Treatment for new oak table.

lindos90

Hope you can help..

As the finishing touch to our new kitchen I have ordered a new solid Oak table. The company have stated that it has a 'natural' finish and as such needs immediate treatment to stop it drying out and eventually cracking.

They recommend using a 'natural furniture wax' and to retreat every three months, they are not forthcoming with any more detail than that.

Ive googled 'natural furniture wax' and have got myself into a right muddle, paint on, spray on, wipe in, hard wax, creamed waxes, polishes...not sure which I need to do the best job.

Can anyone recommend from personal experience, what I need to buy for oak? Should I be looking at pure beeswax? A 'creamed' wax with beeswax and other oils? Is there an ingredient that I should make sure I avoid? (thats my worsed fear incase I damage/stain the table!!)

Hope someone can advise!:)

Kiran

When we had our oak dining table delivered there was a slip of paper recommending that it be treated with danish oil. Screwfix sell natural danish oil for a few quid. I'm happy with the results

themacster

I would say Danish oil is probably the best bet for oak

clivejohnson

firstly, oak is always prone to splits/shakes, As a furniture maker, I would use beeswaz if is is bare wood, but assuming that you will have hot items on top (i.e casserole dishes etc it really should have bee spray finished with laquer.

Another reason the bare wood should be sealed in some way is that oak as a bare timber produces tanic acid, with although perfectly harmless, will make the tips of your fingers go black due to sweat. also condensation from soup terrines, casserole dishes etc can cause this black marking on the table itself!


My opinion. ask your retailer if he knows a furniture sprayer in your area.

Norman_Castle

The company have stated that it has a 'natural' finish

Does that mean "unfinished"?

I use liberon finishing oil on new oak. Very water resistant and undamaged by heat. Waxes are not generally water or heat resistant.

lindos90

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Does that mean "unfinished"?

I use liberon finishing oil on new oak. Very water resistant and undamaged by heat. Waxes are not generally water or heat resistant.

Wow, thanks for all the replies!! Danish oil sounds quite good, soaks intot he wood, water resistant finish, just what I need with three kids and red wine on a weekend!

Norman, I seem to be getting very little specific information from the company really. From the feel of the wood it seems to have had something on it, perhaps a wipe over with oil or wax, but the website says customers need to 'treat' it as soon as it arrives, so whatever they have put on it, its not much!

Their email confirmtion on delivery says this...

We believe that you will enjoy our furniture for many years to come. As with any natural hardwood product, we recommend customers immediately treat their items with furniture wax and again every 3 months to protect against varying atmospheric conditions. Detailed guidelines are available on the website.

Their website says this....

Our solid oak furniture will require treating approx every 3 months with natural Furniture Wax, this is inexpensive and available from any DIY retailer, please treat your furniture immediately on delivery as your item may have been in shipping for some time and modern home heating will accelerate the drying process. Failure to treat oak items as instructed will result in drying and cracking.

..Ive been to B&Q, theres oils, waxes, polishes etc, dont know which is right, googled too, still none the wiser.

I think their term 'natural Furniture wax' is just too vague as it could mean many different things. Then again it may be that there are several things that could do the job equally well and im getting my knickers in a twist over nothing!

Im just scared of putting something all over my new table (especially if it soaks in) and find ive ruined it!

Norman_Castle

You need to find out exactly what finish, if any, is on the table. If it is supplied waxed you cannot put oil on top of wax.

lindos90

Norman_Castle wrote: »

You need to find out exactly what finish, if any, is on the table. If it is supplied waxed you cannot put oil on top of wax.

Im going to try and get a contact number and call and ask directly to make sure. Ive tried the company via their website, and they are still not giving any more details really.

If it is waxed then, would I ruin the wood by applying oil, or would it just not beable to soak in due to the wax?

George_Bray

lindos90 wrote: »

If it is waxed then, would I ruin the wood by applying oil, or would it just not beable to soak in due to the wax?

I suggest you should proceed with extreme caution before using ANYTHING on your new table. Any coating - wax, oil, cream or whatever - is likely to alter the aesthetic appearance of the wood. You may or may not like it. Try tests on out-of-sight sections first, perhaps.

I made a small piece of furniture from raw oak which I bought from a wood yard about 6 years ago. I cut and sanded the wood, so I know it's natural. I love the appearance and I doubt if I'd like it as much if I applied any solution to it, whatsoever. I've seen other oak furniture which has definitely been treated with something and I don't like it as much as plain untreated oak.

Norman_Castle

As the company mention shipping they appear to be importers and not manufacturers and as such may not know what it is treated with. If you wet the wood by licking your finger does the water stay on the surface or soak into the wood darkening it?

If it is waxed then, would I ruin the wood by applying oil, or would it just not beable to soak in due to the wax?

If it is waxed the oil may just fail to soak in or it may soften the wax and become a sticky, patchy mess. Agree with above about testing on out of sight areas but remember out of sight areas may not be treated.

lindos90

Im reassured that I was perhaps correct to want more details from the company before slapping on 'natural furniture wax' then!

Yes they are an importer, so perhaps thats why its difficult to get any details from them.

Ive put a drop of water on the table, and wiped it around, it does notappear to soak in, or make the wood darker.

Logically then, it perhaps has been oiled, and the customer just needs to 'wax' every so often, but im still not sure which product to look for. Failing any response from the company, I will perhaps get a beeswax cream (which has linseed in it as well) and do a test patch.

I do like the look of the wood as it is so dont want to paint a varnish all over it, but do want to make sure it has a really good waterproof (and therefore hopefully strain resistant) finish.