Living with solid timber

Solid timber moves. It takes on moisture in a wet winter and gives it back in a dry summer, and a table top will change width across the grain by a few millimetres over a year. This is not a fault. It is the reason a solid top outlasts a veneered one.

What the movement looks like

A wide oak top may show a hairline gap at a breadboard end in February and close it by August. Drawer fronts sit a shade tighter in humid weather. None of it affects the joint.

Furniture that cannot move has to crack instead. The joinery on these pieces is cut to let the timber breathe.

Three things that help

• Keep it off the heat. A top above a working fireplace or a ducted vent will dry unevenly.
• Wipe spills as they happen. Oiled finishes are repairable, but water left standing will raise the grain.
• Re-oil once a year. Ten minutes with a cloth, and the surface is protected for another twelve months.

Timber that is looked after does not need restoring. It needs a wipe and a little oil.