82 said:
I've applied three coats of the ikea stuff over the past couple of days, making sure the excess was was wiped off within 10 minutes. I can honestly say that it does not look like a plasticky or toffee apple fninsh at all! I just didn't know if there was something else you should put on to finish it and seal it for good, so-to-speak?
The Ikea stuff is oil, so it won't look plasticky at all, but as others have said once you oil something no other finish will adhere to it, so that's that. I was railing against people who go to the expense and troble of putting in a solid wood worktop then expect it to work like a laminate one - if you want that then you need to buy a laminate top in the first case.

Scrit
 
Have recently moved to a house with a wooden surface in kitchen. Previous owners have just varnished it. I want to sand and then treat. What is the best oil/ sealant to use? :confused:
 
My kitchen worktops are done with Brywax.
1st I teak oiled them.
Then I brywaxed when teak oil dryed.
Three coats initially.
Then apply regular coats every time you want to polish them up.
I do mine approx 6 months. 1/2 hour.
When water gets on them it balls up like mercury.
DO NOT USE DANISH OIL ON KITCHEN WORKTOPS.
Water gets underneath it as people are prone not to wipe water of tops when spilt. It tghen turns Black.
I have done up 4 kitchens in my houses with wooden tops.
All have been Briwaxed.
All have never blackened.
 
Apply Briwax from one end of wortop to other.
Go back to beginning and polish of with fresh cloth.
I use old Sports socks. Lint free.
Briwax will work on Linseed, Teak and some other oils.
Never tried it on Danish Oil as I have never used it.
Its like Polishing your shoes.
 
The main problem with wax finishes is that over time they attract dirt and simply become grubby - the antique trade call this "patina". Oil finishes are traditional - as is using trivets and wiping down spills on worktop surfaces proptly

Scrit
 
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.
 

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