Wooden worktops, yes or no?

[TriceratopsRocks]

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!

Please don't use granite for chopping food. That is one of the quickest ways to blunt a knife. Knife friendly chopping boards need to be wood or plastic.

I've had mine for 2 years, oiled with Osmo and I haven't had any issues at all...

I put oak worktops in my utility about a month ago. Quartz in the kitchen but thought I'd try and save costs in the utility because a) the sink is not used frequently, b) the kids don't go in there at all and c) there's no cooking going on. They were oiled pre install.

They are already so marked! I have no idea what it's even from to be honest, but so relieved I don't have them all through the kitchen.

I'm going to buck the trend.
Solid oak worktops with a belfast sink put in six years ago, we haven't oiled inbetween, and apart from a few scratches they are still in top condition, no blackening around the sink, no marks from spillages of coffee or acids or oils.
We used a local joiner who prepped the wood very well with multiple oils before installing.
Love them.

I really like my oak worktops.

I don't have them round the sink or the hob so just on the island and the side with the kettle and toaster.

I certainly don't oil them every 3 months. I've just done them for the first time in about 5 years. All the stains came out with a quick sand.

Ours are 12 years old and one of the reasons I like them is because they don't look brand new. The house is old and the worktops just look like they belong.

Yeah @Frenchfancy I wonder whether the answer to 'should I have wooden worktops' depends on whether you want a minimalist, modern, sleek sort of kitchen or whether you're more an artful clutter type who doesn't mind things looking lived in. Not saying one is better or more classy than the other - just a question of preference. No wooden surface anywhere will look brand new after a few years.

No wooden surface anywhere will look brand new after a few years.

This just isn’t true. I’m on holidays so I can’t post a photo of my oak worktops, but (other than the permanent marker my daughter used) they’re in brand new condition.

Danish oil has been the oil of choice for worktops for decades. The problem is many people use it badly. It doesn’t require 2-3 coats, it requires 8-10. Use a hardwax oil (I’ve only used osmo so can only recommend that) and it creates an absolutely impermeable surface which still looks great years later, not only this but damage (hot pans, permanent marker, etc) can very easily be removed and repaired.

I meant more dents @Hiddenmnetter - I've got a few quite deep dents that would elude a sander I think. Although like a pp our work surfaces get used as DIY work benches sometimes which more sensible households would probably avoid!

Well yes - damage as such like a gouge you won’t be able to repair, not without a lot of speciality skills/kit. Even then you could sand it to get rid of the most obvious abrasions to improve the look. If the gouge or dent is really deep you could use lycol filler mixed with sawdust of the same colour and fill it before reoiling (won’t be perfect but will look better).

but even a granite worktop won’t withstand DIY sawing, hammering, screwing etc. and a scratch on granite or quartz is much harder to recover from. Wood is great because it’s a hugely forgiving material.

I think it depends on the wood, the finish and the aftercare.

My sister has iroko wood and a perfectionist dh who oils/ sands etc diligently, and theirs look great.

We have maple (in the house when we moved in - we found a disclaimer from the kitchen company saying they were advised not to), a sloppy dp who never treats it (and I do most other stuff so don't either!), and it goes under the sink which also has grooves in it. Ours is black near the sink, and has other stains, but still looks OK ish 7 years in.

You won't oil it as much as you think you will but if you pick the right wood and give it some tlc it will be fine. Though I like the imperfections of wood and you might not!

Thank you again to everyone for all your comments and advice. To answer PPs, I'm not after a 'sleek and modern' kitchen - our house isn't old but we are fairly rural so country style/wood would suit it, and I'm very happy with things gaining 'character' as they age. I used to have a (beamed) 18th century cottage and "It's a feature" was my response to any comment about the many, many knocks, bumps, chips and whatever that were all over the house. Much of our current furniture is 2nd hand and a few dents and scratches wouldn't bother me in the slightest. It's the burn marks, water damage and black sink mould that concerns me most, because we will want to move at some stage (5-10 years) and I don't want to put people off with what by then could be rubbish looking worktops.

I have to say though - after the first replies were mostly "Nooooo! Don't do it!", we had three days running where I came down in the morning to find a big puddle of water on the side by the sink, then the kettle properly leaked (part of but not the only reason for the water), and the eldest left his late night cooking (curry!) mess all over the side and went to bed without clearing it up. So I figured getting wood was just not destined to be until at least the eldest has his own place, and that we'd need to go with the quartz.

Now I'm reading the more positive replies and I'm wavering again! I'm listening carefully to the merits of Osmo oil or Sadolin as the way to go. And thinking of more ways I can try to train my eldest (uni age).

The kitchen company has mocked up 'photos' of what it would look like with quartz, wood, and a mixture of the two. We will be having two areas of worktop. One is the sink run and the other is an island with a hob on it. It looked odd with only the island in wood though, so it'll be both or neither.

Thank you all again - I'll let you know when I've worked it out. We are supposed to be getting it all ordered by the end of this week and I know I'll still be debating on Thursday night. I am definitely missing a 'deciciveness' gene! 😂

Mine are fine apart from the bit at the back of the sink, if you can work out how to stop that from
going black then go for it. They look lovely and mine haven’t marked.

If you get a sink with a draining board and tap hole in it (rather than a tap hole in the worktop), then it becomes a far more practical option.
Oil it regularly, and generously...several coats when fitted, then werkly for a few weeks, then monthly for a few months. Then a couple times a year, then once a year if you remember. If water doesnt "bead" on the surface, it needs oiled.
It isnt as nice for rolling out pastry on as quartz is, but feels nicer for kneading bread on.
Its much more forgiving if youre clumsy with crockery & glasses.
You can sand it if you need to. It wont chip (I managed to wallop the corner of our quartz worktop with a heavy pan in old house ... it chipped) but would dent.
We bought fancy wooden tops, as island was too wide for standard ones. The manufacturer cut them to size (including sink cut out), in long planks (rather than butcher block), FSC timber, with a shaped edge and they were about a third of the price of the quartz we liked (maybe just expensive taste in quartz!).
What flooring are you looking at? IMO, LVT or laminate set against real wood often looks plastic and fake. But tiled or stone floor with quartz worktop is prerty harsh.

No - just don’t. We had them and then had to change. Impossible to keep looking good.

Curry (specifically turmeric) can also stain quartz (as can red wine)- they have strong acids in them that will stain. Again, wood- you can sand that out if it happens.

Black marks are from where it’s not appropriately treated. If you’re replacing the current worktop, get it cut to size and sanded and prepped before installing it. Then get them to oil it, ask them to do extra coats around the sink cutout. My worktop has none of those black marks. As PP noted, if water doesn’t bead then the cure has failed and needs reoiling (I have to redo my floors). These need doing every 2 years or so, but floors take a LOT more wear than a worktop.

I love ours. It's an IKEA kitchen we inherited from the previous owners (who had two toddlers) and with my preschool twins, I'd like to think I've managed to keep it looking okay. I am very careful about spillages though and am meticulous in cleaning the kitchen after every meal so...

Love mine...but then my style is rustic and our house is an old converted barn with an unfitted style kitchen so the marks, stains and cuts all add to the charm.

We put hot pots straight on top and don't have an issue with water marks.

There are a couple of very dark marks (burns I assume) from the previous owners.

Ours are 20 years old and never been refinished or resealed although I am looking into resealing them soon (diy using Tung Oil) for hygiene reasons.

I guess it depends on your style?

Ps. I'm Asian so plenty of spices (including turmeric) used in this kitchen without any long lasting stains. In the year that we've been here, I've oiled the worktop just once.

We had them in our utility room. Builder treated with danish oil when treated and they immediately started marking after use amd I was thinking `I’d made a bad mistake but I sanded and then applied a couple of coats of Fiddes Hard wax oil and it made a massive difference. Water sat on top of the surface rather than soak in and they looked good when we sold 4 years later.

I will be having wood again in new kitchen.

Probably if it was just two adults as it is quite easy to keep on top of but with 3 children who will become teens making cups of coffee and snacks on it, I wouldn't

I see your children are older anyway so no I still wouldnt