Oak furniture is a beautiful addition to any home. It is sturdy, strong and has a very pleasing colour. Oak furniture also tends to be family heirlooms as they can survive for many years if cared for properly. Today there are still beautiful examples of oak furniture from 1066 – intact and well-preserved.

Once you’ve bought a piece of unfinished furniture, or you’ve decided to refinish a piece that you already own, you need to decide which kind of finishing you want to use. There are several options: Beeswax, Danish oil or even sprayed lacquer. This will also determine the kind of care your furniture will need after finishing. Traditionally staining was done by exposing the wood to very strong ammonia fumes. The fumes would evenly colour all the wood cells and leave the wood beautifully finished. Today there are prepared stains available and you can choose the one that suits your taste the best.

Before staining the wood, it is important to properly prepare it. This is done by sanding the wood thoroughly with a 150-grit sandpaper. Make sure that all the rough spots have been sanded down and that you have a smooth surface to work with. Using distilled water, you can the pre-raise the grain and then sand it even further with a 180-grit sandpaper.

Staining is fairly easy. Pour enough dye onto the surface and make sure that the wood is saturated. Then wipe the excess off with a soft, dry cloth after which it should be left to dry for a minimum of 8 hours. When dry, sand it down with a 320-grit sandpaper and then rub it gently with a synthetic steel wool.

From there you need to oil your wood to make sure that it doesn’t crack. Some people prefer rubbing beeswax into the wood and allowing it to draw it. Other experts prefer oil. The types of oil suitable for oak furniture are linseed oil, lemon oil or Danish oil.

Put the oil on the surface and gently massage it in with a soft cloth using the grain as a guide. When finished, wipe off the excess and then gently buff the surface with a dry, soft cloth. Now you’re ready for the final two steps: Sealing and glazing.

For sealing you need to use 2lb. shellac in any one of its colours. You will need to apply two coats, scuffing the surface with 320-grit sandpaper. Make sure to vacuum up all the dust before applying the next coat.

The next step is the glazing is a little more complicated and it is advised that the manufacturer’s instructions are carefully followed to the letter.

The final step is another round of sealing after which you can now give your oak furniture its very first wax.

It is very satisfying completing a project such as finishing your oak furniture – especially when you can live with the final result for many years to come.  

When it comes to flooring, you have many different choices for your home: tile, carpet, laminate, and wooden.  While each has its own different benefits, wooden flooring is often the choice for many people.  Why?  It’s because wooden flooring has many different benefits that set it above the other types of flooring, especially for those looking to make their homes more attractive to buyers.

Wooden floors are incredibly easy to take care of.  This is certainly true when compared to carpet—with wooden floors, there’s no vacuuming to be done.  All you really need to do is run a broom or dust mop over your floors and they look great.  If you want that extra touch, you can purchase a wooden floor cleaning product and really make that wood shine.  Mud and dirt comes up off of wooden flooring much easier than it does carpet, and the same is true of spills and food, too.  It takes a lot to damage wooden flooring as well.

Think wooden flooring will make your rooms look darker?  Well, several decades ago, you might have been stuck with a dark hard wood floor, but today, wooden flooring comes in many different colours, styles, and species.  You’ll find the traditional oak and pine flooring, of course, but you can also now use woods like bamboo for your floors.  Wooden flooring comes in everything from very pale, light tan to dark browns, so you’re sure to find a colour and style that fits your décor.

Wooden flooring helps the environment, too.  As a natural resource, it is renewable and recyclable.  You can often find recycled wooden flooring.  The wood used in it was once a part of a structure or even a wooden ship that was demolished.  Rather than just get rid of the wood, companies have turned it into planks that are perfect for homes. 

Wooden flooring also has a health benefit.  Unlike carpet, it doesn’t collect dust, germs, hair, and allergens.  This means it won’t cause you any health issues, nor will you kick up clouds of dust when you clean like you do when vacuuming carpet.

Finally, wooden flooring is very affordable.  In fact, since it often lasts much longer than carpet, wooden flooring can be a very good investment for your home.  Wood maintains its beauty long after tiles crack and carpets get worn down.  Homes with wooden flooring also tend to sell better and for more than those with other types of floors, so it truly does pay to install wooden flooring in your home.