How to Oil Wood Worktops
In order to ensure your wood worktops remain in top condition, it’s essential that you perform regular maintenance, so read on for our guide on how to oil a wood worktop.
The importance of properly oiling your worktop
It’s important to oil your wooden worktops for both aesthetics and durability reasons. This is because wood is porous, which means that bacteria can easily find ways into your wooden worktops. If this goes untreated and is left to fester, your wood will most likely rot or become damaged over time.
You want to avoid rotting wood in your home as best you can because this will cause serious damage to the structural integrity of your worktops. It may cause your worktops to crack and crumble as well as create unpleasant smells of dampness and must.
Oiling your wooden worktops helps to fill in the gaps in the grain as well as harden it. This will stop bacteria from entering through the pores as well as form a protective water-resistant barrier.
Oiling your wooden worktops also keeps them looking great. It enhances the natural colours of the wood grain without making it appear too shiny and inauthentic. It lends a rich patina to your wood as well.
How to oil your wood worktop
If you want to learn how to oil wood worktops yourself, follow the steps below.
- Clean the worktop:
Ensure you sand the surface up to a 120-150 grit and make sure to remove any of the old finish if the worktop is already treated. If you feel like your worktops are a little worse for wear, use wood glue to repair any chips. If your worktop has some serious damage, you may also want to seek advice from an expert on how to restore a wooden worktop before you begin the oiling process. You’ll then want to prepare the surface with our Cleaner - a preparatory product that gets rid of the fine sanding dust.
- Apply the oil: Once the surface of your worktop is clean, you can start to apply the oil. Simply pour a small amount of Oil Plus 2C onto a beige scrubby pad and rub it onto the worktop in the direction of the wood grain. It’s important to note that 1 coat of Oil Plus 2C is enough - unlike other wood oils that require multiple coats, which takes far longer to complete your project. Once you have applied your oil, wait 3-5 minutes before removing any excess oil from your wood worktop surface with a white scrubby pad for a fast and beautiful finish.
- Buff and wipe down the surface: Once all the oil has been applied and is completely dry, the final step is to buff and wipe your worktops down. Make sure you use a clean, lint-free cloth and wait until the oil is completely dry. So you don’t damage the surface and apply a light amount of pressure to get the oil into the grain.
How often to oil wood worktops
When it comes to how often to oil wooden worktops, there is some general advice to follow. Firstly, if your worktop is brand new, you should ensure that it is sanded and oiled. Because of Oil Plus 2C’s longevity - only one coat of the oil is necessary, however, to ensure your finish lasts indefinitely - you should use Universal Maintenance Oil 2 Mix every 12-18 months to keep your worktops looking their best.
For every day cleaning, we’d recommend our All Natural Wood Cleaner, which comes in three different scents, and for stain removal, we have our Stain Remover Set, which contains everything you need to get rid of dark rings and water marks.
Which oil is best for worktops?
When choosing which oil to use on your wooden worktops, it’s best to select something that aids its purpose. Worktops, especially when used in kitchens or bathrooms, will be exposed to excessive amounts of water or heat, so to prevent damage from being caused to your wooden worktops, you may want to consider using an oil that is designed to protect against these. They need to be hard-wearing and be able to put up with some heavy traffic.
A great example of this is our Oil Plus 2C, which is both water and heat resistant as well as designed to enhance the natural colours of your wooden worktops for a beautiful finish.
