Just what does stain solid wood worktops?

EnglandFalls

I'm suddenly very worried about my choice of worktops. Rather than looking for re-assurance I'd like to hear what people know about stains and wooden worktops. I've read that Ribena stains, so what about things which I'm likely to spill like ketchup, fruit juice and milk, tomato seeds, vinegar, and Worcester sauce?

I have a wood laminate dining table, and it's had everything spilled on it and it's fine, but the internet is full of horror stories about wooden worktops.

I probably would go with laminate, except that the damn things aren't straight, so I believe my only options are solid, custom cut worktops and wood is the cheapest.

I'm concerned about the sink area too, especially as I opted for an undermount sink. Many of the worktop merchants offer these drainage groves that run into the sink, but if you're not supposed to get the worktops wet that seems counter-productive. Has anyone got any comments on this?

Thanks! Rapid responses appreciated!

ryder72

Wood by its nature is porous so any liquid can impregnate it and colours liquids can and will stain it.

Depending on the quality of the timber and how frequently its been oiled, stain resistance improves. Ideally, you should be oiling it monthly for the first six months or so and then every 8-12 weeks depending on the type and amount of use the worktop gets. It wouldn't be a bad idea to sand the worktop every few years and re-oil it to get rid of any stains that might have got into the wood and make it look good as new.

Of course all of this really depends on how you use and care for the worktop, so its difficult to give accurate care instructions. Whichever way you look at it, wood isnt a zero maintenance surface.

Compare this to a wood laminate worktop, and you have a wood image reproduction impregnated with chemicals and resins which offer higher scratch and stain resistance. Laminates are much more practical than solid wood, but lack character.

What do you mean by 'I probably would go with laminate, except that the damn things aren't straight'?

Wood worktops can now be had with undermounted sinks and drainer grooves routed into them. Its not a great idea. The worktop area has to be sealed very well and then oiled very regularly. I know of only one company that has got this process sorted out well enough to offer the product with some degree of confidence. Its a Danish worktop manufacturer called Spekva.

They have recently launched a new engineered worktop material. Its a New Zealand pine impregnated with something that makes the wood impervious and highly water resistant. Its not cheap though.

nickj_2

water is the worst thing if the worktops are not kept oiled as the water will leave black marks where it has penetrated under the oil
i would have thought most other liquids would be wiped up before they do any damage
only get wood if you are prepared to look after them

will-he-payitoff

Only thing that has stained ours was bleach, but a light sanding and a bit of oil and its as good as new.

EnglandFalls

So how come wooden dining tables don't need the same kind of care? I guess I'm a bit naive on this subject.

Thanks

leveller2911

EnglandFalls wrote: »

So how come wooden dining tables don't need the same kind of care? I guess I'm a bit naive on this subject.

Thanks

Most dining tables are finished with a few coats of spray Lacquer which is almost impossible to do on site. Most worktops need site fitting so that makes it harder to carry out on site.

The area around sinks can be exposed to a lot of water for a length of time where as on a dining table generally speaking when any liquid is spilt its cleaned up straight away.If you left a liquid on a dining table for an hour it would probably stain dependant on type of liquid..