Timber for bathroom or kitchen surfaces

Advice | Info

One of the most frequently asked questions of us, is whether it's ok to use solid timber in the bathroom, kitchen or in areas with lots of moisture.

The answer is, yes. However you do need to be careful with the timber you use and the finish you choose. Many timbers, such as Oak, don’t work well at all with water and it seems whatever finish you use, water will eventually cause damage. Oak turns black very quickly and other timbers warp and split really badly.

The correct timber to use, for this sort of work, are those of an oily nature (some timbers produce their own oils and natural repel water), I would recommend Teak (sustainable plantation Teak is available) as this was traditionally used on ships so can take water. Iroko is a good alternative and is much cheaper and more widely available.

The finish to match with these timbers is either a Teak oil or Danish oil, which will seal the oil of the wood in and keep the water out. The oil must be built up in a number of layers (as per product instruction). This will give a good water resistant finish and will keep mould and moisture out. The oil will dry hard, so won’t feel oily, as one might imagine.

The real key to this kind of finish though, is maintenance; the timber, through general wear, or as it moves along the joints, will need regular oiling (around every 6 months, depending on use). This will not only keep the moisture out but will increase the lustre of the finish, making the timber look even better.

NB. My preference is for solid wood but there is an alternative. If the price is too high or solid timber is not practical for the project, you can use a good quality marine ply, this is water resistant and can be finished with something like Yacht Varnish or Lacquer. This ply, however, comes in boards that have a bare ply edge, so if you choose this option, you may want to have a pre-built worktop/unit, which would have a solid nosing to the front edge.

Black Handrail

Stripped | Stained | Re-Polished

A handrail can be a really striking centrepiece to any building.

This black handrail is a really great example of that. The owners decided to go for black polish, instead of sticking with the original light colour and I feel that, although we've polished a few black handrail's over the years, this one was a real stand-out. It works so well with the surrounding design and with the full shine it looks stunning.

It's really important to remember that you're not always stuck with the colour of the wood.

You really can change the colour to work with the surrounding décor, even if it means going to an extreme like this black handrail.

NB. A handrail is a really expensive thing to replace, as they are always solid wood and often have carved bends and curves in them that only a real specialist carpenter can achieve. So if the colour no longer works with the surroundings or you simply want a change, it's generally quite easy to do with polishing techniques.

New Furniture Range

Designed | Constructed | Finished

We've just released a brand new line of handmade, one off, artistic pieces of furniture. The full collection is on it's way but as an introduction to the new range, here's a taster of two of our coffee tables. If you'd like to view these pieces, they are being displayed at the Moss & Co timber yard (see below link) in Hammersmith, London, for a limited time.

To purchase, please contact Paleamber (0845 539 0509)

Table 1 is a beautiful mix of solid Walnut and Ash, with a rich full French polish finish. Table 2 is Ash that has been stained white and deep red then finished with French polish. The top and sides have been taken down to a semi-matt sheen and the inside legs and underneath are left with a high shine.

Our furniture is handmade from the finest quality solid hardwoods and beautifully finished with French polish.

Each piece is a one off with a finish tailored specifically to compliment it’s unique design.

Our new range features creative contemporary designs polished to the highest standards, using superior traditional techniques and materials.

We are now taking commissions for bespoke items so please contact us.

NB. All timber is sourced from Moss & Co

Don't Throw It Out

Stripped | Stained | Re-Polished

Repair it

It's really sad to see how much furniture gets thrown out. It's such a waste and most of the time there's really no need for it. Very seldom is a piece of furniture beyond repair (if the wood itself isn't severly damaged) and most wood can be re-coloured and finished in almost any way you could want.

I'm going to jump right in and show an example demonstrating why you need to think twice about throwing your furniture away. Take a look at how awful the top of this Mahogany sideboard looks.

There are heat marks, water marks, along with all kinds of other damage and stains. It may look completely wrecked but it is in fact, very straight forward to repair.

I striped all the existing finish, re-stained and traditionaly French Polished the top. The important point is that there was nothing actually wrong with the wood, the damage was all in the finish, which is not a major job to replace; it took me one day.

It's impossible to buy this quality of wood any more, so it would have been a huge shame to have thrown the item away. If looked after properly, it should last for decades to come.

















Change it

It's not always just about repairing wood. Many wooden items get thrown out because the owner no longer likes the colour or finish. Maybe the item dosen't match the new design of surrounding furniture or room decoration. This next example shows the images after we completed work on a kitchen.

The kitchen was a light, almost yellow, maple colour which had a slightly dated look to it. We spent just a few days re-staining and polishing the kitchen units to a darker, more sophisticated colour and finish, saving the client thousands of pounds in replacement costs and weeks of inconvenience.

The options really are endless. From super glossy to soft matte, white to black and every colour in between. So before you replace that piece of furniture, kitchen, floor or door, look into the options for changing the finish or colour first and if the wood seems damaged beyond repair, like the Mahogany top in the above example, there usually is a way to fix it.