| Buying oak furniture for your home is the ideal way | | | | insects, mold and fungus. In fact, most damage to |
| to give your residence that blend of style and | | | | oak results from hot, corrosive or dirty objects |
| durability that only oak can provide. It's no wonder | | | | placed on the surface of the wood. Oak's durability |
| that oak has been the furniture wood of choice for | | | | makes it perfect for homes with active children - it's |
| carpenters and craftsmen for hundreds of years. | | | | very impervious to blows and scratches. |
| Imagine the charm of a Brooklyn dressing table mirror | | | | When it comes to buying the furniture, your two |
| gracing your bedroom. Or some fine lounge oak | | | | main options are solid oak and veneer. In the latter, a |
| tables and chairs in your living room. The fact is that | | | | layer of solid oak is glued to a less valuable wood |
| both dark and light oak furniture can look wonderful | | | | such as pine, plywood or particleboard. Oak veneers |
| in every room in your home. Here's you complete | | | | can look very nice and are often strong and durable |
| guide to acquiring the best oak furniture. | | | | through being made by overlapping pieces. However, |
| First, let's look at what oak is. Oak is the wood from | | | | low quality veneers can peel, warp or bubble up and |
| the hardwood oak tree, a genus is native to the | | | | this is difficult to repair. |
| northern hemisphere. Oak comes in two main | | | | If you're buying solid oak furniture your choices are |
| varieties - red and white. Both have a similar grain but | | | | dark or light oak. Your decision will depend on such |
| white oak features longer rays. White oak is more | | | | factors as the size of your rooms and the colours of |
| durable that red and is, of course, lighter in colour. | | | | your walls, floors and existing furniture. |
| Red oak wood is popular for flooring, furniture, and | | | | Dark oaks look heavier so might not be suitable in a |
| kitchenware among other things. It's a carpenter's | | | | small room. Light oaks create an ambiance of light |
| dream being easily sanded, stained and finished. | | | | and space. Light oak furniture also has a more chic |
| Light oak is known for its toughness and resistance | | | | and modern look. |
| to rot and moisture. This makes is more suitable | | | | Whatever type of home you live in, you're sure to |
| outdoor use, in patio furniture, for example. Popular | | | | find the perfect furniture to blend in and enhance |
| light oaks include Orly, Shaker, Cambridge, Dorset, | | | | your lifestyle, from dinner tables and book-cases to |
| Mobel Oak Range, Hereford, Atlantis, and Timberland. | | | | beds and the elegant Brooklyn dressing table mirror. |
| So why should you choose oak furniture for your | | | | Perhaps you'd choose a stylish lounge oak coffee |
| home? The answer can be explained in the two | | | | table in your living room or a classic dining table for |
| words 'beauty' and 'durability'. | | | | marvelous meals in your dining room. |
| The beauty of oak furniture comes from its colour | | | | You'll be pleased to know, too, that the furniture is |
| and grain. Oak has a timeless, classic beauty. This | | | | very easy to look after. Clean up spills immediately |
| means that an item such as a dressing table mirror | | | | and just rub down the oak surface about once a |
| looks as good in a sleek apartment at Canary Wharf | | | | month. |
| as it would in a rustic cottage deep in the | | | | Oak furnishings are a major purchase but you should |
| countryside. | | | | look on them as an investment. Buying quality |
| When it comes to colour, oak has few peers. The | | | | oak-furniture for your home will bring you decades of |
| colours of oak range from light golden shades to a | | | | use and pleasure and you'll be joining a tradition that |
| medium brown. Oak wood is known for its unique | | | | dates back centuries. |
| grain, which is especially pronounced when it's quarter | | | | When looking to buy oak-furniture, you can find an |
| sawn. And oak is a porous hardwood which means | | | | array of online retailers that offer full details of their |
| that it stains well. | | | | products including high resolution images on their |
| As for durability, oak's hardness protects it from the | | | | websites. Look for an established retailer with a wide |
| knocks of everyday life. Oak also has tannin acid | | | | range of products with detailed descriptions and a |
| present in its grain which makes it resistant to | | | | long history of customer recommendations. |