Would you expect that to happen?

[Beau]

Just building a utility room and bought some Iroko worktop as I thought it would save time over making up my own. I've cut it to fit and left some offcuts outside for a few days and they got wet. It appears that the glue used is not very waterproof which is a bit of a worry as the worktop is going to have a sink in it. The off-cut did get soaked with no finish on but I didn't expected the joints to fall apart like this.

Am I being overly critical or would you expect some wooden kitchen worktop to stand up to a soaking?

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

Just make sure that the sink unit , taps etc are well sealed down with a good quality silicon sealant
I was going to suggest treating the work top but I don’t know what with that won’t attract the existing glue and spoil the look that you are going for

 

[John Brown]

If that's two different timber species, then I'd expect them to have different rates of shrinkage/expansion, and falling apart like that wouldn't surprise me. I had oak worktops in one house, they were as good as gold, beech in another, terrible. Get them a bit damp and the staves expanded at slightly different rates so you could feel all the joints. Currently have a mixture of granite and wide stave Osmo treated Iroko, which is great.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

The sample in the photos are very narrow - it could be the end grain absorbing the water rather than the glue failing.

 

[Deadeye]

Just make sure that the sink unit , taps etc are well sealed down with a good quality silicon sealant
I was going to suggest treating the work top but I don’t know what with that won’t attract the existing glue and spoil the look that you are going for

This. Presumably the cut surfaces also got soaked and (by definition) aren't coated).

 

[Beau]

Thanks all

So it is all one species ie Iroko. You do get quite a bit of colour variation with Iroko especially when its freshly cut. It does tend to age to a similar darker colour over time IME.

The top is going to be finished with Osmo Top oil as per suppliers recommendation

Yes the sink will be siliconed down and the tap is mounted on the sink. I might have used a neoprene seal if I was less concerned about water ingress

The end grain in the sample most definitely did soak in the rain. I still didn't expect it to fall apart as I know when I glue stuff up with D4 PVA or polyurethane glues they would not fail that easily.

Heard back from the supplier yesterday afternoon to be assured the tops are glued together with waterproof glue. I will take their word for it and crack on excepting that the wood should never get as wet as the sample did.

 

[mark w]

Personally I don't think they have used waterproof glue, if they have then perhaps they haven't applied it properly. Iroko is notoriously difficult to glue due to it's high oil content.
If you haven't done so already, email your photo to the manufacturer and get a written reply from them, you've got some proof then if something goes wrong later on.

 

[Beau]

Personally I don't think they have used waterproof glue, if they have then perhaps they haven't applied it properly. Iroko is notoriously difficult to glue due to it's high oil content.
If you haven't done so already, email your photo to the manufacturer and get a written reply from them, you've got some proof then if something goes wrong later on.

Thanks. I agreed but I have emailed them and this was the reply

"
Thank you for reaching out and for providing detailed information and photos regarding the issue. We appreciate your diligence in bringing this to our attention.

We would like to clarify that the glue used in our worktops is indeed waterproof and meets the required standards for kitchen applications. However, the issue appears to have been caused by exposure to outdoor conditions.

The core material of the worktop is designed to function in an indoor environment where the wood maintains approximately 8% moisture content. When exposed to outdoor conditions with significantly higher humidity levels—such as 65% or more—the wood absorbs excess moisture, leading to swelling and the weakening of joints. This is not a reflection of the glue's quality but rather a natural reaction of the wood to prolonged exposure to unsuitable conditions.

For indoor use, as intended, the worktop will remain durable and water-resistant for kitchen purposes. If you have any concerns about maintaining the worktop or further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

We appreciate your understanding and remain available to assist you further."



Fingers crossed it stays together. A refund down the road would not make up for all the work of installation so hope it does not come to that.

I will stick to making my own worktops in the future

 

[mark w]

A

Thanks. I agreed but I have emailed them and this was the reply

"
Thank you for reaching out and for providing detailed information and photos regarding the issue. We appreciate your diligence in bringing this to our attention.

We would like to clarify that the glue used in our worktops is indeed waterproof and meets the required standards for kitchen applications. However, the issue appears to have been caused by exposure to outdoor conditions.

The core material of the worktop is designed to function in an indoor environment where the wood maintains approximately 8% moisture content. When exposed to outdoor conditions with significantly higher humidity levels—such as 65% or more—the wood absorbs excess moisture, leading to swelling and the weakening of joints. This is not a reflection of the glue's quality but rather a natural reaction of the wood to prolonged exposure to unsuitable conditions.

For indoor use, as intended, the worktop will remain durable and water-resistant for kitchen purposes. If you have any concerns about maintaining the worktop or further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

We appreciate your understanding and remain available to assist you further."



Fingers crossed it stays together. A refund down the road would not make up for all the work of installation so hope it does not come to that.

I will stick to making my own worktops in the future

Bit of an odd reply, waterproof wood glue would not allow the wood to separate at the joints as your sample shows. They seem to be suggesting the wood itself has failed, Iroko is a great wood for exterior use so I'm not too sure what they mean, do you?

 

[Beau]

I just read it that their idea of a 'waterproof glue' is not the same as mine but they think it's good enough for the use worktop gets.

 

[Jacob]

I think the message is; do not cut your worktop into narrow end-grain strips a few mm wide or it may not perform as expected.