MATERIALS / TIMBER
LIVING WITH TIMBER.
The most forgiving material we sell, as long as you let it move.
MATERIALS / TIMBER
THE SHORT VERSION
Solid timber suits almost every household, including kids, pets and coastal homes. It will change colour with light and move slightly with humidity. That's normal, not a fault. Sealed timber needs almost no care. Oiled timber needs a re-oil every year or two. Choose sealed for a busy house, oiled for a piece you want to age.
What it is
WHAT IS OUR TIMBER FURNITURE MADE OF?
Mostly solid oak and ash, with teak, acacia, mango and some walnut. Solid means the top is timber all the way through. A few pieces use a timber veneer over an engineered core, which is how you get a wide, perfectly flat surface that won't cup, and a few are two-pack painted.
The finish matters more than the species. Most indoor pieces arrive sealed with a clear water-based or polyurethane coat in a matt or satin sheen. Some, including most oiled oak, are finished with a hardwax oil that sits in the grain rather than on top. The finish for each piece is listed in its specifications. If it isn't, ask before you order.
The honest bit
WHAT WILL HAPPEN ANYWAY
It will change colour.
Oak mellows and deepens. Teak goes honey indoors and silver outdoors. A lamp left in one spot for a year leaves a paler shadow underneath. Move things.
It will move.
Solid timber takes on moisture in a humid Queensland summer and lets it go under air-con. A hairline gap at a joint in July that closes by January is the timber breathing.
The grain will vary.
Two chairs from one batch won't match. That's the reason to buy solid timber.
It will mark.
A hot pan, a sweating glass, a dragged ceramic. Sealer protects against most of it, not all. Oiled timber marks more easily and repairs more easily.
Where it belongs
WHO TIMBER SUITS, AND WHO IT DOESN'T
Suits
Kids.
Sealed timber is the easiest dining table you can own. Wipe it. Done.
Pets.
Claws leave surface marks on oiled timber; sealed timber shrugs them off.
Coastal.
Fine indoors. Salt air doesn't trouble sealed timber. Watch the sliders: afternoon sun through glass fades timber faster than anything.
Entertainers.
Coasters and a trivet and you're set.
Doesn't suit
Renting it out, oiled finish.
Tenants don't re-oil. An oiled table in a holiday let will be ring-marked in a season.
Instead: the same silhouette in a sealed finish. Dining →
Full western sun through a glass wall.
It bleaches unevenly.
Instead: sheers solve this more elegantly than moving the table. Curtains & Blinds →
Air-con blasting straight at it.
Constant dry air pulls moisture out faster than timber can cope with, and it's the one thing that causes cracks. Angle the vent, or choose veneer for that room. Living →
MATERIALS / TIMBER
HOW TO CLEAN TIMBER FURNITURE
The routine for all timber. Dust weekly with a soft dry or barely damp cloth, along the grain, and dry after. Blot spills straight away. Trivets under anything hot, coasters as a habit. No silicone sprays, no ammonia or alcohol cleaners, no scourers, no spray-can polish. Test anything new on the underside. Keep it out of direct afternoon sun and away from direct air-con or heater airflow.
Then the specifics, by timber and finish.
Sealed oak and ash
- What it is.
- Solid oak or ash with a clear water-based or polyurethane sealer, matt or satin. The sealer is what you touch; the timber is underneath.
- What happens.
- It deepens in tone over the first year and shows a pale shadow under anything left in one place. Hairline seasonal movement at joints.
- Clean.
- Damp cloth, dry after. That's it. If it looks tired, warm water with a drop of dishwashing liquid, then dry.
- Don't.
- Don't use spray polishes; they build a film that dulls the sheen. Don't let a sweating glass sit.
- Normal vs not.
- Colour change, seasonal gaps and grain variation are normal. A crack that keeps opening or a joint loose to the touch is not: send us a photo.
Oiled oak
- What it is.
- Solid oak finished with a pigmented hardwax oil that soaks into the grain instead of coating it. Feels like raw timber. Spills have longer to get in.
- What happens.
- Marks more readily than sealed oak, especially rings from wet glasses, and dries out faster near air-con. Every mark is repairable.
- Clean.
- Damp cloth, dry after. Every one to two years: wipe down, let it dry fully, then a thin coat of the same hardwax oil the maker used, wiped on and buffed off. Ask us which oil if you're not sure. A light scratch or ring can be sanded locally with very fine paper and re-oiled.
- Don't.
- Don't use detergent or silicone polish; they interfere with the oil. Don't put it in a holiday let.
- Normal vs not.
- Marks, patina and a slightly matt feel over time are normal. A finish that's sticky or peeling is not: send us a photo.
Teak, indoors
- What it is.
- A dense tropical hardwood with natural oils that resist moisture. The organic, relaxed end of our timber range.
- What happens.
- It goes honey-gold with light and age. Indoors it stays that colour. Grain and colour vary widely piece to piece; that's teak.
- Clean.
- Damp cloth, dry after. Sealed teak needs nothing else. Oiled or raw teak can take a teak oil once a year if you want to keep the honey tone; skip it if you prefer it to soften.
- Don't.
- Don't over-oil; it goes sticky and attracts dust. Don't put it in full sun through glass.
- Normal vs not.
- Colour deepening and variation are normal. Splitting along the grain is not: send us a photo.
Teak, outdoors
- What it is.
- The same timber, left to the weather. The one timber we're happy to put on a deck by the sea.
- What happens.
- It silvers to a soft grey within a year in the sun. That's the natural finish and most people grow to prefer it. Left oiled, it stays honey but needs re-oiling every season.
- Clean.
- Hose down and scrub with a soft brush and mild soapy water once or twice a year. Let it dry fully. For the grey look, do nothing else. For the honey look, teak oil or a teak protector after cleaning, yearly.
- Don't.
- Don't pressure-wash; it raises the grain. Don't use bleach. Don't cover it with a non-breathable cover in humid weather; mould grows underneath.
- Normal vs not.
- Silvering, small surface checks and a rough texture after weathering are normal. Deep splits or joints opening are not: send us a photo.
Acacia and mango
- What it is.
- Fast-growing hardwoods with bold, varied grain, usually sealed. Found in our more relaxed and organic pieces.
- What happens.
- More colour variation than oak, sometimes dramatic within one top. More movement in humidity than oak, so gaps come and go with the seasons.
- Clean.
- Damp cloth, dry after. Sealed pieces need nothing else. Keep it out of the air-con draught more carefully than oak.
- Don't.
- Don't leave it in a closed-up humid room or a bone-dry one; it moves at both extremes.
- Normal vs not.
- Variation and seasonal movement are normal. A top that's cupped or a crack that runs through is not: send us a photo.
Mindi
- What it is.
- A pale, straight-grained plantation hardwood, usually sealed or stained. Stable and understated.
- What happens.
- Very little. It's one of the calmest timbers we sell. Mild colour deepening over years.
- Clean.
- Damp cloth, dry after.
- Don't.
- Don't use abrasive pads; the sealer scratches.
- Normal vs not.
- Gentle colour change is normal. Peeling or clouding of the finish is not: send us a photo.
Walnut
- What it is.
- A dark, fine-grained hardwood, usually sealed. The formal end of our timber range.
- What happens.
- Walnut lightens with sun, the opposite of oak. A rug or runner will leave a darker patch underneath. Scratches show more because the finish is dark.
- Clean.
- Damp cloth, dry after. Keep it out of direct sun more carefully than any other timber.
- Don't.
- Don't drag objects across it; the marks are visible on a dark surface.
- Normal vs not.
- Lightening in a bright room is normal. A finish that's crazed or cloudy is not: send us a photo.
Timber veneer
- What it is.
- A thin leaf of real timber bonded to an engineered core, then sealed. It gives a wide, dead-flat surface that solid timber can't, and it barely moves with humidity. Used on many sideboards and desks.
- What happens.
- The veneer surface behaves like the timber it's cut from: it changes colour with light. The core doesn't move, so no seasonal gaps.
- Clean.
- Damp cloth, dry after. Same rules as sealed timber.
- Don't.
- Don't sand it; the veneer is thin and you'll go through. Don't let water sit at an edge; it can lift the leaf.
- Normal vs not.
- Colour change is normal. A bubble, a lifted edge or a soft spot is not: send us a photo.
Two-pack painted timber
- What it is.
- A sprayed, catalysed paint finish over timber or an engineered panel. Smooth, even colour, formal.
- What happens.
- It chips at edges if knocked, and the chip shows the substrate underneath. Some yellowing of white finishes over years in sun.
- Clean.
- Soft damp cloth, dry after. Warm soapy water for marks.
- Don't.
- Don't use alcohol, ammonia or abrasive cleaners; they cloud the surface. Don't use polish. Don't knock it with the vacuum.
- Normal vs not.
- Slight sheen change over time is normal. Chipping from impact isn't covered by the maker's warranty; peeling or crazing without impact is not normal, so send us a photo.
MATERIALS / TIMBER
IS THIS NORMAL?
- Colour deepened over the first year: normal.
- A small gap at a joint that comes and goes with the season: normal.
- Grain and tone differ across a set: normal.
- Pale patch where a bowl sat for months: normal, and it evens out once the bowl moves.
- A crack that keeps opening, a cupped top, or a joint loose to the touch: not normal. Send us a photo. Warranty →
Questions Worth Asking
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Oak or teak for a humid climate?
Both cope indoors. Teak's natural oils make it the better choice outdoors and in bathrooms. Indoors, sealed oak is lower maintenance and what we'd put in a family dining room.
Will my timber table crack?
Rarely, and almost always from one cause: being dried out fast by a heater or air-conditioner blowing straight at it. Move the airflow.
Sealed or oiled?
Sealed if you want to forget about it. Oiled if you like the feel of raw timber, don't mind an hour every year or two, and want a piece that shows its life.
Can I put a solid timber table under a hot pendant?
Yes. Radiant heat from a light is far less than a hot pan. Sun through glass does more damage than any fitting.
CHOOSING BETWEEN OAK AND TEAK?
Fifteen minutes on the phone and we'll match the timber to the room, the light and the way you live. Complimentary, no pressure.
BOOK A CONSULTATION