How To Fix Burns On Wood Worktops

If you have a solid wood worktop, it’s really important to look after it well and to take every precaution you can to prevent damage.  That said, even with the best will in the world, accidents do happen.  There are any number of reasons why you might find yourself with a burn on your worktop, for example, caused by placing a hot pan or serving dish directly on the surface or from a stray spark from a match you’ve used to light your gas.  Either way the first thing you must do is try to establish how deep the burn goes.

In most instances, minor, surface burns are easily dealt with.  The best way to tackle a minor burn is to either sand or scrape the burned surface away using fine sandpaper or a brass bristle brush.  When you’re doing this, you need to be careful to work with the grain of the wood and bear in mind that you may need to sand around the area using a fine sandpaper at the end, to help blend the worked area with the rest of your worktop.  Once you’ve removed all trace of the burn, wipe the worktop clean and leave it to dry thoroughly.  Once dry, simply apply an appropriate food-safe finish, to match the rest of your worktop.  Repeat the oiling process until the patch that has been treated disappears.

If the burn on your worktop is deep, you may find that you need to scrape or cut away the surface to remove the burned wood and then use a filler to repair the resulting damage.  Depending on the extent of the damage, you should find that either a specialist scratch hider or a putty stick will do the job nicely.  If you prepare food directly on your worktop, one thing to bear in mind when filling your worktop is to make sure that any product you is food-safe.

With a bit of research, you should be able to track down official guidelines on the suitability of any product you plan to use to fill repairs in your worktop.  It is really important to carry out toxicity research before applying any product to your worktop. Once you have carried out this research, if you are still in any doubt about a product’s suitability, you should consult your solid worktop supplier who will be able to guide you.  Once you’ve filled your worktop with a suitable filler, you’ll be able to sand down the area, clean it and finish it with your selected oil.