Home Furnishings
2008-05-01 13:20:00
Keeping wood furniture looking good
Question: How do I care for the wood pieces of furniture in my home?
Answer: This is a question that I get quite often. It mostly centers around the idea of keeping the wood from “drying out”. Let’s start off by saying that wood furniture does not dry out in the sense that it causes the cracks and loose joints to appear, veneers to lift, or the finish to crack. This is mostly the cause of drastic changes in humidity or exposure to sunlight over time.
Changes in humidity cause the wood to shrink or swell as the wood either absorbs water or releases water as it reaches equilibrium with the surrounding climate. Exposure to direct sunlight causes colors to fade, and finishes to crack and craze. To combat these two conditions it is wise to try and control the relative humidity, keeping it within 40% to 60%. This range will keep wood movement to a minimum. Also keep blinds on the windows with sun exposure, tint those windows with a UV tint, or cover pieces when not in use.
In the past, clear finishes were limited to varnish, shellac, or lacquer. These types of finishes were not as durable as the more modern types of finishes that we have now. Even though quite a lot of furniture manufacturers still use lacquer, the more modern finishes such as polyurethane, catalyzed lacquer, catalyzed varnish and water based finishes are quite a bit more worry-free. With that in mind, regular dusting and cleaning can be done with a simple damp cloth followed with a dry cloth, or a furniture polish sprayed on the dust rag with just enough to trap dust and not leave the polish on the surface of the wood.
I recommend that when selecting a polish to pick one that does not have a lot of silicone in it. Silicone tends to build up on a finish over time, leaving behind a greasy film that fingerprints easily and looks oily. It also is a contaminate for the finishing process so if one ever has work done on that piece, the professional will need to overcome the silicone to do the job correctly.
I would generally recommend an emulsion polish. This is one that usually is milky white in color when first applied. This has a good blend of cleaning and dust catching properties, plus it usually does not have silicone as an ingredient and thus does not leave behind contamination.
If one has an older piece of furniture, applying a paste wax can help the older finish. This type of maintenance product is the most permanent. It is also the hardest to apply because of the extra effort required to remove the wax that is not needed. But, it also can have dramatic effects in bringing back shine and hiding blemishes. If a paste wax is applied, then little to no polish should be used on that piece, as a polish will tend to remove a paste wax from the wood surface.
The last thing is to make sure that you get a good cloth to use only for furniture care. Micro-fiber is a really great choice for this. Call your furniture professional if you have further questions about care of your wooden furniture.
