The appeal of timber lies in its inherent warm textures and natural variety of grain pattern and colour. No two trees are the same so variation in knots, grain, pattern and colour is expected with a product of this nature and a valued characteristic of the appearance of wooden products.
Fresh new timber surfaces will weather over time as they are exposed to light and the natural environment. Maturing timber typically darkens but exposure to sunlight can also lighten the surface. Items left for a period of time in one place will mask the timber, which will then show as a lighter/darker area. If this is a problem, items should be moved regularly from place to place to stop the shading from occurring, until the surfaces are evenly weathered.
Timber is a natural material that responds throughout its life to changes in humidity and moisture in its environment. It absorbs or gives up its own moisture until it is in equilibrium with its surroundings. When timber moisture content increases, the wood expands; when it
dries, the timber shrinks (a worktop will become a little wider and narrower respectively). This change, called ‘movement’, occurs across the grain only and is a normal characteristic of all timber.
Our timber has been carefully selected with a moisture level suitable for domestic interior use. It is very important to avoid sudden large changes in environmental humidity and moisture since these put great stress on the mass of timber in the top; the wood needs time to adjust to change. When the room heating is switched on seasonally, it should be turned up to temperature gradually, over a period of days. This will allow the timber worktops to acclimatise properly.
We recommend that timber worktops are stored correctly pre-installation, and guidelines are followed during and
post installation to control the effects caused by temperature and humidity.
‘Bare’ timber worksurfaces require adequate surface treatment prior to installation. Although there are a number of ways to treat wooden surfaces, for domestic internal use, we would always recommend using a good quality Danish Oil in a natural finish. These have generally been formulated to ensure they are food safe and easy to apply, creating a durable water-resistant barrier protecting the surface once applied. They provide a low-lustre natural finish, enhancing the colour and grain pattern and are normally easier to maintain long and short term.
To prevent any short or long-term issues, wood worksurfaces need to be installed in the correct manner to accommodate any expansion and contraction within the timber. With this in mind, we recommend they are fitted only by a competent installer of this product type. Our home measuring and installation service includes two visits to your house. On the first visit, our surveyor will discuss with you the specific requirements, curved ends, edging profiles, material etc. and will create a template as a model with exact dimensions of the worktop
which would be installed. On the second visit, our experienced fitters will install your new worktop pre-fabricated in our workshop and apply finishing coat of oil. Contact your sales representative to find out more.
Ongoing care and oiling of the timber brings out and enhances its appearance as well as protecting the wood surfaces from wear and tear. Special care should be taken during the early stages of use to ensure that the surfaces have sufficient oil protection. If treated correctly, any splashes of water will form into defined droplets on the surface. Over time, the finish will become worn, the surface will become dull and the sheen will diminish. Splashes of water will spread out and wet the surface rather than form into droplets. This is generally a sign that the surface needs to be re-oiled but oiling at regular intervals would prevent them from getting to this stage. The timespan between re-oiling is dependent on the degree of use and wear they receive and highly worked areas will require oiling sooner than areas with less usage. Dependent on the environment they have been installed, some species of timber will require oiling weekly or monthly, gradually increasing to longer periods over time. As a minimum, we would recommend that the entire surface is re oiled at least every 3-6 months dependent on use.
(please contact us for more information regarding our range of maintenance packages, Kits & Oils)
To protect your new surface from general ‘day to day’ wear and tear, please follow these simple guidelines.
The best time to re-oil a timber surface is at the end of the day when freshly oiled surfaces can be left for a
longer period of time without disturbance. Oil should be applied to clean and dry worksurfaces following the
relevant oil manufacturers guidelines. Although the general application of oil is similar across most brands,
application methods and drying times may vary.
One of the benefits of using timber as a worksurface is that cuts, scrapes chips and stains can generally be repaired. The minor ones will become blended in under successive coats of oil during normal maintenance. More serious blemishes can usually be smoothed out and or filled and re-finished. If the surface has been severely damaged, we recommend contacting a competent Joiner or Cabinetmaker to discuss options for your specific repair requirements. Alternatively, please feel free to contact us and we may be able to guide you further or for more information regarding our available maintenance packages.
For peace of mind, our worksurfaces are supplied as standard with a 12 month warranty against manufacturing defects from date of
delivery. During this period if you experience defects in the product supplied and upon investigation, we believe there is a default covered by this guarantee, we may either offer a repair or supply replacement products dependent on the nature of the issue (see our warranty certificate for full details).