Hardwood: ways of use
26/03/2018
Why the solid wood countertop is the perfect choice for your kitchen
Aesthetics.
• The hardwood countertops will grant your kitchen that warm natural appearance you always longed for. The wide variety of wood species and timber that we offer translates into a similarly wide variety of colors and shades, allowing you to find the perfect match for your kitchen and home. Expressions of Mother Nature’s play, individual variations in color and grain patterns, or distinctive marks of the hardwood lumber will further add personality and make your top unique. Unlike many other materials that are heavily promoted by different fashion trends and then enter a shadow cone sooner or later, the hardwood and beechwood timber, due to its friendly and familiar glow, remains a choice that will always be in fashion, no matter how the interior architecture will evolve. There is no human-made material that can compete with the hardwood panels' naturalness, variety, and beauty; neither is another material that can better grant us that sense of “home comfort” the way the wood does. Hardwood surfaces blend naturally with wood cabinetry hardwood floorings and wooden stairs, visually tying the kitchen together in a harmonious whole.
Functionality.
• Despite its hardness, the hardwood lumber surface does not dull the knife-edges; and because it represents a natural material, with a minimum of chemical, synthetic components, it is incredibly safe in contact with foods. Thus, the wood countertops become the Chef’s favorite option when it comes to cutting, slicing and chopping, preparing and rolling dough, and many other kitchen duties. The feedback we got from many customers, contractors, and business partners suggests that no other countertop surface can offer a similar multi-functionality. The hardwood timber surfaces considerably attenuate the clatter even in the noisiest houses and provide a surface much gentler with porcelain, glass and crystal items than most other materials.
Durability.
• If cared for, there is no reason your countertop wouldn’t last a lifetime. As a matter of fact, your children will likely be using it, but, as it ages, the wood will get a more attractive look. The European beechwood, the oak and the maple that we proudly supply are counted among the most durable wood species available. Every stave you can see within our wood tops was carefully selected before being processed into butcher block-type panels. Besides this fact, our full warranty against delamination will further reinforce the warranty for your FSC wood countertop life span.
Easy maintenance.
• The mineral oil that we recommend for finishing offers a reasonably good overall protection. Most of the stains that might occur can be removed by using a moist cloth, while the persisting stains, scratches, and scars will be easily removed by sanding the area where they occur. A new coat of oil will make your countertop look new again; in fact, the wood countertop represents the only renewable area from your entire kitchen.
Hygiene
• Scientific studies proved that the hardwood timber surfaces are much less prone to bacterial colonization than plastic, laminate or stainless steel surfaces. The reviews, aiming at microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococus aureus, Campylobacter jejunii, Listeria monocytogines, Salmonella sp. that constitute the cause for the most frequent food diseases found that while the vast majority of solid surfaces (including polyester plastic, laminates, and granite) allowed the bacteria to persist and multiply (although they were cleaned and disinfected). The wood surfaces killed the bacteria within 3 minutes, without any external intervention. These bactericide properties the wood chemical structure actively exhibits are likely to promote the wood tops as the first choice of a health-conscious person.
Versatility.
• Not only the wood countertop does allow a wide variety of options regarding the edge profiles, but it also matches the most integrated kitchen solutions (like granite insertions, stainless steel grids, drain boards, or knife slots or holders, etc). Hardwood surfaces can be used as an island top, as a section of countertop, as an inserted kitchen cover or as a butcher block hidden under the countertop that can be pulled like a drawer. Your imagination will surely find plenty of other interesting, nice-looking applications.
Price.
• The average cost for wood countertops falls far below the costs of granite, marble, solid surface, tile, concrete, or steel tops. As long as you don’t want to spend your entire kitchen allowance on countertops, but you also want something different from laminates, look no further; since the FSC solid wood appears to be the most affordable material, you can use. If we are to define the quality as a specific blend of aesthetics and functionality, we firmly believe that the solid wood countertops would offer the best price/quality ratio. This is a fact that we tried to emphasize in the table below by briefly listing the most important pros and cons of the primary materials you might consider for your kitchen tops.
