Planed Oak

We are sometimes asked if planed oak needs to be sealed. The answer is yes, but the user has a limited choice of finishes, popular choices including the traditional Tung Oil or products from the Osmo Polyx range.

Oak timbers do have some limitations. Large sections of oak can and do split; the solid oak takes years to dry out. During this process, it will inevitably warp and twist. If the oak is untreated, it also can stain when it comes into contact with iron objects.

There is no real way of stopping oak from splitting, but machining the oak into thinner pieces will help. In a wood mill, they would put the products into a low-temperature kiln oven for 10-14 days, but that is expensive. Splitting usually occurs when moisture is removed too quickly. A purist would probably question why buy oak and then try to remove its inherent character.

If oak is left untreated, it could last almost indefinitely, depending on how the timber has been finished and then located. There are examples of castle and church doors where the oak has retained its appearance and functionality.