Oak work top and white sink

Phirefly

Plasterer wrote: »

Howdens, £300 for 3 metre top. Magnet do the same top but only slightly more expensive, Beach is cheaper (though lighter) - The darker the wood you go the more expensive.

Thanks. I'm trying to source oak worktops for under £500 for 1x 3m and 1x 2.5m lengths. Perhaps a local timber merchant would be my best bet.

oliveoil54

I also have oiled Oak work surface & belfast sink. If you regularly use a dishwasher it prob will not require too much maintenance.
But if like me you wash up a few times per day, please note the following:-
1. Dont put anything hot on worksurface will def mark it.
2. Also dont leave metal trays ie baking trays to drain especially over night, it has left black marks on mine which will require quite a deep sand to remove, then a re-oil.
3. Be careful using bleach or any caustic solutions, I use bleach to remove tea stains in the sink and occasional have made the mistake of dribbling a line of bleach across the surface, which again leaves quite a bad mark needing re-sand etc.
4. Dont let water drip (if you hav a dish drainer above) or stand on it too long as it does go grubby.
5. I keep a tub of oil, brush & cloth in a small tray at the back of the cupboard under my sink, make sure the working surface is dry & then regularly oil overnight & polish off in the morning. That way if it starts to look a bit tatty, then its just a quick job to keep on top of it.
6. Note that if you are looking for a pale oak colour (which I was originaly) oiling the work top regularly (which I do recommend) makes the worktop look quite a bit darker.

Hope this helps
Regards
Pat

[Deleted User]

Phirefly wrote: »

Thanks. I'm trying to source oak worktops for under £500 for 1x 3m and 1x 2.5m lengths. Perhaps a local timber merchant would be my best bet.

Don't know where you live, but I bought my Iroko worktop from here, it's the cheapest I have found and I am pleased with the quality. I had it fitted by the same guy who did my kitchen http://www.real-wood-flooring.com/index.html
I also have a Belfast sink and so far I had no problems, but I do oil the worktop every couple of months.

Phirefly

Van1971 wrote: »

http://www.real-wood-flooring.com/index.html

Well what about that. Real-wood-flooring.com is top of my list of online suppliers having passed my dodgy-internet-company radar and seeming like good value for money. My next question was 'has any body used them?' but you've saved me the bother.

oliveoil54

We got our new solid oak kitchen floor from these guys on ebay, actually went to factory in Preston to check them out at £19.50 per sq meter for really good quality oak, we were really impressed.

They also do solid oak kitchen work tops - 3m @ £115.
They have a 100% ebay feedback.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Solid-Oak-Wood-Wooden-Kitchen-Worktops-100-Feedback_W0QQitemZ200422798705QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_Kitchen_KitchenFurniture_EH?hash=item2eaa213571

Phirefly

oliveoil54 wrote: »

We got our new solid oak kitchen floor from these guys on ebay, actually went to factory in Preston to check them out at £19.50 per sq meter for really good quality oak, we were really impressed.

They also do solid oak kitchen work tops - 3m @ £115.
They have a 100% ebay feedback.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Solid-Oak-Wood-Wooden-Kitchen-Worktops-100-Feedback_W0QQitemZ200422798705QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_Kitchen_KitchenFurniture_EH?hash=item2eaa213571

Excellent, thanks for that! Our budget's starting to look a little less daunting now.

oliveoil54

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Solid-Oak-...item2eaa213571

Suggets you telephone and get advice from the chap in their showroom, he was really helpful. But make sure you insist on the prices quoted on ebay, as their showroom prices are more expensive - but they will honour their ebay prices.

We collected the flooring from their Preston Wharehouse in our 4x4 as they quoted delivery to Scotland would be another £60.

Phirefly

Thanks, we'll do that. In this kitchen, I'm more than prepared to take a few risks to maintain the budget, and I bought most of my bathroom from ebay without a hitch. This is exactly the sort of suggestion I'm after.

[Deleted User]

I also went to their showroom (in London) to check it out in person first, they were very helpful

leveller2911

IMO I would go for a ceramic inset sink rather than an underslung butler sink .It doesn't matter how well you maintain the worktops water WILL end up penetrating the end grain and will either go mouldy.If you have an inset ceramic sink you don't have the problem with the end grain.

With regards to worktops any worktop made up of narrow strips of timber glued up is poor quality.They use the "offcuts" and sapwood(part of the tree just below the bark) which rots very quickly,generally paler in colour and its not as hardwearing as the "Heart" wood.A good quality worktop will be made up of wider boards (100-1500mm) and complete lengths and not end jointed.

I prefer American Black Wanut for worktops as it can have interesting variation in grain and beautiful depth of grain when oiled.Iroko is hardwearing ,can be almost banana yellow when freshly sawn and then goes to a dark chocolate brown after a few years.It also has bacteria in the grain which if you get a splinter in your finger more often than not will go septic, not good to work with ......