Colette Reclaimed Wood Butchers Block

This care guide has been put together by our team, to offer you advice on how to keep your furniture looking wonderful for many years to come.

To clean your furniture:

We often get asked what products can be used on a daily basis to clean your furniture. With a waxed finish, we would recommend avoiding spray polishes that contain silicones, as they may spoil the surface of your furniture by building up over time.

How to avoid markings

• Our main recommendation would be to use placemats and coasters whenever placing something hot on the surface. This really will be the best way to avoid ring marks.
• Also wiping up any spills as soon as possible, will help you avoid stains.
• When writing, avoid your pen making impressions by using a pad underneath your sheet of paper.

Other maintenance tips:

To make sure you avoid weakening the joints, never drag furniture, always lift.
When placing furniture directly on to floors, make sure you use heavy duty felt pads, or other forms of protection to avoid scratches or marks. These can be bought from most hardware stores or online.  

Waxing Guide:

The beauty of wax is that it allows the natural variations in tone of reclaimed wood to come through. The best way to nourish and protect the wood, is through waxing it!  

You may wax your piece of furniture as often as you like, although we would recommend regular waxing in the first few months. 
We would recommend that at least a monthly wax for the first 3 months will be needed, as it acclimatises to the heat of your home. Avoid placing your furniture in direct sunlight or next to a radiator, as this will increase the appearance of cracks due to over-drying.
After this, waxing every other month should be fine.  
Please be assured, it's very fast and simple to wax!

All you need is some wax, we recommend Mylands Wax, which is a high-quality British wax. Depending on your finish, you may just want a clear wax, to avoid your piece of furniture getting too dark.

How to wax your furniture

• All you need as an old rag, which you can use to apply the wax generously across your piece of furniture.
• Rub it on along the grain of the wood to make sure it gets into all areas.
• Once you've done your waxing, it's best to leave it approx 30mins.
• After 30 mins, use another clean rag to remove excess and to give it a very light buff.
• Waxing is also a great way to remove any marks or cracks which may appear over time, and it can be used in the affected area only

If you see any small crack appear (these are known as shakes, and are quite common in old reclaimed wood), simply wax over them, they will not make the crack disappear, however, it will help to nourish the wood.   

If you have any questions at all, then please don't hesitate to contact us on 01273 499057 or send us a message.  

Character and imperfections to be proud of

WOOD PROVENANCE

The salvaged wood used to create our reclaimed wood furniture comes from former barns, warehouses, disused railways, scaffolding boards and even old Chinese fishing junks. Beautiful, strong and authentic pieces of wood with the story of their lives visible to the world. 

Each piece of wood is rich in character and history, bearing the visible markings of its former life. At Modish Living we embrace the cracks and signs of weathering our reclaimed wood furniture features and believe it adds to the beauty of the wood and the furniture.  What’s more, these imperfections get better over time as you add your own stories, making it more beautiful the older it gets.

EXPERTLY CRAFTED

Reclaimed wood comes with nails and bolts from old farm beams, hoists and chains from its former industrial use and colour variations and textures. Our expert craftspeople carefully prepare the salvaged wood that will become the furniture by de-nailing and removing metal work by hand.

These markings and variations remain visible on the wood, some more obvious than others, but the care and skill undertaken when crafting the furniture ensures the integrity and strength of the wood is never compromised. The reclaimed wood’s rustic beauty is a sign of its hardiness, authenticity and solid structure.

WOOD FINISHES AND VARIATIONS

We love reclaimed wood furniture because of its unique imperfections, not in spite of them. The authentic markings, scars and cracks are all features that add to its wonder and we believe those qualities should be celebrated and appreciated. 

These markings are not evidence of a fault to the furniture and do not affect the structure of the wood in any way.

Because of the nature of reclaimed wood we cannot guarantee the colour, tone, texture or aesthetic of the furniture. It’s one of it’s wonderful little surprises. It may be darker or lighter than it looks online or even in our studio. It may have more cracks or grain marks. This is because every piece of reclaimed wood furniture is unique - no two pieces are the same, which we think is pretty amazing.

Hand finished

Reclaimed wood that has been hand finished will vary in tone and colour from piece to piece, giving you a one-of-a-kind product. The tone may also vary depending on the type of room or positioning in the room. The wood adjusts to its environment, just as it does in nature.

Grains 

The grain on the surface of a piece of wood is similar to the wrinkles on our face. Every ring represents a year of the tree’s life and every one is unique. Some pieces may have more than the other depending on the age of the tree.

Knots 

Knots are natural imperfections that help living wood grain grow. Dead branches fall from living trees all the time and knots appear in the trunk where branches used to be. These knots are just part of what makes wood such a beautiful material to work with, bringing unique character to each piece.

Some pieces of furniture may feature more knots than others. It’s purely dependent on each piece of wood.

Saw marks 

The wood used in some of our furniture is cut using circular saws. This process leaves beautiful marks, which are deliberately not fully sanded out in order to maintain the natural beauty of the process.

Splits and shakes 

The mark of solid wood furniture, cracks, shakes and splits naturally occur during a tree’s lifetime as it grows. Each piece of wood has its own individual shakes and splits, providing it with its very own blueprint.  

The structural integrity of the wood remains as strong and robust as it has for years. These imperfections are not the characteristics of a faulty or weakened piece of furniture, but all part of the wonder of reclaimed and rustic wood.

LIVING AND BREATHING

It's worth bearing in mind that as a natural product, wood will breathe. Wood reacts to moisture in the air. For example, during warm months there tends to be higher humidity which can cause wood to expand, but in cold weather, wood can contract.  It will continue to do this even in the confines of your home and natural cracking may appear over time. Don’t worry, this simply deepens the character of the piece and is not a sign of a fault.

RUSTIC FURNITURE FOR LIFE

When you buy reclaimed wood furniture, you are buying an heirloom.  One of the many joys of reclaimed wood is that it improves with age and is easy to maintain.  Because it already features its own markings, scratches and splits, any accidents, chips or knocks will simply blend in and add to its rustic character. 

Or if you notice a new chip, this can be easily fixed by rubbing a wax to blend into the wood. The wax will reduce the visibility of the chip or mark, so that it looks like a natural part of the wood.