KARLBY Worktop, birch/veneer, 246x3.8 cm
How to get it
25 year guarantee
This wood worktop combines the best of solid wood and veneer. With efficient use of natural resources, it offers a unique pattern and a durable surface that can be sanded. Available to take home today.
Product details
25 year guarantee. Read about the terms in the guarantee brochure.
You can cut the worktop to the length you want and cover the edges with the included edging strip.
Good environmental choice, because the method of using a top layer of wood on particleboard is resource-efficient.
Worktop with a thick birch veneer, a hardwearing natural material that can be sanded and surface treated when required.
Layer construction adds stability and makes the worktop less sensitive to humidity, thus, less likely to bend, split or crack than solid wood.
For quick installation and easy maintenance the worktop is pre-treated with hard wax oil.
The worktop has a narrow stave design that gives it a timeless and versatile look that complements both modern and traditional kitchens.
IKEA of Sweden
Measurements
- Thickness, veneer: 3 mm
- Length: 246 cm
- Depth: 63.5 cm
- Thickness: 3.8 cm
Customer reviews
SustainabilityPeople and planet
Sustainable life at home
Better worktops with fewer trees
At IKEA we have a tradition of trying to utilise materials in the best possible way. For our worktops in thick veneer it means that we combine old craftsmanship with modern manufacturing methods. It makes the worktops easier to install, more stable and more resistant to humidity compared to solid worktops. And since we use the whole tree – even the crooked branches and the small twigs – we can save natural resources too.
Better worktops by using wood smartly
Wood is a precious natural resource. Even though it’s a renewable material it needs to be handled responsibly. One way to do it, is to use the wood more efficiently. That’s what we do with our kitchen worktops in thick wood veneer.
“At IKEA we have a tradition of trying to utilise the materials we have in the best possible way,” says Johnny Rietz, who’s been involved in developing the kitchen worktops in thick veneer. The work started in 2008 when IKEA founder, Ingvar Kamprad, visited one of our suppliers and asked a simple question that took some time to answer: ‘How can we make this product using fewer trees?’
Less is more
“After some trials and errors, we came up with the solution. A core of particleboard and a layer of solid wood on the outside – or thick veneer,” says Johnny. “It’s a combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern manufacturing methods. Paper-thin veneer has been used in fine, decorative furniture making for centuries, but for our worktops we’re using a much thicker layer of wood.” The thick veneer makes the surface hardwearing, and it saves raw material – a lot of it. From the same amount of wood needed to make one solid worktop, it’s possible to produce five thick veneer worktops.
No wood is wasted
Another advantage with this production technique is that you can use the whole tree; the stem as surface, and scrap bits – curvy, bent branches and small twigs – for the particleboard on the inside. The end result is a worktop that is every bit as genuine as solid wood, only more stable and more resistant to humidity. “Sometimes a small, harmless question can make a big difference. That’s exactly what happened with our kitchen worktops. It started as a challenge to use resources wiser, and proved to have positive effects not only for the environment, but also the quality. I think it’s great when that happens!” says Johnny.
Material
What is veneer?
A veneer is a thin wooden sheet fixed on things like particleboards to add a durable surface and a natural wood look – so we enjoy the many benefits of wood without using solid wood. The most common veneer types are birch, ash, oak and beech and we’ve made a special UV lacquer that helps preserve the wood's natural structure. A benefit with a slightly thicker veneer is how you can repair and sand the surface if it’s damaged to give furniture a longer and more beautiful life.
Quality/durability
Built and tested to last
We believe that our kitchen worktops should meet your highest demands when it comes to design and performance, without compromise. That’s why we test our worktops, and put them up against the everyday challenges they’ll face in your kitchen: liquids, oil, food, steam, heat, bumps and scratches. When they’ve passed our testing, we know they’ll last, and we guarantee it for 25 years.