Home Insurance – Make Sure You’re Covered
Dan Collins, Moneysupermarket.com.

A piece of solidly built, well made, genuine oak furniture is not just decorative, it’s an investment. Oak lasts a long time if well cared for, so if you spend the money now you can enjoy your bookcase, dining table or wine rack for years to come, and pass it onto future generations.

But accidents happen. Furniture gets knocked against, or spilt on, or subjected to boisterous children with scant regard for the value of the item they’re clambering on. This is where having a good home insurance policy comes in handy.

Home insurance will reimburse you the cost of repairing or, in some cases, replacing an item which has been damaged or broken, or stolen. You may think you won’t need it, that if anything happens to your belongings you’ll be able to afford something else. But you never know what’s around the corner, which is why it never hurts to have a back up plan.

There are two types of home insurance. One covers the building itself, including windows, carpets and doors. The other covers the contents within the home; furniture, clothing and in some cases the food in your fridge or freezer. Before taking out a home contents insurance policy you will need to estimate the value of goods in your home, so it’s a good idea to hold onto any receipts for the larger items to help you with this.

You may find your insurance won’t cover certain items in your house, for example an expensive piece of furniture or jewellery. There could be a number of reasons for this; the item may be deemed too valuable and, if damaged, could result in a larger payout than your standard premiums would cover. Or it may be that owning that item puts you at greater risk of theft (often the case with expensive garden equipment as it’s in public view). Whatever the reason, if your standard policy doesn’t cover it you may want to think about a separate policy for that item.

If looking at a specialist policy you’ll need a recent receipt or written valuation to verify the item’s worth. The insurance provider will then give you an insurance quote based on the value of that item. You may be able to get single item insurance like this from your standard home insurance provider, or there are specialist companies who offer it, particularly for jewellery, expensive electrical items and antiques.

If you already have cover and later buy something expensive, contact your provider to see if they’ll insure your new item under the existing policy. If not, you may need separate insurance. Sometimes the retailer you purchased the item from may offer this, although store insurance can be costlier.

Like any other insurance, the cost of a home insurance policy can vary between providers. It’s best to compare home insurance quotes from a number of providers before making your decision. Read the small print: some insurers require you to pay premiums for a certain period of time before you make a claim. And remember, the amount of excess you pay can significantly reduce your premiums.

Oak timber and green oak

Most of   my products are finished in danish oil unless the item is listed otherwise draining boards have a poly finish. An oiled finish is very easy to maintain by just wiping the item down with a slightly damp cloth. Should you wish to wax your item this can be done straight over the top of the oil and I would recommend the use of a natural product such as bee's wax. Please try and avoid aerosol products as this can dry the finish of your product.

An oiled finish will require re-oiling about once a year depending on the amount of use the item gets. The item should be wiped down with a mild detergent solution or white spirit before the oil is aplided. The oil should simply be put on using a brush or clean rag and then left to stand a few minute's don't worry about any brush marks or runs at this stage. Absolutely no skill is required for application as even when the oil is applied with a brush, it does not have to be brushed out in the same way as a varnish. The brush is merely used to spread the oil liberally over the surface. Once the oil has had chance to soak in, using a clean rag wipe away any excess and allow to dry [4-8 hours depending on room temp]

If I had to give you one piece of advice regarding oiling your product it would be to use a good quality oil. Danish oil is just like any other product out there on the market, you pay cheap you get cheap!! Rustins   is a very good oil and is readily available from most DIY stores and not that expensive.   I have tried "own brands" before and trust me it's not worth the bother. Solid oak furniture with a little loving care will last for years and years, don't spoil it with cheap oil.

If you have purchased any of my products and require further advice on oiling your item please don't hesitate to contact me, either via email or phone. Contact details can be found on the contact us page.

Over the next few weeks this page will be up dated with details for basic repairs should you ever damage an item so please check back soon for more info. If you don't feel you would like to attempt an repair I do offer the service here at a very reasonable rate.