We bought a new kitchen/dining room table from the good folk at IKEA. It is in the Bjorna line (go look at www.ikea.com and search, my connection is too slow) and the top looks like a 2m X 1m cutting board (it has the individual dark and light pieces of wood glued togather). It says that it is oil treated, but I don’t trust it. We dropped a piece of apple-streudel on it and there is a faint stain. I think I need to oil it or add some type of protectorant.
I was thinking of using plain olive oil or maybe a sunflower seed oil. (I don’t mind darkening the color of the wood, there is a corner office unit near it that is stained dark brown.) I’ve used them on my cutting board which lookes the same as my table top, so…why not? But I want this table to last for many years; it was a major investment for us.
You can try and suggest brand names, but I don’t know if I can get the specific one over here. They do have a Home Depot-type warehouse store called Hornbach, so…I also don’t have access to any major tools or space; this has to be done in my kitchen with a plastic sheet underneath. I’d like to avoid sanding if possible, but that’s not always possible, I know. Sponge? Normal brush? Old sock?
I treat all my wood furniture with lemon oil, about once a month. For more permanent protrection , I would use either a spray clear acrylic, or a brush on clear finnish. But both the spray and the brush on require plenty of ventilation.
I’ve tried usin olive oil on a cutting board, but it doesn’t seem to be oily enough.
The best thing for a cutting board-type surface is plain mineral oil. It’s completely non-toxic, and it won’t go rancid, either. You can find it in most drug stores (it’s also used as an intestinal lubricant - don’t ask). Rub it in, let it soak for a while, then wipe off the excess. If the cutting board is new and untreated, it’ll absorb a lot of the oil, so you might have to repeat the treatment.
I had cutting board countertops in a kitchen for years, and hitting them with mineral oil every few months kept them healthy and happy.
I’d just visit a local hardware store & ask them what to use. They always have people there to assist you. If you could bring them the table that would be great too.