You could try a butcher block oil. I've used Tableau butcher block oil on a beech worktop. Must admit it's not had heavy wear so cannot vouch for how it would react to lots of spills and stains, but it did help retain a pretty natural look whereas some oils can make the wood look shiny. The advice I had when first oiling a worktop, when I used Danish oil, was to apply once a day for a week, once a week for a month then once a month for a year, then annually. Also bear in mind that each wood absorbs oils differently, so make sure you test whatever you use on an off cut before starting on the whole worktop. Good luck.

Hi there Concrete counter tops can look amazing. As I'm sure you know, its very hard and tough and will stand up well to a busy kitchen environment. It's heat resistant to very high temps and generally won't scratch. Although remember if anything falls on it - such as glass or china - these things are likely to break on such a hard surface. I think it would be very tricky to DIY unless you are highly skilled or very lucky! I would get some professional quotes as there are various processes to consider. Also it will need a level of maintenance as must be properly sealed from the start and re sealed every couple of years - when not sealed it is more likely to stain. Hope this helps. Sarah

Hi, I have worked as a mason with marble for 13 years now. You need to try and remove the everyday stuff that has become attached to the surface. Sealing the marble again and again is not advisable before cleaning the surface properly with a solvent based product. You are just creating an impossible barrier to clean through. You need to remove the sealant before trying to remove the stains. Solvent based strippers, designed for natural stone are available to us in the industry, however I am not sure you, as a consumer can purchase them. We buy these chemicals direct form Italy from our stone suppliers. You could however try acetone, just a clean cloth and generous amounts of acetone, a lot of hard cleaning, rubbing off. This should shift some of the greasy residue, and it will take the sealant off, allowing you to really get at the stains. For the rings marks - You can also try Astonish Cream cleaner it come so in the yellow bottle, NOT THE PASTE IT IS TOO ABRASIVE AND WILL SCRATCH THE SURFACE. First wet the marble lightly, add astonish, a decent amount and work in to a lather on the face of the areas that are marked, use a brillo pad on the soft green side, and ten, fifteen minutes, or until you are knackered!! Really clean and work the area. Remove the excess water and cream cleaner with a squeegee if you have one or just lots and lots of fresh paper towels. Continue to wipe the area with clean paper cloth until it is restored to the rest. After this then seal again, wait a good half an hour and then buff off. Failing all of that, your surface will need to be re-honed in situ by a skilled mason who will sand over the face. This will still not remove and stains that are more than surface deep. How old are is the marble just out of interest? And do you have any pictures i could see of the staining?

My kitchen worktops are in need of an update but as I can't afford to replace the whole kitchen at the moment I'm not keen on getting new worktops that may need to be ripped out at some point in the future. I like the look of concrete worktops and have seen a number of blog posts where people have added a thin layer of concrete over their existing worktops. Most of these use a product called Ardex feather finish which I know is intended as a floor covering. I've also come across micro concrete or micro cement which seems to be quite versatile and can be used on a variety of surfaces. I havent been able to find much info on where (if) you can purchase this and roughly how much it costs (I'd need about 6.5m²). I'd be looking to do the work myself rather than getting someone in to keep costs down. If anyone has ever used either of these products I'd appreciate any advice on which would be most suitable for kitchen worktops and any top tips for laying the concrete and sealing it against stains. Many thanks, Jenni