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Original poster

Wooden worktops, yes or no?

97 replies

TriceratopsRocks · 05/08/2023 23:12

Please tell me about your wooden kitchen worktops!

We are having our kitchen done and originally decided on quartz for practicality, but I so much prefer the look and feel of wood. Can any of you with wooden worktops tell me what the mainenance is actually like? I know we will need to oil it every 3-6 months, which I think means the worktop is out of action for a day.

If it's kept regularly oiled, how susceptible is it to water/sauce damage? We have 3 DC, all of whom can be messy cooks. Ingredients can seem to end up flung all over the place and spills aren't always wiped up for a while.

If any of you with experience can tell me what it's actually like with a wooden worktop, I'd really appreciate it. And although I'd love you all to say that wood is actually not too much bother, I really need to know if your reaction is "don't do it, it's a nightmare"! If it were just DH and I, I wouldn't hesitate. But we aren't the only people here and I just worry that wood will end up burned and stained due to DC. So as long as we keep on top of the maintenance, how easy is it to actually ruin them?

Any words of wisdom really appreciated - thank you!

OP posts:
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tootrueblue · 05/08/2023 23:18

Don't do it. Standing water creates marks. Tins create marks. You won't oil it as often as you think you will. It's genuinely not worth the hassle, even more so with kids.

bossybloss · 05/08/2023 23:20

A friend had wooden work tops…. And would never recommend them for the reasons above!

OhSmitty · 05/08/2023 23:26

We oiled ours regularly and it stayed in fabulous nick. Wiped clean and we always used a chopping board. The only time I had a problem, it was totally my own fault cleaning the oven and got a splash of oven pride on the top, however a quick sand and oil and it wasn't noticeable. They looked great.

Namechangedforthis25 · 05/08/2023 23:28

Oiled them regularly and they were ok - but more hassle than they were worth tbh

Ihatemondays1962 · 05/08/2023 23:28

I wouldn't get them again either. I did try hard to look after mine but they still ended up badly water marked. I have quartz now and much prefer it.

CutesyUserName · 05/08/2023 23:28

Nope, wouldn't recommend. Had two houses now with wooden worktops (both already there when we bought). The first one had a hole next to the tap where water had rotted it, and the second one (this house) was black all around the taps. We're pretty careful people, but it still marks easily.

We're moving soon and the first thing we are doing is replacing the wooden worktops (yes, the next house has them as well!) with quartz or granite. Going to repurpose the worktops as shelves though, so they won't be wasted.

DoubleYolker · 05/08/2023 23:30

No, don’t do it. We oiled regularly but still got water damage around the sink. And they stain with various spillages. Never again.

MetaverseMavis · 05/08/2023 23:32

Just no

MyCatHasStaff · 05/08/2023 23:32

The house we moved into had wooden worktops, they looked great but I hated them. I cook and bake a lot and they were a nightmare. When we re-did the kitchen I had quartz and I love it. Low maintenance, anti-bacterial and looks great.

ManyRiversToCross · 05/08/2023 23:34

Ours are 9 years in and in fab nick, they are oak.
Instead of oiling we varnished with sadolin pv 64, which is what is used on pub bartops.
You can get it in satin so it's not shiny or orange.

Had them sanded and revarnished once in 8 years. Picture of sink area to show no discolouration as this is the area that goes black if oiled wood gets wet.

Wooden worktops, yes or no?
Wooden worktops, yes or no?
RampantIvy · 05/08/2023 23:35

Another big fat no here, for all the reasons that have already been given.

ManyRiversToCross · 05/08/2023 23:38

I actually think that pic of the sink area was 8 years in pre sand and revarnish. That slight wear to front of worktop has gone now.

EmeraldDuck · 05/08/2023 23:41

I did thorough research all over the internet, including trawling through historic Mumsnet posts, and decided to get wood worktops. To protect them I had them pretreated with 6 layers of Danish oil, by the worktop company , and added two more laters of oil more myself. They looked great (although a lot more orange than I expected, I guess because of the oil).

I regret them so much 😭

The ‘danish oil’ is basically varnish. Is waterproof yay. But when I splashed wet baking soda onto the worktop, it reacted with the varnish and left a huge dark brown stain.

When DH spilt some expresso powder on the worktop, that also left a dark brown stain. Sanding does not get it out. The stain is deep.

DO NOT BUT WOOD WORKTOPS. I cannot emphasise this enough.

ManyRiversToCross · 05/08/2023 23:45

@EmeraldDuck
Danish oil can't be "essentially varnish" if it stains like that. As you see, my actually varnished worktops are unstained 9 years in. I have 4 kids including 2 messy cooks, and a dog. It gets wiped down each day and we use trivets for hot pans and a chopping board for food prep.

Greenwood8 · 05/08/2023 23:45

Only get them if you really really love their look over options available. And if you do get them do not get an undermount sink, drainage lines or taps coming out of wood. Overmount sink with integral tap is the only safe option if you want real longevity. Use osmo oil, you can usually go a couple of years before you reapply.

I have installed wooden worktops in latest house, also installed them in the last one too. No children regularly in the house and I wipe up all water marks religiously. Still managed to get some blemishes but wood can always be fixed. They are hard work but I cannot stand hard noisy surfaces.

That being said, should there be a new house/ 3rd kitchen in the future I cannot bring myself to have it again.

Fizzadora · 05/08/2023 23:46

I have had mine for over 20 years and they have only been oiled three or four times. It's at least a two day job if it's hot and dry, longer if it's raining especially if you are sanding down. They were lovely until about 5 years ago, but due to illness they have been sadly neglected since then and and are now looking very shabby.
We are hoping to be able to sand them down next year and re-oil (but might look at that Sadolin varnish). If it doesn't work it will be replacement with quartz and new cabinet doors.

Crikeyalmighty · 05/08/2023 23:46

Awful- we have had 2 rentals with them- and they were nightmares for marking badly

GellerYeller · 05/08/2023 23:51

No no no. We had a Belfast sink set slightly under ours and you just can’t stop the wood going black round the taps as PP said.
We had to sand and oil them all when fairly new after a well meaning cleaner used some sort of spray/polish that made all the original oil treatment peel off.

EmeraldDuck · 05/08/2023 23:52

GellerYeller · 05/08/2023 23:51

No no no. We had a Belfast sink set slightly under ours and you just can’t stop the wood going black round the taps as PP said.
We had to sand and oil them all when fairly new after a well meaning cleaner used some sort of spray/polish that made all the original oil treatment peel off.

Oh yes the cleaner! I forgot her! I don’t know what chemical she put on ours but she managed to strip the varnish and blacken the wood in one area.

Yarnorama · 05/08/2023 23:57

Love mine. Oak, used Osmo top oil regularly until about 8 years ago and they're holding up well, even around the sink and taps, I do use a worktop protector by the kettle and use the cut out from the large (double butler) sink as a prep area and never put wet steel on them. They are way less hassle than everyone says IME and look and feel lovely.

GellerYeller · 05/08/2023 23:58

@EmeraldDuck Ours came off like that rubber glue we used to have at school, they were sort of tacky to the touch. I feel your pain!
I rescued a dining table destroyed by the kids with Danish Oil though. It is a bit more orange than I’d like but it’s still going strong.

stickybear · 06/08/2023 00:04

GellerYeller · 05/08/2023 23:51

No no no. We had a Belfast sink set slightly under ours and you just can’t stop the wood going black round the taps as PP said.
We had to sand and oil them all when fairly new after a well meaning cleaner used some sort of spray/polish that made all the original oil treatment peel off.

This!! They look so lovely in the brochures, but don't do it! Ours went black around the sink no matter how careful I was with it. Really not worth the hassle when there are lovely maintenance free options out there

HiHoHiHoltsOffToWorkWeGo · 06/08/2023 00:07

Absolutely not - I first came across them when renting, the landlord did not mention anything about oiling or maintaining them and we were stuck trying to work out why the worktop was turning black.

PriamFarrl · 06/08/2023 00:07

We have iroko wood and it hasn’t gone black. We’ve only oiled it 3 or 4 times over 4 years too.

Whyohwhyohwhy123 · 06/08/2023 00:10

I would if you will look after them. For ease and cost I’m having wood look laminate this time and it even has a grain feel. To it.

Be careful with granite I had some which I thought was black but some bleach got on it and made it grey. Nothing could fix that.