Materials and Finishes

French Oak

As bespoke furniture makers, we have made a deliberate choice to use locally sourced French oak in all of our solid wood furniture. The reclaimed oak we use comes from French oak beams that have been salvaged from old agricultural buildings that have outgrown their present use. When in supply, we love to save these old hunks of oak and turn them into something beautiful and useful again.

As a beautiful alternative to our sometimes intermittent supply of reclaimed oak we have also have locally sourced character grade new oak available to us. We endeavour to select pieces for our furniture that contains as much of the character that you would expect from reclaimed oak. All our new oak originates from sustainable French forests

The use of these materials, combined with traditional construction techniques, means that our furniture is built to last and will be enjoyed by generations to come.

The natural characteristics of character grade and reclaimed oak (grain patterns, knots, variations in colouring etc.) are not considered to be faults – they are part of the unpredictable beauty of nature!

Lacquer

This is the finish we most commonly recommend for our oak dining tables and benches and for furniture that will see a lot of use. Its' distinct advantage over any other finish is that it only needs applying once and offers complete protection against spills and stains. The lacquer that we use is clear and comes in a choice of either a matt or satin finish. The matt finish will produce a barely noticeable soft sheen. The satin finish will produce a mid-sheen, much like the appearance of wax - in fact you can hardly tell the difference. Either choice will bring out the beautiful grain patterns inherent in the French oak that we use. Please note that our choice of lacquer does not produce a 'high shine' - a common misconception - and the last thing we would want for our furniture.


Wax

Wax is most commonly applied to occasional furniture. This finish produces a mid-sheen and will beautifully enhance not only the grain pattern, but the richness in colour of the reclaimed oak too. Wax will not, however, completely protect your furniture from spills and stains or marks from hot cups and plates. Wax is therefore the natural choice for occasional furniture like console tables and sideboards, but not for furniture that sees daily use.

Oil

Oil produces a very natural finish with a low shine and brings a real depth to the grain pattern and colour of the timber. Again, oil does not offer full protection and will need reapplication from time to time.

Untreated

Untreated wood is exactly that. Leaving your furniture unfinished will obviously give no protection at all for your furniture and no matter how careful you are, the wood will, over time, show all the life that it has seen. For dining tables particulaly, this will mean alot of scrubbing or sanding to keep it looking clean. However, this is a deliberate choice for some people who prefer their table to look, in the words of one of our customers, 'like the one Grandma used to have'.

Having said all this, the end look of your furniture is a very personal choice and every customer has very different tastes. We are here to advise and are happy to finish your furniture with whatever choice you make.

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