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Oak
 We are often asked why we only select furniture grade hardwood rather than a lower, cheaper grade.. The answer lies firstly in the range of worktops we make; there is just no way anyone could make single wide stave worktops without defects in worksurfaces up to 3 metres long with anything less than furniture grade. The same is true for the 2 join traditional plank worktop. Secondly, but mainly in fact, it's just because there is no substitute for lumber of this quality. A classic butcher's block Oak worktop made from any thing less than furniture grade Oak just doesn't look the part. American White Oak from the Northern Appalachian region has the most beautiful grain structure. In sunlight, it really does look like there are gold flecks running through the grain. You really do want to touch it because it simply is that beautiful. Man has always had a fascination and strong appreciation of wood, and when you have lumber of this quality it's easy to see why. Given that the finishing and defining detail of any kitchen is the worktop, it seems madness to try and make a cheap one.
 So only furniture grade North American White Oak, felled in the Northern Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, New York State and Vermont, goes in to making a Norfolk Oak Oak Worktop.
 Before kiln drying, two inch thick Oak usually needs to be air dried for at least 6 months depending on the weather. However it can be 'pre-dried' in a warm environment with huge volumes of moving air in a pre-drying shed like this. As you can imagine, air drying takes a lot longer in winter, particularly when you get such harsh winters as you do here near the Canadian border, so pre-dryers are an excellent idea to help manage the weather and the process.
 Pre-drying normally takes between 110 and 120 days, with the temperature averaging 85 degrees (85F; about 29C). It is then ready to go in to the kilns at around 31 % moisture.
Once in the kiln, the temperature is driven up gradually from 90F at the start to about 140F 33 days later when the Oak is just under 8 % moisture. Once out of the kiln it must be re-graded and bundled according to quality and length and kept in a dry shed.
 Although a Norfolk Oak Oak worktop as you know it is 45 mm thick - approximately 1 3/4 inches thick - the lumber we start with is 51 mm thick. This is known as 8 quarter ( this being 2 inches basically). A truck load of this furniture grade White Oak costs around $44,000, and you would expect to get about 200 standard 3 metre worktops from that. So the raw materials alone cost over $ 220 (about £ 115 - just for the lumber) before manufacturing, packaging, shipping, VAT and all the other usual costs involved running a proper business. This is one of the reasons why I often wonder what actually goes in to making an Oak worktop which is sold for less than £ 200.
A 'Norfolk Oak' Oak worktop will last for centuries, literally, provided it is kept in good health by a tiny bit of maintenance during the year. And for all of that time it will look beautiful.
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