Material and maintenance

OX Leather
OX leather, the backbone of many of our products, is mainly produced from Spanish cattle. All our leather is 100 % vegetable tanned and the surface of the leather is not modified. For most products, leather with a thickness of at least 3 mm. For the Rama and September chairs, the leather will normally be minimum 4 mm.

The fact that Spanish cattle normally spend most of their lifetime in the field as opposed to in the stables means that Nature will leave marks such as insect bites and scars. These marks reflect a Natural product.

Colours will wary from production batch to production batch since hides will react in different ways to the colouring process depending on e.g. time of year, geographical origin of hides and age of cattle.

OX leather furniture will only get more beautiful as time passes and natural patina sets in.

Caring for OX Leather
If you want your leather to remain soft and have a longer life and fewer blemishes, we recommend ongoing caretaking with Leather grease.

Leather grease contains beeswax and impregnating plant juices which makes the leather water and stain repellent. Suitable for all OX leather. Contains no solvents and silicone.

Buy here: https://www.oxdenmarq.com/webshop/leather-grease-190-ml-cloth

Maintenance with Leather Grease at least twice a year is recommended.

Bright untreated leather that do not receive fat is particularly susceptible to sweat stains, spills and dirt. It is either very difficult or impossible to remove stains. Some prefer the leather to appear untreated and with stains and dried out, as it is considered as more genuine. If you sympathize with this, follow general advice on minimal care and only use of foam from soap flakes.

OX Marble
Green Indio, White Carrara, Brown Emperador, Grey Marble and Black Marquina. Those are the five high-quality marble stones we use in our designs. The stones are mined in India, Italy and Spain, and then transported to a village north of Madrid, where the process from stone to table takes place.

All OX marble plates are given a protective treatment before being sent to clients.

Caring for Marble
Marble is a limestone and it does not tolerate any kind of acid. To protect the marble surface against grease and dirt, we recommend to saturate the surface before putting it to use (we have already done this). Polished surfaces are best treated with acid-free wax.

For ongoing caretaking, acid free wax or white Vaseline oil is recommended.
Buy here: https://www.oxdenmarq.com/webshop/marble-oil-50-ml-cloth

Caring for honed (mat) Marble
For ongoing caretaking of your honed (mat) marble table, we recommend cleaning it with a neutral soap.
DO NOT use marble oil for honed (mat) marble.

DO's and DON'Ts for Marble
• DO clean up spills immediately to minimize damage to your stone.
• DO use trivets or mats under hot dishes and cookware.
• DO use place mats under china, ceramics, silver and other objects that can scratch the stone's surface.
• DO use coasters under glasses, especially if they contain alcohol or citrus juices.
• DON'T wait to clean up spills on stone.
• DON'T use cleaners that contain acid such as bathroom cleaners, grout cleaners or tub cleaners.
• DON'T use vinegar, bleach, ammonia or other general-purpose cleaners.
• DON'T use abrasive cleaners such as dry cleansers or soft cleansers.
• DON'T use alkaline cleaners not specifically formulated for stone.
• DON'T use scouring powders and abrasives because they will scratch the surface.
• DON'T Place toiletry products directly on the countertop surface.

Marble tabletops:

General advice on:
- Preventing stains and etching
- Daily cleaning and maintanance

What is marble?
Marble is basically a rock and thus a natural product.

Metamorphic rock, having been subject to tremendous heat and pressure to the point where various fossilized materials, along with the original limestone and sundry minerals, have become re-crystallized. This naturally decorative material is characterized by vein-like patterns which vary depending on which minerals, and which quantities of those minerals, were present during the re-crystallization of the original limestone parent rock. These patterns offer the unique appearance known to many, as well as the rich range of colours that are some of the most vibrant available in any natural stone.

This process also means that even a polished marble surface will have small imperfections.

As for Carrara Marble, small cracks can sometimes be found on the polished surface. This phenomenon known as “taroli” is a natural characteristic of the stone, which cannot be eliminated completely.

Marble is a porous rock and will show wear as time passes.

Marble will be etched if it comes in contact with acid liquids, including soft drinks and juice. Marble absorbs oils and other liquids and will become stained if coloured liquids are spilled and left on a marble surface.

1) Prevention – before you start using your table
Before you start using your table, we recommend to treat the surface with a protective sealer. The sealer fills in the pores and repels spills on the surface, allowing you time to completely wipe it away.

Sealing helps to prevent stains from coloured liquids but it is no guarantee.

Red wine, coffee or tomato sauce (as obvious examples) will easily stain a white marble plate.

Furthermore, sealing does not prevent etching (see below).

We recommend to use Vaseline oil for the sealing process. However, many different products exist for this purpose.

2) When in use
Etching:
All liquids – in particular acid liquids – should be removed from the surface as quickly as possible. The best method is to use a sponge so as to avoid spreading the liquid on the surface.

All acid liquids will etch the surface. Etching will be most visible on polished marble (shiny surface) since the etching eats away the polish.

Even water can leave marks on a marble table top. Water contains minerals that will be left in the marble in case water is left on the top (e.g. water rings if humid cups and glasses are left directly on the marble.
Hot items should not be left directly on the marble surface, in particular if the marble surface has been sealed.

3) Cleaning a marble table top
It is recommended to clean the table top with a dissolution of PH-neutral soap. After the cleaning, the table should be wiped dry with dry cloth.

4) If you damage the marble top (stains or etching)
If the table top has been damaged, we recommend to ask an expert for advice.

The best action depends on the colour of the marble and the nature of the damage (stain or etching) and the substance that has damaged the table. ~