• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
DIY Doctor

Main navigation

      • All Projects
      • Brick, Block, Masonry and Concrete
      • Damp, Condensation, Rot and Woodworm
      • Doors, Windows and Conservatories
      • Electrical
      • Fencing, Decking, Paving and Patios
      • Floors, Walls, Ceilings and Lofts
      • Garages, Sheds and Outbuildings
      • Gardening and Landscaping
      • General Building, Self Build and Renovation
      • General Repairs and Cleaning
      • Green Living and Eco DIY
      • Ground, Foundations and Drainage
      • Heating, Central Heating and Boilers
      • Joinery and Carpentry
      • Materials, Fixings and Fixing
      • Painting, Decorating and Finishing
      • Planning Regs, Project Management and Safety
      • Plastering, Plasterboard and Rendering
      • Plumbing
      • Roofing and Gutters
      • Tiling and Tiles
      • Tools, Appliances and Access
      • DIY Tips
      • Bathroom DIY Videos
      • Decorating Videos
      • Green and Eco Friendly Videos
      • Kitchen Videos
      • Building Foundation Videos
      • Electrical Videos
      • Hand and Power Tools Videos
      • Plumbing Videos
      • Building Videos
      • Fitting Blinds Videos
      • Heating and Central Heating Videos
      • Security Videos
      • Carpentry and Woodworking Videos
      • Flooring Videos
      • Kitchen Videos
      • Damp and Damp Proofing Videos
      • Gardening Videos
      • Plastering and Drylining Videos
      • Find a Tradesman
      • Contract Download
      • Working With Tradesmen - Ultimate Guide
      • Home Improver Protection
      • Price Doctor
      • Tool Store
      • Book Store
      • Tool Reviews and Product Reviews
      • Blog
      • DIY Competitions
      • About DIY Doctor
      • What we do
      • Trade Shows and Exhibitions
      • Master Classes
      • Contact Us

Home > DIY How To Projects and Tutorial Guides > Fitting Wooden Worktops

Fitting Wooden Worktops

Useful information and facts about fitting wooden worktops and maintaining wooden worktops. Advice on the best surface oils to use and finishing details such as wooden upstands.

Don't want to do this job yourself? Let us help you find a tradesman local to you

TwitterFacebookPin ItBuffer
Project Page Menu
  • How to Tutorial
  • Video
  • Find Tradesmen
  • Help

For more information on cutting and fitting wooden worktops, please click on the link.

Hardwood worktops give a timeless look usually often associated with the traditional Olde Worlde type of kitchen but can look equally at home in a contemporary kitchen. There is a large range of alternatives; Oak, Beech, Birch, Teak, Iroko, Cherry, Maple etc.

Teak and Iroko have their own natural oils, which make them naturally more water resistant. They are often used for garden furniture. Beech seems to be one of the more popular timbers for hardwood worktops.

Wooden Work Top

Wooden Work Top

Wooden worktops should be stored flat away from a direct heat source such as a radiator and must be left in the room where they are to be fitted for a few days prior to installation.

All freshly plastered walls and brick/block walls should have completely dried out before the worktop is introduced into the room.

Before installation, most wooden kitchen worktops need to be oiled on all surfaces with a high quality oil, such as Danish oil, Rustic oil, Teak oil etc. At least two coats of oil are needed; special attention should be paid to any end grain as this is always more vulnerable.

After fitting, oil about once a week for the few months and then as and when required. With wooden worktops it is time to re-oil when it starts to appear dull. This may sound a chore but only takes a few minutes and is worth the effort and is all part of the pleasure of owning this type of worktop.

One word of warning; do not store the used oily clothes in an enclosed tin; they have been known in the past to spontaneously combust.

Hardwood worktops have antibacterial qualities, which make them ideal for worktops and chopping boards. Have you ever wondered why butchers use hardwood worktops? Anti-bacterial oils are now also available to treat your wooden worktops.

Prices vary considerably with solid wood worktops. They do not come as one solid piece of wood; they are made up of staves or strips of wood. The staves are joined end to end using a finger joint, which is a very stable, strong woodworking joint.

Most solid wooden worktops are manufactured from selected material and are subject to quality control procedures. These worktops may contain knots, natural colour variations and drying splits as normal features of the product and as many wooden worktops are supplied untreated, it is up to the owner and contracted installer to treat and install them correctly.

Many Hardwood Worktop suppliers source their materials from legal and well-managed sustainable forests, so this is also consideration that you should bear in mind.

Many suppliers also supply solid wooden upstands, which are radiused on one long edge providing an attractive finishing detail to the work surface area. It is also advised that all solid wood worktops are fitted with an upstand, which will require fixing to the wall and not the worktop. The wooden upstand will cover any possible shrinkage of the wooden worktops that may occur.

You might find it useful to go to our video section on worktops and countertops and watch the two films on "oiling wooden worktops" and "worktop end capping". There is also a film about "how to replace a kitchen worktop" in our fitting worktops section.

When fitting wooden worktops it’s always a good idea to have a few decent clamps to hand as you will find yourself needing to hold items firmly for cutting, fixing, positioning etc…. Check out our reviews on the following clamps:

  • Mid range quick release clamp tool review
  • Heavy duty quick release clamp tool review
  • Light duty hobby quick release clamp tool review

All project content written and produced by Mike Edwards, founder of DIY Doctor and industry expert in building technology.

TwitterFacebookPin ItBuffer

Video

Back to the Top

Find a Reliable Local Tradesman

Back to the Top
Don't fancy doing this project yourself? We work with the industries best to ensure that we recommend only reliable and trustworthy tradesmen.
Let DIY Doctor help you find a tradesman

Find a tradesman now!


More Help

Back to the Top
Related Projects That May Help You:
  • How to Use a Worktop Jig and Mitre Worktops
  • How to Fill Mitred Worktop Joints
  • How to Fit Pop Up Sockets into a Kitchen Worktop
  • How to Treat Wooden Worktops
  • How to Join a Kitchen Worktop – Mitering a Worktop
Give us Some Feedback!

We love feedback on our DIY tutorials it helps us to make them the best they possibly can be so if you have any comments you would like to share with us, click the button below and let us know.

Primary Sidebar

DIY Doctor deal of the week

Blue Groove Set:

Auger and flat bit 8 piece set

RRP Price: £68.04

Special Price: £29.15

Get it here now

See our other deals now!

Master Basic DIY - By DIY Doctor

Our Book - Master Basic DIY

Grab your copy now for all the DIY help you need right at your finger tips!

Buy it Here!

Signup for our Newsletter

Keep up to date with our DIY projects, tips and latest deals

Sign Me Up!

Our Sponsors

Find out about advertising on DIY Doctor

Advertisments

Other Similar Projects
  • How To Fill And Disguise Worktop Joints
  • How To Install A Kitchen Worktop Concealed Socket
  • How To Mitre A Worktop
  • How To Treat A Wooden Worktop
  • How To Use A Worktop Mitre Jig

Footer

DIY Doctor

Site Menu

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Media/Press
  • Community Work
  • DIY Projects
  • DIY Videos
  • Superstore
  • DIY Tips
  • DIY Suppliers
  • UK DIY Forum
  • DIY Webinars

Other Stuff

  • Advertise
  • Competitions
  • T and Cs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • NHIC
  • Sitemap

DIY Doctor Social Channels

Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on YouTube
Follow us on Pinterest
Follow us on Tumblr

DIY Doctor are members of:

© DIY Doctor Ltd 2022 All Rights Reserved