Wooden worktops which oil do you use?

[Coconutfeet]

I've had conflicting advice. Danish oil, osmo, linseed. What do you think works best? I've been a bit slack with our worktops of late and they definitely need a bit of TLC.

Linseed works best IME

Danish oil smells really strong

We had some other wooden furniture treated with this and it really whiffs!

It wears off obvioulsy ... I wouldn't want it anywhere in the kitchen tho

Thanks Rubyslippers. I didn't know that about Danish oil. How many coats of Linseed do you use? I've used it before but didn't find it great and I'm wondering whether I've not put enough on (5 coats).

I use ordinary cooking oil - sunflower or veg oil rather than virgin olive!

For a new surface (I have had wood in two kitchens) I will put on as much as the surface will take. If you can arrange to leave it at least overnight, you can coat it so there is a layer sitting on the top, which will soak in. When it is freshly done a splash of water should almost bead on the top, rather than flatten and spread out.

Every 3-4 months I scrub my surfaces down with an abrasive pad and cleaning paste, and then put one coat on, that takes about 2 hrs to fully soak in.

Interesting Thistledew - I had no idea you could use cooking oil - I've been googling all sorts of expensive ones. I haven't been as vigilent as you in the past and am going to have to sand it back and start again.

It makes sense to me- I have no worries about strange oils affecting the flavour of eg pastry if you roll it out on the kitchen surface.

That is a great thing about wood- if it gets scratched or marked or just looks a bit tired you can sand it back to a new surface. I would recommend spending quite a bit of time sanding along the grain with a very fine grade paper, as this will also help it to resist marks.