Oak kitchen worktop oil choice

[ukworkshipper]

Hi folks!

I am deciding how to finish my new kitchen worktop, it's 40mm thick oak and I like to keep the matte look. The manual mentions worktop oil but after much reading I am still unsure which oil to choose. I have also thought about using varnish, which should be less maintenance but I am not sure that I will like the finish and it has its own cons.

One of the most suggested is Osmo but I am confused beteween the Polyx-oil and the Topoil, what's the difference and is any of the two preferred? Is Osmo hardwax oil the same as Polyx?

What about tung oil? Does it provide any advantage over the Osmo products?
In a wood working forum users were suggesting to use Linseed oil/beeswax combination or water based polyurethane. But not sure if water based polyurethane gives a varnished finish.

Will I be able to use the same product for finishing the steps of a stairs with steps made of oak?

Any help is highly appreciated!

 

[johnnyb]

I prefer fiddes hard wax to osmo these days. But rubio is well thought of and expensive. Varnish is a bit old school these days. Oils like tung and danish are not very durable tbh. Hard wax oils are favoured as there surprisingly durable and easy to recoat.

 

[HOJ]

I use Fiddes satin matt hard wax oil on my interior joinery, I have used Osmo in the past but the drying time is a lot longer, like 16 hours.

I'm making 3 Oak worktops at the mo, one is a big desk and then a freestanding kitchen island unit, both destined for finishing with the Fiddes.

 

[ukworkshipper]

Thanks for the feedback. I am not sure if I can source Fiddes because is for a job on the Continent and I am not finding any Fiddes reseller :-(. Looking at their website they don't seem to ship outside the UK and then with shipping and customs it might get expensive. Such a shame as their prices seem reasonable. Is there something on par with Fiddes?

 

[Fitzroy]

Hard wax oils are favoured as there surprisingly durable and easy to recoat.

I have a wooden worktop in my utility and even with only occasional sink use the area around the sink needs some maintenance every year or two, an oil/hardwax finish is pretty easy to sand back and recoat, I think a varnish finish would be a real pain long term.

Mine are finished in Danish Oil but it is really not very durable so wouldn't recommend.

 

[alex robinson]

There are 2 different types of finishes that have been suggested.

Varnishes such as polyurathane are film type finishes that sit on top of the wood. Any damage will be difficult to repair without refinishing a large area. They tend not to give the grain so much life and tone as oil based finishes, but are more durable.

Oil based finishes such as tung, linseed, osmo or any other hard wax oil soak into the top layer of the wood before curing (interestingly equivalent oxygen based polymerisation rather than "drying" for both). They are less durable, need multiple coats but are easily repairable and bring out the texture of the wood much better.

Danish oil is an interesting one as the name covers a wide range of recipes. Often however they are mixes of tung (or other drying oils) and oil based polyurathane varnish, sometimes with a thinning agent such as white spirits to help with penetration.

I would go with an oil based finish and apply several coats. It will then need reapplying every 6 -12 months to look good. There are a great many available and some will be more durable / easy to use / cheaper than others. I wouldn't worry however too much about which one - they should all do the job.

Drying time can be very different, especially for the more "natural" finishes. Pure tung oil takes forever so I would steer clear of that. The quick dry version has time amounts of metal catalysts in it that reduce the curing time from weeks to hours. If speed is a real issue there are various options with a second component that is mixed in just before application to speed matters up.