Custom Worktop Desk

Delta3D · 13 Apr 2017 at 17:24

Mark A said:
If you want the oak a tad darker then i can recommend the Osmo acacia worktop oil. That's what i used on mine and i'm very pleased with the results. Adds a nice golden brown colour and is the perfect mid sheen finish. It's a little harder to apply than the clear oils though.

Any pictures?

Mark A · 13 Apr 2017 at 18:16

I tried getting some pics for a friend when he was making a desk and couldn't seem get the picture to look anything like the actual colour. If you have ever seen rustic oak furniture, its very close to that, which is great for me as it matches in with the furniture in the room. I tried Rustins Danish oil to start with and it went too yellow for my liking, so i sanded it back to bare wood and used the acacia Osmo oil. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rustic-Oa...eboard-RS37-/292082962591?hash=item440180509f

One other benefit of finishing it yourself is you can add a rounded edge to the front and use a finer sandpaper on top. My friend ended up paying the extra for a cut to size/oiled top and it just had a sharp square edge, which isn't ideal for a desk.

Street · 13 Apr 2017 at 20:56

randal said:
Street - is that oak? Looks superb.

Yarp, with three coats of Danish oil!

Delta3D · 13 Apr 2017 at 23:15

Mark A said:
I tried getting some pics for a friend when he was making a desk and couldn't seem get the picture to look anything like the actual colour. If you have ever seen rustic oak furniture, its very close to that, which is great for me as it matches in with the furniture in the room. I tried Rustins Danish oil to start with and it went too yellow for my liking, so i sanded it back to bare wood and used the acacia Osmo oil. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rustic-Oa...eboard-RS37-/292082962591?hash=item440180509f

One other benefit of finishing it yourself is you can add a rounded edge to the front and use a finer sandpaper on top. My friend ended up paying the extra for a cut to size/oiled top and it just had a sharp square edge, which isn't ideal for a desk.

Ooh, that is a nice kind of look to be fair - I'm most likely going to round it off or add a 45 degree bezel to it.

Street said:
Yarp, with three coats of Danish oil!

The one from Kitchen Express by any chance?

Street · 14 Apr 2017 at 00:06

Delta3D said:
The one from Kitchen Express by any chance?

Ronseal stuff from Screwfix, was a bit cheaper than ordering it with the wood!

Delta3D · 24 Apr 2017 at 16:02

Ordered a 3m x 62cm x 2.7cm Oak Worktop from Kitchen express, £145 inc delivery.

Now onto the oil - Is there any types that don't make the desk greasy for the next few days?

Burned_Alive · 24 Apr 2017 at 19:58

Burned_Alive said:
For a wooden worktop being used as a desk there is no need to oil it. You are better off using a clear varnish as it will require no upkeep. Oil is favoured over varnish in a kitchen environment because the varnish can be easily damaged when dealing with heat and liquids.

I have a similar setup to the above but with a matt varnished worktop offcut.

randal · 24 Apr 2017 at 21:42

Street said:
Yarp, with three coats of Danish oil!

Just ordered a 4m hunk of oak.

Delta3D · 24 Apr 2017 at 22:45

Burned_Alive said:

Oops! Sorry - Completely forgot that hehe - I'll look into varnishes!

What would you recommend?

Burned_Alive · 25 Apr 2017 at 10:43

Delta3D said:
Oops! Sorry - Completely forgot that hehe - I'll look into varnishes!

What would you recommend?

I used Ronseal's Diamond Hard interior wood varnish. No complaints!

Delta3D · 30 Apr 2017 at 10:07

Bluecube · 30 Apr 2017 at 10:10

One thing that's not been mentioned is just how damn heavy these oak worktops are. I use a 6 foot(ish) length for my desk and nearly crippled myself moving it about. Just something to be aware of!

rexehuk · 30 Apr 2017 at 10:13

Nothing like a bit of wood for the morning.

Enjoy giving it a good rub down.

Delta3D · 30 Apr 2017 at 11:26

Bluecube said:
One thing that's not been mentioned is just how damn heavy these oak worktops are. I use a 6 foot(ish) length for my desk and nearly crippled myself moving it about. Just something to be aware of!

Yep! This thing weighs a ton, should be interesting getting it up and around the banister.

randal · 30 Apr 2017 at 14:00

Yep, bloody heavy. Envisage myself helping the carpenter out when he's over. Definitely a 2+ person job.

Street · 30 Apr 2017 at 22:20

I was lucky and had the use of four people to get mine up the stairs and around the corner. It was still a ball ache though!

Delta3D · 1 May 2017 at 12:06

Worktops mounted on the brackets now, next up is to oil it - Did a little more research and it seems Danish Oil is the easiest and gives a nice finish.
(Ignore the wooden legs to keep it up, they will be changed to two Ikea metal legs on Tuesday! - Also ignore the cables etc, that'll all be rearranged soon.)

Using a towel to stop the keyboard rubbing on the wood too.

rexehuk · 1 May 2017 at 12:31

Delta3D said:
Worktops mounted on the brackets now, next up is to oil it - Did a little more research and it seems Danish Oil is the easiest and gives a nice finish.
(Ignore the wooden legs to keep it up, they will be changed to two Ikea metal legs on Tuesday! - Also ignore the cables etc, that'll all be rearranged soon.)

Using a towel to stop the keyboard rubbing on the wood too.

Looks good! Get some box steel and get rid of the legs!

Delta3D · 2 May 2017 at 15:11

Metal Ikea Legs are on and the first coat of Danish Oil! 2 more to go.

Delta3D · 4 May 2017 at 16:56

And we're done! 3 Coats of Danish Oil and a new mousemat. Next up is cable management, new case and a fully modular PSU and then the PC can go ontop.