 | Melody Fry and her husband Mike, own Furniture Repair by Fry’s and specialize in repair and restoration of furniture and other wood products. They offer a full range of services from on-site repair of nicks and scratches to complete rebuilding and re-finishing at their shop in Newton, KS. Both Melody and Mike are lifetime residents of the area and have spent their careers in customer service and sales. You can contact them toll free at (877) 283-7655 or e-mail at fryswoodrestoration@cox.net. |
Furniture
1969-12-31 18:00:00
Quick fix-up for old furniture?
Some of the wood furniture in my home is separating at the joints. What causes this?
ANSWER: While this can be caused by several things the most common cause is excessive dryness. This can cause shrinkage and even brittleness and cracking in wood.Even though wood used in manufacturing furniture and trim is dried before being used, it still contains 10 to 12 percent moisture. A very dry environment can draw the moisture level in wood down thereby causing shrinkage. This can be accelerated by continuous or large changes in temperature. Another aggravating factor can be air blowing across the furniture or direct sunlight on the piece. All of these factors can be present in our homes, offices and business establishments and are most prevalent in the winter when we take dry, cold air; heat it up; then blow it through our houses.The best cure for this is prevention. Controlling the environment with a fairly constant temperature and a controlled humidity in the 60 percet range will go a long way to preventing these problems. Also try to place fine wood furniture away from the direct blast of heating vents and not directly in front of a window that receives direct sunlight. Also, treating the wood with an oil (without silicones) meant for wood preservation helps keep the moisture in the wood.If your furniture has already been damaged you may be able to restore it to some degree by getting it into a better environment for a period of time to allow the wood to re-absorb some moisture. Then, if it is just the joints that have been damaged it can be disassembled and re-glued. If the actual wood has split then it may take more serious reconstruction or even be time to consider replacing it. Just try to improve the environment for the repaired or replaced piece if at all possible.
