Wooden worktops in kitchen, or not?

[JellicleCat]

We are planning to renew our kitchen worktops. Units are fine, 10 years old but still look good.

Went to look at worktops today and favourite so far is solid wood. However we are not the most careful or tidy of households and I am a bit concerned about how they will stand up to wear and tear. Are they high maintenance? Or will they put up with a certain amount of abuse?

We have always had wood and are not precious about them at all, current kitchen has black walnut worktops. We put two coats of Osmo worktop oil on them two years ago and they still look like new.

I like wood - as long as you get the bit near the sink right. We have a butlers sink with a built in worktop - no water issues at all with the wood.

I think it is forgiving, you could sand out scratches/burns and re-treat.

Osmo really is the best stuff going, I don't mind doing it every couple of years but in reality don't think it needs doing that often.

Other people seem to hate them - have water issues but we have had them for 12 years and re-used our old beech ones as chunky shelving.

We are not remotely careful.

I had wood at the old flat and they were destroyed by a cleaner with some weird product. I still have no idea what she did, but they were a bugger anyway with water stains and icky bits near the sink. Proceed with caution is my advice! New house = no wood

I don't like them, I've seen too many ruined by water from sinks and stained etc.

I have them (here when we moved in) but I don't think I would choose them.

love mine..they are the most beautiful natural thing. they have really added warmth to my kitchen.

I love the fact (apart from severe water damage) you can repair them so easily.

in reality if you use a dishwasher water damage is unlikely. It gives you an expensive look without the price tag of granite etc..

They do look nice but we recently stayed in a holiday place with them and it was only 18 months old and the work top around the sink was wrecked .
Would never have them for that reason

Avoid like the plague. They look nice for a very short space of time, they are high maintenance and just not practical at all for an area that needs (IMO) to be clean and involves a lot if water.

I like them - they look good, warmer than hard surfaces but also they are much less noisy when you put plates/glasses/mugs down on them.
Osmo oil is what you need.

We're going with oak worktops, I couldn't decide between oak or Silestone but DH doesn't like the Silestone Lagoon that I like. Every kitchen place we've been to have said that wood worktops are fine as long as you oil them approx once a year and are careful with hot pans, but even then they said any marks could be sanded out.

Two friends have had oak worktops put in last year, one the cheapish Ikea oak and the other from Howdens. The Ikea tops haven't been oiled and are not carefully looked after at all, the other friends have been oiled a few times and she's very careful, they both look fine.

Ours are teak/iroko with Osmo oil too. It's a hardwax oil, it is very durable and waterproof and NOT the same as tung oil, Ikea oil, danish oil or anything else which needs much more upkeep (but for some baffling reason are used by nearly all worktop suppliers). I've never heard anyone talk of problems with worktops where a hardwax oil has been used, but plenty of stories (as per above) with other oils - you decide.

Regards the different oils, I'd heard that Osmos oil is the best to use but does this make the worktops look shiny at all or change the colour?

Osmo not Osmos!

We have oak work tops and I love them. We are moving soon but will choose them again if I need a new kitchen.

Our builder put a mat varnish in the work tops, not oil. They are 6 years old and I haven't had to do any maintence apart from around the sink, which I've reapplied once.

They do a matt and a natural which is supposed to be less noticeable. I think we used the matt - sort of brings out the grain although I think that is what the other one is supposed to do as well. Fantastic stuff, we also used the floor Osmo on our new oak floorboards throughout the house - the thought of never having to sand again before re-applying is worth the £££.

Here's a photo (sorry ignore the flowers) the sun is shining on the work top to the left- they aren't naturally that shiney.

I think they still look great for 6 years old.

we have heat treated ash and it is fab. I've had oak in the past and that WILL go black when it gets wet near any sink - avoid near there.

Osmo is brilliant. DH makes bespoke kitchens and we always use it for solid tops for customers and give them a pot to use.

They say top up every 6 months for Osmo. (I've probably done it once in 3 years). We had to sand and refinish a small area when the babysitter put a hot pan on it but you can't tell and the repair took about an hour.

Love our iroko worktops. Also don't be put off by people who give dire warnings about using olive oil. After the first good dose of teak oil I have topped up regularly with plain olive oil (very easy and non toxic/smelly) and they look amazing.

Thanks everyone. We do have a dishwasher, but also wash a few things by hand, so would need to be careful round the sink.

What about marks from greasy plates and cooking splatter?

We have them and hate them. They are marked by heat and water- two things quite common in a well-used kitchen.

We have black walnut worktops and have now lived with them for six months.

They do scratch easily but the beauty is that you can just sand out the scratches. Otherwise they've been great so far. No issues with water around the sink but we are careful and the worktops are well oiled so that the water beads on it.

We have solid oak worktops. 2 years old and look like new.

We love them.

I love my oak worktops too. They aren't high maintenance at all, and they look great.