All off the oak that we use to manufacture the tables and chairs that we offer is hand selected and scrutinised to ensure only the best cuts are used to make the furniture that we sell.  To bring out the true beauty of natural oak we finish most of our furniture in a light coating of Becker Acroma oil as we believe this gives a better finish and appearance with the premium European oak that we use for many of our designs.  Over time as the oil dries out from the oak the colour may lighten slightly at which point you can apply a new coat of oil to help protect the wood.  The more oil that is added to the oak the darker that the finish may become so you can vary the timescales between re oiling to make the table slightly darker or lighter if you wish.  If in doubt, ask us for advice as we are happy to help and make suggestions.  New Tallinn Furniture Care Guide available to download. Care instruction for European solid oak Minsk table and Baltic furniture ranges from Lithuania.

We have recently introduced some new dining tables designs called the Lichfield, Caravella and Riga dining tables and we recommend that Danish oil is applied to these tables instead of the vegetable based Becker Acroma oil but the factory oil finish on these tables is much more long lasting and more resistant to liquid spills than tables that are treated with Becker oil so they should required much less ongoing maintenance.  If customers want to give these extra protection for heavy use where liquid spills may be a problem we recommend that 3 thin coats of Danish are applied at 24 hour intervals.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Apply a new coating of oil to furniture 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, Teak 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 times for a good resistant finish.

4. 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 oil more regularly.

5. Download our furniture care instructions supplied by Becker Acroma who are one of Europe's biggest furniture oil manufacturers.  Becker oils are applied to all of our oiled oak tables during manufacture and we can now offer 0.5 litre bottles for £8.99 which can be added to the shopping cart at check out.

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

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

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.