Kitchen Worktop Care: Sealing, Oiling and Refinishing
12 May 2026 · 4 min read
How to keep timber, laminate and stone worktops looking sharp — and when a sand-back beats a replacement.
Worktops take more abuse than any other surface in the house. The good news is that most of them can be brought back to looking nearly new — far cheaper than a replacement.
Timber worktops (oak, beech, iroko)
Oil them. Properly. Every six months minimum, and weekly around the sink for the first month after install. We sand back any dark water marks with 120 then 180 grit, wipe down, and apply two or three thin coats of Danish or Osmo, letting each one fully dry. They come up like a new worktop for the cost of a bottle of oil.
Laminate worktops
Can't be refinished, but the silicone bead between worktop and tile (or upstand) absolutely should be replaced every 3–5 years. That's where water tracks down and swells the chipboard core. A re-seal protects the whole worktop life.
Stone and quartz
Don't seal quartz — it's non-porous. Granite benefits from an annual impregnating sealer; you'll know it's needed when water stops beading on the surface. Avoid acidic cleaners on any natural stone.
When to call us
If your timber worktop has gone black around the tap, or your laminate is starting to bubble at the seam, we can usually halt the damage on a single visit — sand and re-oil the timber, or strip and re-seal the laminate joint before the swelling spreads.