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Oak is a remarkable material. It is dense, tannin-rich and naturally resistant to rot, which is why pieces made from it two or three centuries ago are still holding shelves, seats and table tops today. But longevity is not automatic. A well-made oak chair left in a damp garage will swell, split and loosen within a few winters, while a humbler piece kept in a stable, dry room and given half an hour of attention twice a year can outlive everyone currently living in the house. The difference between the two is rarely money. It is care.

Understand What Oak Wants

Solid oak moves. It takes on moisture in humid air and releases it when the air dries, and it does this across the grain far more than along it. That movement is why traditional joinery uses frame-and-panel construction for doors and cabinet backs: the panel floats in its grooves rather than being glued tight, so seasonal swelling has somewhere to go. Understanding this single fact explains most of the advice that follows.

What oak wants is a steady environment. Aim for a relative humidity somewhere between 40 and 60 per cent, keep pieces away from radiators, log burners, underfloor heating and open fires, and avoid the conservatory. Place furniture at least a foot from a heat source and out of direct sunlight, which will bleach and dry the surface unevenly. A small hygrometer costs very little and will tell you more about why a drawer is sticking than any amount of guesswork.

Routine Maintenance Through the Year

Oak does not need feeding. It is dead timber; the obsession with "nourishing" wood with oils belongs to a later marketing age. What it needs is dust, occasional gentle cleaning and a protective film that is renewed only when it has genuinely worn thin.

• Weekly or fortnightly: dust with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth. A slightly damp cloth is fine for grubby areas, but wring it out properly — standing water is the enemy of any finish.
• Two or three times a year: clean with a dilution of mild soap flakes in warm water, using a cloth that is barely damp, and dry immediately. Never soak the surface.
• Annually: inspect waxed or oiled surfaces. If water leaves a dark ring or the timber looks thirsty and pale, it is time to rewax.
• Avoid entirely: silicone polishes, spray furniture polish with a high solvent content, household bleach and all-purpose kitchen sprays. Silicone in particular builds up a film that repels future wax and traps grime.

When you do rewax, use a good-quality beeswax or carnauba-based furniture wax. Apply a thin coat with a soft cloth, working with the grain, leave it for twenty minutes and then buff hard. Two thin coats are always better than one thick one, which will stay tacky and collect dust. For oiled oak, a wiped-on application of a drying oil such as tung or boiled linseed, applied sparingly and buffed dry, will restore colour and protection.

Care When Moving a Piece

More oak furniture is damaged in an afternoon's house move than in fifty years of ordinary use. Almost all of it comes down to the same mistake: dragging rather than lifting, and holding a piece by whatever part comes to hand rather than by its frame.

• Empty everything first. Drawers, shelves, linens and crockery all add weight and shift the centre of gravity.
• Remove drawers if they lift out freely, label them and carry them separately. Tape doors and drop leaves shut with low-tack tape, never masking tape that has been sitting in a hot van.
• Lift from the base or the carcase, never by the top, the back rail or a table leaf. Reach under and take the weight in the strongest part of the frame.
• Protect corners with blankets or cardboard, and never slide a piece across a stone or tiled floor. Felt pads under the feet cost pennies and prevent both scratches and the slow loosening of joints caused by vibration.
• When carrying a table top on its side, keep it vertical rather than flat, so it cannot flex and crack.

Dealing With Damp and Central Heating

Central heating is hard on old oak. A room that swings from cold and clammy to hot and dry will cause timber to shrink in winter and swell in spring, and after several cycles joints work loose and veneers lift. A humidifier in the room where your best pieces live, or a simple bowl of water near a radiator, will soften the worst of it.

If a drawer becomes stiff in summer, do not force it. Rub a candle stub or a little beeswax along the runners and the side edges. If it rattles and drops in winter, wait. It will tighten again when the humidity returns. Never plane or sand a drawer to fit in one season; you will regret it in the other.

Prompt Repairs and Honest Restoration

Small faults become expensive ones if ignored. A loose joint, a hairline split in a table top, a wobbly chair leg or a hinge pulling out of its screws should be dealt with in the first few weeks you notice it, not the first few years.

For a loose screw hole, tap in a sliver of oak or a matchstick dipped in wood glue and re-drill. For a wobbly joint, clean out old glue with a thin blade and warm water, then re-glue with a modern aliphatic resin glue, clamping properly and leaving it a full day. For splits, a little glue worked into the crack and clamped will usually hold, provided the wood is dry. Anything structural, any veneer lifting or any piece of genuine age and value deserves a furniture conservator rather than a DIY repair, especially if you want it to keep its patina and its worth.

Resist the urge to strip and refinish. Original surfaces, dark with centuries of wax and handling, carry much of a piece's character and a great deal of its value. Clean it, wax it, keep it dry and fix what breaks. That is all the oak has ever asked of you.