Sure thing.
The Alex Drawers come with some small sticky feet that you put on top (one in each corner), stops the worktop resting directly on the top of the Alex Drawer unit and scratching it.
For the worktop, first of all you'll want to sand it. I didn't bother sanding/oiling the underneath. I actually used my Alex Drawers as a make-shift stand (back to back) for the whole process! See: https://i.imgur.com/QtLNmT1h.jpg.
For sanding you'll want a few things;
Once sanded, you'll want to oil it. I used Danish Oil. For oiling I got a few more things:
- A sander, I used a Black and Decker mouse sander. Started with a rough P80 grit, then a P120 grit, lastly used P240 grit.
- Some kind of floor covering. I got some cheap plastic sheeting from Screwfix.
- A dust mask, can't remember what I got, but worth investing in a dust mask that is good for stopping you breathing in the sanding debris. Screwfix sell these I think.
- Consider getting some safety goggles to protect your eyes.
I gave the oil about 12 hours to dry after applying it for each coat.
- Danish Oil - I used Colron Refined Danish Oil.
- A small paint roller tray to put the oil into. Screwfix should have.
- A small brush to spread the oil onto the worktop. I didn't get the cheapest brush as I wanted one that would cover a bit of a surface area, and wouldn't shed hairs. Agin probably Screwfix.
- Some Lint free cloths to wipe off excess oil after applications. Probably Screwfix again lol.
I used 3 coats of oil in total. The first coat needs extra oil as the worktop seems "thirsty" for want of a better term. The later coats don't need anywhere near as much.
The most important thing is that you need to wipe the excess oil off the worktop pretty soon after applying it using the lint free cloths. If left too long it goes "sticky". I'd say you want to remove excess oil after 5-10 minutes tops after putting the oil on.
To keep the brush from drying out, I wrapped the bristles in cling film between applications. You could maybe get away with applying the oil directly using lint free cloths, but you'd need more cloths, however you wouldn't need the roller tray or paint brush.
Most things you need should be found at somewhere like Screwfix.
P.S. I think IKEA does worktops that don't require finishing, the "Karlby" is popular too but it's veneer not solid wood - pretty sure it doesn't need finishing. For longevity solid wood should win. For ease of installing the Karlby must win out.
Thanks for the info in the end due to my budget I ended up getting the cheaper worktop it was £40 I think they use laminate on top, Thanks for helping me out thou mate.
).. but here we go..
