OT - sanding / oiling a kitchen worktop

londonlivvy

Very very off topic, I know, but I need your collective advice please.

The boyf has a wooden worktop which seems to have no protection (ie putting down a glass without a coaster leaves a mark) and I forgot to wipe up something yesterday and there's now a few small marks. I am now very unpopular.

I have said that I'll spend the weekend sanding and re-sealing of the worktop to get it looking nice (and in all honesty probably nicer than it did before my stain - it hasn't been oiled in a LONG time I suspect).

Sanding is with wet / dry sandpaper I assume? And lots of elbow grease? And what product do I use to re-seal it? Linseed oil is too stinky. I found some mentions of Liberon and Briwax.

All advice to help get the kitchen worktop looking nice and me out of the doghouse would be much appreciated!

flimflam_machine

I've done our beech worktop by hand and with a mains-powered sander and I highly recommend investing in something like this. It turns a 2-hour job into about 20 minutes, especially if it's got mug marks and food stains (turmeric is particularly bad):

http://www.toolstop.co.uk/makita-bo3700 ... 110v-p1447

This is an expensive example but you can find one cheaper e.g.

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?a ... earch=true

Check that it takes standard sandpaper (these both use 1/3 of a normal sheet) so that you're not having to buy silly brand-specific replacement sandpaper shapes.

Once you've given it a decent sanding and worked a bit harder to get the stains out give it 2 or 3 coats of this:

http://www.ronseal.co.uk/products/antib ... orktop-oil

It goes on very easily and makes the wood look nice. Water beads up pretty well and it seems pretty resistant to staining. Refresh it about every 6 months (depending on use, it's worse round the sink) and re-sand whenever you feel is necessary.

P.S. shouldn't this thread be in Commuting Chat, OT as it is?

londonlivvy

Thanks so much for the hints and tips. Unfortunately I can't afford a proper sander at the moment but the worksurface isn't huge so hopefully it shouldn't take too long.

I had meant to put it in commuting chat but messed up. bit of a theme here.

flimflam_machine

londonlivvy wrote:

Thanks so much for the hints and tips. Unfortunately I can't afford a proper sander at the moment but the worksurface isn't huge so hopefully it shouldn't take too long.

Fair enough, give it a go by hand and see how you get on. If it's smallish and not badly stained then you'll be fine. I borrowed a sander last time, but if I can find a cheapish one on eBay then I'll probably snap it up for this and other jobs.

The Rookie

Wouldn't it just be easier to get a new BF that knows how to treat you and his worktops right?

I'll get my coat...... :oops:

Simon

flimflam_machine

The Beginner wrote:

Wouldn't it just be easier to get a new BF that knows how to treat you and his worktops right?

What? Rubbing oil into both of them?

daccordimark

Silly boyf for not maintaining his worktop properly. No way should a glass leave marks behind on a wooden worktop unless it has been neglected. Kudos to you for offering to sort it out for him.

When you sand be sure to start with medium grade and work up to very fine. When I did my new completely untreated breakfast bar recently I started with 120 grit (I think) and finished up with 320 grit between coats of oil. Use Oakey Liberty Green Aluminium Oxide paper rather than ordinary sand or glass paper. You can get it from B&Q and others and it is so much better than ordinary stuff.

I used Liberon finishing oil as recommended by the suppliers (Norfolk Oak) and it looks a treat. They used to have a very good video on their website but I can't find it at the moment. You could try Youtube and search for Norfolk Oak. There is a descriptive page without video here:

http://www.norfolkoak.com/about/oiling- ... ktops.html

Take your time, apply multiple thin coats and it should come up a treat.

flimflam_machine

daccordimark wrote:

Use Oakey Liberty Green Aluminium Oxide paper rather than ordinary sand or glass paper. You can get it from B&Q and others and it is so much better than ordinary stuff.

I've not tried that stuff but I certainly second the motion that it's worth spending a bit more on decent sandpaper as it will make life easier and not clog up. I've found 3M Sandblaster to be quite good and it's available very widely.

EKE_38BPM

I think my old man has a sander that I could loan you. I'll have a look for it and see if it works (if I can find it).

Where in London are you?

londonlivvy

Thanks guys - I LOVE the wealth of advice I get on this forum.

Thanks too to Eke for the offer - v.decent of you but my biceps have had the work instead (they needed it anyway!).

I bought 3M sandpaper and Sadolin Worktop oil on the way home last night and got going last night. It turns out that for once, having a small work surface (about 3 times the size of the top of a washing machine) is a real bonus!

I got rid of most of the small marks I made - though one small one about 4mm diameter stubbornly remains to haunt me - and lots of other marks that I hadn't made (rings from pots etc). And applied the first coat of oil. It looks bloody amazing!!! The boyf fessed up to not having oiled it since he bought the place (2003) which rather explains why it had the water resistant capacities of loo roll.

I'll do some light sanding with 320 and re-oiling tonight and then spend the weekend cleaning up all the dust that's crept into little corners!! But hey, it's sorted. yay!

fatherted

daccordimark wrote:

No way should a glass leave marks behind on a wooden worktop unless it has been neglected. .

????

Sorry , this is incorrect.
Wooden worktops look fantastic but the price you have to pay is that NOTHING can be left on the surface.
Kettle - stand it on a glass plinth.
Use the glass to stand your cups/glasses whilst you make a cuppa and you're in the kitchen
Saucepans and pans - use some form of resting metal grid near to the hob/cooker.

From woodworktops.com ...
"DOs and DON'Ts
Always mop up spills of water and other liquids straight away. Do not allow liquids to stand for any period of time. The finishing oil is water resistant not waterproof. Particular attention should be made at the sink area, get into the habit of wiping down the work surface after use at the sink and leave the worktop in a "dry" state. Do not stand wet crockery etc on the worktop and leave for any length of time.
Always stand hot, dirty or rough pans on a trivet or pan stand or hot rods. Lengthy prolonged contact with metals such as iron and steel can cause black staining of the timber, this is caused by the natural chemicals in the wood reacting with the metal, so avoid leaving iron trivets standing on the worktop.
Always use cutting boards to chop food. Do not cut directly on the worktop.
Maintain the oiled finish at regular intervals, you can't over do this, in the past fine furniture was finished with oil alone to give it a lustrous finish, however much time and work is required to reach a gloss finish with oil so this practice has died out mostly."

mudcow007

one important note....

if you are planning on sanding the "top" by hand wrap the sand paper around a small wooden block, it make sanding easier on your hands an it will reduce the risk of sanding in one small place causing a hole!