Caring for Solid Wood Through Every Season

Solid wood is a living material that moves with the humidity around it. A little seasonal attention keeps a table flat and a finish even for decades.

Keep humidity steady

Wood shrinks in dry winter air and swells in humid summers. Anywhere between 40 and 60 percent relative humidity keeps that movement small enough to be invisible.

Oil, do not varnish

An oiled finish can be repaired in place: a light sand, a fresh coat, and the mark is gone. A damaged varnish has to be stripped back completely.

Lift, never drag

Most damage to a solid table happens in a single moment of moving it. Two people and thirty seconds will save a joint.