Can anyone with wooden worktops give me advice?

[BelfastSmile]

We have these wooden worktops in our kitchen, which have driven me mad since we moved in, because they’re a bit of a mess. I’m sanding them down and they’re looking better, but I’ll soon be reaching this join, and I don’t know what to do.

It’s currently filled with what I suspect is wood filler, which has cracked and bits have come out. What should I replace this with? What’s the stand at joining material for wooden worktops? Do I just replace this with filler, or should I use some kind of sealant? If so, what? Or is it worth getting one of those strips you can put on joins?

Any advice welcome!

I've done a few wooden worktops, I would suggest the following steps

1. use a random orbital sander, with progressively finer papers P80>P120>P180.
2. Seal any gaps with OSMO wood filer
3. Seal with OSMO Top oil. (apply several coats thinly) with a P240 sanding in-between.

Hard to tell but, you may want to dig that crack out a bit before filling, if it's raised above the surface.

Thanks, that’s helpful! It’s raised a bit where it has cracked, but I think I can dig it out so I’ll do that.

Running a sharp chisel or blade might work to get the raised bits off. odd luck!

I’ll try that, thanks. Would you use filler on the gap between the worktop and the trim as well? Do you use white, or brown, or what? What about around the hob? It’s raised a couple of mm above the worktop, with some kind of seal underneath, but it gets full of crumbs, so I’d like to fill it somehow.

Dh says osmo advice above is correct and osmo brand is amazing

DH a joiner, said a less expensive, but effective, way than Osmo products which are good but pricey is to mix some sawdust with wood glue then seal. Get it flat get rid of raised bits first as others have said.

You can get the wood filler in multiple colours, or mix them. So far as "around the hob", hard to imagine without some photos...