Are solid wood worktops easier to care for/bett than laminate worktops?

[Sunflower6]

I need a new kitchen worktop. I've always lived in houses with laminate worktops. I fancy a beech worktop would a solid wood wood top be better than a laminate?

Are solid wood worktops easy to care for?do they mark easily?

[SquirtedPerfumeUpNoseInBoots]

No, they aren't easy to care for at all.
They need regular oiling, and the slightest spill needs dealt with there and then. You can't leave water standing on it, as it will soak in and looks hideous.
I wouldn't get one.

[twolittlemonkeys]

Don't do it! Lots of maintenance required, wood goes manky round the sink area, and unless you have a very minimalist kitchen and plenty of time to ensure that no drops of water are ever allowed to sit on the worktop. Far more hassle than it's worth. I love how they look, but would go for laminate over wood every time. You can get some fairly realistic wood-effect laminate worktops now.

[Sunflower6]

Thank you, that is was I was worried about I'll stick with laminate.

[BoffinMum]

You can get Magnet laminate that closely resembles wood. Much better. I ahve had wood in the past and it was a nightmare to maintain.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

No they are not easy! The bloody things stain, get wet and need oiling all the time.

[emsyj]

We've got an oak block effect laminate - probably the equivalent of swirly carpet, laminate flooring or artex in terms of naffness but having had a real wood work surface before I would NEVER do it again, you couldn't pay me enough! I love my plastic indestructible worktop .

[PigletJohn]

solid wood worktops are absolutely ideal in a kitchen showroom.

But not in a kitchen.

[OneLittleToddlingTerror]

I talked to a friend's mum who has a wooden worktop before doing ours. She said they never put coffee cups and wine glasses on the worktops. And you need to keep it super dry or it'll go mouldy. And on top of that, they oil and sand every year. They don't have children so ofc it's doable. The kitchen guy who did our kitchen told me that the most hard wearing surface is laminate, and they'd recommend that over granite/quartz and wooden, if easy no-care is what we want. And only non-glossy lamintate too. We took their advice and chose a nice laminate. With a toddler, I prefer a hard wearing, no care option. I can't have naice

[Fluffycloudland77]

No.

[Netheregions]

loved the look of my solid wood worktop - kept it dry but still got marks and black stains by the sink.

If going for a non-plastic option would recommend granite - mine seems uber easy to keep perfect.

[NotGoodNotBad]

I'm surprised at all your experiences. We have a wooden worktop, it's been there over 14 years, we oil it maybe once every three years a year. We don't put very hot stuff on it, but we do put mugs, glasses etc. on it. It still looks OK for the most part.

OTOH we are about to redo our kitchen and I would prefer to change to something else - the sink area, as others have said, is not great and has black bits.

Laminate worries me as if you damage it you can't fix it, unlike wood, so I'm undecided....

[OneLittleToddlingTerror]

NotGoodNotBad the thing with laminate is that it's cheap enough to replace . And they are really tough. I put roasting pans from the oven and pots from the stove straight onto mine. Same with curry powder, cutting dough with pizza wheel, red wine. I got a dark stoned coloured one, and it's indestructible. The kitchen guy did say granite/quartz is very good, but you have to be slightly careful with red wine and curry. I think how porous they are depends on the colour/stone chose? I know friends who love theirs so it must be ok.

[OneLittleToddlingTerror]

Thinking about staining granite with turmeric and curry powder. It probably is only a problem if you choose a light colour. I'm sure a dark stone will never show up your curry stain!

[NotGoodNotBad]

Don't fancy quartz/granite - they look and feel gorgeous, but a) they are cold and my kitchen is freezing b) they cost an arm and a leg and c) they are ultra-hard and I will smash all my crockery on them!

[Badvoc]

Noooooo!
Theybareva nightmare!

[MerryMarigold]

Ooh, feeling all justified in my choice of laminate now! You can get some really cool ones. There is one style which is much thicker than the rest and has square edges so looks less 'laminate' (unfortunately I left it too late to order). I would add my regret was going for a dark coloured laminate as it does show the limescale, but that's not much in the grand scheme of things.

[MrsBucketxx]

no definitely a nightmare,

dont do it.

[OneLittleToddlingTerror]

Wipe up after yourself. It doesn't have to be straight away, just after meals etc and Rub the sandpaper over the stain ... Wipe ... Rub olive oil and HOW USELESS DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO NOT BE ABLE TO DO THE ABOVE

All I have to say is you are more of a domestic goddess than me. I really can't do all the above. It's just the same when others tell me they iron all their bedclothes and their baby's vests and babygros. I don't do any ironing. I'm that useless.

[OneLittleToddlingTerror]

Should I complain my DH even leave weetabix in the sink after breakfast? So when I get home after work, I get crusted weetabix to scrub?

[EldonAve]

wood are a pain

[sazpops]

Ooh, looks like I'm in a minority, but I loved the wood worktops in my last kitchen. Didn't have it by the sink though, just on the island unit (where I did all my food prep) and over the cupboards. I always used a trivet for hot pots and pans, but no other special care. I rubbed mine down and oiled it whenever it got too yukky looking - probably every 6 months on the island and once a year on the rest. By the time we left that house (kitchen about 6 years old), it had a few marks and scratches, but that added to the character IMO. Can't wait to do the kitchen in this house and am planning wood again.

[sazpops]

Ooh, looks like I'm in a minority, but I loved the wood worktops in my last kitchen. Didn't have it by the sink though, just on the island unit (where I did all my food prep) and over the cupboards. I always used a trivet for hot pots and pans, but no other special care. I rubbed mine down and oiled it whenever it got too yukky looking - probably every 6 months on the island and once a year on the rest. By the time we left that house (kitchen about 6 years old), it had a few marks and scratches, but that added to the character IMO. Can't wait to do the kitchen in this house and am planning wood again.