Caring for Oak Furniture
Oak furniture can add your home an unique sense of luxury and warmth. Oak is one of the most highly valued types of wood for its exceptional beauty, extreme durability and extraordinary strength. Even unfinished oak furniture is just as majestic as oak tree itself and can be passed on to many generations to come. But under one condition – that you take care for your oak furniture well.
Caring for oak furniture depends on several factors and the first one is whether you keep it inside or outside your home. The interior oak furniture should be conditioned either with oil or wax in order to protect it from infestations and stains as well as from cracking. Both oiling and waxing need to be repeated every couple of months during the first years and later less frequently (twice a year). Apply the wax (the best is beeswax) in the direction of the grains and remove it when dried. Also, make sure that you keep your oak furniture clean but avoid harsh chemical cleansers. Oak is a natural material and should be treated as such. Use all natural, oil-based cleansers only or wipe the dust with a soft cloth dampened in linseed oil.
Please remember that oak furniture should be never wiped with cloth dampened in water. Untreated oak furniture, on the other hand, does not require anything but cleaning with a damp cloth dampened in oil. Also, keep your oak furniture out of direct sunlight because the sun can dry it out excessively causing it to crack and lose colour. Just as important is to keep oak furniture away from radiators and other heating devices.
Outdoor oak furniture such as garden oak furniture requires different care than the interior furniture. Untreated oak furniture does not require anything but regular conditioning. Please keep in mind that it is not recommendable to use linseed oil for outdoor oak furniture because it can lead to mildew if not dried completely. Use lemon oil instead. Since outdoor furniture is exposed to all sorts of weather conditions ranging from sun, rain, wind, snow, cold and heat you may want to protect it and extend its lifespan. In this case, you should waterproof it by staining it with an oil-based stain. Also, check it regularly to make sure that it has not become home to insects.
Stains and scratches are the biggest nightmare of every oak furniture owner but both can be easily repaired on your own in most cases. To remove stains, apply some butter to the stain, leave it overnight and remove with a clean cloth in the morning. This method is effective for many kinds of stains including those caused by spills and even heat. If you have scratched your oak furniture you can sand it down but if the damage is severe or if you have scratched a valuable piece of furniture you should perhaps leave over the repair to an expert. Another way to “remove” a scratch may sound weird but it works. Soak the scratch with few drops of water, allow it to get moist, cover with a cloth and iron it with a warm iron.