Wooden Kitchen Worktop – Maintenance Tips

A wooden kitchen worktop is suitable in both conditions, whether you want a rustic, old-world look or a modern contemporary look. This type of worktop can add a dramatic appearance to your kitchen and provide you a functional and attractive work surface for years to come. It is also great if you want to create a fully wooden kitchen to get a fantastic farmhouse setting.

Why to Choose a Wooden Worktop?

• Do you know that wood improves with time if you maintain it correctly? Correct maintenance includes regular sealing, with which your wooden worktop can be in the best condition for years.
• A wooden worktop can add to the value of your home, particularly if your home is country-style.
• Wooden worktops gain more aesthetic appeal and character with age while other types of worktops age badly.

Types of Wood

If you plan to install a wooden kitchen worktop, you get a number of options to choose from. Some of them are:

• Maple: Light color and great for a modern look
• Stained Oak: Dark and modern look
• Elm, Spruce or Beech: Paler, submissive surface, great for both modern as well as rustic look
• Iroko or Cherry: Less common but have a unique look

Maintenance

Your wooden worktop can be exposed to stains, scratches and burns. But you can protect it from these threats with a few precautions.

To make your wooden worktop hard wearing and to offer it a tough finish, you will have to give it a regular surface treatment. The best finish to keep the solid wood worktop in good shape is oil. It is easy to apply and simple to resurface, and it gives the worktop a water resistant finish. However, you should apply 3 to 5 coats with wire wooling or light sanding in between and should do this every 3 to 6 months. Keep in mind that the first quote will dry quickly, while the next coats will take even 8 hours to dry; so, you have to organize your other schedule according to that.

More Maintenance Tips

Mop up any spills of water or other liquids always at once. Don’t allow the liquids to stand even for a short time. Develop a habit to wipe out the worktop near the sink and keep the worktop dry always. Do not place wet pots and pans on the worktop. Also don’t place hot pots and pans on the worktop directly. Place them on hot rods or pan stand. Contact with metals like steel and iron with the wood of the worktop can result into black stains on it.

Use cutting boards for chopping food items. Do not chop them directly on the worktop.

Wood Finishes Direct has got a wide range of kitchen worktop finishes to give them a durability and resistance to liquids such as tea, coffee, water, acidic juices, alkaline milk and alcohol. These finishes are easy to use for domestic applications and can be applied with a brush or roller, or spray-finishes.