IMPORTANT: It is vital that you oil your worktops as soon as possible. Storing your worktops unoiled will result in the worktops taking on moisture, leading to warping. Oil must be applied to the top, sides and underside of your worktops - minimum of 3 coats top and bottom (6 to 7 is advised for the top). Please see the section on oiling further down the page for more information.
Health and Safety.
Worktops.
All of our worktops are extremely heavy. They require a minimum of two people to lift them. Great
care must be taken when lifting the worktops. Appropriate footwear should always be worn.
Lifting.
Keep your back straight at all times. When picking the worktop up from a low position, take care to
keep your back straight and bend your legs. Never allow children to help carry a worktop, or to be in the vicinity of a worktop being carried. Worktops come with square edges; if dropped on to any part of the anatomy, severe injury may occur. Be especially careful when putting a worktop down on to a flat surface, as fingers may easily become trapped and crushed.
Installation.
Make sure the units you are mounting the worktop on are able to take the weight of the worktop, allowing for an adequate safety margin. Ensure the unit or other mounting is totally secure, safe and stable before adding the worktop.
Oil.
Norfolk Oak supplies Liberon Oil. A full information sheet for each oil type can be viewed at
Please ensure you read these safety sheets BEFORE using the oil. If you are unable to access this on the internet, please let us know and we will be delighted to send you a hard copy.
Moisture Barrier.
The moisture barrier is made from soft aluminium sheeting and may have sharp edges where it has been cut. Only handle with protective gloves. If you are unsure about any element of Health and Safety, please contact us immediately on 01485 600 555, thank you.
Worktop Storage.
Worktops must be stored flat, preferably off the ground on at least five batons.
Some DO NOTS;
Please Never do the following;
Store it by leaning it against a wall
Store it in damp environment.
Store it without its protective wrapping
Leave it in a room where ‘wet trades’ such as plastering have been carried out in the last seven days, or have not fully cured
Store it directly on a concrete floor
Store it in an unheated room, especially outdoors
Store it in direct sunlight
Feed it after midnight
Please do call us on 01485 600 555 if you have any questions at all, thanks.
Oiling your worktop.
We recommend you oil your worktop after it has been cut to size. However, if it is necessary for you to oil before cutting, afterwards please remember to oil the cut areas to the recommended levels, particularly the end grain.
The first rule of good oiling is to apply a number of thin coats which are better than a few thick ones. Always use a top grade of oil. The second rule is you can never apply too many coats! (6 to 7 will provide you with a great finish and a good level of protection). We recommend Liberon oils; either Pure Tung Oil (a type of nut oil perfect for treating wood) or Finishing Oil (70% Tung Oil with polymer carriers and hardeners which help with the whole process of protecting timber).
Step by Step:
The top surface and edges.
Sand the worktop to get a good finish. Although the worktops have already been sanded to a 150 grit finish, it is still worth taking a little time to make sure it is nice and smooth. Do not use a finer sand paper than 180 grit, otherwise some of the dust particles, which are so small, will go into the grain pockets and hinder oil absorption. After sanding, remove the dust with a vacuum cleaner.
Apply the oil with either a brush or cloth, so that the whole surface is lightly covered. Some parts will immediately absorb the oil; other parts will stay shiny from a lack of absorption. This is entirely normal. Once the whole area has been covered, wipe off the excess with a dry cloth and leave for around half an hour.
The first oiling will lift the grain very slightly, so once it is dry, sand it again with the 180 finish sand paper. Vacuum any dust particles.
Repeat the oiling process, again wiping off any excess. It should not need sanding again, but if there are any slightly rough areas, feel free to sand them off, again vacuuming the dust away. Leave for a couple of hours, then repeat the oiling process again, this time leaving the worktop for 6 hours. Repeat once more and leave overnight.
The top surface and edges are now ready for installation.
The Underside.
The underside should be oiled in the same way, except achieving a smooth sanded finish is not important. Although it has been sanded, the underside has not been finished in the same way as the top surface. There may be some defects on the underside. However, these in no way affect the performance of the worktop.
Both sides can be done at the same time, just make sure that whatever you support the worktop on does not absorb the oil from the worktop.
The end grain.
The end grain always needs more oil. Here the grain of the wood is open, thus it requires greater protection. Apply a first coat and allow to dry for ten minutes, then apply another coat and wipe off any excess. Apply the next coat when it looks dry and leave for an hour. Apply another coat and leave for a couple of hours, then another and leave for 6 – 12 hours. Another coat should then go on before fitting. If the oil dries very quickly after the first three coats, then apply another coat as well. Once the worktop is fitted, any exposed end grain should be re-oiled as per the surface. The exception to this is an under mounted sink cut out. You can never put too much oil on the end grain here. Leave a small tin under the sink and try and get in to the habit of oiling it once every couple of weeks for the first 3 months, then every couple of months after that. Any area with drainage grooves should be oiled at the same time.
After Installation.
After you have installed the worktop, apply another coat to every visible surface and it should be ready to use. You can sand it with a finer grit at this stage if you want, and then re-oil, just making sure all the dust is removed first. Put another coat on after a week, then a couple of weeks after that do another, then just oil roughly every 3 to 6 months. That’s roughly every 3 – 6 months, not oil it roughly. You can never over oil worktop. If at any time the worktop looks a little tired, a coat of oil will pick it right back up again in no time. Whenever water droplets go flat rather than sit up in a nice rounded bubble (beading), it’s time for another coat of oil. Always wipe any water off the worktop.
Notes.
Continual oiling builds up an outstanding layer of protection against water, heat and scratching. It takes only a few minutes to wipe on a thin coat of oil, but the rewards of doing that will last for decades, literally.
None the less, never leave water standing on the worktop, and never leave a wet saucepan (particularly iron based saucepans) on the top for any length of time (overnight for example) as it may stain. Deep scratches can be sanded out and the affected area re-oiled without too much bother. If any small cracks appear in the worktop, you can fill them in with a wax stick (we sell these in five different colours ) and then re-oil so they are hardly noticeable. We do not recommend cutting directly on the worktop.
