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Looking after your Furniture
English Oak is a natural material and may display marks and characteristics such as knots, grain variation, colour variations etc. These are natural, and deemed by many, desirable features which demonstrate the individuality of the wood and will not affect the durability or performance of the furniture in any way. As each tree is unique, natural markings vary from tree to tree resulting in some timbers with no markings and others with some.
Handmade English Oak furniture is unique, as such; dimensions, colouring and grain patterns will vary from piece to piece, with no two pieces being exactly the same.
Solid oak furniture is affected by heat and moisture. A hot dry environment will cause oak to shrink, whilst a damp environment will cause it to swell. Knots, cracks, drying shakes and movement are inherent characteristics of natural timber and are not considered a fault in the wood or our workmanship. Your new piece of furniture will benefit greatly by placing it in a position in a room well away from extremes of temperature, such as next to a radiator or exposed to direct sunlight.
Our furniture is made from natural solid timbers available in two grades. First quality and character grade. Character grade is the default grade and our standard prices are based on this grade of oak. Character grade is predominately used due to the interesting grain patterns and attractive knots, if your requirements are for a more contemporary, cleaner and uniform design then please specify first quality grade which attracts a premium of 20% above standard price.
Regular Care
- Remove dust, grease and dirt with a clean damp cloth. Avoid excessive dampening and rubbing, as this may damage the natural wax finish. Detergents, solvent based cleaners and abrasive cleaners should never be used.
- Pay particular attention to hot plates and serving dishes which should never be placed directly on polished surfaces.
- Soak up liquid spillages immediately and allow drying naturally away from direct heat.
- Avoid excessive exposure to direct sunlight and heat, as these may cause fading and / or drying out of the wood, which in turn can result in splits or cracks appearing.
- Avoid allowing sharp items such as toys, pens, and pets to damage the polished surface.
- Avoid the transfer of skin or hair products onto the wax finish as this may cause an irreversible chemical reaction with the finish. Light or discoloured patches may form in high contact areas.
- Avoid using oils, saddle soaps, and spray polishes, which may have an adverse effect on the wood.
- Do not push a piece of traditional oak furniture (especially dark oak wax finish) directly onto a painted or wallpapered wall as the soft wax finish will transfer onto the decorations of the wall. Keep the furniture about 2” away from walls.
- Follow the instructions in the customer care sheet that you received with your new piece of furniture to occasionally re-apply a coat of natural beeswax which will gently feed the oak which helps prevent excessive drying of the cell structure of the wood and also gives some protection to the polished surface.
- Try to avoid leaning back on chairs as this puts unnecessary strain on the joints of the chair and could result in total failure of one or more of the mortice and tenon joints.
- When moving heavy oak tables especially on uneven floor, please avoid dragging the table as this can cause a joint failure at the table rail and top of the table leg due to the huge amount of leverage that can be unwittingly applied. The preferred method is to use two people for small to medium tables and four people for large tables and to lift the table from the underside of the table rails not the table top!
- With normal use and regular (twice a year) polishing your piece of handmade English Oak Furniture will last a lifetime and beyond.