Care guide
Looking after it.
Solid wood is not a fragile material, but it is a living one. Here is the short version of what we tell every customer at delivery.
Do
- Dust with a soft, dry cloth
- Wipe spills at once, then dry the surface
- Use mats under hot things, coasters under wet ones
- Re-oil about twice a year
- Rotate pieces that sit in strong sun
Don't
- All-purpose sprays, bleach or ammonia
- Silicone furniture polish
- Leaving standing water on a surface
- Abrasive pads on resin tops
- Hot pans directly on epoxy
Feeding an oiled finish
Most of our pieces are oil- or wax-finished rather than lacquered, which is why they feel like wood instead of plastic. Apply a thin coat of furniture oil with a lint-free cloth along the grain, leave it twenty minutes, then buff off everything that has not soaked in. Leaving excess oil on the surface is the usual cause of a sticky finish.
About that crack
Fine checking along the end grain of a solid slab is normal and structural, the timber releasing tension as humidity changes through the year. It often closes again in a wetter month, and it will not spread through the piece. If a crack ever opens wide enough to catch a fingernail, send us a photograph and we will advise.
Epoxy and resin surfaces
Resin is harder than the wood around it but scratches more visibly. Clean it the same way, avoid abrasive pads entirely, and never put a hot pan directly on it, resin softens well below the temperature timber tolerates.
Outdoor pieces
Bar counters, stools and tub sofas living outdoors need re-oiling three or four times a year rather than twice. Bring cushions in during heavy rain, and keep pieces off permanently wet ground.
Something not looking right?
Send us a photograph in daylight. We will tell you honestly whether it is normal for the material or something we should come and look at.