Worktop Express Information Guides

Maple is a tree that’s as famous for its glorious, sweet syrup as it is for its elegant timber. Equally popular in contemporary and traditional style kitchens, maple is truly a multifaceted wood, and perfect for wood worktops. Keep reading to learn more about this timber’s origin, history and much more.

AESTHETICS

Maple is one of our lightest timbers, with a grain pattern that is not overbearing, but still exceptionally elegant. Its light tones will gradually darken over time – with diligent application of Danish oil – to take on a more golden hue that suits all manner of kitchen designs. This tree from the Acer family produces timber that is incredibly hard wearing, making it an ideal kitchen worktop.

We also offer full stave maple worktops that exhibit this beautiful timber in the best possible construction: made from extra wide staves that run the full length of the worktop.

For a closer look at maple worktops, have a look at the various photos in our Worktop Image Gallery.

TYPE OF WOOD AND GRAIN STRUCTURE

The common name ‘maple’ covers a wide range of trees, with colouration and grain detail varying from species to species. Some species have much more decorative ‘curly’ grain that is generally referred to as ‘burl wood’. It can be very difficult to tell how attractive the grain of a maple tree is until sawn, though ripples and irregularities on the bark sometimes gives a clue.

A tree’s trunk is divided in to three main parts when it’s sawn for timber. The ‘heartwood’ is at the centre of the tree, with ‘wood’ in the middle and ‘sapwood’ in the outer layers. The timber for our maple worktops mostly comes from the middle part of the tree, to ensure they have a consistent grain and colouration.

Maple has a relatively straight grain, with attractive waves throughout and a fine, even texture. With small, evenly spaced pores and few imperfections, it creates one of the most uniform-looking worktops available.

SOURCE AND MANUFACTURE

Maple species are spread throughout the northern hemisphere, with species appearing in Europe, North America and predominantly northern and eastern Asia. Only one species is native to the southern hemisphere, and most timber comes from the North American varieties of this tree.

Relatively fast growing, and easy to cultivate, maple trees have become very popular in the gardens of Britain – largely due to their distinctive and often strikingly coloured leaves.

The timber generally reacts well to being worked upon, though very high powered tools can burn the wood without appropriate care. The species used in our worktops are particularly hard and so therefore do not wear quickly, with a lack of odour that makes the material ideal for making food utensils and worktops.

Our maple is sourced and manufactured entirely in Europe, allowing it to fall under FSC certification. With this certification we can ensure that our timber only comes from sustainable, properly managed sources. For further information on our environmental credentials, visit our Environmental Policies Page.

We’re proud to have delivered well over 200,000 worktops since our inception, comprised of more than 55,000 orders. It’s safe to say then that we’ve had our fair share of experience in the industry, and many of our staff are experts in the field of sourcing, fabricating and delivering worktops of the highest quality.

We only deal directly with manufacturers to eliminate the unnecessary cost and inefficiency of middlemen. We make regular visits to our manufacturing facility ourselves, meaning we’re also able to ensure that we can identify exactly where our timber has come from, and be sure that we live up to our strict environmental credentials. For further details, have a read of our ’Sourcing and Manufacture’ guide.

CONSTRUCTION

Our solid wood worktops are all manufactured using small sections of wood known as staves. The type of worktop dictates the width and length, but our standard maple worktops are constructed from 40mm wide staves that are chosen with consideration for consistent aesthetics. Our full stave variations have staves up to 90mm for bigger swathes of luxurious lumber.

For a blemish-free maple worktop surface that does not compromise on the character of the wood, the staves are joined together using high-pressure bonding and finger joints, which make for a strong and even finish.

Finger joints are named thus due to the way the staves are cut, so that they fit together like two hands of interlocking fingers; a construction which, along with a small amount of glue, makes sure the joint is stable and hard-wearing. For further information covering how our worktops are constructed, head over to our ’Construction Types Explained info guide.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

• Tree Size: 25-35m tall, 1-1.2m trunk diameter
• Density: 630 kg/m3
• Average Dried Weight: 615 kg/m3
• Janka Hardness: (4680 N)
• Modulus of Rupture (bending strength): 98.1 MPa
• Elastic Modulus (‘stiffness’ of wood): 9.92 GPa

HISTORY

Maple is one of the most well-known and recognisable trees. A maple leaf is the centre-piece to both the Canadian flag and coat of arms, chosen as a symbol of strength and endurance.

Beyond the widely used timber, maple has been cultivated for its sap, which once boiled turns in to maple syrup. All species of Acer can be tapped for their sap, but only the trees in north eastern America and Canada have sufficient quantities of natural sugars for them to be used. Maple syrup is incredibly popular as an addition to pancakes, especially in North America – though in fact in recent years it has become increasingly popular throughout the world as a tasty addition to a host of sweet treats.

Beyond the sweet sap, maple has been used for all manner of wooden items for many years. It was originally used most widely in construction, but in recent years has become a popular material for producing anything from baseball bats, violins, drums and drum sticks to a plethora of other instruments, because maple is considered a tonewood (a wood that carries sound well).

Historically, it has been used in smokerys, for paper production and in ensuring the health of honeybee colonies due to its early pollen production.

PRICE

In recent years we’ve done a lot to reduce costs through high-volume purchasing, improving our practices and becoming more efficient throughout the business. We have over 5,000 worktops in stock at any one time, ready to be delivered by our own 2Man delivery team for an exceptional level of service from start to finish.

Through our direct-to-public e-tailing business model we’ve been able to drastically reduce overheads compared to some of our competitors. Our systems also allow us to keep up with our stock-holding in real time. As a company, Worktop Express® strives to constantly improve products and offer worktops at significantly lower prices than our competitors.

We have a fantastic relationship with our European-based manufacturers, and we deliberately choose to deal directly with them, cutting out the need for any middlemen. We visit the facilities at least every 3 months (and usually much more often) to be sure that our rigorous high standards are fully adhered to

We’re very confident in our prices – with solid maple worktops available from only £140, our worktops represent excellent value for money whilst being of the highest quality possible. If you’ve not seen our solid wood surfaces for yourself, why not order one of our samples? They’re only £5 including delivery, made from existing oiled worktop stock and the cost can be deducted from your first order.

PERFECT FOR…

Maple will win you over in both contemporary and traditional kitchen settings, but we’d recommend mixing it with darker contrasting colours to bring out the beautifully bright tones of the wood. Because it’s such a pale, sunny timber, it’s highly suitable in kitchens that struggle for natural light: the surface will reflects light upwards, helping to brighten any room. A maple kitchen is subtle enough to stand up to bold accent colours, and will also benefit from accessories such as a maple butcher block or chopping board.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

• Prime Beech
• Oak
• Prime Oak
• Full Stave Maple
• Bamboo

Our wenge worktops are perfect for those looking for kitchen worktops that are the epitome of style. This guide delves in to all you’ll need to know about this exotic timber, including its look, manufacture, origin and history.

AESTHETICS

This tropical timber is very dark in colour – so much so that it looks almost black in some lights, and is often used as a substitute for ebony. It has a distinctive figure with dispersed lighter flecks throughout the wood. Wenge is truly the top of worktop tree and is highly desired in modern kitchens and for a variety of other uses. Back in 2010 we provided over 30 metres of this opulent hardwood to ‘Bea’s of Bloomsbury’ – a high end London tea room.

If you’re looking for a worktop in a black ® white kitchen, or something to contrast light coloured units in a contemporary kitchen design, then wenge is definitely the worktop to consider. To see some more examples of this timber up close, pop along to our worktop gallery.

TYPE OF WOOD AND GRAIN STRUCTURE

Black wenge is one of the heaviest and most solid hardwood worktops available, being 50% more dense than oak. Its black grain and dark brown wood is from the heartwood of the tree, where the sapwood contributes lighter flecks throughout the worktop; it has a straight grain and a very coarse texture.

Cells known as ‘vessel elements’ are one of the distinguishing features of hardwoods such as wenge. The cells are elongated in a linear fashion through the timber, and are considerably larger than surrounding cells, which is what can create a distinctive pattern. The grain has large pores with no specific arrangement and distinct growth rings. Because of the dark colouration of the wood, the grain appears to be a little more subtle than some other hardwoods -especially when oiled.

SOURCING AND MANUFACTURE

Hailing from mid to western Africa, wenge wood is mostly found in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon.

In sourcing wood that is visually pleasing, resilient, we take essential necessary care to ensure that all the timber we purchase is legal, environmentally sound, and from the most sustainable supplies possible. Due to its African origin, wenge cannot be certified under either FSC or PEFC classifications. We’ve worked very closely with our suppliers to ensure that our African timbers have the required chain of custody and all evidence to support it.

We employ strict environmental policies and very stringent checks on our suppliers, to ensure that we are only dealing with dealers that promote environmentally aware policies and re-planting schemes. We only ever deal directly with suppliers, rather than using third-party agents; this has helped us build great relationships with the manufacturers and so we’re always fully aware of any supply shortages or problems that may occasionally arise. We also visit our suppliers every three months to ensure our high standards are adhered to.

At Worktop Express® we fabricate and deliver kitchen worktops to incredibly high standards, whilst being very good value for money – just compare our prices to any high-street retailer. Since our inception we’ve delivered over 200,000 worktops covering over 55,000 individual orders, and are now considered solid wood experts.

To find out more about these processes, visit our ’Sourcing and Manufacture’ information guide.

CONSTRUCTION

Though we also offer full stave worktops with a wider 90mm stave, our standard wenge kitchen worktops are constructed from staves averaging 40mm. We work closely with our European manufacturers to ensure that the chosen staves are of the highest quality, and that they’re also aesthetically consistent to give the worktop an attractive, unblemished finish that is free from defects.

The staves are joined together using a finger joint, which is by far the most elegant way of making up the worktop surface, whilst retaining the natural strength of the timber. A small amount of glue is also used to hold the finger joints together firmly in place throughout manufacture and any fabrication that might follow.

To find out more about how our worktops are constructed, visit our ’Construction Types Explained’ guide.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

• Tree Size: 18 – 30m tall, 1-1.25 m trunk diameter
• Average Density: 855 kg/m3
• Average Dried Weight: 870 kg/m3
• Janka Hardness: 8600 N
• Modulus of Rupture (bending strength): 151.7 MPa
• Elastic Modulus (‘stiffness’ of wood): 17.59 GPa

HISTORY

For centuries, the native craftsmen of the Congolese rainforest have used wenge to craft masks and statues representing spirits and gods. Prior to mechanical methods, local craftsmen would ‘cut’ sections of downed trees by building controlled fires beneath it and burning though the log until they had manageable sections to take back to their village. Fire was also used in the shaping of the lumber to create large statues, as it would make the wood soft and easier to carve.Because of its density and strength, wenge has been used for a very wide range of uses over time beyond its current-day uses for furniture, veneers and of course worktops. Previous uses for the timber included railway sleepers, crates & boxes, mine props and even archery longbows. Like many other attractive hardwoods, wenge has been used for high-quality musical instruments such as guitars and drums.

Wenge was traditionally used in medicines, with varying applications of the bark being used to treat liver complaints, diabetes, hernias, skin diseases, constipation, fevers and rheumatism. Powdered bark has also been used to treat epilepsy, smallpox and sores. We’ll stick with worktops though, we think!

PRICE

At Worktop Express® we keep over 5,000 worktops in stock at any one time, which enables us to deliver directly to both the public and trade swiftly and efficiently with our 2man delivery service. We’ve gone through great lengths to ensure that all of our worktops can be offered at the best possible price, with excellent customer service to match.

Our specially integrated online stock-ordering systems allow us reduce costs by minimising the quantity of dead stock and by keeping wastage low. What’s more, with our ‘direct-to-public’ e-commerce business model, we’ve been able to offer our solid wood worktops at a much lower price than any high-street retailer.

We make it a priority to visit our European suppliers at least once every three months ourselves – we don’t use any agents or third parties to make the trip for us. Because of this we’re able to see the product and manufacturing process first hand and ensure that the suppliers are adhering to our high standards. Throughout 2014 we are planning to expand further in to other European markets to firmly cement Worktop Express® as the leader in solid wood worktops across the whole of Europe.

Available from only £320 for a 2m worktop. Matching upstands are available from just £50.

PERFECT FOR…

With unmistakable black and dark brown hues, a wenge worktop is the ideal centre-piece for ultra-modern kitchens. Consider mixing wenge worktops with bright whites, yellows and oranges for a unique contemporary look; or for up-to-the-minute style, mix wenge with swathes of stainless steel.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

• Full Stave Wenge
• Black American Walnut
• Deluxe Black American Walnut
• Iroko
• Zebrano

Zebrano worktops are a favourite of many due to their distinctive grain and exotic feel. In this guide we’ve covered everything you’ll need to know about the zebrano timber, including its history, origin, and science.

AESTHETICS

The surface of a solid zebrano worktop alternates between pale toffee and deep brown figuring, creating a striking colour variation; as such, the wood zebrano (or zebra wood as it’s sometimes referred to) clearly stands out from the crowd and often divides opinion on whether it would suit certain kitchen environments. Personally we’re big fans of this unusual wood here at Worktop Express®, as it’s incredibly hardwearing and looks fantastic as the centrepiece of a modern kitchen interior.

Each worktop is unique, with a distinctive grain pattern setting it apart from anything else, to give your kitchen that air of exclusive desirability. To see some beautiful examples of zebrano, head over to our worktop gallery.

TYPE OF WOOD AND GRAIN STRUCTURE

What is zebrano? Well, like our other timbers (apart from Bamboo which is classed as a perennial plant), zebrano is a stiff and dense hardwood with a very unique grain pattern which is either wavy or more straight and interlocked – depending on how it is sawn. It has a relatively coarse texture and open pores that make for a stunning stripy worktop when quartersawn like our solid wood worktops.

Hardwoods have a type of cell known as ‘vessel elements’ which aren’t present in softwoods. These cells run longitudinally through the wood and are larger than other surrounding cells, leaving distinct cavities in the wood known as pores. The dispersion of these pores dictates the distinctive look of zebrano’s grain, which includes medium to large sized pores with no specific arrangement.

SOURCING AND MANUFACTURE

Zebrano (or Microberlinia brazzavillensis) is found in West Africa, typically in the lowland forests of Cameroon and Gabon.

We make it a top priority to source wood that is not only hard wearing and eye-catching but also environmentally sound. We’ve conducted extensive research and gone through great lengths to make sure that our African timbers are sourced from legal, sustainable supplies. We will only ever deal with suppliers that promote proper environmental policies and re-planting schemes where possible. To find out more about our environmental credentials, have a read of our ’Environmental Policy’ page.

Worktop Express® fabricates and delivers solid wood worktops of the highest quality at exceptional prices. We have delivered over 200,000 worktops on more than 55,000 individual orders, and after years of hard work, are now considered experts in the field of solid wood. We deal directly with suppliers rather than using any third-party agents, allowing us to maintain close relationships with them and anticipate any issues that may arise; indeed, we visit our suppliers at least every three months to ensure that our high standards and expectations are being fulfilled. To find out more about this process, visit our ’Sourcing and Manufacture’ guide.

CONSTRUCTION

Our standard worktops are manufactured from 40mm staves, a selection of which are finger jointed together to create a larger plank of wood suitable for construction of our solid wood worktops. Utilising our own rigorous specification for guidance, our European manufacturers work closely with us to ensure that the highest quality staves are chosen for our solid zebrano worktops, prioritising consistent and aesthetically pleasing staves free of manufacturing defects.

To join the individual staves in the most elegant and stable way, finger joints are used with the addition of small amounts of glue to hold the joint in place securely during fabrication. Finger joints are not only aesthetically pleasing, but are able to withstand the stresses that a worktop must go through on a daily basis.

For further information on how our worktops are manufactured, visit our ‘Construction Types Explained’ information guide.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

• Tree Size: 40-50m tall, up to 1-1.5 m trunk diameter
• Density: 780 kg/m3
• Average Dried Weight: 805 kg/m3
• Janka Hardness: 8610 N
• Modulus of Rupture (bending strength): 122.8 MPa
• Elastic Modulus (‘stiffness’ of wood): 16.37 GPa

HISTORY

Zebrano’s history is less familiar than many other hardwoods, though because of the combination of characterful figure, density and hardness, it has been used for a variety of furniture, instruments, ship building many other uses. Thin veneer slices of zebrano have been very popular in recent years, having been used in high-end car interiors and flooring.

In traditional medicine in the Congo, zebrano leaves were pounded to a mush and rubbed on the body, as they were believed to have medicinal effects on the body – particularly for treating rheumatism, arthritis and oedema of the legs. There is evidence of this wood being used to craft tools by the local ‘Baka’ people who crafted spears from the wood; they chose the zebrano because of its stiffness and apparent natural resilience to rotting.

In modern times, because of zebrano’s more limited availability, it is prized for fine furniture as well as our finest quality solid wood worktops.

PRICE

At Worktop Express® we go through great lengths to ensure that we can offer zebrano and other A-grade hardwood worktops at the most competitive price possible. We have over 5,000 worktops held in stock at any one time, which means we’re able to deliver directly to the public and trade swiftly and efficiently using our own in-house delivery service.

We have integrated specialist online stock ordering systems that assist us in reducing the quantity of dead stock and wastage (which also reduces overheads). Using our ‘direct-to-public’ e-commerce business model, we’ve been able to drastically reduce costs compared to some of our competitors.

Our team work ceaselessly to bring a number of industry firsts to the market, and are always striving to have the most up-to-date products possible, backed by first-rate customer service.

We make trips to our European suppliers at least once every three months. We don’t use any agents or third parties to make these trips as we believe it’s very important to see the products and manufacturing processes first hand. We’re looking to continue our success and expand further in to European markets throughout 2014.

Available from only £290 for a 2m zebrano worktop.

PERFECT FOR…

Zebrano worktops stand out as a superb centre-piece to any kitchen, office or wherever else you might consider using our worktops. They are well suited to modern kitchen settings, especially when combined with dark contrasting coloured cabinets and stainless steel upstands and splashbacks.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

• Deluxe Zebrano
• Full Stave Zebrano
• Walnut
• Black American Walnut
• Iroko

The walnut tree is one of the most resilient hardwoods on the planet, and produces wooden worktops with great character. In this information guide we’ll cover everything you should need to know about this timber – from history to science to our own sourcing methods.

AESTHETICS

Walnut is a ‘multi-talented’ tree, bearing versatile hardwood and a nut that has all sorts of applications. The timber is dense, with a distinctive grain that can be polished to a very smooth finish. Colour and grain can vary from the tight grain and relatively light honey-coloured sapwood to the considerably darker heartwood that exhibits a more open grain.

As well as our 40mm stave width walnut worktops, we also sell the opulent Deluxe Walnut variation which features an extra-wide 90mm stave. Walnut’s beautiful grain structure and varied colour looks even more effective in this form.

To see our solid walnut worktops up-close, take a look at our Worktop Image Gallery.

TYPE OF WOOD AND GRAIN STRUCTURE

As with our black American walnut, European walnut has a great deal of visual character that sets it apart from more well-known deciduous trees such as oak and beech. Whilst the sapwood is usually lighter in colour and with a relatively tight grain, the heartwood has a more open grain and will often feature unusual ‘curly’ surface figuring. Because of this, the wood is prized by woodworkers for its unique lustre, and is often used for gun stocks, guitars, ornate furniture as well as high-end veneers such as luxury car interiors.

Our walnut solid wood worktops are only constructed from quartersawn staves, which show off the timber in an exceptional light, whilst keeping the appeal of the grain fully intact.

SOURCE AND MANUFACTURE

Species of walnut are often easily confused. Along with our suppliers we go through great lengths to ensure that the timber used for our worktops is from consistent European sources. Whilst it is grouped in the same species as English walnut, the European equivalent (Juglans regia) has grown to have richer colouration, and large colonies of it extend as far afield as Iran and Kyrgyzstan.

We work closely with our suppliers to ensure that the walnut timber we use is hardy and attractive, and that it is logged from well-managed forests with established replanting schemes. To find out further information about our environmental priorities, please take a look at our Environmental Policy page.

Worktop Express® has proudly delivered over 200,000 worktops to over 55,000 customers since its foundation, and is now proud to be considered an expert in the field of solid wood worktops manufactured to the highest quality at unbeatable prices. We take the time to visit our suppliers at least once every three months to ensure our high standards are adhered to, whilst cutting out the cost of any middlemen. If you want to learn more, have a look at our ’Sourcing and Manufacture’ guide.

CONSTRUCTION

Our standard walnut worktops are constructed from many quartersawn 40mm staves, which are joined together in such a way that it creates a larger plank of wood that is very strong, whilst showing off the beauty of the timber. The worktops are made from staves of only the highest quality – in both aesthetic and material terms – without the repetitive grain patterns and inconsistent colouration of lower quality products.

The staves are jointed together using a ‘finger’ joint that is perfect for creating a durable worktop, whilst being aesthetically pleasing. Finger joints are named as such because they mimic the action of two interlocking hands; this connection is strong and holds well thanks to plenty of friction. A small amount of glue is used to ensure that the joint holds firmly whilst the worktop is being machined and finished.

To find out more about the construction of our worktops, have a look at our ‘Construction Types Explained’ information guide.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

• Tree Size: 25-35m tall, up to 1-2 m trunk diameter
• Density: 550-750 kg/m3
• Average Dried Weight: 640 kg/m3
• Janka Hardness: (5410 N)
• Modulus of Rupture (bending strength): 111.5 MPa
• Elastic Modulus (‘stiffness’ of wood): 10.81 GPa

HISTORY

The first historical account of walnut trees being cultivated in the civilised world goes back approximately 2000 years to ancient Babylon (known today as Iraq), although walnuts have been found in much earlier cave fossils and excavations by archaeologists in southwest France. These remains suggest that walnuts were consumed in Europe as far as 8,000 years ago.

Walnuts were also used by the ancient Egyptians to create an embalming oil to replace the blood of their mummies, though it was the Greeks that are credited with the first selective cultivation of the walnut to create the tree that is now commonly referred to as the English walnut.

Previously referred to as ‘Persian walnut’, it was brought to England, and spread throughout Europe by the Romans. In the 1800s, walnuts were transported from England to North America by Spanish monks who settled along the Eastern coast.

There’s no doubt that walnut timber has been used for a variety of uses for many hundreds, if not thousands of years. It became most fashionable in the late 17th century when it ousted oak as the de facto quality timber. Its unique grain curly grain patterns remained in vogue for around 50 years, after which mahogany from Central America became the furniture builder’s wood of choice.

Usage of the walnut tree beyond food and timber varies widely: parts of the tree are used in natural dyes, as a healthy antioxidant, and even a softer substitute for sand used in sand-blasting machines.

PRICE

We’ve gone through great lengths to position ourselves as leaders in the field of solid wood worktops, capable of offering worktops at an extremely competitive price with excellent service to match. We have over 5,000 worktops in stock at any one time, meaning we are able to deliver directly to the public and trade incredibly quickly and efficiently with our own 2man delivery service.

Our online stock ordering systems have been able to help us drastically reduce the quantity of dead stock we hold; moreover, through a ‘direct-to-the-public’ e-commerce business plan, we maintain much lower overheads than some of our competitors – all allowing us to offer extremely competitive prices. We were also the first in the industry to introduce various new practices and products that are now industry-standard.

Available from £205 for a 2m worktop.

PERFECT FOR…

Walnut is at home as a worktop in both traditional and modern settings, but looks particularly striking combined with high-contrasting bright white units and modern stainless steel appliances. Pair walnut block worktops with complementary accessories such as a walnut chopping board or a walnut plinth for a seamless look.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

• Deluxe Walnut
• Black American Walnut
• Deluxe Black American Walnut
• Full Stave Black American Walnut
• Iroko