Solid Wood Worktops
The finishing touch when designing a kitchen, and sometimes the most difficult choice to make, is which wood to use for the solid wood worktops. Whatever the style of the cupboards, the use of solid wood kitchen worktops over laminate or even granite adds a touch of timeless class.
Unlike other finishes which may become scratched, dull or marred by limescale, solid wood worktops just improve with age. By oiling regularly and using some very basic day to day care, wood will ‘heal’ itself and just get better looking, in general, but if something serious happens – such as a burn – solid wood worktops can easily be sanded down to regain their just-fitted beauty. For those thinking that wood will limit colour choices, there are many different woods to choose from, each with their own character.
African Walnut Solid Wood Kitchen Worktops
Solid wood worktops made from African walnut give an exotic flavour to any kitchen. This wood is also known as ‘Tiger Wood’ and this describes its appearance very well. When oiled and in use, African walnut darkens to a rich brown, with much darker stripes and becomes more beautiful with age. Solid wood worktops made of this material will give a glamorous look to a minimalist kitchen, or would suit an intimate cottage interior just as well.
American Walnut
This wood is very different from its African cousin, having a close, even grain, with a thin stripe, lighter in colour, which almost seems to illuminate the wood from within, especially as the main colour darkens with age and repeated oiling. Solid wood worktops made from this would look particularly lovely in a kitchen with a lot of natural light, where the wood could glow with all its natural beauty.
Mountain Ash
Most people when picturing the look of solid wood worktops in a kitchen will usually be thinking of ash, as it is a very popular choice. Ash does not darken perceptibly in use and the grain is very straight and open, giving a flexible wood that absorbs shocks and dents very well. Because Ash does not darken too much in use, it is a good wood to use in solid wood worktops that are in a lot of direct light, as it will develop a minimum amount of ‘shadowing’.
Cherry
Solid wood worktops made of cherry are usually of ‘block’ construction, as cherry wood does not give long, even planks because of the way the tree grows. This can give a multicoloured effect as the wood from different trees will take the oil differently, and for this reason solid wood worktops made this way are best teamed with very simple door fronts. A pure white kitchen teamed with cherry worktops will always look fresh and bright.
Oak
Think English country kitchen and you will think oak. Solid wood worktops made with oak will last a lifetime and will become more beautiful with age. The light honey colour of freshly installed oak will mellow more over the years to give depths of colour from gold to misty brown which will match any decor. The hard wearing nature of solid wood worktops made with oak means that they will outlast kitchen appliances and door fronts, but the wood’s timeless character means that they will always fit in.
Beech
Scandinavian kitchens wouldn’t be what they are without beech. End grain beech solid wood worktops are not only beautiful, staying a pale blonde even after years of use, but are so hardwearing that they are the commonest choice for butcher’s blocks. In a bright kitchen, with primary colours and lots of chrome and steel, beech solid wood worktops look sensational. For the pared down look, with perhaps just a single run of worktop and a kitchen island in the middle, beech is the obvious choice.
The choice is almost endless
There are so many woods to choose from that it is impossible to produce a totally definitive list. Solid wood worktops can be made from any wood which is reasonably durable and not prone to splitting or twisting in use. Any competent carpenter can produce solid wood worktops and so your kitchen can be totally bespoke, with the wood that suits your needs as regards its hard wearing capacity, colour and grain. Fitting solid wood worktops is also simpler than you might think. They can easily be held up on a batten on the wall and usually have a frame underneath to give them added strength and stability so the front of the cupboard is ample to hold them up there. One of the great things about solid wood worktops of course is that no matter how complicated the design of your kitchen, with inset sinks, sockets, hobs or other bespoke equipment, the fitter will be able to cut a hole or slot very easily and it will not need special edging or binding.
Wood versus other materials
There are a great many other worktops which give a great deal of versatility in kitchen design – glass, 60mm laminated worktops, formica, granite and the rest – but most people when they think of hard wearing surfaces which will just become more beautiful with age will immediately think of wood. Everyone has seen a kitchen marred by a limescale marked granite worksurface, or a bright coloured glass work top which is no longer in fashion. With solid wood work surfaces in your kitchen you never need worry that they are no longer in fashion.
Where to buy solid wood worktops
The other great thing about solid wood worktops is that you don’t have to go to a specialist kitchen design shop to obtain one. They can easily be ordered from outlets which can be found in as diverse settings as craft villages or the high street. Solid wood worktops found in some of these more out of the way places can in fact be even more attractive than those bought from a chain supplier as they will probably include more character features, especially if made from reclaimed wood. These have the added attractions that no trees have been felled to create them and also that they look ‘used’ from the outset, so do not need to be looked after with quite the care that a brand new one would.
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