How do you restore a beech worktop?
Last Updated on January 27, 2021
Restoration may be needed for a number of reasons, as you will see further, but it is possible to do with solid wood.
Beech is the palest wood that we work with and its density means it takes stains notoriously badly. Its straight grain is almost as light as the wood, so it will show up any damage clearly. This assumes that you have a solid wood table top, as beech laminates cannot be resurfaced.
If you have a brightly-lit kitchen top and there have been spills, deep scratches or the classic – left hot cookware on the bare wood, your beech surfaces probably need some tender loving care. Don’t despair!. Many professionals could help you with resurfacing the wood and would have the job done in a few hours. But if you have a spare half day, there’s little stopping you from resurfacing your beech worktop yourself, with some impressive results for very little work and all the bragging rights!
Equipment you will need
-Sandpaper in 3 grades, coarse, mid and fine grain.
-Facemask
-Danish oil
-Hoover/ vacuum cleaner
Removing the old surface
Start with the problem area and sand outwards in smooth circular motions. Do not push too hard; keep the sandpaper moving and let it do its job, sanding away the top layers of wood. Periodically, when the wood dust builds up, hoover the worktop as the accumulation of dust will slow down the sanding as the paper gets clogged and slows down the whole process.
When you have sanded out the problem (whether it’s a scorch mark, stain or deep surface scratches), you will have reached the depth of the new surface.
Gradually sand down the rest of the beech worktop until it is on the same layer as the trouble spot.
Switch to the mid-grade paper and sand the surfaces twice, then three times with the fine sandpaper. Thoroughly clean the surface, removing the dust and apply a generous coating of Danish oil. Give the oil 1 hour to soak into the wood before wiping off the excess. The oil will need about 10 hours to dry in normal room conditions, longer if it is cold. We recommend leaving the beech worktop overnight. The new surface will be ready to use in the morning, but we suggest weekly oiling for the first 4 weeks then moving on to the normal 6 weeks oiling schedule.
Maintenance over replacement
At House of Worktops, we endeavour to provide our products sustainably. We have gone to great lengths to source renewably managed woodland in the Balkans, from which we select and log trees ourselves. We want you to get the most from our worktops and replacing one due to superficial damage when resurfacing would restore it would be a great shame and one we would like to help you avoid.
We are happy to give further advice or put you in contact with our quality craftsmen if you feel under confident in conducting a resurfacing yourself. You can either call us or email us, we would be happy to help you.