Chicken bald back

[Nicola O]

I have been trying to sand down the kitchen worktops to get rid of some water stain marks. I was told to use the finest sandpaper as co"Ooops, word censored!"r ones wil score scratches into the wood. I've bought the '3M' branded sandpaper which is rated by a number from co"Ooops, word censored!" to fine so bought number 320 (which is the finest) but its not sanding down enough to remove the marks, so do I need a co"Ooops, word censored!"r one to sand slightly deeper and then finish with the fine one??

 

I did ask this question in the DIY shop but they didn't have a clue - and I don't want to use the wrong one incase I do scratch the worktop too much, so I wonder if anyone in Omletland would know.

 

Thanks, Nicola

[Olly]

I inherited beautiful beech worktops when I bought my house, and frankly they are a curse and I would never, ever fit them in a kitchen I was planning! Red wine, red cabbage, tins stood on them for more than a day or so, mugs of tea, water marks .... I use glass worktop savers in high-risk areas like next to the kettle or next to the cooker where I do most food preparation, and try to mop things up as soon as they get spilt.

 

Like you, I have been unable to remove some of the marks on my worktop with fine-grade sandpaper, and I have tried using co"Ooops, word censored!"r grade but it tends to rub that area down below the level of the surrounding area, if you see what I mean. You might find that rubbing it down and then oiling it will reduce the mark somewhat, but I'm afraid I don't have any magic answers. I will watch this with interest to see if anyone else can recommend a solution!

 

I do try and keep mine oiled as often as possible, because that helps to protect the surface - it's an evening's work to do them though, and the house smells of Danish Oil for a day afterwards, so it doesn't get done as frequently as it should.

[The Dogmother]

I don't sweat about mine and figure that it just looks lived in if they get marked. I clear and oil them about twice a year - it does look nicer when done but it's just a case of finding the time to clear the surfaces. I love the smell of linseed oil

[Nicola O]

Red wine, red cabbage, tins stood on them for more than a day or so, mugs of tea, water marks ....

That's my main problem, tin rings, and a water mark under the table-top dishwasher that leaked.

 

Like you, I have been unable to remove some of the marks on my worktop with fine-grade sandpaper, and I have tried using co"Ooops, word censored!"r grade but it tends to rub that area down below the level of the surrounding area, if you see what I mean.

That's what I was worried about.

 

You might find that rubbing it down and then oiling it will reduce the mark somewhat, but I'm afraid I don't have any magic answers.

Spent the morning rubbing them down with the electric sander (hands are still tingling now) and oiled them. One tin ring has almost disapeared, and the others and the water mark are not so obvious now. I'll leave it a day and then oil them again so I'll have to learn to live with the other marks.

 

Thanks chaps.

[majorbloodnock]

Any stains on wood are difficult precisely because they sink in. If you want to remove them completely, you either have to take all the material off or use different tricks (heat can sometimes draw moisture out and so remove the stain, but it takes a bit of experience and skill to know when it's appropriate and how to do it).

 

Sandpaper is really only a finishing tool, and so isn't the best for taking off this amount of wood. A plane is better, but takes a lot of care to set it up so it doesn't plane off too much in one go. The ideal tool to use is a cabinet s"Ooops, word censored!"er(basically a rectangle of hardened steel that you draw across the wood, and that takes very fine shavings off), since it's effective in taking the finish off first, but allows you a lot of control as to how much wood you're taking off. Here's a link to the most important bit about using one, which is how to sharpen it. Looks like faff, but is actually easy to do, and the results you get are wonderful.

 

Once you've removed the stains, you might want to consider whether an oiled surface is for you. Those of us who like the "lived in" look will reach straight back for the linseed/tung/danish oil, but if you really want to protect the wood from water and stains, you might want to look at a two-pack epoxy varnish like Sadolin PV67. It's designed for floors, so is far harder wearing than anything you could find in B&Q or Homebase (Brewers certainly stock it). I've used it on the work surface next to my sink, and it's lasted about 15 years so far without water getting down to the wood.

[majorbloodnock]

Just as an addendum, the way you're supposed to use sandpaper is to start off co"Ooops, word censored!" enough to smooth what you're trying to smooth, then use progressively finer grades, each time sanding enough to remove the marks left by the grade before. Obviously, this means a huge amount of time consuming work, hence why planes and cabinet s"Ooops, word censored!"ers are preferred where possible, and why sandpaper is only really thought of for finishing off, not for wood removal.

[The Dogmother]

Would a Skarsten S"Ooops, word censored!"er do the job Major?

 

I have two at home and find them very useful.

[majorbloodnock]

Not quite, I'm afraid. That kind of s"Ooops, word censored!"er is fairly similar in principle, but the blade is less flexible, meaning you can't (and shouldn't) apply quite the same pressure. However, this works in your favour when taking off paint or varnish, which is the bread and butter work for one of those tools.

 

The idea with a cabinet s"Ooops, word censored!"er is that, with your fingers around the ends, you use your thumbs in the middle to bow the rectangle slightly. It's that slight curve that allows you to vary quite precisely the point you're s"Ooops, word censored!"ing, and so control very well how much wood you're taking off and where. Some cabinet makers have been known to chop up old saw blades into rectangles and make their s"Ooops, word censored!"ers from that metal, so it's not a technically complex tool at all, but the delicacy with which you can use one is amazing.

 

isn't the best video, but it's a nice simple explanation.