Wooden kitchen worktop - a guide of choice and 50 photos

Content

On the pros and cons
9 tips to choose from
Memo for care and use
Photo Gallery

Wooden tabletop - the most traditional of all possible, but at the same time, not the most popular. And the matter is not only in its higher cost (as compared to LDSP), but also in some operational features. And yet, we insist that a wood table top can be an ideal work surface - easy to maintain, durable and durable. The main thing is to choose it correctly and know how to use it, which we will discuss in this material.

On the pros and cons

To begin, let's find out the pros and cons of a wooden work surface.

Pros:

Natural beauty and warmth of wood. Wood table top always looks nobler than even the highest quality imitation and is appropriate as in modernso and in traditional interior. In addition, the wooden top is the perfect choice for those who love to photograph their culinary masterpieces and share these photos with friends.

Below are photo examples of modern kitchen interiors with wooden countertops.

But a small selection of photo interiors classic kitchens.

Classic white kitchen with wooden top

Also to the pluses include:

The ability to change the tone and finish of wood.
The service life of 25 years or more with proper operation. It is worth adding that a tree only becomes more beautiful with age.
Ease of care due to anti-static properties and texture, which is not too noticeable dust, dirt, divorce, etc. However, the ease of care depends largely on the quality of surface treatment.
The possibility of local repair and full upgrade. If necessary, scratches, dents and stains can be sanded and then coated with oil / varnish.
The ability to easily create a work surface of irregular shape (for example, for a headset in which narrowed thumbs are embedded), which is not the case with natural stone and laminated chipboard.
The cost of a wooden tabletop is lower than that of an artificial or natural stone (by a factor of 2-3) and can often cost as much as chipboard.
The ability to perform any milling edge worktops.

Minuses:

The tree can swell from water, arch and crack from sudden changes in temperature and humidity.
Puddles of water, grease, coloring juices from products, aggressive cleaning products, alcohol and acids from a wooden surface should be wiped no later than 2 hours, and better as soon as possible.
Kitchen countertops made of wood need to be treated with oil or varnish, which requires additional time, effort and money. However, it really is not so difficult.
If the wood is not processed in a timely or poor manner, the surface will quickly become covered with stains, dents, scratches and cracks. The worst thing that can happen is the molding of wood from constant contact with water, for example, at the junction with a sink (due to poor sealant treatment).
Massive tabletop is more expensive than chipboard.

9 tips to choose from

Tip 1. If possible, choose a tabletop from 100% wood.

Wooden tabletops can be divided into two categories:

Made entirely from wood;
Shponirovanny plates on the basis of a chipboard / MDF.

Often the second type of material is often called the “wooden tabletop” - a chipboard based board or MDF with a thick layer of veneer (up to 3 mm) on top. Externally, this tabletop does not differ from the fully wooden, but has two significant advantages.

Firstly, it costs two times cheaper, and secondly, it has a much greater stability when temperature and humidity jumps. However, it is very durable and can last up to 25 years.

However, due to its design, the sections on the place of cutting the slab must be closed with an edge, which means there is no need to talk about any milling of the ends and curved cutting.

By the way Ikea it makes its wooden countertops from veneered chipboard. Unfortunately, the company no longer produces countertops from the array of the Numer Нуr and Hammarp series.

A fully wooden tabletop consists of wooden lamellas, which are firmly glued together and are interconnected by splines and a parquet flooring device. The advantage of the top of the array is its absolute environmental friendliness, and most importantly - the possibility of cutting the slab of irregular shape and milling its ends.

Worktop of solid beech complex configuration

In addition, if the veneered tabletop has a certain limit on the number of surface restorations, the wood can be updated indefinitely.

At the same time, the entire wooden countertops tolerate temperature drops and high humidity worse.

Tip 2. The most durable wood - oak and larch, the most inexpensive - of pine

Of course, there are oak and larch tabletops much more expensive, but due to their density they practically have no shelf life, do not rot, they are less afraid of moisture, temperature drops, shock and mechanical damage.

By the way, larch is almost as good as oak, but costs one and a half times cheaper.

If the expensive wood does not fit into your budget, choose tops more affordable - from walnut, ash, beech or birch.

Countertops made of pine or spruce are good at low price, but because of their softness, they are not resistant to mechanical shocks, quickly covered with dents and scratches.

Tip 3. Remember, the durability of the tabletop depends on the processing

Kitchen countertops are most often sold raw or only partially processed. Therefore, buying a kitchen countertop made of wood, be prepared to immediately cover it with good varnish or oil-wax, and then repeat the procedure once a year. Properly processed wood table top is not afraid:

Brief contact with hot dishes (but not just removed from the stove!);
High humidity and temperature changes;
Spray and juice coloring products;
Water (drops and puddles are not absorbed, but remain on the surface).

What is better varnish or oil?

Both types of coating protect wood well from moisture and dirt, but oil impregnation has several advantages. First, it is easier and faster to work with oil. Given that the top six months, it is desirable to process the top as often as possible, this nuance is important. Secondly, oil, unlike varnish, allows local repair in case of scratches or stains. All that needs to be done is to sand the damaged area with “zero” sandpaper and then cover it with two layers of oil. Thirdly, unlike lacquer, oil impregnation does not crack, does not darken and does not exfoliate over time, but simply fades away. In addition, varnishing deprives the tree of its warmth, a sense of "liveliness" of the material.

Remember that the protection of the oil needs not only the upper part of the tabletop, but also the ends.

Tip 4. Want a bright countertop? Choose beech, elm, birch or spruce

But the dark top is best made from walnut or oak.By the way, very dark surfaces are not very practical, as they are more noticeable crumbs, grains, dust, stains and water droplets.

Tip 5. The table top must be combined with the rest of the interior.

You can choose a kitchen countertop in the color of an apron, lower cabinets of a headset or other wooden interior elements (floor, window sill or dining table).

Also, the countertop can, on the contrary, contrast sharply with the set, apron and kitchen walls.

Dark solid wood table top
Dark solid wood table top

Tip 6. It is good if the kitchen countertop has an increased depth.

Most often, the depth of the table top made of wood is 60 cm, but ideally it is worthwhile to find a top with a non-standard depth of 63-65 cm. Thus, the protruding end of the tabletop will prevent blows to the handles of the lower pedestals and the pedestals.

Tip 7. Buy a countertop only from reputable manufacturers

Making wooden countertops is a complex and multi-step process that does not tolerate errors. Therefore, it is worth buying it only from manufacturers with many years of experience and providing guarantees.

Tip 8. You can save on the purchase of wooden countertops due to the reduced thickness

Standard sheet thickness from solid / veneered chipboard is 38-40 mm. This top looks very solid and can withstand heavy loads. For example, you can sit on it and even get up to wipe the upper cabinets. But the thicker the tabletop, the more expensive it is. Therefore, if you want to save money, choose a worktop of reduced thickness of 20 mm as in the following photo example.

Tip 9. The joint between the two canvases of the corner worktop (and not only) can be made invisible.

If you need to create a non-standard long, angular or U-shaped tabletop, the joints between the sheets of wood can be closed with metal profiles or connected to the inner dowels, disguising the seam with wood filler to match the top.

Memo for care and use

To keep the kitchen table top made of wood as beautiful as possible, observe the following operating and maintenance rules:

Try not to put on her hot dishes without stand. It is also desirable that heating devices, for example, a kettle or coffee machine just stood on some substrate.
Puddles and water droplets, splashes and stains from coloring juices and foods, as well as fat and acids should be wiped out as quickly as possible and not left for more than 2 hours.
To wash the wooden countertop, it is enough to dilute the soap solution from one drop of Fae or any other dishwashing detergent. But caustic agents with chlorine, acids, alcohol, abrasive particles can not be used at all. If you are cleaning the stove or oven with a fat cleansing agent, try to prevent it from contact with the wood.
Treat the countertop with oil once a year. However, the first six months is desirable to do this as often as possible, for example, once a month. Understand that it is time to restore the protective layer is very simple - the surface will begin to absorb water drops and will become slightly rough and faded.
To update the varnish on the lacquered countertop should be about once every two years.
To restore the shine of the wooden tabletop, you must first sand the surface with fine-grained emery paper (P600 or P800), and then treat with oil using a soft cloth.
It is advisable to glue / mount any waterproofing substrate under the table top above the dishwasher.

How to handle kitchen countertops butter with their own hands, see this video tutorial.