Worktop Express Information Guides

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.

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

James Stevenson

Jo Sage

Julie Scott

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.

The latest addition to our range comes in the form of our black oak wood worktops. The following information guide has everything you should need to know about this beautiful surface, including the timber’s history, the science behind the ‘blackening’ process, as well as information on the sourcing and manufacture of our oak timber.

AESTHETICS

Our black oak worktops undergo a special treatment that creates a luxurious dark version of the classic oak kitchen surface that is a great alternative to black American walnut or wenge worktops. Oak timber is incredibly hard-wearing and strong, with a unique grain pattern that looks beautiful in its natural form, and even more eye-catching in this lavish, dark alternative.

To see more examples of our worktops, take a look at our Worktop Image Gallery. Examples of a black oak worktop will be available soon.

TYPE OF WOOD AND GRAIN STRUCTURE

As with all the worktops available from Worktop Express®, our black oak worksurfaces are made from hardwood. Contrary to what the name might have you believe, some softwoods are as ‘hard’ as hardwoods; it is more down to the unique cell structure of hardwoods which creates a beautiful grain pattern.

Oak has large, open pores, with a moderately straight grain that gives the surface a more textural quality, whilst adding to the traditional charm of oak surfaces.

Its timber is one of the hardiest and is naturally resilient, making it an ideal choice for kitchen worktops. The naturally occurring features make oak ideal for creating contrast in bright ‘country kitchens’, or combine it with sleek dark colours in a contemporary design scheme.

SOURCING AND MANUFACTURE

Worktop Express® takes great pride in offering solid wood worktops made of the highest quality sustainable timber, which we then offer to the general public at a very competitive price (when compared to any high-street retailers).

The oak used to create our black oak kitchen worktops is sourced and manufactured solely within Europe, from sustainable sources with established re-planting schemes. This gives us the advantage of reducing our carbon footprint through reduced air miles, and promoting sustainability, whilst providing a truly robust, attractive timber.

Measures are taken to ensure that the wood we source is both hard-wearing and aesthetically pleasing, with the environmental credentials to match. There are no middle-men anywhere in our chain of sourcing and manufacture, which ensures that we can maintain our high standards every step of the way, and keep our prices low.

Since inception, Worktop Express® has supplied in excess of 240,000 orders throughout the UK, allowing us to stake the claim of ‘experts in the field of solid wood worktops’. Unlike other, less experienced retailers, we are able to offer products of the highest quality, whilst maintaining unbeatable prices.

We take the time to visit our suppliers every three months – or more regularly where possible – to ensure that our high standards are being adhered to throughout the manufacturing process. We are rightly very proud of our environmental credentials, more about which can be found by reading our Environmental Policy page.

For further information regarding our sourcing and manufacturing processes, read our ’Sourcing and Manufacture’ guide.

CONSTRUCTION & TREATMENT

Black oak worktops are created with a number of 40mm wide ‘staves’. Staves are the individual timber sections that make up the worktop, which are chosen from the best parts of the tree’s trunk to ensure consistent grain, though as with all natural products, it can still vary, which only adds to its character.

Each stave is joined together using ‘finger’ joints, in order to create a larger timber plank that is ideal for worktops. Finger joints are not only an aesthetically pleasing choice, but are also very strong, too. The joint is named as a result of the similarity between itself and two interlocking hands . These are held together naturally by friction, and a small amount of high-quality waterproof glue to seal.

To create the unique aesthetic of our black oak wood worktops, each section of timber undergoes a special chemical treatment that turns the timber almost black throughout. This means that when the worktops are fabricated or have any adjustments made, the timber is still dark throughout its cross-section, rather than just the surface – as is the case with smoked oak worktops or stained oak worktops.

Each timber stave undergoes the treatment process prior to worktop manufacture, so that the manufacturers can choose staves of equal colouration and quality. Once the staves are treated, they are left to fully dry so that the wood is not susceptible to movement once a worktop is constructed.

To read more about the construction of our wood worktops, read our ’Construction Types Explained’ information guide.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

• Tree Size: 24-35 m tall, 1-1.5 m trunk diameter
• Density: 720 kg/m3
• Average Dried Weight: 680 kg/m3
• Janka Hardness: (4,980 N)
• Modulus of Rupture (bending strength): 97.1 MPa
• Elastic Modulus (‘stiffness’ of wood): 110.60 GPa

HISTORY

Without doubt, oak is one of the world’s most recognisable trees. It is internationally renowned, because of its combination of natural beauty and hard-wearing resilience. Perfectly versatile for woodworking, oak has long been a staple of carpenters and builders since medieval times.

Fresh oak timber, commonly referred to as “green” oak – was most in demand immediately after felling. This allowed it to be better manipulated into a wider array of shapes and angles to fit the requirements of the time.

After the Great Fire of London in 1666, building bylaws were established that prohibited the use of wood for constructing inner-city buildings. The widespread destruction would have been avoided if more houses were made of brick and mortar, so this was the building style of choice going forward.

Carpenters and joiners adapted to this change, which lead to a rise in popularity of both solid oak flooring and furniture, which continued to evolve in the centuries that followed.

In the modern day, plastics and metal have taken president, whilst solid wood has become somewhat of a statement of unique quality. Thanks to superior standards and sustainability programs, it has never been a better time to experience everything that oak worktops can offer.

image courtesy of graniers

PRICE

Worktop Express® has taken great strides over the last few years to become prominent industry leaders, which enables us to deliver wooden worktops at the most competitive prices whilst providing an excellent level of customer service, too.

At any one time we hold over 7,500 worktops in stock at our depots around the country, which allows us to deliver quickly and directly to the public as well as our trade customers with our growing in-house 2man delivery service.

By using online stock ordering systems, we are able to dramatically reduce the amount of dead stock we hold, whilst our ‘direct-to-public’ e-commerce business plan means we can maintain much lower overheads than our competitors.

Our black oak worktops are available from £230 for a 2m x 620mm worktop.

PERFECT FOR…

With a combination of deep colour and distinctive grain, our solid black oak worktops are suitable for a range of kitchen themes – from contemporary to classic. Why not consider pairing it with bright whites for a clean, modern aesthetic, or with deep greens or blues for something a little more luxurious and unique.

If you are interested in our black oak worktops, or would just like to find out more about the options available, simply visit our black oak worktops page.

Buy Black Oak Worktops

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