Materials
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Why we finish oak with oil
Oil keeps oak looking like wood, and you can repair it at home in an afternoon.
A hand rubs oil into the corner joint of an oak table.
Most of our oak pieces are finished with hard-wax oil. The oil soaks into the top layer of the wood and hardens there. A lacquer forms a film on the surface instead.
A film is tough at first, but it can crack, peel or show a scratch as a white line. Oil has no film to break. A scratch on oiled oak stays the same colour as the wood around it.
Repair is the main reason we choose oil. If a mug leaves a ring on your Brink table, sand the mark lightly along the grain with fine sandpaper. Wipe on a thin coat of oil, wait 20 minutes and wipe off the extra. Most marks are gone in 30 minutes.
Oil does ask for some care. Wipe up spills within a few minutes, especially red wine and coffee. Use mats under hot dishes. Once a year, give the whole top a fresh thin coat. We send a 100 ml tin of care oil with every oak piece, enough to coat a Brink table twice.
The white oil on the Brink has a little white pigment in it. It keeps the oak pale, where clear oil would turn it a deeper honey colour over a year. The table will still warm by a shade or two as the wood ages.
If you live with young children and expect many spills, tell us when you order. We can add a third coat of oil before delivery at no cost.
