Oak Worktops | Solid Wooden Kitchen Worktops

Oak Worktop Styles

Super Stave Oak Worktops

Full stave Oak worktops, with wide, long planks. Very much the Rolls-Royce of Oak worktops! Super stave worktops have become something of a Norfolk Oak signature. Continuous, wide planks of timber running the whole length of your wooden worktop, emphasising the beautiful grain patterns of our furniture grade American White Oak.

Thicknesses available: 30mm, 40mm & 55mm.

End grain Oak Worktops

Any good butcher will tell you the only real surface for chopping meat is an old-fashioned end grain butchers' block. We've simply refined those hugely practical attributes into some of the most fabulous defining details for a truly fabulous finish for a great kitchen. Our Oak butcher-block worktops make a great moveable chopping block or fixed work-surface.

Whether your requirements are based on aesthetics, budget or a combination of both, we have an Oak worktop style to suit. We construct every worktop ourselves, made to order, to your exact sizes. Please feel free to use our price calculator for pricing on almost any sized Oak worktop or why not sample our Oak in the comfort of your own home.

Watch Oak Super Stave Video
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Bespoke Styling

We can make almost any size and shape Oak worktop you need. You can enter your desired measurements in our quote calculator above for a custom quotation on almost any sized Oak worktop in any of the four styles. If you would like to discuss specific worktop sizes or shape requirements, please don't hesitate to contact us.

bespoke drainage grooves — Drainage Grooves

worktop drop down mitre, drop down panel — Drop down mitre

As standard, your Oak worktops will arrive square edged, sanded smooth and ready to oil, however we offer many bespoke customisations; such as sink and hob cut-outs, worktop edging and rounded corners.

Take a look at all the Bespoke Worktop Services we offer.

About our Oak

AMERICAN WHITE OAK QUERCUS ALBA

American White Oak is the finest Oak on the planet. Harder, denser and with a more delicate, beautiful grain structure than any other Oak, it is no surprise that it is also the most sought after by fine furniture makers the world over. But the story doesn't even end there; American White Oak varies enormously across North America depending on the local climate. White Oak trees are not great lovers of hot, humid climes, nor indeed frozen tundra. The ideal conditions are found in the Northern Appalachian Mountain Region of New England. Here, four distinct and relatively extreme seasons, certainly compared to the UK, provide the Oak with everything it needs to flourish at its very best. The warm wet spring provides a strong start to the growing season, the long hot summer solidifies that growth. A gentle autumn presents the most stunning 'fall foliage' which coincides with a hugely important aspect for the growing Oak; acorn production. Finally, a hard, cold winter shrinks back the summer growth and slows maturity, which gives the Oak its incredible strength yet beautifully delicate tight grain structure.

SUSTAINABLY SOURCED

Our Oak comes from the very heart of this region. Our timber suppliers are members of the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc. (AHMI), so our Oak is certified as sustainable. In fact, this is not really the full story. The AHMI members are responsible for adding six billion board feet annually (one board foot is measured as 12 inches long, 12 inches wide and 1 inch thick). This is a net addition after annually harvesting 2 billion board feet. A new growth rate of 3:1 - hardly just sustainable!

preparing our timber

FURNITURE GRADE TIMBER

So, having the finest Oak in the world is a good start. The next vital aspect of the acquisition process is grading. We only buy ‘FAS’ grade lumber. This is the top grade – FAS stands for first and seconds and is colloquially known as furniture grade – which is naturally the most expensive. This is the only way we can produce such amazing worktops. After FAS come three more grades, one, two and three common. FAS is usually less than fifteen percent of an Oak tree, with two common providing the most at around forty percent. Most Oak worktops with 40 mm wide staves are made from either two or three common as there are so many defects in the bottom two grades there is almost nothing else that can be made with them.

PERFECTLY PREPARED

Once we have our ‘green’ (unseasoned) Oak, we then have to stack it on ‘sticks’ to allow the air to circulate around each plank. It is then put in ‘T’ sheds – a shed shaped like a giant T - which keeps the rain and sun off yet allows for the wind to blow right through and gently air dry the Oak. It takes around 6 months for the moisture content to drop to 31 %, at which point it goes in to the kilns for about four months. Oak is notoriously difficult to dry well as you simply have to take your time. As soon as you rush the process you risk warping, splitting and twisting the boards so badly they become impossible to machine or to get a good finish. This still doesn’t stop even the largest merchants from pushing it as hard and fast as they can get away with, always allowing for a little splitting (shake) and some warping. Yield and time are their only considerations, which is precisely why we decided we had to control even this initial part of the process to really get what we want – perfect Oak.

Worktop Finishing

Installation Oiling
If you would like the reassurance of us pre-oiling your oak worktops, we can do so with our installation oiling service. Your oak worktops will then arrive ready for you to install as soon as you receive them. Read more about our Installation Oiling Service.

Nano Coating
Nano-coating is a 2 Part Process. The first application consists of 2 separate coatings, which are designed to react and bind with the timber. This treatment alone is not enough to protect timber but when combined with the second application, it protects the initial coat and forms a barrier against soap and alcohol etc. This second coating is water/scratch resistant, the daily wear and tear from sticky and wet glasses will prove the resilience of our nano coating.

If you have more specific requirements in mind or would like to know what to do to receive a complete quotation please contact us.

White Wash
A popular traditional wood finishing effect, whitewash worktops add a wonderfully rustic style to your kitchen. Depending on what finish you choose, our whitewash can be applied during pre-installation oiling or with our advanced nano-coating treatment.