Solid wood worktop over refridgerator.

[Silfi]

I am going to instal a 40 thick solid wood worktop over a fridge. My concern is the heat from the fridge on the underside of the worktop will cause warping of the worktop.
The worktop will be sealed all round with 3 coats of varnish.
If the underside is blanked off completely with plywood and reflective foil there will be no air circulation to the underside of the wood.

Which is better option --no heat or no circulation?
I would be grateful for any othe suggestions.

 

[Bingy man]

Fridges don’t get that hot unless it’s very old .do you still have or can you get ( online ) the installation instructions. This should tell you what the clearences are from surrounding surfaces and if any additional ventilation is needed. I can’t imagine 40mm oak is going to have any issues from the fridge ..

 

[meccarroll]

As above really. Fridges stand under all kinds of worktops with no problem at all just allow for ventilation.

 

[Fitzroy]

I have a 40mm worktop with a washing machine and tumble dryer underneath, top is sealed bottom is not and never had an issue of cupping 12yrs of installation.

 

[Orraloon]

The back of a fridge is basically a heat exchanger so that hot air needs somewhere to escape. As long as the hot air can escape the less your wood top will be affected and the happier the fridge will be. Here is what Samsung say about clearance. I would expect its pretty much the same whatever the brand.
How much free space should I allow around my refrigerator? | Samsung Australia
Regards
John

 

[Ed209]

Fridges need a fair bit of space for ventilation either side, above and behind to work efficiently. I know from experience after shoe horning a decent Bosch fridge in to a space in our fitted kitchen under the worktop, I thought the fridge was faulty but on relocating to open space it works fine.

 

[skeetstar]

If you've allowed for the circulation, you could always put reflective foil on the underside of the oak, and maybe some of that thin polystyrene insulation between the foil and the timber...

 

[Silfi]

Opinion seems to be divided on this query.
I cetainly do not have the 100mm clearance on top sugested bySamsung (about 50mm) hopefully that is to cope with the Australian temperatures.
I will instal the worktop and check how warm the underside gets with the fridge in use.

 

[--Tom--]

I can’t foresee the wood cupping as the heat from the fridge is going to be pretty dry.
If it was steam then maybe but at 40mm thick and staves still unlikely.

You could test an offcut with a hot air paint stripper. I can’t see the effect being cumulative so just blast it till it starts smoking and see if it moves.

Might put your mind at ease

 

[Beau]

We have a black walnut top over our fridge with little clearance. The fridge is a super efficient model so not a lot of heat but the top has stayed flat. Fridges evaporate the condensate over the compressor making for higher humidity which will partly counteract any heat anyway