Let's have your tips for retreating a wooden kitchen worktop

Personally I would scrape,then sand, then osmo

Scraping removes the old wax and poo that clogs sandpaper

Watching with interest - we have a small 'peninsula' made from wenge and finished with Danish oil, however the surface is looking a bit tatty. I have tried retreating it but nothing lasts. I would like to strip it back and treat with Osmo (I have used it in the past and I like it), however I assume the Danish oil will penetrate quite deeply into the wood and it would take some removing.

Meths and a green acrubby thingy to get the worst of the muck off.  Especially around the hob there can be a surprising amount

Sand if needed

I didn't like osmo.  Too thick and sat on top not soaked it.  I use multiple coats of teak oil

That reminds me, ours is due a re-oil. Sand off existing oil (assuming it's set hard) - we use mesh sandpaper on an electric sander with a dust extractor so the kitchen doesn't end up full of dust - then re-oil, we use Danish oil because that's what the fitter used in 2008. Repeat every 5-10 years as necessary. Ends up looking as good as new.

Osmo technique is very thin coats rubbed in with a cloth. Multiple coats

Once you've done your coats, cover with a soft cloth for 2 or 3 days to protect while it fully hardens. This seems to make a big difference in stain resistance in my experience

we use mesh sandpaper

Is that because it doesn't clog as easily? And what grade do you use?

then re-oil, we use Danish oil because that’s what the fitter used in 2008

How many coats, and what do you apply it with?

**EDIT - sorry, on rereading this I can see that it comes across as fairly brusque, which wasn't my intention 🙂

Personally I would scrape,then sand, then osmo

Scraping removes the old wax and poo that clogs sandpaper

Must admit, been very impressed by Osmo, expensive but if you follow the instructions it lasts longer than others,  you definitely have to let it harden a bit

Not using bleach heavy cleaners helps it look fresh too

I'm an osmo convert after trying Danish oil then ronseal worktop oil (which was also decent).

With Osmo, don't you have to be careful to get all the old (non-Osmo) stuff off first?

I clean up with oxalic acid and try to avoid sanding (and the possibility of puddles) then Osmo.

Osmo is great (far more resistant to water/stains/etc) but as said, easy to put on too much and then it goes sticky and takes an age to dry. It's literally put on a little and spread out as far as you can before adding any more, you don't want any pooling on the surface.

Matt Estlea did a couple of good videos on exactly this a few years back.

i use osmo matt finish worktop oil

Always just used fine wirewool to move old stuff.

Certainly easier to fix any damage occured than with our previous laminate worktops.

@IHN - we normally use this stuff https://www.mirka.com/en-gb/products/top-brands/abranet---the-dust-free-net-abrasive

usually P80 or P120, because it doesn't clog too much, last longer so you don't need to replace it so often and because the dust extraction is more effective. We've just started using a B&Q alternative because hardly anywhere has the Mirka stuff in the size we want but the jury's out on whether it's as good. Danish oil - coats with a cloth until it stops soaking in, and then one more.

Edit: having read the above may give the Osmo a try!

As it's retreating it surely you need to French polish...

If you use wire wool tiny bits can get embedded in the worktop which means black spots when it gets wet.  I learnt this tbe hard way.

My brother used Osmo but didn't like the finish, so he sanded it back and used something called Fiddes Hard Wax Oil, which gave him the finish he wanted.

Osmo seems to be winning here atm though...

If you use wire wool tiny bits can get embedded in the worktop which means black spots when it gets wet. I learnt this tbe hard way.

100% - especially if you pick up some random wirewool.

ive had no issues using screwfixes finest liberon 00 - its pretty much the job its designed to do and recomended by the worktop supplier.

I use IKEA’s worktop oil stuff. It works OK.
not sanded ours except where a cockatoo has torn bits of the edges off leaving sharp bits I need to abrade.

Our cleaners seem to do a good job of keeping crud at bay. Though that comes with the need to treat the worktops every couple of months.

a friend used yacht varnish to seal and protect her wooden worktops. Not my style, but looks spectacular.

stay away from the heathen sandpaper!  Use a "card scraper" - vids available on youtube, and if necessary, wire wool - though that is probably overkill...

Oh, and oil -

once an hour for a day

once a day for a week

once a week for a month

once a month for a year

once a year for ever more....

as above, Osmo hard wax oil works well. but to gte a good finish that looks good and wears well it's a fairly long job. random orbital sander with mesh sanding nets - 100 grit then 180, then 5-7 very thin coats of which ever osmo oil you like the look of. let each coat dry for 4-6 hours in between applications. then when finished final coat let to harden for a couple of days. i then tend to do a thin 'top up coat' every 12 months. after 3-5 years the whole lot whole need doing again.

We have Oak worktops at my wife's insistence.

I treat them with Tung Oil. I used a mix of White Spirit and pure Tung for the first 5 or 6 coats, then a few coats of pure Tung. Every few months I slap on another couple of coats.

I'm just about to treat our oak worktops with osmo top oil, not done it for the last 18 months. Been in 8 years and still going strong. Only treating them now as we're floggin the house and moving out in a couple of weeks.

Still looking good after 8 years with a dog and 3 kids attacking them. The only thing that did take the osmo top oil off was some washing liquid. But a sand down and top up worked wonders.

Osmo on everything here. Worktops, floors, an old pair of wharfedale speakers, a 50’s cocktail cabinet - if it’s wood, it’s getting scraped raw and rubbed down with the good stuff

On my old beech tops I used nitromors or similar paint stripper to remove the old oil finish, after a quick wash down they will then sand up perfectly.

I would check what nitromors does to oak though if you're tops are oak.

Not as messy as it sounds as it turns to jelly and just scapes off without mess.

Then I used Ronseal super tough matt polyurethene varnish, 4 coats and they were literally bullet proof,  No need to ever remove it again, just a quick rub down after a year with 240 grit and a single coat and they were like new again.

I've done the same to new oak tops  with equally good results.

Osmo is also good stuff.

Avoid the ikea milky looking oil, it's garbage.

As it’s retreating it surely you need to French polish…

This did NOT get the credit it deserved.