Skovby SM 39 Extendable Dining Table

Solid Surfaces

Solid tabletops are made from boards that are glued together. Before gluing, Skovby sorts and matches boards for an entire tabletop to ensure its overall appearance is well-balanced. Here, they consider a difference in wood structure, color, and the content of knots.

After gluing the tops, they dry and rest in a controlled environment for a few days. Then they are processed in size, sanded, and finished with oil, soap, or lacquer.

Wood absorbs and emits moisture primarily through the pores of the cross-cut boards. If the table has center joints, changes in air humidity may cause a slight change in the size of the top resulting in minor openings at the edge or in the middle. The joint will be tight most of the year if the table is in a room with average air humidity and temperature.

Minor changes to a solid table surface are inevitable. These are not defects but proof that the wood is a living material. However, since wood does adapt to its surroundings, solid furniture should not be kept in rooms with extreme air humidity and temperature fluctuations. You should therefore avoid placing your furniture in humid, unheated rooms. If your room does have intense moisture and temperature fluctuations year-round, a veneer might be a more suitable surface.

Veneered Surfaces

Veneers are sliced logs cut into thin sheets of wood. Veneers create book-matched patterns, making furniture with a homogenous and symmetrical look possible.

A Veneer is cut to a desired length and width while respecting the wood grain and structural appearance. Then the pieces are edge-glued, often in a symmetrical pattern - this is done by flipping every other veneer leaf.

The completed veneer sheet is then glued onto a furniture-grade wood board or MDF board made of recycled wood, such as wood chips from Skovby's manufacturing facility. The veneered panels are cut to size and veneered or solid edging is added. Finally, all surfaces receive a sanding treatment and oil or lacquer protective surface.

When the veneer is sliced, many similar leaves of veneer are created - this makes it possible to manufacture furniture where two halves of a tabletop in an extension table or the doors on the front of a sideboard mirror each other.

Veneered furniture is energy-friendly, meaning minimal energy makes the most significant possible quantity of products per cubic meter of wood. Veneered furniture often has a calm appearance due to its uniform patterns.

Veneered furniture mirrors the diversity of nature. You may find minor knots, pigmentation, and color varieties between each leaf of veneer and edging. When light refracts on the surface of the wood, it may create optical color differences - this may give the impression that the elements have various colors depending on your perspective. For the same reason, it may look like horizontal and vertical surfaces have different colors, even though they do not. All of these nuances contribute to creating unique furniture on nature's terms. However, before processing an item, Skovby focuses on matching components with a low tolerance for color and structure.

Skovby uses wood with great respect. Anything else would be wrong – to nature, the trees, and the forestry workers who have nurtured the trees for years.

Honesty

Skovby furniture is made from natural materials, selected with consideration and respect for nature, the environment, and people. Wood is one of the most sustainable and lasting resources that exists. Sustainable forests in Europe and North America are increasing. Wood that we obtain from such forests is replaced, supporting ecosystem diversity preservation. Our excess wood is used as fuel. All wood chips and shavings are utilized to heat our premises, contributing to a positive carbon-dioxide accounting and making up a valuable resource in our pursuit of carbon-neutral production.

A healthy work environment where employees are supported, thrive, and wish to stay for many years allows us to develop products that match our high-quality requirements. Skovby is happy and proud to be celebrating many 25- and 40-year employee anniversaries.

As a member of the Danish Furnituremakers' Quality Control, Skovby is part of an exclusive network of 17 Danish furniture companies, which invest time and resources to push the agenda on sustainable operations, to be equipped to handle the highest standards and requirements for durability and to secure skilled labor in the future.

Innovation

It pays to design, construct and produce furniture within the same physical environment. By doing so, we achieve cohesion contributing to a sustainable business model. This is good for our business, environment, and people.

By keeping all production under one roof, we achieve strong involvement and a broad representation of interdisciplinary competencies among our employees, from an initial idea to a finished product. Our products are developed through close interaction between cabinetmakers, technicians, and the company architect. And together, they pursue to reach new heights with multifunctional and lasting designs.

The road from raw materials to production is short. Raw materials are transported efficiently between locations to and during production. Many raw materials are from neighboring areas – everything available locally is obtained and employed locally.

Oil Treated Surfaces

An oil-treated piece of furniture has had a natural treatment at the Skovby facility, giving a matte and natural wood appearance. Oil treatment enhances the natural variations in wood grain structure. Just as various parts of an item will absorb the oil differently, they may also dry out at a different pace, giving the surface an uneven appearance. Drying is natural and expected. Additional oil treatment will even out its look. In some circumstances, it may be necessary to oil before use. If you are unsure, please get in touch with Hansen Interiors directly.

We recommend Natural or White Oil from the Skovby Care Collection to maintain oil-treated veneers and solid furniture. Based on your environment, solid and veneer surfaces should be re-oiled at least once yearly. Click on the Natural and White Oil links at the top of this paragraph for detailed application and instructions on how to oil your surfaces.

Lacquered Surfaces

For daily cleaning, wipe the furniture with a clean cloth well wrung out in lukewarm water - if necessary, add a couple of drops of uncolored dish detergent to a quart-sized glass of water (roughly the size of a pint glass). Follow this up by wiping the surface with a clean, dry cloth. Do not use abrasive cleaners such as scouring powders or creams.

A professional workshop should only carry out repairs. Please get in touch with Hansen Interiors before making any decisions that may damage your surface. We are here to help.
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