Wood Care

Care of solid slab wood furniture requires minimal effort. Below you will find some simple guidelines that will keep your Cherrywood Studio creation looking great for years to come.

Solid versus Veneer

It is important to understand that solid wood is continually ‘alive’ and ‘moving’. Slabs of solid wood are not ‘dead’ objects like veneer, a thin decorative covering of fine wood applied to a coarser wood or other material, usually particles of wood embedded in plastic. Veneers have a wood surface that is only 1/28 to 1/40 of an inch thick. Unless they are treated with care, veneer surfaces can be destroyed. Solid wood furniture can be refinished, as required.

Green or Toxic Finish

The fragility of veneer demands that a thick, heavy, often toxic ‘protective’ coating be applied to the surface. No weathering or improvement with age is possible with this ‘plastic’ finish. If a veneer surface begins to deteriorate, it must be refinished. At Cherrywood Studio, our solid slabs are finished with a natural penetrating oil finish. This allows the wood to be the surface. Because slabs of wood are ‘alive’, some considerations must be given to their characteristics and therefore their care.

Organic Considerations

In our production process, we dry our wood to approximately 8% moisture content prior to construction unless specified otherwise. This helps to stabilize the wood and will prevent extreme warping and splitting. With seasonal changes in temperature and humidity, wood will gain and lose moisture. This will cause the wood to minimally expand and contract. The larger the swings in humidity, the larger the expansion and contraction. It is natural for solid wood to develop small cracks and move a bit during years of use. A solid table may develop small surface cracks and cracks at the ends. This is normal for organic material. It is an unavoidable fact of nature that wood will move throughout the seasons. Cracking, imperfections, warping and irregularities are part of the natural charm of an organic piece of solid slab furniture.

Solid Wood Care

To avoid excessive warping and cracking of solid wood furniture, maintain a cool environment (72 degrees) with a relative humidity of approximately 35-45%. Change thermostat settings gradually as seasons change. Sudden changes in temperature or humidity will cause a solid slab table to move and crack as moisture is either removed or added to the wood too quickly.

While our wood has been finished with a highly durable oil finish, it can be scratched, dented or stained. Solid wood furniture will develop a patina over many years of use. Furniture that has been created from solid wood can be refinished many times should it become damaged.

Do not leave liquids on solid wood furniture for extended periods. Surfaces should be cleaned with a soft cloth and water after use. The use of any cleaning chemical will strip the oil from the surface and will make the wood more prone to staining.

Depending on the type of wood and the frequency of use, a table may require a fresh coat of oil anywhere from yearly to every two to three years. Contact Cherrywood Studio for finish recommendations or to have a new coat of oil applied. Oil can be applied on location, usually within an hour or so. More complex refinishing can be done at our studio.

Assembly of Top and Base

If the table top has to be removed from the base, the following instructions should be followed for fastening the bolts. Tighten the bolts so that they are snug, then loosen the bolts by ¼ turn. Wood will move with changes in humidity. Leaving some room (¼ turn) in the tightness of the bolts will allow for this movement and prevent splitting.

Following these guidelines for the care of solid slab wood furniture will help your Cherrywood Studio design last for generations.