Oslo Furniture Resources | Profiles, Legs, Textures, Solid Wood Care

Resources

Top Textures

Solid wood care & maintenance

With a little care and maintenance, solid wood furniture can retain its original beauty and durability for a lifetime. However, for this to be possible, we have outlined some of the measures that need to be taken.

Solid wood is a living product. Our furniture is crafted from solid wood that is kiln dried, retaining enough moisture in the wood for the furniture to properly acclimatize to your home. Wood will however, continue to exchange moisture with the air, expanding and contracting in response to changes in relative humidity.

Solid wood’s response to dry air is to lose moisture and shrink a bit. The halves of an extension table may part slightly, or a few tiny openings may appear on a surface. This will correct itself as the relative humidity rises, and the wood absorbs enough moisture to expand again. In extreme conditions the wood may be under enough stress to crack.

Solid wood’s response to high humidity levels is to absorb moisture. This can result in making moving parts non-functional ormay force apart mitred corners. This should correct itself when your relative humidity returns back to a normal percentage.

Below are a few tips to maintain your solid wood furniture

Maintain your environment at a rate of 40% – 50% relative humidity to prevent swelling, shrinking, warping and cracking
Keep your furniture away from direct sunlight or heat sources such as forced air, fire places, and radiators
Clean your furniture with water only, as solvents can damage the finish
Do not place hot objects directly onto the surface of a table

Configurations

CENTRE EXTENSION CONFIGURATION

Centre extension configuration means extra leaves are added to the middle of the table top. Your table can be lengthened and shortened to suit the occasion.

PROS

Easy to extend and retract
Lengthen or shorten your table easily as necessary to accommodate your guests
Extra leaves can be stored inside the table top

CONS

Leaf storage inside table may not accommodate all leaves—some leaves may need to be stored elsewhere

Solid top CONFIGURATION

Solid top configuration means the size of your table top always stays the same.

PROS

Aesthetically pleasing, no table leaf joints—stunning impression left by large, smooth table top area
No need to store extra leaves

CONS

Table cannot be lengthened or shortened to accommodate various group sizes

Solid top CONFIGURATION with end extension option

Solid top configuration with end extension option means your fixed length table can be lengthened if the need arises.

PROS

Adds length to a fixed length table when needed

CONS

End extensions cannot be stored in table—leaves need to be stored in closet area when not in use
End extensions can be unwieldy to handle and store

Features

Leaf Storage Constraints

Depending on the configuration of your table, it may accommodate up to 2 leaves stored beneath the top. This handy feature means you don’t need to worry about storing your leaves in a closet where they could accumulate scratches or dings.

Below are listed the terms of storage.

No storage on single pedestal tables
No storage on tables that are totally round or square when closed
36” width tables store 12” of extensions
42” width tables store 24” of extensions
42” wide stationary base tables with lengths longer than 84” plus two 12” extensions only store 12” of extensions
48” width tables store 24” of extensions

Table Top Grain Direction

Wood Types

Brown Hard Maple (BHM)

The sap wood is creamy white with a slight reddish brown tinge. The heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The colour of the heartwood can vary with the growing region. It has a close, fine and uniform texture and is generally straight grained. Brown Hard Maple is when the heartwood is no defect and contains a mixture of brown heartwood and white sapwood. This works for furniture that gets finished in a dark colour. The hardness on the Janka ball scale is 1450.

Brown Soft Maple (BSM)

In most respects Soft Maple is very similar to Hard Maple, and is in conflict with its
name is a hardwood. Generally the sapwood is grayish white, sometimes with darker coloured pith flecks. The heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The wood is usually straight grained. Brown Soft Maple is when the heartwood is no defect and contains a mixture of brown heartwood and white sapwood. This works for furniture that gets finished in a dark colour. The hardness on the Janka ball scale is 950.

White Soft Maple (SM)

In most respects Soft Maple is very similar to Hard Maple, and in conflict with its name is a hardwood. Generally the sapwood is grayish white, sometimes with darker coloured pith flecks. The heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The wood is usually straight grained. White Soft Maple is when the wood is selected for white sapwood and the heartwood is a defect. This is used when furniture gets finished in a light colour. The hardness on the Janka ball scale is 950.

Wormy Maple (WM)

Wormy maple comes from regular soft maple trees that have been infested by the ambrosia beetle. The small beetle bores a network of tunnels and short galleries called cradles. A fungus is responsible for the black and gray streaks that accompany each tunnel and adjacent wood. The streaks add a unique look to this hardwood without affecting its structural integrity and as the wood is kiln dried, will contain no beetles. This wood is mostly found in the central part of Eastern United States. The hardness on the Janka ball scale is 950.