As part of our custom and bespoke furniture offering, Vintage-etc is able to provide a wide variety of timber, finish, and design options across many of our pieces.This short video serves as a helpful overview to guide you through the available choices and explain how the process works. Once you have watched the video, please explore the samples and finish options displayed below.
Suitable Wood - for your environment
The most commonly chosen wood types - are Oak, Ash, Reclaimed Oregon, Iroko and Teak. Other wood types are also available on request, you can request them when you fill in your custom order request here.
Oak and Ash tables are best suited to indoor or covered living spaces and are not recommended for areas exposed to extreme heat or prolonged direct sunlight, such as sun drenched patios, conservatories, or spaces directly beneath glass roofing, where heat can become magnified. As a natural material, wood responds to its environment. Excessive heat and dry conditions may draw moisture from the timber over time, which can lead to natural movement, including minor surface splits, hairline cracks, slight separation, or lightening of colour. Many clients appreciate this organic ageing process as part of the character and beauty of real wood, but it is important to understand that this is the natural behaviour of timber rather than a defect.
Read a detailed article about changes in wood here.
Read a detailed article on how to care for your furniture and maintenence here
For environments exposed to more extreme temperatures or harsher conditions, we generally recommend hardwoods such as Teak, Iroko, Meranti or Garapa - which tends to perform better due to their density and natural oils.
Or you can also opt for reclaimed Oregon, or in the case of reclaimed timber, the fact that much of the natural moisture movement has already stabilised over time.
Lets go over wood types and colours:
OAK WOOD
Oak is suitable for indoors and very well-shaded outdoor patio areas. It is not suitable for heat traps (for example close to braais, fireplaces and very sunny areas). French Oak is warm, honey like in tones, and has blonder and darker areas, a little like the "Dalmation of Oak", you can expect some knots and variations, which if you ask us- ads to the natural charm of French Oak.
We can stain Oak any of these colours, by far the most popular choice is Natural Light and Gunsmoker.
View Oak samples in our gallery
ASH WOOD
Ash wood, is much blonder, and has a yellower undertone, it is far more uniform than French Oak in finish, but it is also harder to stain and does tend to be better for contemporary spaces. The most popular is Gunsmoker and Mid Brown.
View Ash samples in our gallery
IROKO WOOD
Iroko Wood is a hard wood, and suitable for locations like patios and conservatories but it is naturally a darker base wood and thus lighter stains don't really work. Like Teak and Meranti, and Garapa, it weathers well in more extreme temperatures. For furniture that is going to sit oudoors in full rain and sun, we recommend TEAK.
RECLAIMED OREGON
When it comes to reclaimed Oregon pine, availability is subject to sourcing at the time of your order, as we procure these timbers from specialist reclamation centres. Reclaimed Oregon typically carries warmer undertones, often with slightly honeyed or orange characteristics, and no two batches are ever exactly the same. Some timber may have previously been used as flooring, while other batches may originate from old ceiling beams or structural elements, each carrying its own texture, grain pattern, history, and patina. When selecting reclaimed Oregon, natural variation should be expected and appreciated as part of the beauty and authenticity of working with reclaimed timber. Variations in tone, grain, markings, and finish absorption are completely normal. Where required, we are also able to stain reclaimed Oregon to achieve a range of alternative finishes and colour directions.
We have also included a video link to an reclaimed Oregon tutorial below these wood samples, so you can see first hand how reclaimed Oregon is upgraded to furniture. Watch the link to the instagram video at the bottom of this page (below).
View Oregon Furniture in our gallery
At the end of the day, each client is responsible for choosing the right material for their unique environment and we we are here to make what you ask for. It is important to note that unless we are engaged (in writing) to advise on your area, we do not assume responsibility for client's choice of design or wood type, but we hope that we have provided you with a lot of useful information to make informed choices for your space.
If requesting a table that is going to sit in a heat drenched area inside or outside your home, or in the rain, consider designing it with small expansion gaps on the table top, this is when there are 2mm gaps to allow the wood to expand or contract, and also for rain to drain if outdoors. Read more on that here (and see examples)