Wooden Worktops

dmcsweeney

Hi all,

I'm two years into major house renovations and it's almost kitchen time. We have already chosen our base units (ivory shaker) which we are buying flat pack (not my first kitchen). I priced granite, but when I look at the cost in comparison to the other works I've carried out it seems reasonably expensive, and we are not keeping the house long term. We also decided that wood would make a nice change from the usual laminate/granite and it'll be relatively easy for me to fit on a DIY basis. I looked at some walnut in a kitchen suppliers, but I felt it wasn't dark enough when installed and oiled in there showroom. It's coming in at €900 for 1 length 3000x625x40mm and 1 2000x900x40mm. My wife is trying to convince me to spend €500 on oak and somehow darken it. I have worked with stains and dyes before but have no experience of using oils, or worktops. Anyone got suggestions as to what to use timber wise, oil wise etc. I want something dark and with some life and depth. Anyone done one recently?
Thanks!
Dave

tabby aspreme

Have you thought about Iroko / Teak.

dmcsweeney

tabby aspreme wrote: »

Have you thought about Iroko / Teak.

Just had a look there. They look good, especially the Iroko. What are the options for treating them and are there oils or finishes to get a darker finish?

Thanks,
Dave

tabby aspreme

Any oil works with Iroko, and it will darken over time, it is also the most durable wood for a worktop due to the naturally occurring oil it contains, it think it looks well with a cream coloured kitchen.

Jamesgrace

Use the oak, char it and oil it.

dmcsweeney

Thanks for the information above. I'll look into both options. I have no experience of charring timber. I wouldn't fancy anything completely black, just a very dark brown, and I'd imagine that would be difficult to achieve. Can it be sanded after being charred?

Thanks,
Dave

Jamesgrace

dmcsweeney wrote:

Thanks for the information above. I'll look into both options. I have no experience of charring timber. I wouldn't fancy anything completely black, just a very dark brown, and I'd imagine that would be difficult to achieve. Can it be sanded after being charred?

Yes, it can be sanded and oiled, the more it's sanded the browner it will become. Nice job for cold weather!

dmcsweeney

Jamesgrace wrote: »

Yes, it can be sanded and oiled, the more it's sanded the browner it will become. Nice job for cold weather!

Thanks! Is it a case of hitting it with a blow torch? I tried looking at videos of it on youtube but anything I saw was just burnt to a crisp.

recipio

dmcsweeney wrote: »

Thanks! Is it a case of hitting it with a blow torch? I tried looking at videos of it on youtube but anything I saw was just burnt to a crisp.

Please, - charring wood is in vogue as a form of protection for external cladding. For a worktop you need a smooth surface the can be cleaned down. Oils are ok but offer little protection. The current trend is for oil/wax combinations like Osmopolyx or Woodoc. They are pricey but leave a nice finish. If you have the patience there is nothing wrong with a few coats of Yacht varnish.

worlds goodest teecher

https://www.donedeal.ie/kitchen-for-sale/solid-walnut-worktops/15506603

They also have oak and iroko in these sizes.

Jamesgrace

dmcsweeney wrote:

Thanks! Is it a case of hitting it with a blow torch? I tried looking at videos of it on youtube but anything I saw was just burnt to a crisp.

That's about the gist of it-try it out on a waste piece first until you get the hang of it.

dmcsweeney

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

https://www.donedeal.ie/kitchen-for-sale/solid-walnut-worktops/15506603

They also have oak and iroko in these sizes.

Thanks for the link. I've looked at both products and they are very reasonable in comparison to prices I got previously. Only question now is which to chose and what oil to treat it with to darken it and give it depth.
Thanks,
Dave

dmcsweeney

Jamesgrace wrote: »

That's about the gist of it-try it out on a waste piece first until you get the hang of it.

I don't think I'll go with this for the worktop for now, but I have a few other projects that i'm going to give it a try on.
Thanks!

looksee

The argument that I was given against varnish was that if it gets a bit of a scratch - which it will, being a worktop, the water will go under the varnish and damage the surface, whereas a coating (or several) of oil doesn't scratch off and is more durable.

If you have family in the house who are going to leave water on the surface, or put staining things (so far we have discovered: splashes of gloop from using wire wool, cans that have been left wet on the bottom and abandoned, stainy things like tea bags, and a few others) on the counter top, then maybe consider putting off the wood top till the rabble have been civilised On the other hand a good sand and oil solves most problems.

worlds goodest teecher

looksee wrote: »

The argument that I was given against varnish was that if it gets a bit of a scratch - which it will, being a worktop, the water will go under the varnish and damage the surface, whereas a coating (or several) of oil doesn't scratch off and is more durable.

If you have family in the house who are going to leave water on the surface, or put staining things (so far we have discovered: splashes of gloop from using wire wool, cans that have been left wet on the bottom and abandoned, stainy things like tea bags, and a few others) on the counter top, then maybe consider putting off the wood top till the rabble have been civilised On the other hand a good sand and oil solves most problems.

Also if the varnish is oil based and is scratched the varnish particles are toxic and have the potential to contaminate food.

Graham

You can get different shades of danish oil. I finished a Walnut worktop with a quite dark oil recently, I'll see if I can find the before/during/after photos.

Added:

Found them

The worktop was oiled about 6 times in total with a very light rub with fine sandpaper between each application.

dmcsweeney

Graham wrote: »

You can get different shades of danish oil. I finished a Walnut worktop with a quite dark oil recently, I'll see if I can find the before/during/after photos.

Added:

Found them

The worktop was oiled about 6 times in total with a very light rub with fine sandpaper between each application.

Nice work! That's made my mind up, now I just have to show the wife and get approval. It's great to get pictures showing the change. I assume adding extra coats would darken it even further? What brand of Danish oil did you use? The cabinets are also very similar to what we are using.
Thanks again,
Dave

dmcsweeney

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

Also if the varnish is oil based and is scratched the varnish particles are toxic and have the potential to contaminate food.

Thanks for the tip!

Graham

dmcsweeney wrote: »

Nice work! That's made my mind up, now I just have to show the wife and get approval. It's great to get pictures showing the change. I assume adding extra coats would darken it even further? What brand of Danish oil did you use? The cabinets are also very similar to what we are using.
Thanks again,
Dave

The oil I used was Colron - Jacobean Dark Oak.

After the first 3 coats the worktop didn't appear to get much darker but the walnut got richer and richer looking. The final result is a really rich, warm colour with a subtle sheen. I guarantee you won't be able to resist running your hand along the top of it every time you walk past

dmcsweeney

Graham wrote: »

The oil I used was Colron - Jacobean Dark Oak.

After the first 3 coats the worktop didn't appear to get much darker but the walnut got richer and richer looking. The final result is a really rich, warm colour with a subtle sheen. I guarantee you won't be able to resist running your hand along the top of it every time you walk past

That's what I'm looking for . Thanks again for the help.