A short guide to wooden worktops
Last Updated on June 7, 2021
Choosing the finishes for a kitchen is the fun part of any design processes. Finding the right colours and textures that either match or offset one another nicely is a process and at House of Worktops we have a range of wood options for you to choose from that not only suit your taste but personality as well; you may enjoy the complexity of walnut or the simplicity of ash, either way, there is a timber out there for you. But why go for a wooden worktop in the first place?
Why wood is best
When it comes to the work surfaces in your kitchen there are options; stone in the form of granite or marble was once a highly popular (though expensive) choice while more modern materials like copper and stainless steel are now readily available for home kitchens too, but the timeless classic that is a wooden worktop is still around and growing in popularity once again and here are a few reasons why:
Sustainable – No, getting a wooden worktop is not going to hurt the environment or destroy the rainforest. Our timber is selected from sustainable forests and trees and the process of harvesting as well as cutting has zero waste as we use all the tree, even the sawdust. On top of this, our green energy workshops ensure that our output is waste-free too because we know that leaving the planet in a better way than we found it is important to a lot of eco-conscious customers.
Hygienic – Wood is naturally an anti-bacterial surface, and with the finishes and treatments we give to our final worktop slabs make it even more so because in the current uncertain times, keeping your family healthy and safe is of utmost importance to us. Bacteria simply do not like to grow or spread on wood.
Durable – A worktop that is wooden is going to last your family for generations. In fact, there are still the original old oak worktops in some English heritage homes from way back which prove this. Working on wood in the kitchen is as old as England itself.
Types of timber
While oak and beech are a firm favorite for the history books and available alongside ash too, there are two specific timbers which bring their own personality into a home:
Cherry
A wooden worktop that lends itself to a more lighthearted feel, cherry offers a medium and warm colour pallet to a room and a minimalistic feel due to its very straight and uniform grains which, incidentally, makes it ideal for avoiding stains.
Walnut
Conversely to beech, ash and cherry, walnut is a dark wood with a wavy grain that offers a deep and complex personality to a kitchen. Walnut is not for the faint of heart and will most certainly lend itself as a conversation starter in any kitchen. This wooden worktop and its cool dark tones give a certain gravity to a home and a warmth that comes with the very sturdy feeling that wood offers a space.