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Solid wood care & maintenance

With a little care and maintenance, solid wood furniture can retain its original beauty and durability for a lifetime. However, for this to be possible, we have outlined some of the measures that need to be taken.

Solid wood is a living product. Our furniture is crafted from solid wood that is kiln dried, retaining enough moisture in the wood for the furniture to properly acclimatize to your home. Wood will however, continue to exchange moisture with the air, expanding and contracting in response to changes in relative humidity.

Solid wood’s response to dry air is to lose moisture and shrink a bit. The halves of an extension table may part slightly, or a few tiny openings may appear on a surface. This will correct itself as the relative humidity rises, and the wood absorbs enough moisture to expand again. In extreme conditions the wood may be under enough stress to crack.

Solid wood’s response to high humidity levels is to absorb moisture. This can result in making moving parts non-functional ormay force apart mitred corners. This should correct itself when your relative humidity returns back to a normal percentage.

Below are a few tips to maintain your solid wood furniture

Maintain your environment at a rate of 40% – 50% relative humidity to prevent swelling, shrinking, warping and cracking
Keep your furniture away from direct sunlight or heat sources such as forced air, fire places, and radiators
Clean your furniture with water only, as solvents can damage the finish
Do not place hot objects directly onto the surface of a table

Configurations

CENTRE EXTENSION CONFIGURATION

Centre extension configuration means extra leaves are added to the middle of the table top. Your table can be lengthened and shortened to suit the occasion.

PROS

Easy to extend and retract
Lengthen or shorten your table easily as necessary to accommodate your guests
Extra leaves can be stored inside the table top

CONS

Leaf storage inside table may not accommodate all leaves—some leaves may need to be stored elsewhere

Solid top CONFIGURATION

Solid top configuration means the size of your table top always stays the same.

PROS

Aesthetically pleasing, no table leaf joints—stunning impression left by large, smooth table top area
No need to store extra leaves

CONS

Table cannot be lengthened or shortened to accommodate various group sizes

Solid top CONFIGURATION with end extension option

Solid top configuration with end extension option means your fixed length table can be lengthened if the need arises.

PROS

Adds length to a fixed length table when needed

CONS

End extensions cannot be stored in table—leaves need to be stored in closet area when not in use
End extensions can be unwieldy to handle and store

Features

Leaf Storage Constraints

Depending on the configuration of your table, it may accommodate up to 2 leaves stored beneath the top. This handy feature means you don’t need to worry about storing your leaves in a closet where they could accumulate scratches or dings.

Below are listed the terms of storage.

No storage on single pedestal tables
No storage on tables that are totally round or square when closed
36” width tables store 12” of extensions
42” width tables store 24” of extensions
42” wide stationary base tables with lengths longer than 84” plus two 12” extensions only store 12” of extensions
48” width tables store 24” of extensions

Table Top Grain Direction

Wood Types

White and Brown Soft Maple (SM and BSM)

Features: This is the normal maple species used in the industry. Although termed “soft” maple, this is a hardwood species. For comparison, it has the same hardness as cherry. It is a smooth, modern-looking wood with a tight grain for a clean, defined appearance.
Closed grain
Hardness: 950 (Janka Ball Scale)

White and Brown Hard Maple (HM and BHM)

Features: This denser wood will resist surface denting better compared to less dense woods. It is a smooth, modern-looking wood with a tight grain for a clean, defined appearance.
Closed grain
Hardness: 1450 (Janka Ball Scale)

Wormy Maple (WM)

Features: This is the same wood species as soft maple. Surrounding the beetle holes are darker coloured streaks contrasting with the grayish white sapwood. This exotic look results from the ambrosia beetle boring tunnels through the wood. The kiln-drying process ensures the lumber is free from insects.
Closed grain.
Hardness: 950 (Janka Ball Scale)

Red Oak and Quarter and Rift Sawn Red Oak (O and Q)

Features: The heartwood is a pinkish, reddish-brown while the sapwood is a light brown colour.
Open grain
Hardness: 1290 (Janka Ball Scale)

White Oak (FWO)

Features: White oak is a denser wood with tighter grain compared to red oak. Since white oak has no pink undertone, it is ideal for light and natural-coloured finishes. Our standard white oak is flat cut.
Open grain
Hardness: 1360 (Janka Ball Scale)

Cherry Premium and Cherry Sappy
(C and CS)

Features: The rich reddish tone of cherry wood deepens with age and exposure. Cherry wood naturally contains brown pith marks
Closed grain
Hardness: 950 (Janka Ball Scale)

Brown Maple (BSM) vs. White Maple (SM)

Both wood types are the same species.
Features of SM: The “white” version of this wood is selected for light-coloured wood only, making it ideal for light stains.
Features of BSM: The “brown” version of this wood has the knots removed but the darker heartwood remains. There will be a variegation
between the grayish white sapwood and light to dark reddish-brown heartwood. If the stain colour is dark, this variegation in the wood
colour is barely noticeable.
Brown maple (BSM) is less expensive than white maple (SM) because there is less waste in the raw material.