Wooden worktops - a maintenance nightmare?

[veneeroftheweek]

We want to replace our laminate worktops and although I like the look of a warm wood worktop I'm worried that it would be a pain to maintain. We had a cheap ikea wooden one in a previous place (made up of lots of bits of wood stuck together) and it went mouldy round the sink and got very marked. A friend reckons it's because it was cheap, and that a good quality one wouldn't cause issues. Is she right?
FWIW we cook a lot and I really don't want to have to dry the worktops every time I use the sink.

You can test how good you would be at maintaining it by buying a wooden chopping block. If it doesn’t go mouldy in 4-6 months and you remember to oil it regularly you could get a countertop.

@Ozanj

You can test how good you would be at maintaining it by buying a wooden chopping block. If it doesn’t go mouldy in 4-6 months and you remember to oil it regularly you could get a countertop.

Blimey. My wooden chopping board is 5 years old and still not mouldy. Wooden counter tops might be OK for me 🤣

Christ...never again would I have wooden worktop. It was a nightmare. I was a constant nervous wreck about stains and water and the oiling was a pain in the area.

When we renovated I went for a marble look granite and it's such a bloody relief. I would maybe have a nice butcher's block if I had the space but alas my kitchen is too small.

We have them. Over 30 years old. Luckily, our kitchen is the “rustic” farmhouse type.

@etulosba

We have them. Over 30 years old. Luckily, our kitchen is the “rustic” farmhouse type.

Do you think it's the in between stage that is the problem? I love a rustic look but to go from new to rustic is such a lot of pain....

We have one and I hate it, would never have again, if you are a very careful person it might be fine. I've found like others its a nightmare around the sink and also it never seems totally clean

OP, I think the lessons of this tread are:

1. Get Iroko, not oak or beech (though my 25yo Ikea beech chopping block is still in fine fettle thanks)
2. Give it a few coats of this stuff: https://osmouk.com/product/wood-wax-finish-extra-thin/ (fewer if it's reclaimed than new)
3. Don't have taps going directly into the wood
4. If you really really want wood by your sink,, put a non-porous material around it like this https://www.instagram.com/p/BVZwtSRle5K/

Wood is lovely. Reclaimed wood like lab benches are a tenth of the price of quartz and more sustainable than pretty much any other worktop material. If that's what you want then go for it.

Nice summary Zinnia!

I wonder if the many of the people who hate their wooden worktops used Osmo oil. I know we used something different when we had them before (can't remember what).

wooden worktops have honestly been the bane of my life. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone, in fact, I'm searching for an alternative at the moment.

I preface my questions by stating that I love the look of wooden worktops and I admit I am looking for any excuse to prove the haters wrong so I can justify buying one….
…why don’t wooden chopping boards fare as badly as worktops? We have had the same chopping board for a decade and we wash it with soap and water

We had wooden worktops in our last house - they looked gorgeous when new but as others have said they marked so easily we ended up covering them with surface savers, thus completely hiding them and yet still getting stains somehow. It's a massive relief to have bog standard laminate worktops in this house, I'll never have wooden ones again by choice.

We installed a wooden worktop - against DP's wishes really as he said it would be a nightmare to maintain. It is. I wouldn't put one in again even though I love the way they look. We are probably going to have to sand it back and reseal it - not the whole thing but around the sink.

I wonder if the many of the people who hate their wooden worktops used Osmo oil. I know we used something different when we had them before (can't remember what).

We used Osmo oil, still got mould round the sink. Every so often you have to shift everything off the worktops and re-oil them, which is a pain in a small kitchen.

@winter12345

Is this what you used on yours? Getting wooden worktops soon and was going to finish with Danish oil, but your post is making me reconsider!
osmouk.com/product/topoil/#instructions

Had walnut in my old house. Thought I was dead clever and would keep up with treating them but I never did. They didn't look great (to me) when I sold that house. I was ready to strip it all back and have it coated with a clear silicone finish but sold it before I had chance.

I did have granite fitted around the sink area though. Just because water and wood never mix.

We used osmo and they were still a pain in the ass.

We inherited a new wooden worktop in a house we part Airbnb and I was really worried about the wood needing a bit more TlS than it would get. Howdens sell this www.howdens.com/hardware/woodcare/wood-treatment/rustins-1-ltr-clear-gloss-plastic-coating-and-hardener-obj-sku-family-gar0580 so got someone to apply and 5 years later it's still going strong. Slight sheen to the wood but not like a shiny lacquer. Would absolutely put in a wooden worktop and use the same thing again.

TLC not TIS

Don’t do it!!

Buy some convincing wood look laminate. Life is too short!