wood counhtertops?

[myxpykalix]

One of my tennants lease is up and moving out and i'm going to have 2-3 weeks to do some new stuff in the apt. and since i have some 1&2" thick oak that is between 24-36" wide and at least 8-10ft long (big enough to make the countertop in one piece) do you think it would be a good idea to make this slab into a countertop? I'd like to do one of those underside attached sinks but i'm a little concerned about endgrain absorbing water or nasty food shoveled into the sink. Any thoughts? I have plenty other pieces.

[mzettl]

Jack,

Wood counter tops can be beautiful, but are fraught with a number of problems. You will need to take wood movement into account, and no amount or type of finish can eliminate the wood moving across the grain with seasonal changes in humidity. Maintenance of a wood counter top can be a significant issue as well, especially if it is being abused by cutting on it, etc. This would be a concern with a rental property. Open grained woods, such as oak, are not good choices for food preparation surfaces. The grain would have to be filled totally by either multiple coats of finish or a grain filler of some type. If the grain is not filled, the pores of the wood become catch basins for gunk, and a breeding ground for bacteria. As far as finish is concerned, you would need something hard and durable like multiple coats of polyurethane or even epoxy. Both sides need to be finished the same way in order to equalize the moisture movement in and out of the wood. Still, as soon as someone cuts through the finish with a knife, and they will, a problem is created.

I would consider a wood counter top in my own home, as I know how they need to be cared for. I would not use them in a rental property, because the potential headaches are just not worth it. Of course, others may have their own opinions.

Hope this helps.

Matt

[Ajcoholic]

Listen to the above... Very good advice!

[hespj]

I've got oak worktops in this house. As it's a very small kitchen and I had a ShopBot I was able to design the kitchen with curved worktops to make the most use of the space. The people who refurbished the kitchen fitted one piece of worktop (with the hob in) and didn't edge seal the worktop. A 600mm wide worktop swelled about 10mm (3/8") over the next year - the walls on this old cottage are damp.

I fitted the other pieces of worktop after machining them to shape and edge sealed where they touched walls as well as I could - epoxy I think. They've stayed put.

I'm sure you know that a worktop isn't made of one piece of wood, it's lots of narrow pieces glued together to help eliminate warping. As has been said, this won't stop changes in width.

You have to be careful when using them if you want to maintain their good looks. They have to be sealed before use with at least a couple of coats of Danish oil, and re-coated every few months. You can't leave steel items on the worktop, it'll leave a black mark after a few hours. Stainless is okay though. The sink rim sits on top of the worktop and I edge sealed as best I could, but not well enough - the oak looks a bit tatty along one side of the sink - just 1/4" or so.

Having said all that, would I fit them again? Yes, because they suit this old house, but I'd try and seal the edges even more thoroughly. I think they look great, especially as I was able to machine the fronts and ends into curved shapes, which wouldn't have been possible in all materials, and often gets a "Wow!!" from new visitors. The edge of the worktop is cut with a simple curved section rather than just cut at ninety degrees with a straight cutter. I made some shelves to go above later on and they have a scalloped chamfer on the underside. You can certainly sex things up a bit using wood and a ShopBot.

John

[myxpykalix]

These were concerns i had that you confirmed. And since it is a rental and tenants will not care for something like you would in your own home I will scratch that idea. :(
I don't think i have time to redo the sink base and cabinets. I may take the cabinet doors off and carve and restain or paint them.:)

[pappybaynes]

what ever you use to seal the counter top, make sure you do equal coats top and bottom

[harryball]

White Oak has closed pores. Don't use Red Oak. Everything so far is good advice. I also don't know that I would put this into a rental house. I did cut counter tops from Extera that turned out well in our pool room. It is very wet as I have a bath tub for a sink and we wash the dogs in it. For a rental... I would very much consider something like that and just poly or epoxy coat it.

You can see it in the background of this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrCwHEIiB-c

At about 19 seconds in on this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42vWgYmH2Xo you can catch a glimpse of the flutes I added along the length to drain water back to the tub and did a little decorating on the back splash. Works very well. Coated it with floor poly.

I have a video of Henry getting a bath. When I get that one posted you'll be able to see the entire counter top.

/RB

[myxpykalix]

Harry,
I had decided against the wood countertop for all the reasons mentioned.
Henry is a good boy!:D

[harryball]

I wouldn't rule out a composite counter top, it's cheap and easy to custom shape etc...

Henry is my good friend and a source for much enjoyment and angst :p He was a lot of fun at the Aspire camp in Columbia and a blast to have in the hotel. It was like having a 3 year old around to see the world through his eyes. Most days he behaves and does what he is suppose to do but on other days... let's just say a seeing eye dog he is not.


/RB

[myxpykalix]

and a blast to have in the hotel

When i was working in movies and television with big cats (see avatar) we would sneak lions and tigers into our hotel rooms at night. We had to take all the towels and accessories out of the bathrooms and one thing you NEVER did was get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom!:eek:

We usually stayed on a first floor and had to find a bush outside!:D
I doubt that Henry is that much hassle:rolleyes: