wooden worktop oil disaster - advice needed

[diyfresh]

We recently installed oak wooden worktops and stupidly used the danish oil purchased from the supplier. It had a pigment in the oil and they are now not so much enhanced white oak as my dad's creosoted shed. I've sanded back ( 100 then 150 then 250) but it seems to have really permeated the wood and on test pieces have now achieved a disgusting apricot shade when I oil on top (Tung oil this time - I understand it imparts the least colour although it takes longer to dry). Does the panel recommend the use of lye followed by a white oil or a water based white oil to bring it down before I oil ? Or does anyone have any other ideas so I don't hate my new kitchen every time I look at it?! All advice gratefully recieved...

 

[diyfresh]

sorry sorry I meant water based white DYE not oil!

 

[oilman]

I'd plane it off, or heavy sanding then oil it with tung oil. Danish oil is a poor choice for a kitchen. Its only advantage is quick drying, other that, nothing.

 

[diyfresh]

Thank you very much for the advice - I think if we can't sand all the orange dye out I may go darker maybe use a walnut dye then use tung oil but definitely tung oil from now on!

 

[Brad Naylor]

I'd plane it off, or heavy sanding then oil it with tung oil. Danish oil is a poor choice for a kitchen. Its only advantage is quick drying, other that, nothing.

Nowt wrong with Danish oil if you get a good make. It sounds as if the problem here is that it had a pigment in it.

I use Danish oil from Morrells for all my worktops - usually oak - and it gives great results.

Don't underestimate the benefits of it being quick drying! You can get 2 coats a day on, meaning that the worktops are usable in a couple of days and the cheque's in the bank!

As for the OP's problem, I'd remove the worktops, put them on sawhorses in the back garden, and use a heavy duty belt sander in progressively finer grits, followed by a random orbital sander to get rid of the sanding marks. Trying to do them in situ would be a nightmare!

 

[diyfresh]

Thank you brad for the advice
unfortunately we live in a flat on the top floor - no outside space except for windy balcony! So sanding in situ is what I have to do - and yes it's a nightmare!

 

[oilman]

I'd plane it off, or heavy sanding then oil it with tung oil. Danish oil is a poor choice for a kitchen. Its only advantage is quick drying, other that, nothing.

Nowt wrong with Danish oil if you get a good make. It sounds as if the problem here is that it had a pigment in it.


Don't underestimate the benefits of it being quick drying! You can get 2 coats a day on, meaning that the worktops are usable in a couple of days and the cheque's in the bank!

There is a dis-benefit of being quick drying, in that it doesn't penetrate as far as tung oil will, and because of that and its makeup, it is not as good as preventing staining. You can easily get several coats of tung oil on in a day, and you can use it straight away. If you can't you are putting far too much on at once. It is a wipe on, leave 15 minutes, wipe off process.

However the oiling after the first couple of coats is a job for the customer, and if they aren't prepared to do it (which would have been discussed early on), then that's their problem, as Brad says, just get the money.

 

[diyfresh]

All done! Thanks for all the advice - long hours sanding (carefully around the sink ) and then a couple of light coats of Trip Trap white worktop oil and then 4 coats of Tung oil applied over two days - as Oilman suggested. Water spills and anything else just beads and floats on the top. It will now be lovingly maintained! I've also now resanded and tung oiled our wooden cutting board - I'm a convert. Thanks everyone!

 

[oilman]

I'm not sure about oiling cutting boards. Wood has a natural anti-bactorial action, I don't know what happens if you have an oiled surface.