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Original poster

oak worktop - Ikea v. Barncrest

24 replies

teta · 24/04/2011 13:49

Is there an obvious difference in quality?.I am going to order Barncrest for the island as i have heard bad reports about custom-made sizes from Ikea.But i am now thinking of saving money by using Ikea for the wall worktops .The cost is quite a bit lower and if they become damaged they can be replaced cheaply.Is this a false economy and will i regret it?.

OP posts:
hobnob · 24/04/2011 23:09

I don't know about IKEA ones but have Barncrest myself and v. happy with it. Is there an argument for getting them both from the same place so that they'll match? (I know that doesn't remotely address the question you actually asked but can't resist putting in my two penn'orth on a kitchen thread at 11pm.)

Original poster
teta · 25/04/2011 17:53

Yes,there probably is hobnob,but i am trying to save money.Plus with 4 dc's ,3 of which are 6 and under i think anything will get wrecked and Ikeas is cheap enough to be replaced.I already have the Ikea one in my utility and it looks surprisingly nice.But i am concerned about the long-term longevity of the Ikea v. the Barncrest.Has anyone out there had both?

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hobnob · 25/04/2011 23:30

I take your point, teta. Besides, I'm sure people on here have raved about IKEA worktops. And if you use the same Danish oil on both it might come up quite similar anyway.

SparkyUK · 25/04/2011 23:35

Haven't had both but I ordered from Wood and Beyond and they were excellent value and the worktops seem to be holding up very well.

zonkin · 25/04/2011 23:47

We have barncrest (with ikea units) and love it. It looks great. We originally ordered ikea worktops but the quality just wasn't right. Ended up using one of the ikea worktops as a long wall desk in our playroom and selling the other one. Love our ikea units tho!

Original poster
teta · 26/04/2011 09:48

Zonkin how did the quality differ?.Are they appreciably different colours?

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Mandy21 · 26/04/2011 09:56

I've never heard of Barncrest but we had IKEA worktops and custom made island unit in solid beech. I obviously can't compare the quality but would say that the island unit in particular was lovely, really nice and in the 3 years we had it - before we moved house - it still looked beautiful. The worktops did end up a little bit marked (particularly around the sink - water marks) mainly because they were used so much and wood in general I found was quite high maintenance.

orangina · 26/04/2011 09:58

I have never heard of barncrest, but I have used soe of the ikea worktops (which were ok) and then had to order some oak worktops from worktop express, which are just LOVELY. MUCH niced than the ikea ones, and I thought they were very good value.

here

I would agree with anyone who said that if you can match your worktops, then all the better (ie, get them from the same place)

orangina · 26/04/2011 09:59

Also, have tested out various oils etc, and found that the kettes hard wax oil gives the nicest finish (IMO). Didn't like the danish oil at all.

Original poster
teta · 26/04/2011 16:35

Orangina i have just ordered some samples from Worktop Express.The costs look really good - even in Iroko as well as oak.Many thanks for the tip!.The only problem is the island will have to be ordered in 2 bits as there is a 7 week lead times for special orders-also this has to be pre-oiled.So can i use this hard wax oil on top of a ready oiled worktop?

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zonkin · 27/04/2011 23:18

The Barncrest ones were just SO much nicer and obviously better quality. The ikea ones were ok but just not stunning and the worktop was the "oooo" factor in our kitchen as we had gone for the glossy white ikea cupboards (fab value for money) which are plain (but lovely). At the time of ordering the kitchen I thought the ikea worktops would be okay but when we looked at the ikea worktops in situ just before they were to be fitted they just didn't look right and so we decided to look around and found Barncrest.

Barncrest did need lots of oiling when it arrived but it does look gorgeous. If I did another kitchen I would do the same - ikea cupboards but worktop from elsewhere.

As someone else said, wood does require maintenance, especially by the sink, but we don't oil that often (should do it more often) but when you do oil them they look like new. Which reminds me, must get DH to do the oiling.....

orangina · 28/04/2011 10:39

Oh good teta! I ordered samples first, and then they deducted the cost of the samples from my eventual order.

Have no idea re whether you can use hard wax oil on top of a ready oiled w-top, but imagine that they might be able to advise? Doesn't sound as though you can, as I did read somewhere that if you do need to re-oil, the original needs to be sanded and treated with (?) white spirit?

Perhaps if they are pre oiled you can request WHAT oil they are pre finished with?

orangina · 28/04/2011 10:39

What samples did you order by the way?

Original poster
teta · 28/04/2011 11:07

Oak and Iroko.I'm hoping that the iroko might be more kid-resistant than the oak!.Yes,i will contact the company .I think they use Rustins danish oil in the pre-oiling.Worktop Express seem to be very efficient.They did the worktop quote online for us in about 30 minutes at the end of the day.I was relly impressed.

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Original poster
teta · 28/04/2011 11:09

Relly?,really-i meant.I think it is one of those days.

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orangina · 28/04/2011 17:33

Smile I think iroko is pretty hard wearing, but then so is the oak.

I wish I was getting a new kitchen (sigh)

hobnob · 28/04/2011 19:45

I'm a real fan of Danish oil. What don't you like about it, orangina?

orangina · 28/04/2011 21:26

hobnob, I got some unfinished oak worktops to use as tops to some joinery units (ie, not in the kitchen), but knew I needed to finish it with SOMETHING. On the basis of what a load of helpful MNers said (!), I ordered samples of the danish oil, the hard wax oil (fiddes) and a tinted osmo oil, and tried them all out on a sample of the oak worktop.

I found the danish oil to bring out a sort of orangey hue to the oak, which made it just look wet, and not great. I loved the hard wax oil, which gave it a matt finish and hardly altered the colour. Also loved the tinted oil, but that is a slightly different creature anyway.

On the oak that I have, I just didn't like the finish I ended up with. Have got the fiddes hard wax oil for the oak in one area, and the tinted oil (which I think I still need to finish with the hard wax oil anyway) in another.

I guess it is all about what finish you want, and what material you are working with in the first place.

hobnob · 30/04/2011 15:48

That's interesting, orangina. Did you get the clear matt hardwax oil? I see they do it in different colours and also in a satin finish.

orangina · 02/05/2011 10:19

Yes I went for the clear matt. I bought a load of samples first, as I really wanted to see what they looked like on my wood (sample offcut) first before I committed to anything.....

hobnob · 02/05/2011 20:12

Thanks, orangina!

CharlieBoo · 02/05/2011 21:17

I have barncrest and is fabulous quality...really pleased with it.

Original poster
teta · 02/05/2011 23:33

I am still waiting for my samples from worktop express 7 days later.My kitchen is arriving friday and if i order the worktop tomorrow it will take about 10 days before it arrives so i am a bit cross at the delay.Thank-you for all the feedback about Barncrest and the best worktop wax.

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orangina · 03/05/2011 10:19

Oh no Teta! It's all these bank holidays..... call them and have a moan, see what they can do for you re: speedy worktop delivery....

(PS: kitchen installation ALWAYS takes longer than anyone thinks..... which might buy you a bit of worktop time.....)

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