If you’ve opted for a wooden worktop, you’ll have the benefit of a completely natural and stylish work area in your kitchen. If you haven’t installed your worktop yet, you’ll need to oil it a few times before you do so and regularly thereafter, but reading our guide which will help you get to grips with what you need to do, how and when.
Pre-installation oiling. Before you install your solid wood worktop, it’s really important to oil every surface of the wood to protect it once it has been installed. When you’re doing this, don’t forget to oil every single surface: the underside, the edges and any cut outs you’ve made, or had made in the worktop. Time invested oiling now will pay off in the fullness of time and, whatever you do, don’t be tempted to skimp on this preparation. Ideally, you’re aiming to apply three to five light coats of oil before installation on the working surfaces and two good coats on the undersides and back edges. In between each coat, let the oil dry thoroughly and follow with a light sanding to help the next coat adhere.
Oiling immediately after installation. When your wooden worktop is in place, it’s well worth investing the time to lightly oil it a couple of times a week for the first two weeks. This will further help protect your worktop from the challenges your kitchen throws at it day in and day out during its working life.
Regular oiling. Once your worktop is in place and you’ve looked after it for its first couple of weeks, you should make a point of oiling it at least 3 or 4 times a year to keep it in great condition and to prolong its life.
Oiling your worktop will help prevent the wood from warping or bowing and will make it water resistant. It will also help make the wood look better. Unlike lacquers, oiling won’t bring a shine to your worktop, it’ll help make the grain of the wood more apparent and enhance its natural look.
When it comes to choosing oil, there’s a good range on the market. Our preference is Danish Oil, which is a blend of tung and polymerized linseed oil, with a few added extras to help it dry to a hard satin finish. You can see our range of worktops accessories here.
A good way of testing whether or not your worktop needs a new coating of oil is to do the water test. If a drop of water forms a bead on the surface of your worktop, then it normally won’t require oiling. If the water doesn’t form a bead however, it’s time to take action to protect your worktop by applying a new coating of oil.
The best way to apply oil to your worktop is to pour it directly on to the wood in the direction of the grain and work it outwards with a clean, dry, soft cotton cloth. What you’re aiming for is a thin, even covering across the whole area of the worktop. Each time you apply a coat, leave it for ten minutes or so and rework it with the cloth to get a nice, even coating. If you find that the worktop looks a bit patchy at the start, don’t worry too much because this will even out as you build up more coats of oil.