The Solid Oak Man
Bespoke, quality furniture with character & style
Oak Beams & Mantels
We can cut to any measure you require - please get in touch for a very competitive quote.
Placing an order:
Please take a look at our galleries to acquaint yourselves with our ability, once you’ve decided what you want, please let us know the following:
-
Beam length
-
Beam width (from the wall to the front edge)
-
Beam thickness/height
-
Oak timber grade
-
Additional services: edge profiling and/or Oil treatment (extra fee might apply)
-
Any other comments (specific mounting system etc.)
Available Beam sizes:
3" deep x 4" high (or up to 12")
4” x 4”
4” x 5”
4” x 6”
4” x 7”
4” x 8”​
5” x 5”
5” x 6”
5" x 8"
6” x 6”
*** Please note that thickness is approximate only as we can’t predict final value after planning - please contact us before placing an order if you are requiring exact measurements ***
Measurement:
This is what we measure and what we understand by it. Operating on two or more systems can be confusing and also can lead to the wrong size ordered. At The Solid Oak Man we’ve decided to keep it as simple and accurate as possible, therefore we’ve opted for the Continental metric system, its accurate to 1mm so we thought that’s good enough.
We have to be absolutely sure that what you get is what you wanted, therefore we’d like to know what measures you are after and what do we both mean by it. To guide you through this please refer to the photo.
Oak Timber Grades
Please note we charge same rate for prime or rustic timber, for your convenience however you can let us know which one you’d prefer, otherwise we’ll send you randomly selected one.
A full and in depth explanation of wood grading is to be found at European grading rules for sawn oak @ http://www.fordaq.com/fordaq/html/quality_oak_En.htm, for the simplicity however, we’ve decided to keep it much simpler and distinguished just two types of oak timber grads:
- semi rustic grade, is the higher grade of oak timber we provide. Its slight colour variation and low knot content provides a clean uniformed look. The grain is slightly straighter then the lower grade (rustic) and the wood will contain very few and infrequent small knots and/or character marks. Due to the limited supply, this grade will usually cost more than less clean timber grades.
​
​
At a small surcharge you can also request the following:
Edge Profiling services:
- straight (sharp) edge or still straight but smoothed out (taking the sharpness off) - free of charge
and
- rounded,
- scalloped/waney random pattern,
- bevelled/chamfer
- pencilled
Treatment Services - we can treat your beam with highest quality natural Danish Oil (it will slightly darken your oak and nicely bring all the characters up)
Untreated oak – it’s simple as its sound, well not really, again, each piece of oak will be different in colour, one darker than the other. Sometimes one end of beam/shelf might be light and the other darker. On the good note though, its best way to have it if you are not sure at the point of ordering. Neutral & natural, gives you unlimited possibilities to play with ;)
Clear hard wax oil
Danish oil – warm and deep, highlights all the wood’s imperfections such as knots/splits etc. ideal for rustic wood.
Medium oak – nicely brownish, deep and warm finish, add elegance and style to any piece of oak.
Teak oil – darkest of them all, deep brown with blackish shades. Will definitely become a focal point in any settings for its dramatic, sometimes eerie look.
PLEASE READ
Presented beams and boards/shelves ARE characterful beams and boards, SOME contain splits and CRACKS caused by the natural drying process, most contain knots, swirls and other imperfections; EACH ONE IS DIFFERENT - some more rustic than others - the photos show typical examples in various treatment and edge profiles. If you need specific grade of your oak (cracks, knots free) or more rustic than normal, please get in touch before placing an order, otherwise we will send randomly chosen grade.
As Oak is a natural product each piece may be different in appearance and slightly in colour. Our character beams may already contain surface cracks, knots, pin holes, & waney edge. Although air dried, it is not unusual for the oak to develop further shrinkage, movement, splits and cracks as it acclimatises to your properties temperature.
We recommend that if the beams are going above a log burner, fire or any intense heat, that the heat should be gradually increased over a period of a week or more if possible. All of the above points will not be accepted as defects, as character beams all of the above only enhance the beautiful natural characteristics of the oak.
Our oak beams are well seasoned, air dried oak from SUSTAINABLY MANAGED forests of Europe. Each piece is totally individual with different characteristics in every single piece, they can be used as they are or cleaned down, prepared and finished in many different ways to suit your particular taste. AS THE OAK fully dries and adjusts to your room environment more CRACKS AND SPLITS MAY APPEAR, ADDING TO IT's BEAUTY, character AND rustic appearance