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De Terra rustic oak celebrates everything prime grade excludes: knots, colour play and grain swirl. Every board is a one-off - the timber equivalent of a farmhouse table that has stories to tell, at the friendliest price of any De Terra oak.
Rustic grade keeps the knots, burrs and natural colour variation that select grades cut away - which is exactly why farmhouse, cottage and industrial kitchen designs ask for it by name. Underneath the character it is the same solid European oak: roughly 1,360 lbf Janka hardness, 40mm stave construction, and a surface that sands and re-oils back to new indefinitely.
The range runs 40mm thickness in widths of 635mm and 720mm, lengths to 4m, plus 960mm-wide breakfast bars for islands and a matching upstand. Every board arrives sanded and un-oiled - oiling is what wakes the character up, turning dry knots and grain swirls deep amber.
Oiling is where rustic oak comes alive
Un-oiled rustic oak looks pale and quiet. The first coat of oil is a transformation - knots darken, grain figures appear, and the board becomes the character piece you bought. Oil every face and edge, 2-3 coats, before fitting.
| Material | Character (rustic) grade solid European oak, knots filled where needed |
| Construction | Solid staves - 40mm nominal width (38-42mm range) |
| Hardness | Janka approx. 1,360 lbf (6,000 N) - full oak hardness, extra character |
| Thickness | 40mm |
| Edge Profile | Square edge |
| Surface | Sanded to 120 grit - supplied un-oiled |
| Widths | 635mm and 720mm worktops - 960mm breakfast bars |
| Weight | 38.1 kg to 86 kg per board |
| Brand | De Terra |
2-3 coats of food-safe oil on every face, edge and cut-out before fitting. Work oil into knots and figured areas - they drink more than straight grain and reward it with the deepest colour.
Filled knots are stable, but check them at each re-oil; if a filler edge lifts over years of service, a dab of hard wax filler and a local re-oil restores it in minutes.
Character grain has more end-grain exposure than clean grades, so wipe standing water promptly and keep sink surrounds well oiled.
Trivets and chopping boards, always. Scorch marks fight with character rather than adding to it.
Sand and re-oil brings rustic oak back completely - and unlike uniform grades, small repairs vanish into the character. The most forgiving De Terra surface to live with long-term.
Grade, not species. Rustic keeps the knots, colour variation and grain figure that standard grade limits and prime grade excludes. Hardness and construction are identical - rustic simply shows more of the tree, and costs less per board.
Yes - open or deep knots are professionally filled so the surface stays food-safe and cleanable. Small tight knots are left natural. Filled areas behave like the rest of the board under oil and daily use.
Increasingly, yes - designers pair character oak with flat grey or deep green handleless units precisely for the contrast. The busier the timber, the calmer the cabinetry should be, and vice versa.
Same as any oak: 2-3 coats of food-safe worktop oil before installation, every face and edge. Expect knots and figure to darken dramatically with the first coat - that transformation is the point of the grade.
Yes, with ordinary woodworking tools. Plan cut-outs to avoid the largest knots where you can, and oil every fresh edge twice. Our 720mm-deep boards give extra room for cut-out placement.
Rustic oak is our character-grade 40mm range in the full size run. Farmhouse Oak is a value line: one 3m board size at the lowest oak price in the range. If you want choice of sizes and depths, rustic is the one; if you want the entry price, farmhouse.
