Christmas 2011

Our offices will close on Thursday 22nd December and re-open on Tuesday 3rd January. During this time you can still email us: sales@bordercraft.co.uk, leave a voice message on 01981 550251 or send a fax to 01981 550552.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Truffle Herefordshire

We're pleased to join Truffle Herefordshire! The first scheme of it's kind in the UK, it encourages people to buy from local, independent, businesses and get a reward or treat for doing so.



For more details, please visit: http://www.truffleherefordshire.co.uk/

Table Designs

We can make kitchen, refectory and dining tables in various designs and sizes. Below is a picture of a recently completed table. The design includes 100mm thick square legs, 60mm thick top with 3 Stainless Steel inserts. So if you have a design in mind for your table, then let us know.

Christmas Closing Times

Our offices will be closed from Wednesday 23rd December until Tuesday 4th January. You can still email us at sales@bordercraft.co.uk, leave a voice message on: 01981 550251, or send a fax to: 01981 550552.

Have a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

VAT Increase

The rate of VAT increases from 17.5% to 20% from 1st January 2011. Any orders placed on or after this date will be charged VAT at the new rate.

Fall Foliage

Autumn is here and we are now entering "peak week" for colour in the northeast states of Maine, Vermont, Pennsylvania and New York, where most of our timber is grown. A swathe of colour from bright yellows to vibrant reds cuts thought the land to create a unique sight. Cooler temperatures this weekend are expected to herald in the last rush of colour to most of the northeast before the leaves fall. More information can be found at: http://www.foliagenetwork.com/

When buying worktops what does, block, stave, etc. mean?

When looking for wooden worktops it is easy to be confused by the different terms applied to they style of worktop. Here's a short guide on the different types and what they look like:

Butchers Block, Blocked, Staved:

These are made from blocks of wood usually 40mm wide of random lengths. These are usually found in the DIY outlets. Sorry, these items are not manufactured by Bordercraft.

Full Stave:

Made from 40 or 50mm wide blocks without joins. Sorry, these items are not manufactured by Bordercraft.

Wide Planked Worktops:

These are made from planks of between 100 and 200mm in width that run the entire length of the worktop. They show of the beautiful grain pattern of the timber, unlike the style of worktops listed above. Boards are hand selected and colour matched to give an even appearance. Made by Bordercraft to give your kitchen an exclusive look.

End Grain Chopping Boards:

Made in the style of traditional butcher's, chopping block, these are made from 40mm square blocks with the end grain facing upwards. This gives an incredible strong and durable cutting service that is kind to knives. These items are made by Bordercraft in any shape with a thicknesses of between 40 and 150mm.

Search Our Blog

We've added a search box, just there on the right! You can use this to search our previous blog posts for useful information from designing your worktops, installation, maintenance, recycling our packaging and more. You can also find more information on our website at http://bordercraft.co.uk/

Worktops & Decorating

Even the most careful amongst us can't help splashing a bit of paint when decorating. The most frequent problem is small specks of paint from a roller. If you find these on your worktop or other Bordercraft items, they can easily be removed. Firstly, wait until the paint has dried completely. Take a green nylon scouring pad, the ones from the supermarket used for dishes but without the foam pad. Coat it liberally with the oil you normally use - Finishing Oil for Oak, Ash, Walnut, Maple and Cherry, Sunflower Oil for Iroko and all End Grain Chopping Boards, or Furniture Wax for all lacquered products. Gently rub over the affected areas, working with the grain, until all the paint is removed. Wipe over with a clean, dry cotton cloth and that's it. The same method can also be used over dull, tired looking areas to give them a fresh new appearance.

A better way to finish your worktop?

For many years we have used, supplied and recommend Liberon Finishing Oil for our worktops. As a blend of oils, it has offered the best protection for the surface. We were excited when Liberon launched a new product at the start of February. Worktop Finish and Seal looked promising a product, having many advantages over the current system, the main being that it's very quick to dry.

We were sent a tin to evaluate. We prepared samples of all our timbers and sanded them to our usual 240g silky smooth finish. Opening the tin revealed a milky white liquid with a very mild aroma, somewhat similar to PVA glue. Supplied with it was a small spatula with a sponge applicator approximately 4cm square. My heart began to sink, you can't really be expected to finish a 3500 x 900mm worktop with something that size, it would take forever. Our samples were somewhat smaller than this, so we opted to coat one side using the spatula and the other with paint brush.

The product is very quick to dry, so much so, that on a long worktop, the end you started at would be dry by the time you got to the other end. As a water based product, using it on wood is bound to lift the grain of the timber, so it would necessitate sanding the worktop before applying further coats. The somewhat negates the time advantage it has over an oil finish. But we persevered.

With two coats applied, our conclusions are:

Positive Side:

Low odour

Quick to dry

Hard finish

Negative Side:

Will require sanding between coats

Not easily applied. The applicator is too small, tried using larger paint brush shows, but dried finish shows brush marks.

Dull, matt finish, the milky white appearance doesn't disappear once it dries. Oil enriches the woods colour and makes it come alive, this does nothing to enhance the colour of sanded wood. It gives the wood a "fake" plastic like appearance.

We can't comment on the long term durability of the product, it may well be excellent, but the problems with the application and appearance of the finish is enough for us not to recommend it. A disappointing outcome, we had high hopes for this product, maybe with further work they can overcome the problems, but for now we only recommend and supply Liberon Finish Oil.