How to care for oak furniture in a Gulf home

People are often surprised by how little an oak table asks of you. Ours live in homes with children, dogs and dinner parties that run past midnight, and the ones that look best after five years are rarely the ones that were treated most carefully. They are the ones that were used every day and oiled now and then.

Keep it out of the hardest sun

Oak darkens slowly in daylight, which is part of its charm. Direct afternoon sun through a west facing window is another matter. Draw a sheer curtain in the hottest months, or turn the table a quarter every season so it ages evenly.

Make friends with the air conditioning

Wood moves with the air. A room that swings from humid to very dry can open small cracks along the grain. Try not to point a vent straight at the table, and keep the room at a steady temperature rather than switching it off and on all day.

Wipe, do not soak

A soft cloth wrung out in warm water with a drop of mild soap is all you need for everyday cleaning. Dry it straight after. Avoid sprays that promise shine; most of them leave a film that the oil underneath cannot breathe through.

Oil twice a year

• Sand any rough patches lightly with fine paper, always along the grain.
• Rub in a thin layer of hardwax oil with a lint free cloth.
• Leave it for fifteen minutes, then buff away everything the wood has not taken.
• Let it rest overnight before you set the table again.

If that sounds like a lot, it is not: twenty minutes, twice a year. And if you bought your table from us, we will come and do it for you once, free, a year after delivery.

Rings, scratches and the occasional burn are not the end of the world. Most of them sand out. The rest become the story of the table, which is rather the point.