Wooden kitchen worktop advice please...

neonpoppy

Are there any things I need to be aware of before making this decision?

I know they require a bit of extra care but how much is that? And how easily do they stain or scratch?

And is there a certain quality or things I would be looking at before choosing a worktop? Prices seem to vary? Would this be reflected of "quality" or not?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Piggo_2

Hi, We have Ikea wooden worktops in our Kitchen. We initially treated them with something from Ikea that left them sticky and it never dried out, to the point of the placemats sticking. We eventually sanded this off and have used some other IKEA stuff, I think its the oil it's well advertised and I have to say they look really nice now and everyone comments on them. In areas prone to wear we seem to have to "top-up" the oiling as such every year, around the sink, breakfast bar area etc but otherwise they're lasting really well. No obvious scratches. We have one small dint were something heavy dropped on them but otherwise normal use doesn't seem to bother/damage them.

Obviously different manufacturers might be better. We chose Ikea as they were one of the cheapest places and we were just looking at sprucing up the kitchen as opposed to completely refurbishing it.

neonpoppy

But we have a big plastic drainer on our drainig board which always has dishes and cups etc. in in draining. It obviously spills over the sides a little sometimes. Would this become a complete no no with wooden worktops?

milliebear00001

I was absolutely set on wooden tops a while back after a friend had them and said they weren't too bad in terms of maintenance. However, she did state that she doesn't leave standing water on them/wet cloths etc. We are not the tidiest household and I just wasn't convinced we could manage this keeping them dry business.

The oiling them isn't a problem, but this only makes them water-resistant, rather than water-proof. You will need to keep them dry/not leave standing water on them for long. Ask yourself if you will do this reliably before you buy!

Piggo_2

milliebear00001 is right in that they're not waterproof more water-resistant when oiled. We do always make a point of wiping everything up and making sure the worktops don't have any puddles or standing water on as I'm not sure how they'd be over time with puddles left on them regularly. My sister also has wooden tops and I know they marked there's when they put a hot pan down on them! It was easily covered over with another oiling so not a problem.

However, based on all our experience with them they're not maintenace-free but do look nice!

wattywattwatt

Worth the hassle if you are prepared to put lots of coats of Danish oil on to start with. Mine looked amazing when I had them fitted about five years ago, I went to town with the oil initially putting 10+ coats on and the finish was outstanding. They are still looking good but are marked and really need to be stripped back, sanded and refinished. The main culprits for marking are detergent spills, which strip the surface right off and leaving bottles of cleaner on the surface which have spilled down the sides, I have several oval shaped marks from this. The good thing is that you would have to really abuse them in order to render them irrepairable and if you have a rustic kitchen a few surface marks just add character, at least that's my excuse!

cddc

Look great if you are prepared to do a lot of oiling and sanding and reoiling and sanding and reoiling and sanding initially and more occasionally later.

Other posters are correct in saying they are not waterproof and dont leave standing water on them.

Would add that whatever you see in showrooms and what salesman tell you, unless they are really top quality pre treated ones, do not on any account fit undermount sinks. Will invairiably go mouldy and get ruined in the cutout with time, for the reason stated above!

dee23

I have just purchased an American Black Walnut worktop from Wood and Beyond. When I oiled them the bottom and top sides were quite different in colour - one side was much darker when oiled which I assumed was the top side of the worktop. My kitchen is L-shaped and my joiner fitted the worktop, with the lighter side at the bottom as suggested by me. Unfortunately however, when he built my island he used the lighter side at the top and now the worktops look to be completely different. Does anyone know whether oiling the island more frequently will make it become as dark as my L-shaped worktop? I'm really worried that my walnut worktop isn't solid walnut now and that it looks like I've used two different types of wood for my worktop which I think looks a bit strange!

Thanks!

Dee