in final throes of new kitchen planning and ordering and most of it is sorted, with Ikea units and builder, joiner, architect (we are taking some walls down), structural guy etc all in place, building warrant (Scotland done).

We have a hurdle in that the longest surface is bang on 4m, so with overhangs for end covers, we need a worktop of about 4.1m. Ikea, and others seem to have a maximim quoted length of 4m for solid oak, and the joiner is advising against a join.

Anyone found longer ones ?

Also, are we being daft going 40mm solid oak rather than the new fancy composite ones ? Quite happy to do regular oiling etc.

Thanks

I’ve gone down that route, and it was a PITA. No matter how vigilant you are with oiling, pan stands, endlessly wiping down splashes from the sink, it will get marked. We have composite now, and wouldn’t go back.

Searching for 5m 40mm solid oak worktop would come up with some options, although they may not be as affordable as standard lengths.

We have howdens solid oak, been in for about a year, very pleased with it.

Osmo TopOil is very good, put some on every couple of months, seems to provide quite a tough protective layer.

Cant help on the long pieces – sorry.

Had solid oak for 7 years and it’s okay… it WILL mark, irrespective of how much you oil it. The best one we had was, went out for the evening, left grandparents to babysit. Dad decides to “wash up” (we and they have a dishwasher!?!??!?) and leaves all the wet bits on the top… it looked like a series of concentric black burn marks in the morning. 🙄

interesting, thanks. The joiner is keen on the solid one, but the idea of it getting marked up is a bit of a concern. I guess with laminates, joining is less of an issue too ?

Can the layperson really tell the difference to look at I wonder ?

We have Ikea oak staves throughout and no problem with marking. Use a good quality danish oil. apply 4 or 5 coats initially and then 2 coats every 18-24 months and it wont stain.

Your joiner probably wants an easy life, but he should be able to join two shorter (and cheaper) lenghts with dog bones and biscuits without much bother.

I would always pick solid wood for the pleasant look and natural feel. I find stone too cold although very easy to look after and work on. Laminates are OK but not as nice IMO.

I would recommend against having a wooden worktop surrounding a kitchen sink. Particularly overhangs around a Belfast sink which are constantly getting wet …our beech top has turned black here and it looks ugly!

Used seasoned oak flooring, so 4.75 thick, little or no oiling after drowning it initially and 18 years on okay given the hammer it has…..when all leave I will renew the kitchen 8)

thanks Stoner, wife is going to be jealous when she sees that pic 🙂

Good point re the sink etc, thanks

Have a look at these guys, they might be able to more than 4m in one length, quite expensive though and only Iroko (which is actually alot better than oak IMO) ww.retrouvius.com/stock/timber

Guy at work bought worktops from here and highly recommends them http://www.worktop-express.co.uk

We’ve got a long run with a join and it is fine.

We have solid Beech, 13 years old now and in pristine condition bar a couple of patches near the sink which need treating.

I treated them with Junkers Rustic Oil, three coats, and it’s still going strong 10+ years later. Hard as nails.

The longest length is something like 6 metres, which is just two pieces joined (well cut flush and butted up). Really like it, would do the same again.

Kitchen by brf, on Flickr

we’ve just put 40mm (no 4m runs in ours) oak and can thoroughly recommend olmo, put at least 3 layers on and you can see the water bead on the worktop

wood doesn’t last forever but neither do composites, my mum’s corian-alike (which isn’t just cheap rubbish) has a fair few marks and it’s 10 years old,

pound for pound wood isn’t such a bad choice, I was sceptical myself but I’m tranquilo now

I would recommend against having a wooden worktop surrounding a kitchen sink. Particularly overhangs around a Belfast sink which are constantly getting wet …our beech top has turned black here and it looks ugly!

Agreed – our (beech) top isn’t too bad on the overhangs to the sink, but we have some black stains around the tap which is set directly into the wood.

many thanks for ideas, lots to think about !

Footflaps, are you kept in one of the kitchen cupboards during the day?

+1 Worktop Express.

Also, the house we’re still hoping to buy has oak surfaces. About 4-5 yrs old I believe and not a mark on them.

Stoner, any Danish oil you’d recommend in particular?

Footflaps, are you kept in one of the kitchen cupboards during the day?

Yes I’m posting from one right now…..

spacemonkey – Ive had good results with:
http://danish-oil.com/

available on eBay

Our worktops were treated with: http://productfinder.junckers.co.uk/default.aspx?id=8&product=95

Lasted over 10 years without needing a re-coat.

Any one got recommendations for refinish worktops with marks (new house, old owners didn’t look after it). Ours look like they have a varnish finish at the moment. The joins also aren’t level so suspect that is going to be a big sanding job.

Is it possible to get black marks out without a full refurb?

Is it possible to get black marks out without a full refurb?

Personally I’d try:

Sand off varnish, try wood bleach and then re-cover with a tinted oil to colour match.

Oxalic acid will do it …
http://www.agwoodcare.co.uk/Item/oxalic_acid?gclid=CK7cqYyYnL0CFSfmwgod7lcAIg

We used worktop-express and went for Prime Oak which does not have knots in it.

Use a waxoil finish in matt as we wanted it to be less glossy than a previously oiled worktop we had.

The wife does want to replace the section around the sink with a granite though, just to add contrast and to make it harder wearing where the water gets.

Oxalic acid will do it …

Also great for getting rust off chrome bike parts…..

I have Iroko worktops, they are around 6 years old and in pretty good shape after lots of hard use. About once a year I go over them with a bit of sandpaper and re oil with Danish oil which seems to work pretty well. The area around the sink I tend to re-oil every 6 months or so just to be on the safe side but it only takes a hour or so, no great effort.
They do have marks, dents and scratches from the kids using them as anvils, cutting blocks and so on but they still look good.

liberon pure tung oil, nothing else I have tried comes even close,
non toxic as well ( unless you have a nut type allergy)

Cheers chaps, plenty of oilage to look into.

First off I fit kitchens for a living and there’s nowt wrong with solid wood if it treated properly.

Worktop Express are excellent, product comes well packaged and protected.

I’ve use all the Danish oil and Tung oil products and they are hopeless unless you want to keep retreating all the time. They do not remain impervious to water and they take ages to dry leaving you with a useless worktop for several hours at least, every time you do it and the amount of dust which stick to it in that time is extremely annoys if you are looking for a quality finish.

I have walnut tops in my own kitchen and have found the best product for treating them is called e-z oil by a company called Morrells. It’s about £13/litre, cheaper in 5 ltr cans.

You can apply several coats in a day and still use the top within a couple of hours of application. In fact it dries so fast that it’s not a bad idea to “cut” it with some white spirit to give you a longer working time.

You can apply by rag or brush. I prefer the latter as I can get nice thick coats down which “flow” smooth. After a few coats you can if you wish get a glass like finish which looks great on a nicely patterned wood like walnut but may not e to everybody’s taste.

By the way, do t forget to treat the underside of the wood well as you’ll never treat it again in all probability.
Same goes for cut edges to cut outs for hobs and sinks etc.

Using this stuff I would have no problem with using wood for Belfast sinks etc and typically if you get enough on in the first place you’ll only ever need to recoat if you damage the surface. Oh and it is certified for food prep areas.

Hope this helps

I also fit kitchens for a living and have prime oak tops myself. Also have an undermount sink cut into them with exposed wooden edges.

I use Osmo Wood Protect and Top oil on mine. Dries quickly and is easy to apply.

All the other advice above is sound. Worktop express is good, as is http://www.woodenworktops.com although delivery is steep.

many thanks all, great to get the professional opinions too, very useful