Re-finishing wooden worktops - Danish oil?

pealy

My kitchen worktops are looking grotty. They're solid wood so rather than throwing them out I want to fix them. It's hard to tell what's on at the moment, looks like the previous owner stained and varnished them (yuck!) as I've tried applying oil and it doesn't seem to help.

I really want to bring out the natural wood as much as I can and after looking/asking around I'm convinced that Danish Oil is a the way to go. I'm in the process of removing the old finish (see other thread about sanding!) but have a couple of questions:

- it remains to be seen what sort of colour I'm going to see when the old finish is removed & Danish Oil applied, is it possible to stain and then use Danish Oil?

- is Danish oil a good idea for kitchen worktops? I want something I can 'repair' and my research suggests a good application of oil every few months will keep it looking good.

All comments appreciated..

George_Bray

>Rather than throwing them out I want to fix them.
I'm sure that's a good approach, even without seeing your worktops. As you imply, sanding sounds like a good start to allow any dye and/or oil to get through to the wood and to even-out the base surface and colour.

>I'm convinced that Danish Oil is a the way to go.
If it was me I'd test Danish Oil, and maybe some other oils as well, on either a similar sample of freestanding wood (eg from a hardwood yard - an offcut) or on a part of the worktop not very noticeable (eg under a microwave oven). I remember finding websites on wooden worktops which recommended various oils. You might search to find those websites.

>Is it possible to stain and then use Danish Oil?
My guess is that if you use wood dye, then it will colour the wood and still allow oil to penetrate for some protection/water-resistance.

Regards
George

pealy

I've now sanded and finished the smallest of my surfaces and can report that the Danish oil looks excellent. I've only applied two coats so far and intend to do 5 or 6 but already the beauty of the wood has been brought out in all its glory.

The finish is fairly matt as I hoped (but can be 'buffed' according to the manufacturer) and seems to have great water repellanty qualities. It's extremely easy to apply - all you need is a clean cloth.

I'll try to post again in a few months when I've finished the rest and can report on how hard-wearing it turns out to be.

Skintmama

We use Danish Oil on our oak worktop. DH built up several coats to get a good water repellant finish. Ours is also around the sink and taps so keeping a tea towel handy to always dry it prolongs the life of the finish and prevents any water stains.
It is very hard wearing, the last coat we applied was over a year ago.