Solid wood worktops - comparison of woods

You have missed sycamore, sweet chestnut and elm plus all the softwoods.

Trouble is I haven't done any quality joinery so cannot advise, I used to sell the stuff in the round.

Oak will turn black where the tannin can react with iron, i.e. with a non-stainless knife, a cast iron pan, ...

Beech is a little prone to mold stains if damp. It's usually sealed, so often ok.

I'd think birch would be too soft.

Cutting boards are often maple -- but they are left untreated. I have some bamboo cutting boards, and the are made of many small pieces, and they are durable and hard -- probably untreated, but I'm so not sure.

Thomas Prufer

Yes, actually Sycamore is available from some French suppliers, also one has Chestnut but I've not seen Elm anywhere.

So will lots of woods, Rubberwood does too.

Thanks, all grist to the mill, every little helps. :-)

This house had 20 year-old Oak work surfaces when we moved here - they needed sanding and oiling (because they'd been varnished!!) but would have been OK for another 20+ years if I hadn't had to completely change and enlarge the kitchen. After much debate and investigation we went for Oak in the new kitchen. The initial oiling is a slight chore but, once done, the areas that are used intensively, or get wet, only get a quick wipe and re-oil every 3 months or so. Most of the surfaces don't need regular re-oiling. Friends went for Ash or Beech and it looked like Ikea (fine if that's the look you want) but if weight is an issue in a boat then Ash may be worth considering. Also, you could consider a thin'ish top with lipping to make it look more substantial.

Forgot to add: don't forget that both sides need the initial oiling

Also bamboo. Is there a chemical that will neutralise it?

Theo

I think Oxalic acid will remove the marks, rhubarb leaves or you can buy it I think.

Thank you, all useful. Weight isn't really an issue, it's a steel boat and weighs several tons. The existing worktop is a bog standard laminate on chipboard one and they're pretty heavy.

Scaffold boards seen to be quilt bullet proof and get used for various purposes in house makeover programmes.

They are however s*it wood. But that is par for the course for 'house makeover programmes'. Amateurish doesn't begin to cover it.

I'll just put in a plug for maple as a wood. Its used for guitar necks and dance floors because it is tough, springy and relatively knot free.

But using any wood in a kitchen is fraught with danger. No wood can survive being permanently wet.

Elm is the exception to that rule. Although nothing lasts forever.

Same. My knowledge on different trees types is non existent. Something they never taught at school.

One of the main reasons specialist wood merchants don't get my custom is that I'm less clued up than the salesman looking after his bottom line.

Is there a reference "book of wood" somewhere,

• Broken down by attributes including cost, colour, durability etc..
• Hopefully UK centric?

How do the trades learn this stuff?

Elm is the right stuff. Bit hard to find currently. I wonder what they use for coffins now?

There are alternatives.

As I said we have Rubberwood worktops in our kitchen which are quite OK after 20 years (or more) of relative neglect, and lots of cooking. Kitchens in general are not 'permanently wet', neither is our boat's galley.

Yes.

Understanding Wood, by Bruce Hoadley.

That book is a lot more. It tells you why wood is the way it is, and how to best use it.

By experience and hand-me-down.

Veneered chipboard or MDF

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