How to Protect for Wooden Furniture - Let’s Start with the Basics
Wooden furniture is worshipped for its gorgeous colors and patterns, offering at least a bit of a connection with Mother Nature. Moreover, quality wooden furniture can last for generations with an nearly unchanged appearance. Consequently regular maintenance is required otherwise it is not going to last at all.
Day to Day care
To begin with we must look at the rudiments that apply to all types of wooden furniture. Let’s start by making it absolutely clear that wood and humidity do NOT like each other. Use a dry smooth cloth or the brush connector on your vacuum and avoid the use a wet cloth. Promptly wipe up all spills and do whatever is necessary to keep the furniture dry. Try to shy away from placing the furniture in a room where the humidity is too high, too low or the temperature fluctuates too often. Likewise, placing your antique table next to the heater is not the best idea.
Keep furniture away from sunshine as it can damage the wood. Direct exposure can cause color fading. This progress is slow, but almost permanent. Furthermore, very hot items, like hot cups, lights or candles can cause instant damage. Try to have to hand some cork mats and try to keep away from mats that can damage the finish such as rubber. The mats are not only to position under your cup of coffee, but also under a vase or other hard objects which may scratch the surface.
Different types of wood surfaces
More detailed care has to be based on the type of finishing is used on your furniture, since every kind reacts in a different way. Soft (oiled), painted and hard wood, which includes varnish and shellac, are the three normal sorts of wood finishes. By far the most effortless to find is painted wood, but you will need to look at little closer to work out the finish of the other types of wood.
Once you have rejected a painted veneer then, in a concealed spot, rub a little linseed into the surface. An oiled or soft coating will soak up the linseed. If not, continue with a little of acetone. Polyurethane will see acetone run off like water, lacquer like nail varnish dissolves straight away. If the coating turns tacky then you can determine it is a varnish or shellac. Varnish will react much more sluggishly if a few drops of alcohol are put over the area, so determining whether the finish is varnish or shellac.
Look out for the next chapter in wood furniture maintenance where we will scrutinize these different types of finishes.
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Window Hardware | Jane | 17 December 2009 |
