Kitchen worktop sanding

[Aslakfi]

Hi there,

I'm looking to sand and re-oil my kitchen worktop. Our kitchen is not massive and the current oiled surface is pretty light - photos attached. It's in fairly good state it's more that the oil has worn away in places, although there are a few black marks around the sink.

I could either use a mouse sander or a neighbour's expensive belt sander. I'm worried the belt sander is overkill and will take off too much wood. I'm also wondering if I need to completely remove the oil before reapplying.

Currently the sufrace is oiled with Rustins Original Danish Oil. I'm torn between using this again or switching to Fiddes Satin Finish Hard Wax Oil, which seems much more waterproof.

Any advice/suggestions appreciated.

 

[JohnD]

Oil is not waterproof, but is quite suitable for rooms that do not contain sinks, water, kettles, steam and hot pans.

Oxalic acid can bleach out black stain after you strip the oil off. You may need to tint the bleached wood with a spirit-based wood dye before refinishing.

 

[opps]

Assuming that you are referring to the edge near the coffee machine and the sink edge, then yeah sand it and touch in with more Danish oil. If you want to with the Fiddes, you will need a decent random orbital sander to remove the rest of the Danish oil first. Methyl Chloride paint remover will speed up the process but it is now a restricted product and only available in 5L containers.

 

[foxhole]

Danish oil is pants for worktop, use Osmo top oil .

 

[justigator]

There is a similar worktop in my kitchen. Shortly after moving in five years ago, I lightly sanded out the various blemishes and the existing coating (I forget what it was) with a random orbital sander and 120-grit pads and gave the bare wood two coats of Osmo Top Oil. It's on the do-list for a re-match but frankly doesn't need it yet, and I'm in there daily. A mouse sander would have been too small, leaving indentations, and a belt sander too powerful.

 

[opps]

Danish oil is pants for worktop, use Osmo top oil .

I agree that Osmo oil is better. I once aimed for a high gloss Danish oil finish on my worktops. I achieved such a finish but if a loaf of bread was left sitting on the worktop for a couple of hours, the colours in the plastic packaging would be left on the worktop (pretty easy to remove though).

 

[JohnD]

Danish oil is just vegetable oil mixed with white spirit, so it soaks in and dries quicker.

 

[foxhole]

Danish oil is just vegetable oil mixed with white spirit, so it soaks in and dries quicker.

Its often made of tung oil or polymerized linseed oil. Because there is no defined formulation, its composition varies among manufacturers.