Misconceptions about Hotel Furniture

When I was young I remember getting the wood is good lectures from the older folks. It was always considered to be taboo to use veneers and particle boards. Back then it was true that Particle boards where only for the packaging and shipping industries. Modern technology has injected itself in place of the old school Elmer’s glue bound engineered woods.

Modern methods and tech guarantee repeatability. The older pieces were generally built with much higher tolerances and due to that, they inherited the survivability legendary to their existence. Essentially, they could get much looser before breaking than modern pieces because of how tightly the new items are made. Better construction machines and practices allow for microns of accuracy instead of millimetres.

Manufacturing of the woods have also changed. Older manufacturing techniques also did not allow for weather damage as much. Modern glues are far more capable of punishment than their horse hoof equivalent grandparents.

Finishing is arguably the most important part of the manufacturing process. Its client will see every day after all. Previously the veneers would be hand shaved of taken in small sections. Today we can put a whole log into the machine and with a long blade measuring in excess of 5 meter in some machines it shaves the wood in a similar fashion to a pencil sharpener. Veneers are usually used to cover a surface made from particle boards. Presenting a much neater and professional appearance it is highly favoured in the carpentry business.

A simple look at the equipment used in most restaurants can yield a very interesting discussion regarding best materials for the environment. If we had to look at the table tops for most restaurants. Common materials are wood, metal, plastic or glass. Glass is favoured in areas such as beach houses that receives a lot of corrosive elements due to proximity to the sea. Wood table’s tops are favoured mainly for their cost and ease of manufacturing. Oak hard woods are very tough and withstand abuse well. They cannot be used outdoors. The elements will destroy the wood, UV damage from the sun, Heating and cooling causing expansion cracks and possibly even warping the top due to uneven expansion. Wood is great from indoors as it is warm and comfortable. Teak is an example of a wood that can be used outside. It does require a fairly strict maintenance schedule to ensure that the wood has a fighting chance. Manufactures are looking into new ways to manufacture furniture, one such way is a mixture of materials. A particle board top will have a sheet of stainless or aluminium top put onto it to protect it from wear and tear but water ingression is unavoidable outdoors. Some have been using a polymer resin to construct the tops. Made from the same thing that epoxy is made from, Resin tops are by far the best for outdoor use, Followed by Aluminium, Cost and wear and tear considered.

From the top down, Next would be the base. Much like the tops, the bases have to be treated in the same way. Metal bases are most popular for their strength, but if you are not using aluminium, your base will rust. Painting the bases will go a long way to protecting the base from corrosion. Fancy paints are not needed. Just make sure if it needs a primer or not and if the paint needs the surface to be keyed before applying the paint.

Colours are important to the surface finish, especially outdoors, Black is a very bad idea in the sun. Granite, Concrete and other stone materials are very durable but can be dangerous if used in the sunny side of your restaurant. Heat storage in stone is immense and can cause severe burns to the arms and torso. Very reflective surfaces are discouraged. Being blinded or having a massive sun spot on you might be nice in the winter but it gets old fast when it starts melting the ice cream out of your spoon. Smooth surfaces are highly encouraged as they are hygienic. Rough or unfinished concrete-like surfaces can harbour germs and make clean up much more tedious.

Security is also a big concern, many restaurants are faced with the reality of theft. They understand that you cannot bolt down everything. Some restaurateurs have resorted to chaining furniture down at night or when not in use. Others have considered weather coated wire rope. Drilling and bolting each one of the legs of the table down and securing the chairs with lengths of wire rope. Allowing movement of the chairs but not removal. This method has also been instrumental in curbing “bar chair attacks “if a fight breaks out. A bit of advice, if you are insured. Take photos if you do not have a cctv camera looking at the furniture, these pictures will solidify the claim process. Besides all the burglar-proofing, cameras are an amazing deterrent especially in this day and age. The technology exists for you to have a camera so good that it can see the freckles on their nose in the dark while they cart your deck chairs away. This can also help ID the perpetrators at a later stage. I noted an incident a few years ago whereby the restaurateur was burglarised. They made off with a BIG LCD TV and a few bottles of Johnny Walker. The one guy took his mask off when he got inside and a clear photo of his face was acquired and was plastered all over the restaurant. A reward of R500 was offered for info and within a week he had the name and address of the guy. Police went to the house and found him watching the same TV. Even if you have fake cameras, the mere thought of being recorded makes it much more of a deterrent than any Blue Security boards on your walls.

That concludes this little thought bubble. I have so many more stories to share and well made solid wood pieces to check out. Please click here to read more awesome blogging’s J