Wooden Worktop

[daveyadams]

Hi all,

I've just had a wooden worktop fitted and I'm just prepping it prior to fitting the sink etc.

My question is this...

Do I oil the worktop before fitting the sink or after?

I was thinking that if I oil it before, the sealant wouldn't stick to the wood and it wouldn't seal.

Any advice or comment is most welcome.

 

[dizz]

Before - the oil will dry and will also "seal" any water ingress from the sink preventing damage to the untreated worktop.

For best results oil the worktop lightly, wait 30 minutes and remove excess oil with a cloth - this will prevent the oil from being "sticky". Wait a couple of days and repeat. Keep repeating every few days until it has 6-8 covers, oiling very lightly every time.

If you cannot wait to install the sink - make sure that you oil it at least 2-3 times before installing the sink - and just oil the remainder of the surface thereafter.

 

[daveyadams]

Cheers for that Dizz.

Sink doesn't have to go in for a week or so, so I should be able to get plenty of coats of oil on.

 

[Jaybee111]

I am not an expert however, I can tell you what happened to me. The worktop arrived pre oiled and the kitchen fitter then sealed in the sink as well as where the worktop met the tiled wall. The sealant never adhered to the wood properly. The end result was that it started to peel very shortly after installation and, worse than that, were the sealant hadn't actually peeled, water became trapped and mould started to grow. I have since removed the sealant, applied a fungicidal wash to kill off the mould and have not resealed it. Instead I just try to make sure the surfaces are kept dry and well oiled.