More and more people are turning to real wood for their kitchen worktops, counters, breakfast bars and other surfaces to improve the aesthetics of their home.
As the natural wood is installed within such a demanding environment – where cooking, cleaning, eating and more occurs – it’s important for the natural material to have a suitable protective coating that creates a hygienic and food safe surface finish. The natural state of wood alone is not appropriate for such conditions.
What is the Best Finish for a Wooden Worktop?
From oils and waxes, to varnishes and lacquers it’s often difficult to judge what coating is appropriate for your new wooden surface. This decision usually comes down to the type of wood it’s made from.
A popular choice for a new kitchen worktop is lighter coloured wood such as oak. For these types of wood, Oil is one of the best finishes to use on its surface. Oil brings out the natural beauty of wood and its grain, whilst offering the essential protection required.
For darker, oily woods and ingredient-rich hardwoods, a different grade of oil or wax will be preferred which will penetrate the natural wood deeply to maintain its natural state.
TopOil for Sealing Lighter Wooden Kitchen Worktops
Osmo TopOil – Food Safe EN 1186 – is a natural hardwax-oil that provides an extremely hardwearing surface finish for natural wood, such as:
- Oak
- Pine
- Beech
- Ash
- Birch
- See full list of wood
TopOil provides an excellent liquid resistant finish, which can withstand a variety of drinks often found within a home, such as wine, beer, coffee, tea and soft drinks – to name a few.
TopOil is available in seven finishes to suit any kitchen environment, from a clear satin or matt finish, to lightly tinted finishes – all of which retain and emphasise the original wood grain and its natural characteristics.
Wood Wax Finish for Dark Wood & Ingredient Rich Hardwood Worktops
Osmo Wood Wax Finish (Clear Extra Thin) is an all-in-one product that does not require a base coat, primer or top coat. The product combines natural oils and waxes to offer an extremely water and dirt resistant, protective coating for hard, ingredient-rich, oily and dark wood surfaces, such as:
- Cedar
- Mahogany
- Teak
- Walnut
- Bamboo
- Acacia
- See full list of wood
Similarly to TopOil, the Wood Wax Finish (Clear Extra Thin) provides an excellent liquid resistant finish, which can withstand a variety of drinks often found within a home, such as wine, beer, coffee, tea and soft drinks – to name a few.
The satin finish emphasises the wood grain and its natural characteristics providing a warm and rich effect, ensuring any interior remains luxurious.
Wooden Worktop Maintenance and Care
The water bead test is great to see if your wooden surface requires re-coating. If water sits flat on the surface and does not form a bead, you should look to re-coating the surface as soon as possible.
Liquid spillages will tightly bead on the new surface without leaving any marks. Just simply clean them up by wiping with a cloth and Osmo Spray-Cleaner.
As TopOil and Wood Wax Finish (Clear Extra Thin) is microporous, it creates a breathable surface coating for your wooden worktop, which will not crack, peel or flake. The easy-to-apply system does not require sanding for both spot repairs or any future applications, making upkeep and maintenance very easy.
Where To Buy the Best Worktop Finish?
Osmo works closely with a large network of suppliers throughout the UK and worldwide to supply all of its products.
Find a supplier today on the Osmo website and search for your closest store, or simply search for your favourite Osmo product online via your preferred search engine.
