When you are refurbishing your kitchen, it is an exciting and daunting time.
While there is nothing wrong with giving your home a personalised touch, there is a timeless elegance that many people want to encapsulate in their interior design. And, while it will all be money well spent, it can raise decisions relating to which materials are best to create a timeless
quality in your home and be the most affordable.
Which brings the decision neatly onto wood and wood-based worktops. Timeless and increasing in popularity, wood is once again becoming a feature that you will often see added to the most stylish and yet contemporary kitchen designs. It is also comfortable, homely, attractive, and can be used to create a farmhouse kitchen look.
So, with that in mind when it comes to designing your new kitchen surfaces, what are some of the advantages of an oak worktop in the UK?
Sturdy
OK, so first things first, when it comes to choosing a work surface in your kitchen, you will need to make sure that it is sturdy.
In nature, there are fewer things sturdier than an oak worktop from the UK, making it ideal for a work surface that will have drinks splashed on it, food cut on top of it and may even be privy to a sauce based spillage.
Easy to clean
There is a myth that an oak worktop near the UK will be harder to clean than a stone-based alternative.
However, provided that you take care of your new wooden surface, it will remain as one of the easiest to clear. It requires no specialist gels in the way many stonework surfaces do, and it dries quickly without holding onto any residual taste. Similarly, it is also easy to remove any staining, provided that you clean it along its natural grain. Perfect!
Anti bacterial
Once again, many people believe that if you have a wooden based worktop, it will be prone to rotting and can even spread germs.
This is not true; oak as wood is naturally antibacterial and prevents germs from breeding in those tiny crevices. It is also easy to ensure that even the oldest oak countertop remains anti-bacterial, by applying a simple anti-microbial varnish up to twice a year.
Easy to maintain
When you research stone-based work surfaces, you may be surprised at how tough they can be to maintain; marble is porous and holds onto stains, meaning you will need to call in a professional to shave down into the stone to remove the blemish. All of this can add up to some expensive maintenance costs!
With an oak work surface, all you need to do to keep it clean is to wipe it over with a damp cloth and, as mentioned earlier, treat it with an antibacterial varnish about twice a year.
It does not crack or retain stains and should it become chipped, you can simply smooth it over with a hand sander or sandpaper. Perfect!
