Solid wood kitchen worktops area a great addition to any kitchen, but it is important to know how to look after your worktop for it to last. In this article, we will be taking a look at how a solid wood upstand can not only complete the look of your kitchen, but also resist moisture and help reduce grime and dirt marring the quality of your solid wood worktop.

What does a wood upstand do?

Kitchen upstands run along the back of the kitchen worktops where the wood work surface meets the kitchen wall. It provides a neat way to hide the gap between the wall and the end of the square edged worktop required for the wood to expand and also hides any unevenness between the worktop and the wall.

Common Worktop Problems

One of the common issues with upstands for both joiners and DIYers is the risk of trapped moisture, which over time will lead to mould and an undesirable black line along the bottom of the upstand. Traditional methods of installation is to use silicone where the worktop meets the upstand. Although simple, this method is prone to water damage – especially if the glue is not waterproof.

Alternative Ways of Fitting an Upstand

Basically, you are trying to create the best seal possible between the solid wood worktop and your wood upstand. The following techniques will help achieve this!

First of all, make sure you use a completely waterproof glue to join the wood worktop to the upstand and also cramp them together to create a tight seal. The traditional method of simply gluing the upstand on top of the worktop is therefore not the best method even though it appears to be the easiest.

Secondly, sink the upstand into the edge of the work surface (see fig. 1) to create an even tighter seal. The join will fit much more securely than if you stuck the edge of the upstand onto the top of the wood worktop.

Finally, to stop any water retention in the join, fit a rounded or triangular fillet so the water does not get trapped.

Fig. 1: Sink the Upstand

Done properly, an upstand can make any kitchen worktop look amazing and blend into the rest of the room much easier. However, you need to plan ahead when using wood worktops in a kitchen environment – remember that wood and water generally do not mix very well. Consult your joiner or kitchen fitter and ask them how they are going to ensure a tight fitting solid wood kitchen worktop.

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Kitchen Worktops can make all the difference to your kitchen, old or new. Real Oak Floors have a massive selection of solid wood worktops at competition-busting prices in 11 different species.

Oak is one of the most versitile woods that delivers unsurpassed quality. White kitchen units with matching oak floor will work extremely well with an oak worktop, in either prime, natural or character grade. Choose prime for the most consistent texture, whilst character grade adds depth and charisma to your kitchen.

Beech is a light, almost netrual wood that makes it great for contrasting elements in your kitchen. Coupled with great value from Real Oak Floors, Beech kitchen worktops is a popular choice!

Bold, rich and dark, Wenge worktops are one of the most sought-after solid wood worktops around. This close-grained, extremely hardwearing wood is very durable and will withstand heavy usage in the kitchen and stands on its own with its dark brown, almost red tone.

Pre-Oiled and Finished

All of the kitchen worktops from Real Oak Floors are pre-oiled and finished using a 150-grit Woca Patina Disc technique, delivering extremely high quality smoothness.

Cheap Kitchen Worktops

Doing your research can make all the difference. However, we have done the hard work for you and can reveal that Real Oak Floors have the best kitchen worktops prices. It’s important to check on the suppliers website directly, however, since prices may change at any time! One of the highlights are the oak worktops – a saving of around 30%: Now that’s what we call cheap kitchen worktops!

Kitchen Worktop Price Comparison

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These wood worktops come pre-oiled with one coat of oil to protect from marks during installation. A simple maintenance oil is then required after fitting to seal the oak worktops fully. Discounts are available for trade and bulk orders of oak worktops!

3 Metre Oak Worktop Discounts!

Savings are available for bulk orders of our 3 Metre oak worktops the more purchased the bigger the saving!

• 1 -2 £150 each + VAT
• 3 -5 £140 each + VAT
• 6 -10 £130 each + VAT
• 11+ £120 each + VAT

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