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Worktop Express Information Guides

information guidesThere's no such thing as too much information - not where Worktop Express® are concerned! That's why we've decided to launch this helpful information section, designed especially for our customers and chock-full of handy hints on measuring your radius corners, why and when to choose certain products (from end caps to edge profiles) and lots more.

And if you have any suggestions for an information guide, please don't hesitate to contact us: we're going to be updating this section regularly and are always on the lookout for new ideas.

Enjoy!

If you would like to view all the information guides in a particular category, please use the following links:

For a full list of the Worktop Express® information guides, please click here.

If you are looking for something in particular, please use the following search:

Recent Information Guides from Worktop Express®

Choosing Solid Wood Work Surfaces for Bathrooms

A wood worktop might be a familiar choice for a kitchen centrepiece, but there are many more areas around the home where solid wood can add an additional touch of natural class to the environment.

One such place is the bathroom, and indeed we regularly hear from customers who have chosen one of our worktops for use in this space. Whilst you may think that solid wood isn’t the ideal surface for high-moisture settings such as this, with the right care and maintenance timber worktops not only look stunning, but can also provide many years of joy.

Choosing Kitchen Worktops for Bathrooms

Jon Shorty

Perfect Bathroom Choices

Moisture abounds in bathrooms, meaning that a hygienic surface is an added bonus – and fortunately hardwood is one of the most naturally hygienic materials. Two of our timbers, however, stand out above the rest; iroko worktops are both anti-bacterial and resistant to water thanks to the timber’s naturally high oil content, whilst our bamboo worktops are also resistant to bacteria and are naturally watertight, which helps stop bacteria colonising on their surface.

If these two timber choices don’t suit your bathroom theme, however, there are plenty of others to choose from. Why not consider our maple worktops? Maple is a light-coloured wood that is particularly dense and hard-wearing; for something with richer colour, our black American walnut worktops are equally dense and feature beautiful grain patterns.

Water-Safe Finishes

Given the right treatment, any of our wooden worktops are perfect for use in a bathroom, and when it comes to choosing the right finish, there are three popular choices for sealing the worktop to stop it from warping, cracking or discolouring.

Oiling: Using Rustins Danish Oil as a worktop treatment creates a water resistant surface if carried out regularly. Oil delivers perhaps the most pleasing finish as it is low lustre, and helps accentuate the colour of the wood, but will need attention to stop stains forming if water is left on the surface. Fortunately, the nature of wood means that – should severe staining occur – the timber surface can be sanded back and oiled, creating a finish that is practically as good as new.

Lacquered: For many people, a lacquered finish is preferred in a moist environment such as bathrooms, as it totally seals the wood whilst providing a hard-wearing surface, ensuring that the worktop is fully protected and will not stain. Lacquering does create a shiny surface – which does not have the same natural quality as an oiled finish – but requires the least maintenance once completed.

Varnish: Whilst both varnish and lacquer can provide a glossy finish to wooden worktops, varnishes are also available in a semi-gloss or satin sheen finish, and are made using a combination of resin, drying oil and thinner, rather than the plastics and solvents found in lacquer.

Specialist Fabrication

If you are sold on the idea of using solid wood work surfaces in your bathroom, but have a specific gap or pre-existing sink to fit the worktops in or around, our fabrication team can create a bespoke worktop to your exact specifications. Choose from irregular cut outs, holes for pipe work, radius corners or soft profile edges.

Simply visit our innovative Online Bespoke Worktop Tool and create, price up and pay for the bathroom worktop of your dreams; or, if preferred, send us some measurements and a simple diagram of what you require and our highly-trained team can turn it into a CAD template. Once your diagram has been confirmed, your choice of timber will be cut to your specification by our highly-sophisticated CNC machine, and given a beautiful finish by hand.

Examples of Wooden Worktops in Customer Bathrooms

Vert de Terre

James Stevenson

Incarnadine

Jo Sage

Studio Green

Julie Scott

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“Do I have to order upstands with wood workbenches if fitting against a wall?” Question of the Week 25.04.15

Question of the Week

“Do I have to order upstands with wood workbenches if fitting against a wall?”

Our last ‘Question of the Week’ this April comes from Jade in Shrewsbury. She is about to order wood workbenches from us, and has queried if it is necessary to purchase our matching wooden upstands if fitting the worktops against a wall.

QUESTION:

“I am currently planning my kitchen and have decided to pick your wooden worktops as my kitchen surface of choice, is it necessary to use upstands if fitting the worktops against a wall, or can I get away without them?”

ANSWER:

Hi Jade,

Firstly, thanks for sending your query in, and for deciding to choose our solid wood worktops as your kitchen surface of choice.

We most definitely recommend our worktop upstands when installing worktops adjacent to your kitchen walls.

The primary reason for this is to allow wooden worktops to expand and contract with the change in humidity. As such, a small expansion gap of approximately 5mm is required between worktops and the wall they are positioned against.

A matching wooden upstand is the perfect solution for covering this gap, whilst also helping to blend the worktops into the overall kitchen design. If your kitchen wall is not perfectly straight, upstands can also help to cover any uneven gaps that may appear.

Fixing upstands to your kitchen wall is very easy; they can be attached using a strong adhesive rather than using screws. If you would like, you can also use clear silicone along the join where the worktop and upstand meet.

Our upstands are available in any of the timbers in our wide range including Deluxe and full stave options. To find out further information, please read our Upstands Information Guide.

All the best,

Ben @ Worktop Express

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Choosing Solid Wood Worktops for Small Kitchens

There are a number of elements to consider when choosing solid wood worktops for a small kitchen space. Our wide range of worktops will add colour, texture and a unique aesthetic to any kitchen, and whilst you may be limited for space in modern flats and small terraced houses, choosing the right wooden worktop can bring an abundance of character to your space.

Consider the impact of natural light

In a small room, it is very important to consider what natural light is available, and how you can make the most of it. Unless you can counter-balance with plenty of artificial lighting, we wouldn’t usually recommend our darkest of worktop choices in a small kitchen, as they will only absorb what natural light is available.

To reflect light around the room, consider our lighter-coloured options, such as maple worktops or ash worktops. These two wood species are light in colour but also very hard-wearing. Maple is particularly renowned for its reflective qualities, and will undoubtedly brighten any kitchen.

If you are looking for an extremely sustainable alternative, why not consider our bamboo worktops? They are also brightly coloured, whilst also providing a naturally water resistant and hygienic surface.

Have your worktops cut to size

We provide wood work surfaces in a variety of different sizes from 2M up to 4M in length, and from 620mm to 960mm in width. We acknowledge that every kitchen is different, and so to help you easily fit made-to-measure worktops into your kitchen, we offer an in-house bespoke worktop cutting service.

If it is a simple case of cutting your worktop down to size, then let our team do a precise job of adjusting the width or length using our accurate industrial-grade machinery. Prices start at £15 for the 1st cut, with discounts for each additional cut thereafter.

Our team can also make a variety of adjustments, including sink and hob cut outs, radius corners, and many other worktop alterations to make your worktop perfectly suited to the limited space you may have.

Consider Floating Shelves for slimline storage

If you have chosen the right style of worktop to suit your kitchen, making the most of available wall space should also be high on your priority list.

As well as specialising in wooden worktops, we also offer a range of solid wood floating shelves that come complete with hidden stainless steel brackets. A couple of rows of these wooden shelves would provide ample storage for anything you may need easy access to.

Our shelves start at only £22.50 for a 300mm wide oak floating shelf, but bespoke options are available on request (up to 1500mm in width and in any of our worktop timbers).

See for yourself with our sample service

If you can’t decide which worktop to choose as the centrepiece in your small kitchen, why not take advantage of our worktop sample service? We can deliver samples of any of the worktops in our range direct to your door for only £5 with free delivery, and if you go on to purchase one of our worktops the cost will be discounted from your order.

Samples are provided pre-oiled on one side to give you an impression of the finished product, and are highly recommended to help you choose the best worktops for your small kitchen.

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“I live alone, so which delivery service should I choose for my hardwood worktops?” Question of the Week 18.04.15

Question of the Week

‘I live alone, so which delivery service should I choose for my hardwood worktops?’

This ‘Question of the Week’ was sent in by George in Bath. He lives on his own and so wanted to know which delivery service we would recommend in order for his hardwood worktops to be offloaded safely and swiftly.

QUESTION:
“I live on my own and don’t have able-bodied neighbours I can call upon to help get my new wood worktops into the house. Would you be able to suggest which delivery service I should choose to get the most assistance?”

ANSWER:

Hi George,

Thanks for getting in touch. We think you’ve definitely made the right decision in choosing our solid wood worktops; though as natural hardwood is a dense and heavy material, large sections like those that make up our worktops are difficult to manoeuvre single-handedly.

Fortunately, at Worktop Express we offer a variety of delivery options that can provide plenty of assistance in transporting our worktops into your home.

Because you live in the Bath area, you fall well inside the delivery areas covered by our own in-house 2Man delivery team. We cover the majority of the mainland UK every day (though we also work with a specialist 3rd party 2 man courier that offers a nationwide service to deliver to areas not currently offered by our own team).

As the name suggests, each Worktop Express 2Man van is operated by two members of our team, who are able to bring your goods into your property and deliver to a ground-floor location of your choice (please note that our team cannot carry goods up and down stairs).

They’ll also allocate you a two hour delivery timeslot and give you a call thirty minutes before arrival to allow you to prepare. After delivery has been successfully made and you have had a chance to check out the worktop, they will take away any unwanted packaging, too.

Our 2Man service costs £25 for the first worktop, and £15 for each additional worktop – a great value, convenient service that we hope will be perfect for your needs!

n the last 6 months we have opened two new delivery depots, and we are continually expanding our fleet of vehicles, with further depots due to open in the coming years.

For further information about our delivery service, please visit our delivery details page.

All the best,

Ben @ Worktop Express

Do you have a question that you would like us to answer? Ask us now on FacebookTwitterG+, or send us a message.

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“What is the best way to fix kitchen worktops vertically?” Question of the Week 11.04.15

Question of the Week

‘What is the best way to fix kitchen worktops vertically?’

Our latest ‘Question of the Week’ this April comes from Jenny in Warwick. She is considering using our kitchen worktops as an end panel to complete her base cabinets, but wants to know how we would recommend attaching them.

QUESTION:
“Rather than using a standard tongue and groove end panel, I thought it would look more effective to use a piece of your oak worktops to complete the end of my run of kitchen cabinets. Can you recommend what would be the best method of attaching them vertically to the cabinets?”

ANSWER:

Hi Jenny,

Thanks for taking the time to send your question in, our solid wood worktops are ideal as a chunky end panel, particularly if you have matching worktops.

To fit worktops as an end panel, it is relatively straightforward, provided you have the right tools. Follow these easy steps to installation:

  • Ensure your section of worktop is sanded to a smooth finish and cut to the correct size to fit onto the side of your cabinet as an end panel.
  • Once the end panel is prepared, we recommend oiling it with at least three coats on the outward-facing edge, and up to 6 coats on the exposed end grain. You might have to leave it up to 8 hours between coats for it to fully dry. Read our Oiling Information Guide for further details.
  • You can now attach the end panel directly to the cabinet. We recommend using 4 – 6 round-headed screws to do so.
  • Drill holes slightly larger than the screw into the cabinet side at regular intervals, and use a washer to allow the screw to move slightly as the timber expands and contracts with changes in environmental temperature.
  • If you are using 27mm worktops, we recommend screws that penetrate no further than 15mm into the wood. For 40mm worktops, you can use screws that penetrate up to 20mm. The thickness of your cabinet’s sides will dictate the overall length of the screws.
  • Ensure that your horizontal worktop over-hang matches the thickness of the worktop you are using as the end panel for a neat finish. Alternatively, you could consider cutting the two ends at a 45° angle to form a square mitre joint.

I hope these instructions help, but if you have any further queries, don’t hesitate to get in touch again.

All the best,

Ben @ Worktop Express

Do you have a question that you would like us to answer? Ask us now on FacebookTwitterG+, or send us a message.

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