It sounds like wood worktops just aren't for you and in the long run I'd probably suggest replacing them. If it's just not on the cards financially at the moment then here's my method for keeping them in good nick: Clean the worktops with warm soapy water, dry, then apply mineral oil (also known as liquid paraffin which is used to treat dry skin and can be taken as a laxative so entirely food safe) on them every day till the wood stops absorbing it - usually 3-4 days depending how dry it is. Then place a clean empty glass jar in a pan of hot (not boiling) water, melt pure organic bees wax with mineral oil, leave to set then apply to the counters with a soft cloth. Instructions here: http://www.woodworkersguide.com/2010/01/30/a-beautiful-beeswax-finish-for-cheap/ The benefit of this is every time it starts feeling a little dry or you get patches on it from water/food etc you can clean with warm soapy water, dry, then touch up with more of the wax and it blends it in beautifully (plus as mentioned its fully food safe). You'll also notice after going through this process that drops of water will now 'pool' on the surface of the wax rather than soak in. Keeping the worktops topped up with wax every 6 weeks or so really helps keep them looking great. I do also use a combination of glass surface savers and trivets for hot items. The maintinence of wood worktops is always going to be higher than melamine or quartz type surfaces but personally I love the character of wood tops. This method is only suitable if the surface hasn't previously been treated with poly or varnish but given the description of the stains etc on yours it doesn't sound like it has. My understanding is that once water has turned wood black there's not a lot you can do except sand it (depending how deep the stains go this might not be practical). Or as in your case since its just around the sink you could maybe buy a larger under-mounted sink, cut out the blackened part and install so you are less likely to end up with water sitting on the wood for long periods of time. Hope this helps!

We've been working on some new accessories for our freestanding baths. One of the things we wanted to improve was our bath headrests. We've recently designed a brand new range of silicone headrests that can be added to the interior of the bath. This design will make bathing much more comfortable and you can remove the head rest from the bath as and when you please. Let us know your thought?

Yes you can. To be honest, I slap the zinsser on and then two coats of really good undercoat and sand that. I always use Rustins undercoat which is water based and then if possible go over with oil based top coat. Others may have other recommendations for which undercoat. I find the people at Brewers are generally really helpful as they are constantly dealing with trade customers. I bought this tool on a recommendation and it is really useful for defluffing the edges of painted mdf. My house was full of conker brown varnish and I painted over veluxes with zinsser and it really works. It stinks (contains meths) and it with ruin the brushes but it's good stuff.

LTS yes I think it's too dark. It does have elegance but also gloomy, especially at night! I've had quite a few neighbours say these like it, but some also feel too dark. I'm literally stuck trying to find the right colour! The roof (currently) is slte but has a reddish/purple hue so along with the slight cool blue hue to the white render it's proving tricky!!