Furniture Care

Solid Wood Dining Tables

Solid Wood is a living material and no two trees are identical which means the structure, texture and colour of each plank of wood can always vary, no two pieces of wood are ever the same. At Grove Home we have carefully sourced our tables from around the world to ensure we are providing our customers with the highest quality and ensuring the colours and grains match. This provides our customers with an overall appearance that is well balanced, while still maintaining and respecting the differences that each piece of solid wood has to offer.

Following our care advice will not only increase the longevity of your table but also ensure it maintains its beautiful unique finish and you receive maximum enjoyment from your purchase. Even the toughest of woods can show signs of neglect over time so it is important to take care and look after the table responsibly to ensure its quality is preserved for many years.

Knots in the Wood

Real solid wood tables all have natural and real knots, depending on the supplier, our customers are provided with the option of having the knots on the top of the table filled, ‘Filled knots’. If you have chosen this option, our manufacturer will fill any open knot holes on the top of the table, this will allow our customers to see the beautiful knots in the wood and remove any open knot hole on the table top.

Having the knots filled in on your table is not compulsory. Some of our customers love the character of having the knots not filled in on the table and it can add a real stunning natural look to your piece. However, it must be noted that every plank of wood is unique and the knots on every table will vary in size, depth and quantity.

Oiling Your Table

Almost half of freshly sawn wood is water, this is why we have sourced tables which have been meticulously kiln-dried to reduce this moisture in your table to the perfect level. Not looking after the moisture levels can often cause warping, swelling, cracking and other changes in the wood. Wood expands and contracts, as long as you follow our advice and keep your solid wood table in a consistent environment without extreme moisture or large temperature shifts, it won’t become a major issue.

Oil treatment enhances the natural differences within the wood and various parts of the table will absorb the oil differently and inevitably dry out at a different pace, resulting in the table having an uneven appearance. Do not be alarmed if this happens, this is entirely natural with solid wooden tops and is evened out upon further oil treatment over time. We recommend that our solid wood tables are oiled upon arrival in your home. This allows the wood to climatize to your home. Some of our suppliers provide complimentary oil, but if not, do not panic. You can purchase a clear oil from any well-established hardware store. If you are unsure please feel free to ask our team or seek advice from the store you purchase the oil from. We always recommend purchasing a clear oil, applying stain oils not provided by the manufacturer can result in discolouring the table.

Oiling the table every 3 months will nourish the timbers and maintain the correct levels of moisture within the timbers. The procedure of applying oil will vary for every table, we recommend you follow the maintenance instructions accompanying the product.

Stain Oils

Some of our suppliers supply a stain oil which are master oils and therefore contain
pigment. Colour pigmented oils should only be used if the table is faded or lacks colour. When using these oils, it is to be expected that the furniture in the darker colours becomes darker and furniture in brighter colours becomes brighter in colour, than when it is purchased.

If you are planning to use a stain oil not supplied by the manufacturer, we recommend seeking professional advice and help. If you are unsure please feel free to give us a call and ask for assistance from our lovely team.

Daily Maintenance

For your day to day cleaning regimes, It is important to be careful when wiping down surfaces, we recommend keeping your cleaning methods simple and easy. Apply a slightly damp cloth followed by dry cloth to ensure the wood does not absorb any moisture. If required, we recommend only using a mild soap solution and drying the table immediately with a dry soft cloth.

It is important to remove all spillages as soon as possible and not to be left to absorb into the wood. Please be particularly mindful of any liquids and grease. A great deal of time and research has gone into creating the best finishes possible on our products and it is important to be aware that using acetone, solvents bleaching agents, silicon born products may cause damage to the final effect.

One of the worst things a customer can experience is to have a finish mark by a carelessly placed cup or glass. We recommend that coasters or mats are always slipped under plates, cups and glasses on all our wooden tables. These can leave marks which are difficult to remove and can also run the risk of the heat seeping into the wood.

Hot and cold glasses can damage all wooden surfaces. If the table is used within a kitchen, please ensure it is kept away from any hot liquids. Special care needs to be taken in kitchens, as hot liquids can cause serious damage.

When pressing on a wooden surface in order to write something, it is important to place something underneath the paper in order to avoid unsightly pen indentations caused by direct localised pressure.

Avoid using sharp objects directly on the wooden table top at all times. Direct sunlight can not only result in fading on the table but it can also lead to the wood
drying out, if left exposed for long periods. If direct sunlight is unavoidable please rotate the table 180 degrees every few months to ensure the exposure is not isolated to one area for a long period.

When moving the table, always ensure it is not dragged along the ground and we always recommend having a second person help move the item. This will not only allow you to safely move the table but also prevent dragging and damaging the structure of the table.

It is important not to expose your table to any extreme heats. Please avoid placing the furniture close to heaters, fire places and even air conditioning units. Big fluctuations in temperature and humidity will cause movement in the wood and result in cracks occurring on the table.

Avoid covering the tables with airtight materials for long periods (e.g. Vinyl cloth). The wood needs to breathe. If deciding to place a glass top on the table, please follow the care guidelines from your glass supplier. It is important to note Grove Home will not be liable for any altercation or modifications to our tables.

Never stand on a dining table or coffee table, this can not only result in foot marks on the table but the table is not made to withstand an adults’ body weight and could result in the table collapsing or damaging the structure of the table.

Extendable Tables

Please ensure your table leaves are stored within close proximity to the table or in the same humidity.

Avoid storing leaves anywhere which may be susceptible to dampness or a different level of humidity, this will cause the leaf to swell.

When oiling your table, don’t forget to oil your leaf as well.

Please do not have the table extended permanently, only use the extension when required and return the table back to its original size. To ensure you receive the maximum longevity of your table and ensuring maximum pleasure, we recommend not purchasing an extendable table and using the extension permanently as an alternative to purchasing a larger table.