I`ve bought a wooden kitchen chopping board, question on `treating `it please

nuttywoman

Bought it a couple of weeks ago from Ikea, it stated it had to be treated, but did`nt buy their stuff to do it with, its basically linseed oil.Now i`ve done it twice up to now but am not sure how the board should feel. Should it be smooth or have a little rough feel to it? thanks.:o

prettypennies

I have ikea wooden worktops. They have been treated several times now and so have darkened and become smoother. It is best just to keep feeding the wood with oil every few days for a couple of weeks and then just whenever it looks to be drying out. Olive oil can be used to treat wood too.

majjie

Oiling the timber often raises the grain and makes the surface feel rough. If you want it smooth, then get some 000 gauge (or finer) steel wool and use that to apply the oil - in the direction of the grain.

You can get a beautifully smooth finish. Works for worktops too - but it's obviously much harder work!

oldlob

just to add my two pen'th.

i run installations for a kitchen company. we coat wood worktops with three coats of oil during the initial fit and leave the oil with the customer and advise as above (every couple of days for a week or so).

Depending on what wood you have chosen will dictate how much to use - you can never oil too many times. just make sure when you apply it, you don't leave pools of oil (wipe off the excess), otherwise these will be shiny patches against the matt where it has sunk in.

Yes the oil may raise the fibres and produce a rougher feel. DO NOT USE WIRE WOOL!! Little bits of the wool easily break off and embed themselves in the worktop. Then they get wet you get tiny specks of rust in your pristine worktop - use a green scratchy pad instead (little bit more work - but worth it in the end!)

Hope this hjelps

rygon

...wouldnt a slightly rough chopping board be a good idea as it will help stop the food from slipping???

srvr

i didnt oil my chopping board as unlike my surfaces i like it that way and its helps preserve the natural anti biotic effect of wood which is useful for chopping boards.

majjie

oldlob wrote: »

DO NOT USE WIRE WOOL!! Little bits of the wool easily break off and embed themselves in the worktop. Then they get wet you get tiny specks of rust in your pristine worktop - use a green scratchy pad instead (little bit more work - but worth it in the end!)

Well, oldlob may have had some problems with his wire wool - but I worked for a bespoke kitchen company for a number of years and they always used fine gauge steel wool. No problems at all - and their worktops always looked beautiful. If you do the job properly and use good quality steel wool (throw away any manky bits!), there shouldn't be any pieces of steel left in the worktop.

Very fine gauge steel wool gives you a much better finish and I think you'd find that most cabinetmakers would use it for their worktops.

For chopping boards, I agree, you can use them without oiling them - they're just more likely to crack.

Sinead32

I'm just about to have my kitchen installed with a wooden worktop. I'm preparing it with oil and was advised to apply the oil with a paint brush, then after 10-15mins wipe away any excess oil with fine wire wool. After an hour sand and use a tack cloth to remove any dust. Is this ok?

flissh

I got a chopping board from Ikea a couple of years ago, the one that looks like lots of small blocks glued together. I just rubbed loads of olive oil into it. I didn't use wire wool just kitchen towel. I think I only did it once.
Still have it, use it every day, I sometimes give it a bit of a scrub with a bleach type kitchen spray, if I think of it. It smells great, as I always chop garlic/herbs/veg on it. I never chop meat on it, always do that on a melamine board.
Wouldn't want to be without it now.