Unusal Kitchen Worktop

Marc25

Hi ya!

Had a bit of a creative moment ....

I have had an idea to install an old re-claimed school science lab worktop.

I plan to use this as a kitchen worktop.

My question is... With all the funky staining / marks (want to keep these) do i need to protect it? i.e sealent or vanish etc..? as its had chemicals split over it in its past life.

Want it to be safe... please help

Any tips or ideas will be very welcome!!!

Thank you

ormus

my first thought is to sell it on ebay and let some other creative type have it!

but i suppose it will be safe enough with a general clean up. steamcleaner?
cant see any school lab having any really serious dangerous chemicals.

certainly need to use a another board on top for all food prep, but im not that disciplined!
thats what worries me.

girlsmum

I would be worried about hygiene to be honest, if the surface has got any splits in it etc, then it is a breading ground for germs especially in a moist kitchen, if you are sure you want to use a old piece stained piece of wood as a work top, then i would give it a sanding first and re seal it, the sanding will take out the surface imperfections but leave those dodgy stains you want to keep
just think of those grubby hands and boogies that have been stuck under it over the years...:rotfl:

Marc25

i am too - worried bout hygiene for food prep etc
thanks for your advice!
But Look out side the box people ...
come on!
dodgy stains / colour markings / inperfections etc = vintage - funky - cool - different & a third of the price of a normal DIY store worktops
So there!

edthedead

Hummm... I'd be worried about what has been spilt on it in the past...

greyteam1959

So who wants a kitchen that looks like a school lab......thought you might want to increase the value of your property not de-value it !!!!!!

Marc25

mervyn11 wrote:

So who wants a kitchen that looks like a school lab......thought you might want to increase the value of your property not de-value it !!!!!!

In response to your question ... Well obviously i do!

your opinion... however wrong and ignorant it may be.

I only asked the question about the hygiene - not judgment or mocking or personal taste.

teb_2

not sure this would be feasible, but what about laying a sheet of toughened glass over it? that way you keep all the nasties, lol but you have the cleanliness of glass. you get glass chopping boards and the like so why not just expand on the idea? you could get a joiner to edge both the wood top and the glass overlay with some sort of trim maybe? don't know how practical it would be, not sure of the qualities of specialised glass.

helen_caslass

was gonna suggest something similar glass or an acrylic cover for it..

teb_2

acrylic + hot pot = no no.

also doesn't acylic take on a slightly cloudy opaque look after a while? not sure.

mattt44

I think it could look very good, but I would consider mixing it with another type of wood worktop.
The thing I would be worried about, would be the chemicals it had had on it.
You know in schools labs it smells awful, well that will have seeped into your worktop to be.
If its a flat top and thick enough, I would blast it with a belt sander until you have the top layer off, then I would go to a wood expert and ask him what to treat it with to clean it as much as you can.
Fix it with Tung oil, put alot on, as much as the wood will take, but you will have to take the top layer of varnish off completely first.

Can you describe the worktop?