Central heating might be excellent at keeping off a winter chill but too much of a good thing can be counter-productive - and not only to the pocket.

Veneered furniture suffers terribly at the hands of an over-enthusiastic sole in charge of the heating controls.

Veneers of exotic timber are laid on a less expensive carcase. Heat will cause different timbers to move, contract and expand at different rates. This will cause splits and horrible jagged cracks to appear.

In some cases a smile' will develop as it is known in the trade. This is illustrated by a fold-over tea table from the late Georgian era which is being offered for sale in my July antiques sale, and shows a bow between the two flaps - or more like a grin in this example.