We are desiging our new bathroom and want a bowl style sink sitting on
wooden bathroom cupboards.

I have rung numerous bathroom places and asked about wood in bathroom
and keep getting different opinions. Some say it needs to be
revarnished/ sealed (?) every few months, other say fine forever,
others refuse to commit to an answer.

Can any of you pls tell me the pros n cons of real oak vs veneer in
bathrooms? Does oak/wood warp in this high moisture/ humidity room? Do
you permanently have to clear up water spills from the sink? Would it
be advisable to put a stone work top under basin to keep wood dryer
to prevent damage? If so, what would be the most practical stone top
to use apart from marble or granite? Are there cleaning implications?
Where would you get one?

Aaargh. Can anyone tell me pls!!

Beccie

Think what a wooden boat goes through. With modern high quality stains/
coatings well applied on top of durable timbers, good joinery will
stand up to many years of bathroom exposure.

On 18 Sep, 21:43, Rebecca wrote:
We are desiging our new bathroom and want a bowl style sink sitting on
wooden bathroom cupboards.

I have rung numerous bathroom places and asked about wood in bathroom
and keep getting different opinions. Some say it needs to be
revarnished/ sealed (?) every few months, other say fine forever,
others refuse to commit to an answer.

Can any of you pls tell me the pros n cons of real oak vs veneer in
bathrooms? Does oak/wood warp in this high moisture/ humidity room? Do
you permanently have to clear up water spills from the sink? Would it
be advisable to put a stone work top under basin to keep wood dryer
to prevent damage? If so, what would be the most practical stone top
to use apart from marble or granite? Are there cleaning implications?
Where would you get one?

Aaargh. Can anyone tell me pls!!

Beccie

Rebecca wrote
"We are desiging our new bathroom and want a bowl style sink sitting
on
wooden bathroom cupboards."

Can you explain that a bit better please as I don't have an image of
what you are trying to do. What I have is what I would call a bowl
style basin set into a marble top which is set on top of a wood
cabinet with cupboards. All the joins round the marble are sealed
with silicon such that no water gets into the structure. The marble
projects beyond the cupboards so that drips fall clear to the tiled
floor.

Rob

Rebecca wrote:
We are desiging our new bathroom and want a bowl style sink sitting on
wooden bathroom cupboards.

I have rung numerous bathroom places and asked about wood in bathroom
and keep getting different opinions. Some say it needs to be
revarnished/ sealed (?) every few months, other say fine forever,
others refuse to commit to an answer.

Can any of you pls tell me the pros n cons of real oak vs veneer in
bathrooms? Does oak/wood warp in this high moisture/ humidity room? Do
you permanently have to clear up water spills from the sink? Would it
be advisable to put a stone work top under basin to keep wood dryer
to prevent damage? If so, what would be the most practical stone top
to use apart from marble or granite? Are there cleaning implications?
Where would you get one?

Aaargh. Can anyone tell me pls!!

Beccie

Wood that gets puddled needs - veneer or not - an impervious layer of
sufficient thickness to make it look 'plasticky'

Its up to you whether you want two coats of polyurethane twin pack yacht
varnish and a finish like an electric guitar in your bathroom.

Otherwise mop it up. Every time.

Rebecca wrote:

We are desiging our new bathroom and want a bowl style sink sitting on
wooden bathroom cupboards.

I have rung numerous bathroom places and asked about wood in bathroom
and keep getting different opinions. Some say it needs to be
revarnished/ sealed (?) every few months, other say fine forever,
others refuse to commit to an answer.

Theres your answer. Opinions vary, and ti cant be relied on to be ok.
Oak is a durable species, so with sensible care it should do ok. With
tenants, no chance.


NT

"Rebecca" wrote in message
oups.com...
We are desiging our new bathroom and want a bowl style sink sitting on
wooden bathroom cupboards.

I have rung numerous bathroom places and asked about wood in bathroom
and keep getting different opinions. Some say it needs to be
revarnished/ sealed (?) every few months, other say fine forever,
others refuse to commit to an answer.

Can any of you pls tell me the pros n cons of real oak vs veneer in
bathrooms?

There's lots of wood - oak and pine - in our bathroom, the sink is on an oak
cupboard.

Does oak/wood warp in this high moisture/ humidity room?

It won't warp but why is the room wer? Fit an extractor fan. The oak ledge
round our bath began to grow mould after at least twenty years where it
accumulated water. That was a design fault, the replacement drains water
into the bath.

Do
you permanently have to clear up water spills from the sink?

We don't - but we should.

Would it
be advisable to put a stone work top under basin to keep wood dryer
to prevent damage?

I don't understand that. If you put any kind of solid cover over a piece of
wood water will get between them and the wood will rot.

Mary

Hi,

I'd try to get a worktop offcut from a local kitchen fitter or off
Ebay, this sort of thing:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Solid-oak-wood...-Offcut-540mm-
by-900mm_W0QQitemZ170149073869QQihZ007QQcategoryZ5723 1QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

A kitchen fitter might even cut it to size and finish the edges for a
little extra.

I'd then seal it on all sides with a couple of coats of microporous/
breathable wood stain in a light shade.

Bear in mind soap is pretty caustic and a wet bar of soap can strip
paint, varnish etc over a period of time.

cheers,
Pete.

On 19 Sep, 01:47, wrote:
Rebecca wrote:
We are desiging our new bathroom and want a bowl style sink sitting on
wooden bathroom cupboards.

I have rung numerous bathroom places and asked about wood in bathroom
and keep getting different opinions. Some say it needs to be
revarnished/ sealed (?) every few months, other say fine forever,
others refuse to commit to an answer.

Theres your answer. Opinions vary, and ti cant be relied on to be ok.
Oak is a durable species, so with sensible care it should do ok. With
tenants, no chance.

NT

Dear NT
Fair comment if you are using the word colloquially but in this
context it would be better to stick to the proper technical terms as
specified in BRE Digest 429 "Timbers: their natural durability and
resistance to preservative treatment"April 1998

There are five categories and all refer only to HEARTWOOD as all
sapwood is perishable.
They are
Not durable (0 -5 years)
slightly durable (5 - 10)
Moderately durable (10 -15)
Durable (15 -25)
Very durable (25 onwards)
Very roughly this equates to the number of years a 2" by 2" stake of
heartwood survives in ground contact (see figures in parenteses)
English oak IS very durable but American red is non durable, American
White is durable, Turkey Oak is Non-durable and you need to be pretty
sure of what you are buying these days sold as "oak"!
Chris

On 18 Sep, 21:43, Rebecca wrote:
We are desiging our new bathroom and want a bowl style sink sitting on
wooden bathroom cupboards.

I have rung numerous bathroom places and asked about wood in bathroom
and keep getting different opinions. Some say it needs to be
revarnished/ sealed (?) every few months, other say fine forever,
others refuse to commit to an answer.

Can any of you pls tell me the pros n cons of real oak vs veneer in
bathrooms? Does oak/wood warp in this high moisture/ humidity room? Do
you permanently have to clear up water spills from the sink? Would it
be advisable to put a stone work top under basin to keep wood dryer
to prevent damage? If so, what would be the most practical stone top
to use apart from marble or granite? Are there cleaning implications?
Where would you get one?

Aaargh. Can anyone tell me pls!!

Beccie

Dear Beccie
All wood is hygroscopic and will absorb water from the atmosphere.
There is no particular pro or con between veneer and solid oak
PROVIDED that the substrate on which the veneer rests is compatible
and durable - which is unlikely but possible
All woood veneer or solid should be heartwood and kept at the same
moisture content - say about 8 to 10% w/w and so must be sealed
completely with a non-vapour porous suiable sealant.
Suitable means it has to deal with not only water but other bathroom
hazards mentioned by others. Were it mine and if it had to be timber I
would use the best marine resin I could find but were it mine I would
not use wood!
Chris

On Sep 18, 10:53 pm, robgraham wrote:
On 18 Sep, 21:43, Rebecca wrote:



We are desiging our new bathroom and want a bowl style sink sitting on
wooden bathroom cupboards.

I have rung numerous bathroom places and asked about wood in bathroom
and keep getting different opinions. Some say it needs to be
revarnished/ sealed (?) every few months, other say fine forever,
others refuse to commit to an answer.

Can any of you pls tell me the pros n cons of real oak vs veneer in
bathrooms? Does oak/wood warp in this high moisture/ humidity room? Do
you permanently have to clear up water spills from the sink? Would it
be advisable to put a stone work top under basin to keep wood dryer
to prevent damage? If so, what would be the most practical stone top
to use apart from marble or granite? Are there cleaning implications?
Where would you get one?

Aaargh. Can anyone tell me pls!!

Beccie

Rebecca wrote
"We are desiging our new bathroom and want a bowl style sink sitting
on
wooden bathroom cupboards."

Can you explain that a bit better please as I don't have an image of
what you are trying to do. What I have is what I would call a bowl
style basin set into a marble top which is set on top of a wood
cabinet with cupboards.
If the bowl is a hemisphere, Rebecca wants the plane surface to touch
the bottom of the hemisphere (the bowl sits on the wood). You have
the plane surface level with the top of the hemisphere (the bowl sits
IN the marble). They are currently very fashionable.


All the joins round the marble are sealed
with silicon such that no water gets into the structure. The marble
projects beyond the cupboards so that drips fall clear to the tiled
floor.

Rob

"Martin Bonner" wrote in message

If the bowl is a hemisphere, Rebecca wants the plane surface to touch
the bottom of the hemisphere (the bowl sits on the wood). You have
the plane surface level with the top of the hemisphere (the bowl sits
IN the marble). They are currently very fashionable.

That means they'll go out of fashion.

Mary

Can you explain that a bit better please as I don't have an image of
what you are trying to do. What I have is what I would call a bowl
style basin set into a marble top which is set on top of awood
cabinet with cupboards.

If the bowl is a hemisphere, Rebecca wants the plane surface to touch
the bottom of the hemisphere (the bowl sits on thewood). You have
the plane surface level with the top of the hemisphere (the bowl sits
IN the marble). They are currently very fashionable.


Thats right Martin, well explained!
Must admit, still a bit undecided, but it took me 3 weeks to choose a
shower enclosure, so that nothing new!

On 2007-09-19 18:15:38 +0100, Rebecca said:

Can you explain that a bit better please as I don't have an image of
what you are trying to do. What I have is what I would call a bowl
style basin set into a marble top which is set on top of awood
cabinet with cupboards.

If the bowl is a hemisphere, Rebecca wants the plane surface to touch
the bottom of the hemisphere (the bowl sits on thewood). You have
the plane surface level with the top of the hemisphere (the bowl sits
IN the marble). They are currently very fashionable.


Thats right Martin, well explained!
Must admit, still a bit undecided, but it took me 3 weeks to choose a
shower enclosure, so that nothing new!

If you're going to spend a fair bit of money on it and live with it for
a long time then this is reasonable.

I've just take almost two years over planning and implementing a
cloakroom. This has the issues that you describe, in a way. I
wanted stone in part, some natural wood and a surface mounted basin

There is oak joinery in the rest of the house, including doors, floors,
stairs etc. and that is all oiled and waxed. This would not be
suitable for surfaces in a bathroom that will be regularly splashed.
While the wood won't warp, this finish will show splashes of water as
white marks. it's very simple to remove those with a rub of polish or
oil but that isn't practical several times a week.

I haven't implemented cupboards below the basin but did want to hide
the plumbing. To this end, there is a small worktop for the basin and
all of the plumbing runs horizontally immediately below it including a
HEPVO trap to limit the depth. The worktop is granite, shaped for the
application and then there is a skirt of about 120mm depth below it.
That can be implemented with oiled oak like the rest of the joinery
because it won't be splashed.

For a horiizontal surface, one would have to use a fairly substantial
varnish to achieve reasonable maintainability. The problem is that all
of them look plasticy to a degree, which I hate. If you don't think
that there will be much splashing - i.e. no kids - then Danish Oil can
be a reasonable finish. It's wipeable but not heavy weight durable
like a boat finish. It remains reasonably matt and natural in
appearance.