Oak Furniture Care

Actually your oak furniture, purchased from us, requires very little in the way of after care, but a few common sense precautions are worth mentioning:

a) Avoid placing hot items on the surfaces. Although they have been sealed and should withstand items that are not too hot, we would advise using mats or coasters.
b) Protect surfaces from dragging anything across that's likely to scratch the surface.
c) Avoid placing the furniture in areas of high humidity, or overly dry and/or hot or cold atmospheres. Anything other than normal domestic room conditions may cause the wood to move more than is reasonably expected.
d) Avoid direct sunlight if at all possible. Prolonged exposure will fade the colour of virtually anything, including furniture, which is why many National Trust house interiors are kept relatively dark. If possible rotate items regularly to even out the effects of direct sunlight.
e) Mop up any spillages straight away.
f) Don't use household cleaning products, solvents or cleaners that are intended for anything other than hardwood furniture as they could damage the surface.
g) If the furniture is to stand on wooden floors, we recommend applying self adhesive felt pads to the underside, particularly on chairs. These are often a good idea on any hard surface as slight undulations in the flooring surface will be absorbed by the felt pads and reduce the likelihood of rocking, which can weaken joints.

Basically, all that's required for maintenance is dusting with a soft cloth. The surfaces will benefit from a moderate buffing, or rubbing up, and this will help to form a hard skin and build up a good surface colour and patina. Although it's not absolutely necessary, you can wax polish your furniture periodically. Use a good quality furniture polish that contains a mix of beeswax and carnauba wax (the latter is harder and provides a more durable finish). Use a neutral colour for our lighter finishes and an antique wax for our darker finishes. Remember that antique waxes on chairs, benches etc. can rub off onto clothing. Avoid over waxing as you will be forever trying to buff out finger marks etc. Once or twice a year is fine. Also avoid using spray polishes containing silicones as these can damage 'antique' surfaces. Also, if at all possible, avoid over cleaning the surfaces as this can remove any aged patina build up.

For antique type finishes, if you should inadvertently chip the surface, revealing the light coloured oak beneath, a good trick is to ink the chip in with a black felt tip pen, or permanent marker, and immediately smudge it with a rag. You can also use this method on scratches or where solid panels have shrunk back slightly. There are dedicated pens you can purchase, specifically for this purpose, and these may be a better idea for lighter colours, but we've found ordinary felt tip pens work fine for darker colours or lighter 'antiqued' colours, i.e. where there's darker shading . Large areas of damage are best left to an experienced furniture/antique restorer to deal with.

I hope you found this article useful. If you did and you're connected to Facebook, click our 'Like' button below and stay connected for regular updates and additions, along with hundred's of our fellow quality oak furniture enthusiasts! Regards, Nick B.