[Closed] Oak worktops - which sealing product?

Osmo Top Oil here.

Pretty awesome stuff. Easy to apply and top up. Food safe. Impervious to water, curry, red wine etc

Gloss Paint

Rustins Danish oil

We use Osmo Top Oil. Went on easily and its been good so far.

Danish oil or Teak oil

Pretty awesome stuff. Easy to apply and top up. Food safe. Impervious to water, curry, red wine etc

Sold!.

Thanks folks.

I'd recommend doing a test coating on a bit of scrap.

Any oil/wax will alter the colour and texture of the wood a bit, so you need to know you can live with it before doing the whole kitchen.

(Top Oil is fairly neutral and leaves the wood with a dry wax feeling)

Don't let it remain damp for too long though - it is micro-porous so the damp can get in and blacken the wood (more likely if it is European oak I believe - UK and American oak is less likely to blacken when it gets damp).

But the good thing about Osmo stuff is that the surface can be spot-sanded and resealed without it leaving a change in colour.

But saying that, we have an oak table and chair set that I treated in it when our two little girls started eating at the table (it was originally an unfinished oak) and it has been faultless in 5 years - a few surface scratches that I know will just take a 5 minute re-paint to remove.

And it smells lovely.

EDIT: - I agree with the spot test though - it does make the oak go more golden and my wife doesn't like the colour of the table as much as she did.

Nobeerinthefridge - Member
Guy at the kitchen suppliers is talking about flogging me some kind of oil that has wax in it too, seems to think it's the cats pyjamas, But I'm cynical of sales people.

GrahamS - Member
Osmo Top Oil here.

One and the same innit...
Hard-wax-oil it's called without any brand names.

We have used a Fiddes matt hardwax oil on ours. It gives a flatter matt finish. In our old house we used Danish oil, but it gives that glossy sheen we wanted to do without.

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Rustins Danish Oil here, but on Walnut. Doesn't come up glossy on that.

One and the same innit...

I think there are quite a few different formulations out there that do similar things - but I'm not sure they are the same.

One of Osmo's selling point sis that it is "natural" (based on sunflower-oil, thistle-oil, soyabean-oil, carnauba wax and candelilla wax) and meets various stringent German standards about surface protection and food safety (They recommend it for use on wooden children's toys!).

I used Rustins Danish Oil on my wooden work top, gave it a number of coats but it still stains with red wine if you don't notice it and mop it up immediately.

GrahamS - Member
One and the same innit...
I think there are quite a few different formulations out there that do similar things - but I'm not sure they are the same.

One of Osmo's selling point sis that it is "natural" (based on sunflower-oil, thistle-oil, soyabean-oil, carnauba wax and candelilla wax) and meets various stringent German standards about surface protection and food safety (They recommend it for use on wooden children's toys!).

I imagine you're right, I was just sort of guessing really.

One and the same innit...
Hard-wax-oil it's called without any brand names.

[pedant]
Polyx Hard wax Oil
[/pedant]

Just makes sure whatever you put on it that you don't let the wife (or significant other) leave a slightly rusty but still perfectly serviceable vegetable peeler directly on the surface while slightly damp - over and over again without seemingly ever understanding that the black marks it leaves could possibly be avoided and that SOOOOOOOORRRRRYYY but I'M BUSY!!!! is both an excuse and some sort of apology.

Wishing we'd just bought corrian (sp?) or marble-u-like of Cheltenham

Pure tung oil?

I've already used some oil based lacquer on mine (supplied by the people I bought the oak off), gives a shiny finish. It's due recoat but I'd prefer the matte finish - if I use the Osmo's stuff would I need to sand it a little first?

Speeder: act now to save your marriage

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if I use the Osmo's stuff would I need to sand it a little first?

Yep. Here's the info from them:

[b]Preparation:[/b]
The wooden surface must be clean and dry (max. 20% moisture content). Clean or lightly sand old microporous stains. [b]Remove old varnishes (use Osmo Paint Remover or sand down)[/b]. If necessary sand down the surface using fine sandpaper (grift P 120-150), carefully remove dust.
Always wear a dust mask when sanding.

[b]Application: [/b]
Osmo TopOil is ready to use. Please do not thin. Shake well before use. Apply thinly with a cloth, following the grain of the wood. Leave to dry overnight for at least 8 –10 hours. Allow for good ventilation. Repeat 2 – 3 times as described above and allow to dry for 8 – 10 hours between the
applications. The finished surface is, among other things, influenced by the woods natural characteristics, therefore a trial application is required before finishing.

-- http://www.osmouk.com/images/pdf/productinfo/TopOil%20-%20Product%20Info.pdf [/url]

 

Cheers Graham ...

Not all hardwax oils are the same. Open a can of Fiddes and a can of Osmo Polyx and see the difference. Polyx HW oil is more for flooring as it has quite a high solids content - so leaves a thicker wear layer when cured. I [i]think[/i] Top Oil is a bit thinner to allow more penetration of oil to build up a better hydrophobic layer on the worktop. There's nothing to stop you using Polyx on your worktop though. Personally, I'd use Top Oil a couple of times - and probably one more than it says on the tin. Be aware each subsequent coat will take longer to cure. Do [b]not[/b] apply a coat until the previous has cured. Use a good quality synthetic brush, wrapped in cling film overnight and chuck it when you're finished - once it starts to dry on the brush, it's done. There are thinners available if your worktop is a "high-oil" content timber eg Merbau or Jatoba.

I think I might go home and open my tub of Polyx tonight and just sit and smell it for a couple of hours....

Yes, keep all steel and iron away from oak, especially damp oak.

For a kitchen worktop I would use 3 coats of Dulux Trade polyurethane varnish in satin, it's excellent, very forgiving of my poor technique and has a nice sheen like wax.

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Osmo Top oil here too.

VERY lightly sand with a very fine paper, apply first coat.

VERY lightly sand again and then gradually apply another few coats. Goes on best when slightly warmed too (poured some into a tin sat in another tin of hot water).

It's ace and looks fabulous (we use the floor stuff too, we like OSMO!!)!

I recommend damp cast-iron pan lids left over the weekend for giving an interesting ring pattern to your oak worksurface.