How to Care For Beautiful Oak

Oak furniture has long been the preferred choice for many home owners, whether it’s dining tables, wardrobes or drawer units. It’s as popular today as ever, but when buying new oak furniture it is important to know what you are buying.

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Care

Once your new furniture has been delivered, it will need to acclimatise to its new environment, and it is a good idea to treat it with oil or polish it with a beeswax polish in order to keep it looking at its best. Try getting into the habit of doing this regularly to ensure the longevity of your furniture. Although it’s time-consuming, it is really worthwhile and can prevent cracking. Once you’ve done it a couple of times, you will get the hang of it, which will speed up the process.

Before you wax your furniture for the first time, wax a small area which is out of sight such as the underneath of a table just to check you are happy with the colour and finish. When applying the wax, always move in the same direction as the grain and then leave on for five minutes before removing the wax by buffing.

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Cleaning

Standard household cleaner can damage the finish of your furniture over time, so instead just simply use a clean damp cloth with water. For more serious spills or stains, you may need to invest in a professional wooden furniture restorer, who should be able to use special techniques to remove any marks.

Oak furniture will naturally darken with age, which is often the thing people love about it most. An oak porch from companies such as http://www.bespoaktimberframes.co.uk/portfolio_page/oak-porch/ will look great.

We love this time of year, and this recent article published by The Huffington Post will make you want to embrace autumn, but the weather and where you position your furniture can also affect its appearance. Wooden furniture which is in direct sunlight for most of the day will fade, and placing it next to a radiator will dry it out, so always leave a gap between the wall and the back of your furniture to allow for air flow.

If you love wood so much you have wooden floors as well, it is worth placing protective felt under the furniture to prevent dents in the floor.