Adding some solid wooden benchtops to your kitchen installation or renovation project can be an easy and simple way to add real warmth and class to your kitchen decor scheme. However, just like any other benchtop material, wooden benchtops have their own pros and cons when it comes to performance, durability and maintenance, so it's important to know what you're getting yourself into before you hand over your hard-earned cash.
What are the advantages of using solid wood benchtops?
Range of choice: Naturally, not every variety of wood is suitable for making benchtops out of, but there are still practically countless suitable woods to choose from, including many native Australian varieties. As such, you will almost certainly find the right shade and tone of wood for your kitchen design scheme.
Price: Solid wood is more expensive than engineered wood, vinyl or other low-cost benchtop materials. However, all but the rarest woods are considerably cheaper than high-end materials such as granite and poured concrete, while retaining the same air of luxury and excellent durability of these expensive materials.
Renewable: While wooden benchtops are not invulnerable to damage, scratches, stains and surface marks, they can be easily removed by simply sanding and resealing your wooden benchtops.
Recyclable: Wooden benchtops are easily recycled and repurposed once they have reached the end of their usability, making them a fine choice for the environmentally conscious. You can further reduce the environmental impact of your benchtops by purchasing recycled wood yourself or by choosing benchtops made from plantation wood.
Easy on knives: Kitchen knives, which can be dulled quickly by glass or ceramic benchtops, will have a far easier time keeping their edges on wooden benchtops.
What about the disadvantages?
Vulnerability to surface damage: While wooden benchtops are enormously durable structurally, they are vulnerable to surface marks caused by standing water, harsh cleaning chemicals and other sources of damage. As a relatively soft material, solid wood is also more vulnerable to denting than more rigid kitchen surfaces and can be badly scratched without careful use of knives.
Vulnerability to heat damage: Hot pans, boiling water spills and other heat hazards can badly damage wooden benchtops, so using potholders and insulated mats to keep some distance between hot equipment and your wood is vital.
Sealing: Unsealed wooden benchtops are highly porous, and are vulnerable to staining, damage and proliferation of mould. Your benchtops should therefore be well-sealed prior to installation. This can be done with oil-based treatments such as linseed oil or water-based surface sealants.
Maintenance issues: Unfortunately, these surface sealants do not maintain their durability indefinitely, and to get the most of your surfaces, you will need to re-treat the surfaces of your wood occasionally.
Share16 August 2016
My yard is in the shade of both of my neighbour's homes for most of the day which makes it quite hard to grow some of my favourite plants. Even though the yard is shady I still want it to have some nice look ground cover and be a cool place to entertain people. I have used a combination of shade resistant plants and pavers to create a lovely space that is good for entertaining all year round. This blog has some tips on creating a pleasant atmosphere in your shady backyard, particularly if you have a yard that is too shady to grow many kinds of plants.