Blatant nonsense?

[Jeff Dege]

I don't usually go to Ikea looking for woodworking advice, but I stopped by today, to look at their hardwood countertop material. The clerk told me I needed to buy some of their special oil, and to make sure to oil the countertop within a day of unwrapping it.

The wood was shipped dehydrated, you see, and if you didn't oil it immediately - before sawing it, drilling it, or sanding it - it would crack.

I looked at their "special" oil. It's a mix of tung and linseed oil.

Is there any basis to this whatsoever?

[Bill Houghton]

but I think there may be a reason that it's sold as an oil - it's hard to get varnish out of snakes.

Seems pretty silly to me - if the wood's survived the transport, it should survive being in your house/shop.

[David DeCristoforo]

It sounds to me like they are trying to cover their butts. Like that they know there is a good chance it will crack and this way they can say "See... you didn't get the oil on fast enough...."

[Jeff Dege]

The instruction packet says:

The worktop is made of solid wood with a moisture content of 7-9%, which is the proper moisture content for worktops used in surroundings with normal temperature and humidity. Since the worktop is a natural product, it "breathes" and may warp a little due to fluctuations in the humidity of its surroundings. However, this can normall be counteracted if you follow the mounting and care instructions below.

1. Do not open the plastic until you're ready to install the worktop. Store unopened worktops at normal room temperature (approx. 20 Celsius) and normal humidity. Avoid placing the worktop next to a hot radiator or lying it down flat on a cold floor.

2. The worktop has been treated once at the factory with wood treatment oil. After mounting use fine sandpaper to sand the top. Work along the grain of the wood. Apply a thin coat of BEHANDLA wood treatment oil. Wait for about 15-20 minutes to allow the oil to penetrate the surface completely. Wipe off any surplus oil with a cloth or kitchen paper. During the first week of use, treat the worktops every second day, and then every third day until the surface is saturated (after about 2 months). To ensure that the worktop retains its durable surface for many years to come, it should be treated with BEHANDLA wood treatment oil 3-5 times a year. Surfaces next to a sink or stove easily get dry and need to be treated more often.

Which I don't disagree with. And which seems like someone who knew zilch could misinterpret into the instructions I got from the clerk.

From what I can see, the only thing that is special about BEHANDLA wood treatment oil is that it's food safe. Which is something you'd care about in a kitchen counter.

[J.R. Rutter]

If they are really controlling moisture content at the factory, and shipping it wrapped in a vapor barrier, then why not take them at their word? The oil will at least slow the rate at which it absorbs moisture to reach EMC...

[Ron Bontz]

OK I give up. What is Ikea?

[Tom Veatch]

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/

[Ron Bontz]

Thanks Tom. None of those around me.

[Chris Friesen]

I helped my inlaws cut and install a kitchen worth of their oak counters. Crosscutting a 96"x25"x1.5" oak countertop is "interesting" when the cut needs to be clean. We didn't oil it before cutting, but we did once it was installed.

They also had an oak table that was returned due to a substantial crack in it due to humidity changes--this is in Saskatchewan so most things shrink when unpacked here, rather than expand.

Most transparent wood finishes are foodsafe once cured. This includes film finishes like varnish and lacquer.

[Larry Edgerton]

I've been thinking of Freeze Drying and Vacuum Packing my cabinets as well......

[Cody Colston]

Wouldn't "dehydrated" wood = kiln dried?

[jay case]

It sounds to me like they are trying to cover their butts. Like that they know there is a good chance it will crack and this way they can say "See... you didn't get the oil on fast enough...."

That would be odd......to cover their butts with the oil. Besides, there is already a crack in it.

[Howard Acheson]

>> the only thing that is special about BEHANDLA wood treatment oil is that it's food safe

All finishes are non-toxic when cured. That said, most wood surfaces that are used for food preparation are treated with mineral oil or a mineral oil and paraffin or beeswax.

[jay case]

OK I give up. What is Ikea?

its where DaCrisco buys all his furniture.

[mike holden]

Jeff,
Dont blame IKEA for this dodge, Before I started woodworking we bought a bedroom set from a high-end scandinavian style furniture store. Solid teak construction, very well made. BUT they insisted on selling us "Teak Oil" to be rubbed into the wood yearly to "feed" the wood! We bought some, and every spring, we rubbed it in. Never hurt anything, but since I started woodworking and learned better, we have not done that. Been almost twenty years and the wood is still not "starving" grin.

This, "feed the wood" has been around for many, many years; and many people believe it.

Mike