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How to repair Baltic pine benchtops?

Paulene

I have recently moved back into my home after an absence of 11 years.

My recycled baltic pine benchtops are in dreadful condition.

Peeling, down to the bare wood in places and badly water damaged.

I have attached photos so you can understand the extent of the damage.

What's the best way to start repairing them and what's your advice about finishes?

I have an orbital sander.

I am reluctant to use polyurethane.

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MitchellMc

Hi @Paulene,

You'll need to sand back your benchtop before coating it with a hard-wearing product. Ideally, it would be best to take the entire bench back to bare timber. Starting with 180 - 240-grit sandpaper will allow you to remove the bulk of the degraded coating before moving progressively through finer grits like 360 and 400.

Generally, polyurethanes are the most appropriate product to coat a bench with. An alternative would be just a stain with no hard coating, but that won't provide any protection from damage. However, I'd suggest a hard coating would be the most appropriate finish for a Pine bench as it's softwood and easily scratched and dented. If you weren't a fan of polys, you could use an epoxy coating like Feast Watson Glass Finish. It's extremely durable, hard-wearing, scratch-resistant, and I highly recommend it for interior timber benches.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

Paulene

Hi Mitchell

Thanks for taking thebtime to reply.

I understand what you're saying about polyurethane however I was also wondering about hard wax oil or similar which can be repaired more easily than polyurethane?

MitchellMc

Have you experienced difficulties applying polyurethanes in the past, @Paulene? Perhaps if you let our helpful members know your concerns, they could share some tips or advice. Generally, it's just a case of rolling the coating on and is a quick and easy process.

Applying a hard wax would be a similar process and potentially easier to touch up than a poly, yet less durable. Here's a helpful step-by-step guide that you should find useful: How to apply clear hard wax oil to benchtops. We'd be more than happy to Special Order you in some clear hardwax oil if you'd like to go this route. Just see the helpful team at your local store's Special Orders counter.

Mitchell

Paulene

Hi Mitchell

No it's not applying the polyurethane that puts me off it's the fact that if the surface gets pierced and water gets underneath its a problem that's hard to repair.

I was wondering if anyone has had experience with hard wax oil on kitchen benches.

I also need the finish to be food safe.

MitchellMc

That's understandable, @Paulene. The only compromise with the hardwax oil is that you need to re-apply it every so often, so it doesn't wear through. I recommend giving it a light sand and re-coat around once every 12 months.

The Kaboodle clear hardwax oil should be food-safe and consists of linseed oil, sunflower oil, jojoba oil, beeswax, carnauba and candelilla wax. However, I've made contact with Kaboodle to get a definitive answer. I'll update you once they have confirmed.

Many thanks for your patience.

Mitchell

MitchellMc

Hi @Paulene,

I apologise for the delay in my reply. I've just heard back from Kaboodle and unfortunately, their hardwax oil has not been tested to ensure it's food safe. You might like to consider a standard oil such as the Feast Watson 250ml Kitchen Timber Oil which does carry a food safe label.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

Paulene

Thanks for that important information Mitchell.

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