Beech kitchen worktop - ring marks

RachelD

My 3 year old IKEA kitchen is fine except for the beech worktops- the kind that look like inch strips of wood joined together.

I have oiled them about every 3 months or so, but this may well not have been frequently enough. I now have ring marks on them, caused
* by daughter spilling some Mr Muscle drain cleaner . This looks like the surface layer has been dissolved.
* others by (I think) a stainless steel sugar owl- rusty ring appearance.

Any ideas for restoring the surface? And how frequently do others oil their worktops?

Thanks

epz_2

sandpaper and a bit of elbow grease.

those tops are lovely but oiling seems like a lot of work, why dont people just varnish them?

Bear_family

HI,

I work in the kitchen industry and solid wood worktops need oiling every 3-4 weeks to prevent cracking and discolouring.

BF

jennifernil

A good sanding will remove most marks. For oiling use Danish Oil, not the stuff Ikea sell.
I note a lot of people advocate very frequent oiling, but to my mind this could lead to a surface build up. We have had beech worktops in our house almost 19 years now. When they were installed they were treated both sides, ends, cut outs etc, with 3 coats of the Danish Oil. Since then I have completely sanded and refinished them only 3 times. They have not cracked or discoloured.
I suppose it will depend on how careful or careless you are with them.

Debt_Free_Chick

RachelD wrote:

* by daughter spilling some Mr Muscle drain cleaner . This looks like the surface layer has been dissolved.

I would imagine that Mr M is caustic, to an extent. Effectively, the surface has been "scorched".

* others by (I think) a stainless steel sugar owl- rusty ring appearance.

Lost count of the number of times I've done this - the worst culprit is cast iron cookware. The rust has stained the surface of the wood.

Any ideas for restoring the surface?

Sand it down. Keep sanding until the marks disappear as you'll need to remove the top layer of wood, where the stains sit.

Then apply Danish Oil, but I would use wire wool (grade 0000) to apply the oil. Remove the surface oil with a dry cloth and leave the worktop for a day (or overnight). Repeat the application of Danish Oil with wire wool, wipe off surface, leave to dry. I gave my new beech worktop 6 applications of DO and it's largely water/stain repellant. But anything caustic (Mr M, washing soda etc) will burn through and I'll be treating it again at some point in the future.

And how frequently do others oil their worktops?

Every 4-6 weeks using DO & wire wool. Remember to wipe off the surplus and then allow the oil to dry (actually, to soak in) overnight.

I prefer to use wire wool when applying DO as it very gently "keys" (scratches) the existing surface, allowing it to absorb the next coat of DO. Apply DO sparingly - thick coats are likely to result in a sticky build up, which will then need to be removed - and you'll have to "start all over again" :mad:

TBH beech worktops are a PITA .... but when they're well maintained, they look beautiful. Nothing like natural wood to warm what can otherwise be a fairly cold/clinical looking room.

HTH