Joining an Oak worktop

[leonlikestrees]

Hi All,

I'm fitting a new kitchen, and was going to fit an oak worktop. The IKEA ones seem like good value, and match my units (also from IKEA), however I need a run approx 2700mm long, and their longest length is 2470mm.

I'll have an offcut from another pice which I can use to 'fill the gap'. Apart from appearance, is there a reason I shouldn't join the worktop?

I can get a custom worktop, but it will cost quite a lot more (£500ish total instead of £220 total)

Thanks for your advise,

Leon

 

[Scrit]

Hi Leon

End jointing timber like that is rarely sucessful in the long term as end grain doesn't glue very well. It might be possible to saw-out some of the staves like this:

and make a joint with some long grain jointing and that would certainly be a better bet in the long term. This would need to be carefully jointed and then the top planed/belt sanded level afterwards. It depends on what you reckon your skill level is.

As a woodworker I find it interesting that people continue to insist on having oak worktops. Oak, walnut and mahogany all contain tannin - and when tannin in the wood gets wet and comes in contact with iron or steel (such as cast iron pans, steel baking trays, etc) black stains which soak right into the wood are the result (tannin + water yields tannic acid, tannicv acid + iron yields ferric oxide, a black stain that was traditionally used to ebonise timbers). So make sure that you seal the wotktop thoroughly and keep it dry

Scrit

 

[leonlikestrees]

interesting - I didn't know that about the tannin. I was choosing the oak, because the doors are oak, and my wife insists on a 'wooden' (or fake wood) worktop. I think the laminate will look daft next to the real oak, hence going for the matching OAK worktop.

I'm not convinced I have the skill for jointing you describe above, so maybe I'll need to go down the custom route.

Regarding the wood choice - maybe a contrasting wood would look ok, in which case, what sorts of woods are suitable for worktops? Something I could stain nice and dark.

Thanks,

Leon

 

[splinter]

Over the years different "woods" has been found to be suitable for certain jobs and uses and beech is the one for kitchens

 

[Scrit]

Hi Leon

Sorry if it sounded like I have a bee in my bonnet over wooden worktops (I have..... but they are nice). As Splinter says beech is very suitable and probably the most widely available. In the North of England sycamore was once commonly used as well for counter tops, kitchen drainers, etc whilst the Americans and Canadians favour maple - but generally for the same reasons: these timbers are not overly expensive in their home environment (as wood goes - maple is cheap in the USA but expensive here as we import it all), they are relatively hard wearing (probably not an issue these days) and they don't taint wood or stain metals. To that list you could probably add the modern imports birch (from Scandinavia), rubberwood (India) and bamboo (China - and yes, I know that technically it's a grass). All of these species are used for making working cutting boards, hence their suitability for use as worktops, but all need properly sealing and require more maintenance than a laminate top.

There is one more contrasting timber I'd consider - iroko. Iroko is a darker timber used for all sorts of exterior joinery, including lock gates and harbour pilings! It darkens and mellows with age and as you can probably tell it is a favourite of mine. Happy choosing

Scrit

 

[leonlikestrees]

Hi Scrit - don't worry your post came across just fine to me!

To be honest I'm not that bothered about having real wood at all, but it's not down to me. The misses wants real wood, so that's what she'll get!

I think the beech is too similair a colour to the oak doors, and will clash unless I can stain it darker.

Is there any reason I shouldn't get a beech, or iroko, worktop and stain it before oiling it? A nice rich dark worktop could be a nice contrast to the oak doors.

Leon

 

[Jasonb]

Iroko contains a lot of natural oils which make it hard to stain evenly. Beech is not the most absorbant of woods and also tends to stain unevenly and the Ikea beech is poor quality timber, most of what it's made from I would regard as defects.

Wenge is another option and is a naturally dark wood but its expensive.

Jason