How do I look after my new oak or painted furniture?

Avoid direct exposure to sunlight for long periods of time. This may lighten the oak over time and accelerate the evaporation of the protective oils that have soaked into the oak. If your dining room is in direct sunlight near a sunny window you might want to consider covering the table top during the hotter summer months with a table runner or table cloth when the table is not in use or make sure that the table is re oiled if it starts to dry out too much.

Try not to have to have the central heating on too high in the dining room when not in use as this will dry the protective oils out quicker meaning you may have to re apply your oak furniture oil more regularly.

Download our furniture care instructions supplied by Becker Acroma who are one of Europe's biggest furniture oil manufacturers. Becker oils are applied to many of our European made oiled oak tables during manufacture and we can now offer 0.5 litre bottles which can be added to the shopping cart at check out.

Don't stand on dining chairs or allow people to rock backwards on the back legs as it may damage them.

Never drag a table along a floor as this may cause damage to the table joints and could also damage your flooring. Consider purchasing some protective pads to put on the underside of the table legs.

Use mats on tables for cups and plates so that there is not direct contact with hot or damp items with the oak surface.

Never wipe oiled oak furniture with a wet or damp cloth as this may remove the protective oils from the table and it may leave a mark on the surface of the oak. If you get a spillage soak it up with a dry cloth immediately and the gently dab the area with a damp cloth to try and remove as much liquid as possible very quickly and then dry off properly with a dry cloth again. A light dusting should be enough for general cleaning.

If you do get a mark on an oiled oak table top then you maybe be able to fix this with a light rub down with ultra fine (400 grade) wet and dry sand paper that's lubricated with some boiled linseed or Becker Acroma oil. Always try this on the underside of the table first or on the inside edge of a table leg to check that you are happy with the result before you try it on the table top.

Apply a new coating of the relevant oak furniture oil when the oil appears to be drying up on the surface. This is likely to be once or twice a year to keep tables in tip top condition. We recommend that you use Becker Acroma oil which we can supply but its often much easier to get some Linseed oil, Tung oil or Danish oil which can be purchased from us via the links below or from good DIY stores. Danish oil dries to a harder more resistant finish on the table top compared to the other oils making it more resistant to scratching or minor spillages. The best way to apply Becker Acroma, Linseed, Teak or Tung oil to a dining table is with the soft side of a kitchen cleaning sponge by applying a good coating all over the table and allowing it to soak in for 15-30 minutes and to then wipe off all the excess oil with some soft absorbent paper kitchen towels so that a nice even finish is achieved. Care needs to be taken with chairs as the oil can stain fabrics. Danish oil is best applied with a large paint brush or the soft side of a kitchen sponge and the drying time for this oil is much quicker so its important to try and coat the table top as quickly as possible with a nice thin even covering and repeat 3-4 times for a good resistant finish allowing at least 12 hours between coats and ideally a few days to harden off properly after the final coat.

Enjoy your furniture! That's the reason you bought it so with a little common sense and minimal maintenance it should last you a lifetime.