Oil on the water....

Sometimes I let things drift for longer than I should and when I do that, well sometimes it has an adverse effect on the things that I have let drift. Now let's all give praise that I don't captain a boat and that you are upon it, especially if it was a wooden boat.

We were warned when we decided to have wooden worksurfaces in the kitchen that they would need oiling every six months or so. Of course that would be 'no problem' - and off course it was. For the first year I oiled away merrily (actually un-merrily I hated the job) and then I let it drift.

Five or six years of no oil later and our kitchen worksurfaces were in a state. The water had got into them, staining them black, and the oiled bits had become hard and patchy. There was only one thing for it - sort it out.

Of course I didn't want to go back to oiling, so I spent four or five hours happily sanding out the stains by hand and removing the old oil. I couldn't quite bring the wood back to pristine condition, but hey - let's call that character, a little bit shabby chic, rustic charm, and nothing to do with negligence.

In honesty though I did do a pretty good job and by the time my hands were as rough as a badger's arse (are they rough and who would know and how?) the wood was looking far healthier. Instead of oil I then brushed on Polivine dead flat decorator's varnish, three coats of gentle going along the grain with a very good brush. Now, not only do the worksufaces have what appears to be a beautiful a wax finish but it's also completely waterproof.

If I ever do captain a wooden ship that is what I am going to use. Polyvine, so much easier than oil.