How to refinish a wooden worktop?

We have a hardwood (wenge) kitchen worktop with a high gloss finish. When it was installed we were supplied with a maintenance kit with Danish oil and regular maintenance with it initially kept it looking good

However, over time, the high traffic area of the top has become dull. At the weekend I lightly sanded it all down then cleaned with white spirit before refinishing with Danish oil but the high traffic area is still coming up dull (the less used area came back up with the glossy finish I want).

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get the whole surface back to the finish I want? I believe that the initial treatment was only Danish oil (hence getting it in the maintenance kit) and it never had any other finish applied before the installation.

Thank you!

Following with interest.

We have several worktops like this which I have been planning to refinish.

I have done several in the past using a mirka sander attached to my budget extractor (Henry hoover). Works well using 120 grit abranet discs. If you are lucky you won’t need to do too much to the good areas

Sorry I’ve read your post properly now. The shine only comes from repeated oiling and buffing. If the original finish is ultra glossy then maybe it had a varnish / lacquer, in which case you’ll need to sand it all. How easy did the original finish sand off?

I use oxalic acid to clean up the wood and then Osmo, choose a high gloss one if that’s your preference. Thin coat, polish off and leave c24 hours, repeat. Be cautious with the sanding, you don’t want to end up with an uneven surface. Paint stripper?

Oh and look up Treatex oils, the Hardwax oils will achieve a better shine

Oil it!
The traditional way…

Once an hour for a day
once a day for a week
once a week for a month
once a month for a year
once a year for a lifetime…

That oxalic acid looks a good tip Bill. Got an oak worktop that’s in need of some refreshment!

Oil it!

So do you reckon if I continue to add coats of Danish oil I will get the desired finish back?

We have this with our worktops (iroko + danish oil) – high wear bits can lose their gloss after a while. We apply danish oil in coats, letting it dry between coats, until it stops soaking in, then add more on top to leave a shiny finish. The more you’ve sanded it off the more coats you’ll have to add, and if you’ve used white spirit on it then that’ll probably mean more coats.

I gave up on Danish oil and went for some ronseal stuff. Much nicer finish, but probably not the sheen you’re after.

We have up with Danish oil on our oak worktops and went for osmo. Far more durable, nicer finish. Much better all round.

I applied more Danish oil, using the instructions on the tin, which didn’t say anything about wiping off the excess, and ended up with surface that remain permanently tacky. I scrapped it all off, then hand sanded (sandpaper wrapped round a block of wood) along the grain. It’s as quick as power sanding, doesn’t fill the room with dust and produces a flat surface. Use progressively finer sandpaper. Then applied Danish Oil, rubbed it in, left it 10 minutes and wiped it off, left it for 6 hrs and repeated. I think it took about 5 repeats.

The problem with Danish oil is that it doesn’t really mean anything – they vary wildly. Some are good some are not so good, its too broad a description of lots of products to be that useful.

“I gave up on Danish oil and went for some ronseal stuff. Much nicer finish, but probably not the sheen you’re after.”

Heathen!

We have a big solid oak table in our kitchen, 10ft x 3 ft it was discoloured/sun bleached and rough in places after 20 years of (ab)use. Tried a hand sanding block and couldn’t touch the discoloured patches – got the power sander on it and after a day’s toil managed to get it all back to constant colour and texture. 4 days of Danish oil and it’s back to looking in prime condition again.

I was probably doing it wrong but mine were in a horrible condition. Probably years of neglect from previous owner and me but they ended up plasticy, tacky and generally horrible. I blitzed them with the sander after laborious scraping and started fresh with the ronseal stuff which gives more a natural matt finish. Perhaps I’d prefer the Danish oil finish if it were done right but after the effort it took to salvage them I daren’t use it again.

Not sure I’d want real wood worktops again as it’s too much effort to keep them nice.

That osmo stuff sounds promising, I think I’ll try that next, thanks 👍

We’ve had our oak worktop in about 8 years now. Osmo top oil was used after recommendations on here. Is excellent. Gave it a bit of a light sand and top up a couple of years ago. However I went for the satin finish so can’t say what their gloss finish is like.

And this is why wooden worktops are such a bloody stupid idea.

I need to do ours at some point 🙁

We don’t have wooden kitchen surfaces, but our dining table was waxed and a pain (it would mark sheets of paper left on it) so we sanded it and used the wonderful osmo on it. Absolutely bulletproof that stuff.

And this is why wooden worktops are such a bloody stupid idea.

Agreed – we have Corian for the vast majority of the kitchen – it’s juts a ‘feature’ breakfast bar area that is in the wood. If the whole kitchen was wood I would have replaced it by now I am sure.

Exciting thread resurrection!

Treated one of the worktops with osmo clear matt. I didn’t go overboard with the sanding, just got rid of the black rings and hopefully enough of the last treatment. A little of the osmo went a long way with the brush. Second coat tomorrow 🥳

Osmo

Did you rub off the excess?
I always find it stays sticky if you don’t.

Good job.

I’ve always just used a cloth to coat with that stuff.

Now wondering if I need to get rid of any excess with the lint free cloth as someone recommend above. But it doesn’t advise this on the tin. Just to apply thinly. I’ll listen to kayak, he knows wood!

I use cheap pan scourer sponges for Osmo, cut them into small bits. And yes, apply very thinly!

Had to replace warped worktop in my wee utility room, warped due to a leak from shower fitting behind wall.

Anyhow, just gave it first coat of same as you Davros, I used a microfibre cloth.

Thanks, I knew I was getting ripped off when I bought those lint free cloths from b&q! I used old cut up t-shirts in the past, but that probably wasn’t very wise.

Nice utility room and worktop 👍

Think I’ll have a wild night in and move on to the next one 🤪

Moving into a house soon with about 20 ft of wood worktop/breakfast bar in a less than brilliant state. Front and back doors in poor condition and gloss paint. Joy of joys. I’ve used Danish, pure tung and Osmo has proven to be the best but may well give that Treatex a try as someone sells it nearby and it seems to have similar constituents to Osmo. I can’t overemphasise the usefulness of oxalic acid, it’s the basis of loads of expensive ‘formulated’ products like Barman’s Friend, in removing stains without having to sand down.
I stripped off varnish on some American oak table tops and applied matt Osmo and the results were stunning and water globulates (?) perfectly.

Where do you buy yours from Bill?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184382956013?hash=item2aee14a1ed:g:7IEAAOSwG~xfI9nz

There’s a few videos on YT on its application.

Magic, cheers fella.

water globulates (?) perfectly.

Beads. 😉

I knew I was getting ripped off when I bought those lint free cloths from b&q!

Two for £1 from Wilco’s, or 10 for £5.99 from eBay. I’ve got loads I’ve ‘aquired’ from work – staff from the workshops and inspections carry them around tucked into pockets, so I frequently find them lying around the yard, often soaking wet, so I wring them out, bring them home and wash them. 😁

Here’s Matt Estlea applying Osmo.

The way he does it is probably more economical with the actual oil than the way I do it, but the results are great either way.

I put it on with a rag, then rub it off hard with blue paper towel. Two coats.
Works beautifully.
As mentioned, the tin doesn’t tell you any of this but that’s what I’ve arrived at after using it a few years.

First time I used it I did it per the tin and found it sticky and horrible.