British Oak in the Home

Oak can be crafted into timeless pieces of unique furniture. It has both durability and beauty, but can still have a modern contemporary feel. Contemporary pieces are beautifully handcrafted, with simple but innovative streamlined styles. A comprehensive range of stylish, dining, living, bedroom and occasional furniture, all of which are available in a wide choice of colours and finishes, makes oak furniture adaptable to a wide range of home environments and design styles.

When contemplating investment in oak furniture, it is crucial to understand the significance of the term solid oak furniture, rather than just oak furniture. Solid oak furniture is generally regarded as being the highest quality. It is made, as the name suggests, using only genuine solid oak timbers. This usually includes the bases of any drawers and the backs of cabinets. Joint are dovetailed wherever possible and handles / fittings are high-quality.

Contrastingly, when used by retailers, the term “oak furniture” can include oak mixed with ash, the sections being glued together and finished with an oak veneer “Oak furniture” can also include items which should be classed as “oak finish”. These are constructed from particle board finished with a wood veneer. Since the particle board is made from shavings of many kinds, including softwoods, it has no grain structure.

This results in a far smaller strength to weight ratio than solid timber. The resulting piece of furniture is either not as strong, or needs to be much heavier to achieve the same strength as solid wood. There are several other clues which can be used to identify cheap mass-produced furniture. These include the use of cheap materials such as MDF for cabinet backs and drawer bases. Pinned or glued joints, as opposed to dovetailing, is another giveaway sign.

Retail price cannot be used as a guide to the quality of the “oak” furniture on offer. Many retailers’ prices are similar for both oak finish furniture and items constructed from 100% hardwood. For example, an oak finish three-drawer chest of drawers was actually more expensive from one high street retailer than a virtually identical solid oak piece from another.