The dining table is, without a doubt, one of the most important furniture in the dining room. Pair it with the right chair and there you have it – a focal point for you, your family or your guests to convene over some tasty, good food and meaningful conversation.
Aside from encouraging social interaction between your family members, sitting at the dining table allows everyone to eat better. That’s because you’re more likely to pay attention to your food and savour what you’re eating compared to when you’re sitting in front of the TV and paying little to no attention to your food.
Not only that, but eating at the dining table also allows you and your family to have a window of opportunity to momentarily stop using the left side of the brain (thinking) and put your electronics aside. Instead, you can use the time to talk, share thoughts, or even show support for each other. Besides, it’s one way to manage your family’s table manners.
That said, choosing a good wooden dining table for your home can be challenging due to several factors such as the type of wood for your dining table, and the size of your dining room and wood dining table in Malaysia.
Moving forward, we’ll discuss some of the reasons why you should buy a wooden dining table for your home and the type of wood that’s available on the market.
Reasons To Buy Wooden Dining Table
Instead of opting for a glass or marble dining table, a wooden dining table offers a plethora of benefits that will make your dining room look better and gives you more value for your money in the long run. Here are some solid reasons for you to buy a wooden dining table for your dining room.
1. It’s Durable And Sturdy
Wooden dining tables are best known for their durability and strength, especially if you opt for a solid wood dining table. A quality table made from hardwood can serve your family for generations as long as it’s taken care of properly. Also, it offers strong resistance against termites and other insects, making it a lasting investment for your home.
2. It’s A Visually Striking Piece Of Furniture
Have you ever seen any wooden dining table that looks identical? Given the various types of wood available on the market, your choice of wooden dining table will certainly be different from everyone else. Besides, you can leverage on the wood grain to complement some of the elements of your dining room’s décor.
3. It’s Modifiable
The beauty of buying a wooden dining table is that it can always be reshaped, polished, or painted to give it an entirely new look. That way, you can always change the way your dining room looks depending on the occasion.
4. It’s Value For Money
While wooden dining tables in Malaysia have a considerable upfront cost, it’s cheaper to buy an expensive piece now than buying several cheaper tables over the years. Also, quality woods can be hard to come by, which makes them a rather valuable material for furniture manufacturers. This is why every piece of wooden dining table produced is different.
Common Type of Woods for Dining Tables in Malaysia
When it comes to buying a wooden dining table for your home, you have to consider the type of wood used. That’s because every type of wood has different properties and offers varying benefits for your home. The following is a list of some of the common type of woods used by furniture manufacturers in Malaysia.
1. Oak
Oak is well-known as a hardwood due to its exceptional strength, weight and durability. It also has an attractive light brown colour, which is often dubbed as the natural wood tone along with prominent wood grain. Oakwood is widely used for American and English country styles of furniture.
2. Walnut
As the name suggests, this wood is called after its seed, the walnut. It’s known to be hard, dense, tight-grained and polishable, making it an attractive wood for furniture manufacturers. Walnut is also rated as very durable thanks to its high decay resistance, which contributes to its lasting quality.
3. Rubberwood
While the rubber tree is known to produce latex, its tree trunk can be recycled and reused to make eco-friendly rubberwood furniture. The strength of this type of wood is similar to teak – one of the strongest trees around. Thanks to its high speck intensity, rubberwood is highly durable and resistant against fungus.
4. Acacia
Acacia wood is a type of hardwood that’s derived from Australia’s acacia trees and shrubs. With a high durability against scratches and water, this type of wood won’t warp easily. This makes it a suitable wood for dining furniture. Along with its anti-bacterial properties, acacia wood is safe to use for food preparation and serving.
5. KSK (Kembang Semangkuk)
The KSK wood comes from a tree known as Kembang Semangkuk, which is indigenous to Malaysia. Classified as light hardwood, this timber comes in a range of soft to moderately soft wood and light to moderately heavy wood with a high density. KSK wood is moderately durable under exposed conditions but can be treated easily with preservatives.
Tips to Take Care of Your Wooden Dining Table
While solid wood dining tables are known for their strength and durability, this doesn’t mean that you can leave it be without taking care of it properly. Ahead, we’re sharing some tips for you to take care of your wooden dining table so that it can last through many generations.
1. Dust It Often
Small particles of dust may seem harmless, but with enough build-up, it can damage the finishing of your wooden dining table. Make sure to at least dust it weekly with a slightly damp cloth or microfibre cloth to wipe off the dust particles.
2. Keep It Away From Direct Sunlight
It’s important that you position your wooden dining table out of direct sunlight because the heat generated can cause the wood to split or crack. Also, it can cause discolouration to occur on your wooden tabletop, which is irreversible depending on the penetration depth of the discolouration.
3. Immediately Wipe Away Spills
Moisture can wreak havoc on your solid wood dining table, so make sure to immediately wipe away any food or liquid spills on your dining table. If a liquid is left on the table surface, it will seep through the finish and find its way into the wood. This can leave a permanent watermark or cause swelling and structural damage to your wooden dining table.
4. Use Vinegar And Oil To Remove Watermarks
As mentioned in the previous point, unwiped liquids can leave a watermark and cause structural damage to your wooden dining table. To prevent that from happening, you can mix equal parts of vinegar and olive oil, and use a soft cloth to remove the watermark, moving with the woodgrain. You should then clean it up with a dry, soft cloth.
Signs that You Are Ruining Your Wooden Dining Table
Many people unknowingly use their wooden dining table just as how they would use a glass or marble dining table. Here are the signs that you’re ruining your wooden dining table.
1. Putting Hot Things Directly On The Table
A stew pot that came right off the stove shouldn’t be placed on your wooden dining table without any heat protection. That’s because heat can cause the wood to split and crack. Instead, use a coaster to protect your table from heat scorches.
2. Passing On Placemats
When you’re having a meal, it’s best to use placemats to protect your table from spills. That way, you don’t have to get up while you’re eating and wipe away spills immediately. Consider plastic placemats as it can trap water and easy to clean.
3. Forgetting About Condensation
Whether your drinks are cold or warm, water and humidity can still be transferred onto your wooden table, leaving white rings if moisture gets trapped under them. Make sure to always use coasters to add a layer of water or humidity protection to your table.
4. Using A Knife To Wax Spills
After a dreamy candlelight dinner and you find some wax drippings on your wooden dining table, don’t use a knife to remove it as you can potentially damage the wood. Instead, use a credit card to scrape off wax spills or cover the wax with a cloth and run a slightly warm iron over it. The wax should then cling to the cloth.
5. Using Commercial Dusting Sprays
Many people tend to rely on commercial dusting sprays to maintain the upkeep of their wooden dining table. The dusting spray only works to give your wooden dining table instant gratification and a temporary shine. In fact, you don’t need them.
Now that you’ve learned why you should buy a wooden dining table for your home and how to care for it properly so that it can last through the generation, it’s time to decide where to buy one. At Ruma, we offer a variety of quality wooden dining table in Malaysia to complete your desired dining room interior.