How to stain and darken a wooden kitchen benchtop?

[drewster72]

Hi,

I am very new to doing this sort of thing. I am putting together a sort of kitchen island/peninsula. I have an appropriate sized piece of  Kaboodle Hevea Timber Benchtop.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/kaboodle-2400-x-600-x-36mm-hevea-timber-benchtop_p0082263

I have not yet sanded or coated it with anything.I am after something relatively cheap, easy and fairly quick to stop stinking. It is a bit of medium term project with plans to hopefully redo the kitchen in a few years. So, I am not looking to spend too much time or money on it, nor does it need to be perfect. It seems one of the easist thing to do is apply the Kaboodle brand hard wax oil.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/kaboodle-750ml-clear-hardwax-oil_p0313636

  However, ideally, I would like the colour of the benchtop to be a bit darker. I've done a bit of searching and there are lots of ideas out there, but I am unsure as to what my best cheap and practical option is. If, the process adds a great deal of time or money, then I will probably settle for just keeping the colour as is. But, a small investment for a darker colour is what I am hoping to come up with.

Sorry, bit of a novel.

All help appreciated.

Drewster.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @drewster72. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about staining a benchtop.

For a less stinky option than oil-based products, you can use Cabot's Interior Stain water-based and then Cabots Clear Gloss Benchtop Timber Finish. The stain comes in various colours, and the team in-store will be happy to help you select a colour that matches your requirements.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[drewster72]

Thanks heaps for that advice Mitchell. That option looks for me. 

Just to clarify, one coat of the stain and 3 of the clear gloss? 

But the good thing is I don't have to wait long between coats and its low odour. 

And, just for the sake of a better understanding, how does that compare with for example, the cabots stain and varnish 

https://www.bunnings.com.au/cabot-s-250ml-walnut-water-based-stain-and-varnish-250ml_p1520331

Thanks 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @drewster72,

If one coat of stain achieves your desired look, then that's fine. Or, you can apply multiple coats to darken further.

The stain and varnish is a similar process, but you don't have as much control over the stain's colour, as it's included in the product. It's also not as hardwearing as the benchtop clear. 

Mitchell

[drewster72]

Thanks.

That's great info.