Browse Forums Kitchen Corner Re: Timber bench tips 2May 06, 2012 6:48 pm I personally would never put timber tops into a kitchen. They take alot of maintanice and upkeep and can show dings and dents and can be affected by water and cracking. For me I would only ever use stone. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Timber bench tops 3May 24, 2012 9:12 am Polyurethaned timber is not a great benchtop material for the reasons above. I will/would use timber as a feature island bench and oil it rather than 2-pack. It will be an island/prep area with a bit of kitchen table thrown in and will serve as a prep bench / table. Even considering using it as a chopping board jamie oliver style. Maintenance would be an occassional coat of oil to freshen it up - most likely use butchers block oil or orange/tung oil. Timber is a bit like stainless steel benchtops you have to like the fact that they get a "wear" patina and be prepared to run with that rather than try to prevent it. If you want a pristine looking benchtop definitely stick with stone. Re: Timber bench tops 4May 24, 2012 11:38 am My parents had timber benchtops in their home (circa 1970's). The previous owners were not exactly "house proud" and by the time my parents bought the home (in the 1990's) the timber was looking a little worse for wear and had even started to rot near the sink. I actually quite liked the look of the bench but it wasn't very practical; especially if you are the sort of person who isn't very careful in the kitchen (eg putting hot pots directly on the bench or not using a chopping board etc). Within the past 5 years my parents have installed granite over the top of the timber; partially for asthetics but also to make the bench a more useable surface. Hope that helps Re: Timber bench tops 5Jun 07, 2012 12:50 pm I know, late reply. My parents put in a redgum timber bench on their island. My dad made it, it has an oiled finish and after some 5 years of use, has only a couple of marks which can all be buffed/oiled out. It has stood up to the usage test with flying colours - there was a year with 6 people in that house, including two very active toddlers who climbed all over it. Honestly, it looks fabulous. That said, there is no sink or cooktop in the island; both of those are in c/stone in the non-island bench area. And we always took care not to put hot anythings and preferably nothing with liquid in it directly on the bench; cork mats and coasters are a fixture. We also never prepare anything directly on the benchtop - bread boards/chopping boards always used. However, this is the same as we have always treated any benchtop so for us, it wasn't taking special care, just normal care. The only thing we made sure to get to immediately was to wipe up liquid spills, even if it was 'just water'. Water on the c/stone tended to be ignored. Also, redgum is, I think, denser and tougher than tassie oak (which can be one of several hardwood varieties) so if you want a timber look, perhaps look this point too. Denser timber is much more robust when it comes to knocks and dings; the redgum has none visible but a lighter weight timber might well be showing more. I agree that polyurethaned is not as good as oiled; the poly finish looks great initially but doesn't have the self-healing qualities of an oiled finished. Still, I know some people who have put in and like the polyurethaned look. I've lived with laminate, timber, granite and c/stone. They all work and they all need some care and attention to keep them looking good. It comes down to personal preference. Land settled May '14. Building the PD Hoffman39: 5/11=site start, 13/11=slab pour, 26/11=frame complete, 10/12=roof on, 12/12=bricking started. Blog: http://jyndeira.net/blog/ Re: Timber bench tops 6Jun 10, 2012 7:54 am dragonchild I've lived with laminate, timber, granite and c/stone. They all work and they all need some care and attention to keep them looking good. It comes down to personal preference. But timber with a sink in it is a recipe for trouble. Stone will look good and function longer without much care for far longer than timber. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Timber bench tops 8Oct 25, 2012 7:13 pm There are various forms of timber that could be used for your benchtop. We have found commercially that SVL (Solid Veneer Lumber) has been a terrify choice although it is a high spec finish and can be costly. Take a look at a timber kitchen benchtops at http://www.surfacesquared.com.au/kitchens Re: Timber bench tops 9Oct 28, 2012 5:52 pm Quote: Does anyone have timber bench tops in there kitchen? How do they preform? How do you protect them? We're looking into tassie oak bench tops but would love to here some reviews/see some photos. jemsaf, what style of kitchen are you going for ? If you are going for a rustic style then timber benchtops can look fantastic. That said though, as others have said there are some serious caveats to installing them re maintenance. I installed lots of them in the early '80's as they were one of the popular styles back then. I kept in contact with some of my clients over the years and some loved them and looked after them really well. Others didn't and replaced them after only 5 - 7 years. Another point that no-one may have told you about Tassie Oak is that it yellows considerably after exposure to sunlight and doesn't look anywhere as attractive as when it is first installed. Stewie Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 15908 Hi - thanks for your reply. Yes I think 'Ill go for whitish with very speckly bits rather than pure white something like this. PS was actually 2008 I built the… 2 11696 Building Standards; Getting It Right! These can be easily filled and repaired and it doesn't cost them much to do. Id get the builder to do this first and if the repair is not suitable then a replacement is… 12 31266 |