Wood has long been used in kitchen design. It’s great for work surfaces, cabinet doors, flooring, doors and even wall panels. It can create a very warm and homely atmosphere, which contrasts with the stark, minimal, clinical appearance and feel of many steel and plastic contemporary kitchens which are popular today.

Wood is, after all, a truly magical material. It is varied, versatile, durable and importantly – its renewable. Woods come in various colors, various grains, different hardnesses and with a variety of properties. But they all benefit from appropriate care and attention.

If you have chosen to use wood for your kitchen work surfaces there are a number of considerations that need to be borne in mind. Kitchen work surfaces tend to be subject to significant use and abuse. They must contend with hot saucepans, lots of moisture and steam and they should withstand knocks and cuts. For these reasons relatively hardwoods are the best choice for work surfaces. Hardwoods tend to have tight grains which resist the penetration of moisture and the hardness means that the wood can withstand many of the knocks, bumps and cuts that are bound to occur in the kitchen. For a great selection of top quality, profession work surface wood treatment products you must visit Wood-Finishes-Direct.com who are the experts when it comes to protecting your wood.

If you take a look at wooden bartops in hotels and bars you will see how well these are protected from the ravages of daily use. Most bartops will be finished with a high quality, impact resistant varnish or lacquer. Matt finishes are the most popular as high sheen finishes can be too reflective. It is important to ensure that the worktop wood finish is hard wearing, will not peel or flake, is resistant to moisture and is food safe. Food safety is obviously important for all wood finishes that might be used in a kitchen.

Kitchen cupboards and cabinets are also high-use areas that need appropriate protection. Much like wooden kitchen surfaces, cabinets will need to withstand heat and steam and ideally should withstand constant repeated use, especially in family homes with lots of hungry children. So the same wood finish requirements apply to cabinets.

Wooden kitchen floors have a number of special requirements. Like work surfaces and cabinets wooden kitchen floors need to be treated in order to withstand spills and steam. But most importantly, the wood finish applied to kitchen floors must be non-slip. A slippery floor surface in a kitchen would be very hazardous indeed so it should be ensured that the treatment applied to a wooden kitchen floor should be non-slip. It’s also a good idea to pay attention to any gaps that may exist between floor boards. These are areas where bugs can develop, especially if food is spilled and gets into the gaps. It’s always a good idea to fill any gaps and cracks that may exist in wooden flooring.

Your wooden kitchen doors, window frames and skirting boards will equally be subject to a high level of wear and tear and should therefore be treated with equal consideration. If you ensure that your kitchen woodwork is adequately and appropriately protected it will stay looking great for years to come.