THE OAK EXPERT How do I look after oiled oak furniture? How often do I need to oil it? What's the difference between lacquered furniture and oiled furniture? What if I spill something on my furniture like red wine? What effect will the sun have on my furniture? Do I have to build the furniture on delivery? Does your oak furniture come from sustainable sources? Is your oak furniture imported from China? What is the ordering time? Any questions? How do I look after oiled oak oak furniture? Oiled oak furniture has a lovely matt organic quality, but it does need maintaining. During the summer, and in the winter with central heating, the furniture will tend to dry out and the oils in the furniture will evaporate. To maintain the furniture you need to oil it with boiled linseed oil or Danish Oil (not teak oil..it's too heavy) from time to time. We find the quickest and easiest way to apply it is with a sponge.   Top How often do I need to oil it? It depends where your furniture is. Furniture in a very hot south-facing room will require oiling more often than furniture in a cooler north-facing room. You can tell when it needs doing as it feels dry and grainy. In general you will probably need to do it 2 or 3 times a year but you really can tell when it needs doing...it's a bit like when your skin is very dry and you just know it needs moisturising!! The first oiling is applied at the factory but as it is the first time, we often find this is quickly absorbed. We therefore normally recommend once a month for the first three months and as and when necessary thereafter.   Top What's the difference between lacquered furniture and oiled furniture? Our Solid Oak 1 range offers the choice of either a lacquered or oiled finish. The lacquered finish is a sealed finish which just requires a wipe with a damp cloth and a buff with a dry one. It offers a level of heat and water resistance to the furniture and for this reason is a popular choice. The lacquered finish does have more of a sheen to it than the very matt oiled finish but it isn't a full gloss finish. Top What if I spill something on my furniture like red wine? If you spill something on your furniture, mop it up straight away and don't leave a damp table cloth on your table for any length of time! Lacquered: The lacquered furniture will obviously not allow wine to penetrate unless left on. Wipe, straight away, with a damp cloth and buff with a dry one. Oiled: The oil in your furniture should repel liquids like red wine but should you have a mark, you can wipe the furniture with a cloth dipped in soapy water, rinse with a clean one, and buff off with a dry cloth. Leave to dry and re-oil. Stubborn marks can be worked at using 0000grade wire wool and oil in the direction of the grain. Top What effect will the sun have on my furniture? We all know how powerful the sun is. If you imagine how it burns your skin in very little time you can appreciate that it probably isn't very good for your furniture. It can dry out the furniture and alter the colour. For the sake of all your furniture and home furnishings we would recommend pulling curtains or closing blinds when possible to avoid the damaging effects of the sun. Top Do I have to build the furniture on delivery? The dining tables are delivered with the legs off to make delivering easier. Locally, our delivery guys will put the legs on for you. Some national deliveries may require this to be done by the customer, but mostly we try to organise that this is done on delivery. Otherwise all pieces are complete except where dressers and similar items are in two parts. Top Does your oak furniture come from sustainable sources? Yes. All our oak furniture is made from European oak. All timber in Europe is properly managed and certified. Top Is your oak furniture imported from China? No. We don't sell any furniture imported from China. All our furniture is purchased in Europe and our Solid Oak 1 range is manufactured in the UK. Top What is the ordering time? Oak 1    4 - 5 weeks Oak 2    8 - 10 weeks Oak 3    8 - 10 weeks Oak 4    4 - 6 weeks Top Any questions? If you have a question not answered here, please e-mail it to enquiries@interior-trading.co.uk. We will get back to you as quickly as possible. Top