The Importance of Bog Oak

Bog Oak is a relatively rare wood and has a unique history. This wood has undergone a preservation process and is essentially in the early stages of fossilization.  When the original wood gets buried in the bog, the extremely low oxygen conditions helps to preserve the wood, whilst the surrounding peat provides acidic conditions where iron salts and other minerals react with the wood to cause a change in colour. Depending on the age of the wood, the colour can vary from mid-brown to almost black for the oldest pieces.

Bog Oak can be quite difficult to work with due to its exceptional hardness but can have a roughness that adds real character to any finished piece.  Due to the large number of peat bogs in Ireland, Bog Oak is relatively abundant here, and has become a very sought after material.