Oiling wooden worktops - some areas won’t take the oil, can anyone advise?

Submitted by Laurenhynde82 t3_10o5vqg in DIY

Trying to treat our kitchen worktops which are butcher block. Some areas are more worn due to higher traffic but haven’t had any issues even in those areas until now.

Have come to the area next to the sink and followed instructions - used the specialist cleaner (scrubbing in direction of grain where needed). Used a denibbing pad, and sanded more in areas that were more marked or uneven. Used a lint free cloth to remove dust then applied oil in direction of grain. This is exactly what I’ve done on the other worktops which no issue.

However, some patches seem to be resisting the oil - at least that’s how it looks on the light. Maybe they are taking oil but it needs a lot more coats.

If anyone has experience and can offer any advice, I’d really appreciate it - not sure if it’s a cleaning issue, needs more sanding (worried the sanding might have caused it though?) or will improve in more coats.

Any suggestions gratefully received!

ETA in case anyone else ever comes across this issue and finds this post. It did improve after a bit more work with the denibbing pad and a few more coats. The colour is still lighter than around the ages which haven’t had any wear. I wonder if the people who put it in originally used a darker coloured oil maybe? Either way, it looks much better after a few coats :)

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7LeagueBoots t1_j6crx0y wrote

You have any photos?

If they're used butcherblocks it may simply be that some areas have retained oil from previous oilings and are at capacity. Or those specific pieces are of a much more dense grain.

It it were boards I'd suggest that maybe some areas have sap in them (or something similar), but for butcherblock that's already been used that's not going to be the case.

If you're really worried soak a paper towel in the oil you're using and lay it over the area in question (flat, don't ball it up). This will give an extended period of contact for oil to soak in.

I have cutting boards where some areas drink oil like an alcoholic denied booze for two weeks, and other areas directly adjacent let it run off like water from a duck's back, all due to grain structure and orientation.

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Laurenhynde82 OP t1_j6csjik wrote

Thanks so much for your reply - I added some photos here https://www.reddit.com/user/Laurenhynde82/comments/10o6ofd/worktop_issue/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Other parts of the worktop were also worn (some more so) before I started and didn’t have this issue so I’m worried I cocked up either cleaning or sanding or something! Will try the kitchen towel idea, thanks for that :)

ETA: they were newly installed when we moved in and all nicely consistent - it was definitely overdue so it may be that we’ve just left it too long and the whole section needs refinishing. It’s just weird that I didn’t have the same issue on the other counters which had similar patches due to higher traffic

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7LeagueBoots t1_j6ctphb wrote

So, let me preface this with the, "I'm not a professional," caveat.

That doesn't look like butcherblock. Butcherblock is generally end grain oriented. This is made more like a hardwood floor, with the grain running parallel to the surface.

In a situation like that it's much more difficult for oil to penetrate the wood, and it doesn't look like you have entire pieces where adsorption is low, just sections of many pieces where it's slow.

This could be due to any number of things, but if they've been hard used some of the pores could have been crushed and are slower to adsorb fluids as a result (I used to work in a winery, and doing this intentionally was one of the ways you repaired leaking barrels). It can also easily be simply because of variations on the seasonality of wood (wood cut this way can wind up cutting within a single season's growth, and wood density varies a lot between seasons depending on water availability, temperature, wind, etc, which in turn will mean differences on how easy it is for oil to penetrate).

This doesn't look at all like a problem to me, just something that may take a bit more time and applications than you initially intended.

Apply it, and periodically give it a reapplication. Maybe every few months for 3 or 4 cycles after the initial oilings.

Someone who is a professional in this should weight in and give their opinion, but that's my take from a number of years of non-professionally working with wood.

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bad_at_hearthstone t1_j6cxw1c wrote

I am also a non-professional wood botherer and this take is mostly right. The “mostly” part is that edge grain butcher block Is A Thing, at least from the perspective of companies trying to sell countertops. Home Depot sells long grain stave countertop as “butcher block” with no mention of grain anywhere. Armani Woodworking (no relation) offers edge grain butcher block countertops with end grain offered as a premium option, though it’s hard to read their writeup and view the two options as the same product. John Boos has both edge and end grain countertops, but everything they sell as a “butcher block” has end grain top (and this is as it should be.).

Marketeering appropriation of the term “butcher’s block” aside, though, these are still pretty good countertops and your wood care advice to OP is spot on.

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Laurenhynde82 OP t1_j6cz4rn wrote

That’s super helpful, thank you. Happy to keep applying. I did a bit more work for the denibbing pad as I think maybe some of the bits weren’t as smooth as they could be but don’t think it’s made much difference to be honest.

Apologies for incorrect terminology - I didn’t install it, so I’m guessing really!

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mejelic t1_j6d22kz wrote

Just curious as to what ETA stands for in this scenario. I only know it as "Estimated Time of Arrival".

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firemastrr t1_j6d3db9 wrote

It's a Reddit(/internet?) abbreviation for "edit to add"

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mejelic t1_j6d4ab3 wrote

Ah, I generally have just seen people put "Edit:" for that.

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Zank_Frappa t1_j6dafks wrote

Yeah me too, or even just “e:”

ETA seems like a pointless acronym, and I won’t stand for it!

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mejelic t1_j6ecsgv wrote

Huzzah!!

Especially when ETA is such an already established acronym.

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ButterflyCatastrophe t1_j6d7jau wrote

That's definitely differential absorption by grain. You can see a couple of staves with glossy/matte stripes, and I'm sure those are either xylem/phloem or different years. It may be impossible to 'fill up' those areas, because the oil can literally flow through to the other side of the top.

In my experience, oil finish on butcher block is not usually glossy. That is, I would interpret the glossy areas as places where you have not wiped enough of the oil off. But I've always used mineral oil (food-safe, non-curing) for that kind of countertop. If you're using a curing oil, or an oil-varnish, then gloss might be ok.

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Laurenhynde82 OP t1_j6d8f7b wrote

The edges have remained quite shiny where they haven’t been used / touched much so I think it is just the finish on this oil. I don’t know if they used a different treatment but in the other parts of the kitchen the worktop I’ve treated now looks much more like the edges so I guess it was similar at least. I think it looks more glossy there than it is when it dries as it’s still wet

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1955photo t1_j6d4xm0 wrote

Keep putting on more oil until it evens out. The wood is likely soaking it all up because it is so dry.

Oil them lightly once a month after this.

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Laurenhynde82 OP t1_j6d86j8 wrote

Thank you, I definitely will - I was scared to do it for some weird reason, I thought it would be really messy and dusty and I have kids with additional needs so I was scared to start. It’s really easy though so that’s fine :)

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1955photo t1_j6dl1d4 wrote

Just wipe off the extra that's left. If there is a lot on top just spread it around. If it is messy and sticky, you need to wipe off more. You should not be able to actually feel the oil when you are finished.

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Laurenhynde82 OP t1_j6duvlu wrote

No it’s not messy at all, I just thought it would be! I’m using sponge applicator things and then buffing with a cloth to remove excess so I think that part’s all good :) Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it!

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dadamn t1_j6dk3jl wrote

You might want to use a hairdryer to warm the wood and open the pores up more. That can help even things out where you might have tighter grain that isn't absorbing oil as much as other spots.

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Laurenhynde82 OP t1_j6dux9o wrote

That’s a great idea, thank you! I’ll try that tomorrow

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coolnicknamehere t1_j6czojt wrote

Oil absorption is affected bay grain direction. End grain and oblique (raising) grain absorves more oil than flat oriented grain.

So if you want it to look a more even sheen on it, try applying more oil, but it nonetheless it might stay like that.

Butcher blocks are not always end grain, and judging by the size of the block, an end grain board would not be a good idea because it would be prone to breaking if hit or dropped. And if used as a countertop wood movement (seasonal expansion and contraction due to water absorption) would be a PITA.

Anyways, i have to say using oil as a countertop finish was maybe not a good choice. It is easier and faster to apply, but it would've been better to use epoxy or polyurethane, as it is harder and more durable. Now that you used oil, if you apply any of those on it, it might not adhere to wood.

If you cannot, for instance flip the board and apply normal PU barnish or epoxy, just be cautious to always use a chopping board on top of the countertop (which seems like what you were trying to avoid)

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Laurenhynde82 OP t1_j6d06g6 wrote

Thanks, really appreciate the advice. I know from the other parts of the kitchen it will look different in 6 hours when it’s properly dry anyway so will see and take it from there! It’s a lot more obvious when it’s wet still

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jacknifetoaswan t1_j6f2wt2 wrote

I'd have used something like Odie's Oil instead of mineral oil, but that's just me...

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metz123 t1_j6f3d7o wrote

Oil is a perfectly fine countertop finish, if, as you said, you don’t chop directly on it. We have a traditional butcher block island counter top that we oil occasionally (every 6 months or so) and its held up just fine to daily use as a counter top, not as a chopping surface.

The nice thing about oil is that you can easily sand or even steam out dings and dents and just oil those areas and get a great consistent finish.

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