Restoring a Wooden Kitchen Worktop | The Carpenter's Daughter

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

FYI, I've now created a collection of hand printed narrowboat art in my shop: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CarpentersDaughterGB

[@coffeefortwosolly]

Wow…massive improvement …thanks for the tip with bar keepers friends I’ve literally just got up after watching this and cleaned my chopping board that goes over my sink with bar keepers friend - looks sooo much better …THANK YOU ☺️🤗🙋🏻‍♀️🇬🇧💕❤️

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Haha... glad you found it useful :) I'd heard the name before in passing, but after discovering it had oxalic acid in it this week, I ordered it on Amazon. That's the first time I've ever used it and was very impressed! And pleased it's pretty cheap considering it's a US brand!

[@erictheviking672]

Looks excellent. Pleased to see this as I hadn't thought of this as a way to fix a separated worktop. Thanks for leaving the mistake in, we all make them and it shows you are human. Rag and bone brown has a good video on card scrapers, I am so glad I found out about them and they are easy to sharpen if you check out a video or two. Thanks for posting.

[@Paulie1232]

Absolutely spectacular job...looks as good as the day it was installed. .

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks so much :)

[@ericcorse]

Chucking down LOL that describes the rain well. That was a worthwhile task and turned well.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Me too! It wasn't nice and can't have been hygienic lol

[@baldvale5418]

That's a amazing transformation it just show's with a little time and dedication what great results can be acheived.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks :) It's was a nice easy win on my list to do 😊

[@BritishBoy1971]

You did a wonderful job there and I learnt something new, regarding the techniques and tools etc used too. Thank you! 🙂👍

[@pteddie6965]

The counter top looks great. I know that it took a lot of work, but the finished result is outstanding and will stand up to years of wear and tear. Thanks for the video.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks! Apart from the glue up, the rest was straight forward. I'm still awaiting comments about my 3 different tops 😆 Luckily we live 10 mins away, so managed to go there for an hour or two in between stuff :)

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Apart from the last day... waiting for varnish to dry 😅

[@thomascallaghan5988]

Absolutely brilliant video.

[@AlexBuildsUK]

Very useful, I'd never heard of a carbide scraper and was going to use an electric planer + a chisel. Thanks! 👍

[@rikdavey8825]

Absolutely amazing as always!!!

[@wisher21uk]

Excellent it looks brand new great tips thanks

[@ClairesCraftyCorner]

Oooooh .. this was so hel0ful .. I am starting ( finally ) my worktops next week .. I have everything I need, but I do not have any of that stain remover stuff 😱🤩 I will see how I go and if I need it I'll get some

[@GenialHarryGrout]

Quality renovation

[@TexLfc]

Lovely job vikkie .never seen the stanley saw before looks like a great tool

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Cheers! It's really cool 😊

[@ohasis8331]

That was one pretty grotty top. I now hear angels singing.

[@philmccole2634]

Looks really good hun just finished one myself 😊😊

[@Mikidy303]

Nice video! I'm gonna have to get one of those mini-pull saws. Looks very useful. And you might as well laugh at your own mistakes, everyone else will. I find I delight myself beyond reason with my continual mistakes. Better than getting angry.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Ha... agree! Much better than getting angry 😊 Love that pull saw! :)

[@NoelSlevin]

That’s fabulous!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks :)

[@davidjames2145]

I just love your videos - so glad I subscribed. There are always nuggets of knowledge, tips, tricks and tool reviews. Crucially, you don't shy from the accidents and mistakes which I am very grateful for as they are valuable lessons. And often funny. 😄 This was a great one for me as I need to refurbish the oak block worktop in my kitchen, so thanks for all the tips. Lots of black stains to remove as my partner, bless her, is a bit of a water baby. Oxalic acid incidentally is also an excellent rust remover. I buy bulk 5kg packs of food grade acetic acid powder for most things, dissolving it in boiling water to make a very effective bath for tools or reuse fasteners. Oxalic acid can also be purchased online (in liquid form) and I find it's even better for fine screws and fixings that I might want to reuse. I find the acetic acid is a bit more aggressive, and will remove electroplating from steel. Just a tip in case you have old hinges etc too good to skip but a bit rusty. Thanks for posting. Especially enjoyed the supermodel cameos in the background. What a handsome boy. 🐕

[@globalste]

wouldn't have thought have using the exterior varnish, but great to see the use of the tungsten carbide scraper. I have a bamboo worktop which is a bit of a nightmare finding oils/finishes that I can use and which will give a durable finish rather than having to oil around the sink every 3mths which I no longer have time for

[@markduggan3451]

Great job.

[@MrCrabbing]

Nice job, I have had some decent results with a couple of heavy coats of west system 105 epoxy resin and special surface hardener, wet flatted smooth with 600 then two or three coats of yacht varnish on top

[@chrismaplethorpe6781]

Bought myself the harris scraper a while ago to take paint off my stairs. Worked wonders along with a heat gun. As for the weather i wouldn't expect any different in the Yorkshire/ northern Lincolnshire area this time of year.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Good point! I've used them with a chemical paint remover, which has been great. So a heat gun would be bliss too!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

We've had another rainy day again here, too! Sick of it now... want Summer back! 😆

[@chrismaplethorpe6781]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK had to be a bit careful with the heat gun though due to combination of old paint and nicotine soaked in to the wood.

[@chrismaplethorpe6781]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK weather was terrible from late morning right the way through the rest of the day. wasnt too bad today have had some rain but not as much as saturday.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Yes, my hiking boots got soaked on Saturday's dog walk and ended up having wet socks 😣

[@anamckellar977]

Lovely job! Good tips, thank you, especially the oxalic acid; I gave up on a dark stain on mine before oiling, I couldn’t sand it away. The number of times I’ve needed a saw like that, now I know what to put on my wish list! Agree on the scrapers, so handy and not yet changed the blade on mine (anonymous make!) even with plenty of workouts over years. I’ll investigate a cabinet scraper. Have you tried a spoke shave on a job like this? I inherited one that’s about four inches wide. I find it good for maintaining even pressure across the blade as I’m not good at that, especially at awkward angles, and can adjust the depth of the blade easily like a plane. No good under gunwales of course!

[@carlossimoes2133]

Good job 👏 👏👍👍

[@carlossimoes2133]

☺️☺️

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks so much 😊

[@carlossimoes2133]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK you welcome ☺️☺️👍👍

[@carlossimoes2133]

❤️❤️

[@carlossimoes2133]

❤️

[@keithl4779]

Thanks. Very informative.

[@JohnColgan.]

Osmo PolyX is a fabulous worktop finish, almost as hard as polyurethane, but soaks deeper into the wood giving depth protection against scratches, where varnish only sits on surface & easy to scratch through it. One of the publicity vids for Osmo big blob of water on Osmo finish compared to other finished. 30 mins later Osmo still full blob, other finish ... Soaked into wood !!

[@221b-Maker-Street]

Another vote here for Osmo! Fabulous product...

[@VHVHVHVH-m3s]

Hi, just used Osmo product on kitchen bench. Awesome product!

[@J4zzlady]

Is it food safe? 😊

[@JohnColgan.]

@@J4zzlady worktop finish... There's a clue is in the name

[@J4zzlady]

@@JohnColgan.How unfriendly you are, this isn't the actual name of the product... 😂

[@yvindascanius6061]

I can clearly follow your "low maintenance" idea. My kitchen worktop, when I took over the house, was about in the same state as yours on the boat. I sanded it down as much as I could, but there were still some dark spots ( I didn't know the oxalic acid trick!). I had some leftover paint from the window frames and gave the table top several coats of that Swedish red, and topped it with 3 coats of boat varnish: the idea was - could it withstand the outdoor saltwater conditions, then it could stand my daily abuse! After 16 years it still doesn't need to be repaired.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

That sounds like a good hard surface! With tiny kitchens on boats, it's so easy to get water on them.. knock stuff with little storage or work surface. It's been bliss not worrying about spillages this weekend while using it properly for the first time. Don't regret varnish one little bit!

[@yvindascanius6061]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK It is very rugged and has served me well over the years. And it looks good too!

[@HouseFairyDIY]

Good job! So much work though! I stripped varnish off my oak worktop a while ago and tried using a carbon scraper. I switched to razor blades as I found they worked better. I stripped off the varnish (yacht varnish) because I found it scratched easily. I phoned Ronseal to find out why and they said yacht varnish is designed for outside but not for scratch-resistance. It never felt hardened. So I stripped it all off and then applied Osmo oil. Although it's now scratch resistant, I will have to be careful about spills.

[@wbev_thai1666]

I can’t remember what make of carbide scraper mine are , got them from brewers I think , have you seen the tiny triangle ones for getting in smaller areas, they are awesome

[@isyt1]

Looks great! I bought pure oxalic crystals from Amazon - they’re fairly cheap and you just mix it with water

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks for the tip! Have you found it on Amazon UK? I tried searching for it but didn't have any luck...then a bit of research came up with Beekeeper's Friend :)

[@isyt1]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK Yes I did. And I tried to post a link but my comment got deleted. If you search for oxalic acid it should show up

[@gregoriomunoz1572]

Grande eres tú amiga mía de corazón te lo digo un abrazo para ti i vales muchísimo tu amiga un saludo cordial

[@SloaneEsq]

How has the varnish lasted on the kitchen worktop? Before I do my kitchen units, I've been testing on other surfaces. In the bathroom, a bar of soap has badly stained the varnish finish. I used three coats of Ronseal Outdoor Satin Clear Varnish.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Great question. I've been meaning to film an update on this and I'd never use it again. For the bathroom, any bits of toothpaste would stain it. Also, we left a baking in on the the kitchen top which got wet underneath and the rust transferred to it. Maybe I'd use OSMO next time.

[@Petertronic]

Very satisfying indeed! Interesting glue, haven't seen that one. Is it a two part resin?

[@Ragnarrok2023]

Great video - could you please confirm what grade of sandpaper you used for the initial sanding after using the scraper, and also the grade used for keying between coats of varnish? I'm planning on tackling this job on the weekend! Edit - amazon links indicate 240 (keying) and 120 (sanding) but just wanted to confirm!

[@adriannedanen3546]

Imacculate result!

[@Mandmcr]

I'll definitely be trying this on my very dingy worktops! How long does the barkeepers friend stay on for or do you just work the stain out?

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

You're meant to leave it on for a minute when making as a paste for stubborn stains.

[@pelicanformation3802]

I didn't know that barkeeper's friend was oxalic acid. I used deck-cleaner which is readily available from the hardware store.

[@moosey62]

Lovely! That sander was massive, did it really do any good? Thanks for the video and inspiration :-)

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

It's a great belt sander, but I do think it's time to buy a smaller one. My Dad gave me it and it's a beast to use when not using flat down on a surface lol

[@moosey62]

Vikki, again, you did an amazing job. Wood glue is so very strong isn't it? I saw your trouble coming! And.., as an expat, thanks for the snapshots of torrential Yorkshire rain xx

[@TheLuigi69]

Hi.. what would you recommend to treat a garden fence I had erected back in March? I'm a newbie to getting things done to my home . Sorry if I sound daft.. I've got concrete posts and rock face concrete bottoms. And close board panels I assumed the wood came treated {durr me} thank you in advance, there are 5 wood panels

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Personally I'd look for something like ronseal total wood preserver in a colour you like. Avoid ones that don't say preserver or preservative on the label. My Dad calls them coloured water 😆

[@TheLuigi69]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK lol at what your Dad says! Aww thank you that's a tremendous help ☺👏

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Any time! I didn't know until my Dad told me I'd used rubbish stuff a couple of years ago :) Definitely wasn't a daft question 👌

[@TheLuigi69]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK aww thank you so very much. That's so helpful. . And very kind ☺ x

[@DrunkDelilahBrewery]

What grit are you using between coats please?

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

240 :)

[@paulyh4531]

Another good task , you forgot to mention the gin thou. 😉👍

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Lol... that was the bathroom one 😅

[@ericthekingthekingtheking4842]

Them worktops have the gaps to compensate for expansion and contraction as the wood moves and settles naturally vicky

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

I wonder if it's normal then for them to separate if not looked after?

[@ericthekingthekingtheking4842]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK Youv done a great job, but i reckon it could be the reason they was like that in the first place xx

[@totherarf]

Next job.... the Sink! ;o) Bicarb of Soda mixed into a paste will have that gleaming in no time!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks for the reminder! 😊😊 Yes, I was going to go back to my narrowboat tour video soon to see everyone's techniques. Then scrape out that horrible white adhesive and put clear or brown silicone around it. It's gross 😆

[@CheckFred]

Haven't seen those hand-scrapers used in anger since my school-days Waaaay back in the 60's ...... Nice job though (eventually - after School-Girl-Error ;-)

[@ana-ruxandrailiescu633]

What means key it?

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Rough it up a bit, really, so it's not completely smooth/flat.

[@garvielloken3929]

NOOICE!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks! :)

[@kevsmith972]

Great job. Would of cost a fortune to replace it with the price of wood at the moment.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thank you and absolutely! Dread to think of the price it would be now. Then the cutting holes, etc for sink and tap.

[@deffojeffo]

My biggest regret is not spending on wooden worktops for the boat - I bought the B&Q weetabix worktops - They lasted a week before chipping - 1st thing i'll be changing once the rest is done. I love the butchers block worktops

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

They do look lovely, but I don't find them the most practical unless varnished. I am considering replacing with Zenith ones later down the line that are laminate throughout. You can router drain grooves in, they're still waterproof... biscuit join corners together. I just don't fancy £300 a sheet right now for a holiday home 😬

[@deffojeffo]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK You'll get the purists saying danish oil, but i would go with the varnish everytime. although the damp gets everywhere - If you can get underneath or to the back i'd do that too. Nicely done BTW. I had a saturday job at a cabinet maker / furniture restoration place - I wish id persued it, but became an engineer instead - I struggle with woodwork now.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

You can always still do it for fun, I spose! :) Although I'd want 2 boats... a butty for a workshop 😆 Also, speaking of which... we have noticed some windows still leak. We'd tightening one of them up, but all it takes is a downpour and come back to wet worktops. I think we'll end up replacing the windows at some point. But that'll be next year or the year after!

[@deffojeffo]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK - OK so i did notice your worktops are either a bit low or you have high gunwhales. Either way - the gunwhales are never very well insulated on older boats (as they normally carry the services like leccy & gas, it could be a bit of condensation youre seeing. As for the windows - if you have radiused bottoms to your winsdows, they never clamp enough and you possibly have corrosion under the frame, its not hard to whip them out, treat and refit with butyl tape, Ive just done 2 of mine, results are 100%

[@philrockabilly]

A Take 2 and a mistake with the glued, 'cheeky' block... what's going on ??? 🤣🤣🤣 only Joking.. 🙂 Nice job, and nothing wrong with the varnish option either, more strength, less maintenance.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

LOL.... Even lost a pencil down there too 😂😂 And don't regret the varnish. It's been less stressful 😊

[@philrockabilly]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK 😉

[@1951timbo]

I would not recommend varnish.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

What would you recommend?

[@dickyt1318]

do you have an unmarried sister for me !

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Unmarried brother 😆