Taking Good Care of Wood Furniture
Woodn't You Know
Because of its origins in living trees, it's understandable that your
wood furniture continues to have some basic "care and feeding" requirements.
The furniture repair and restoration experts at
Furniture Medic
offer some time-tested tips for maintaining the natural beauty of your wood furniture.
Preventing Problems
Clearly, your wood furniture was built to be used and enjoyed, not simply
placed on display. But there are some precautions you should take to avoid
potential harm and to help your furniture stay in good shape. A very good
place to start is its placement: that is, you want to position your furniture
so that it isn't exposed to direct sunlight, which can dry out the wood.
Use window screens or treatments that will block damaging rays and heat.
When not in use, place a table pad on top of your dining room table to
protect its finish. Table pads are relatively inexpensive and you can
order them in any shape or size to fit your tabletop.
When you are dining at your wood table, use a tablecloth, trivets or
placemats for serving plates and dishes that are hot. If you plan to burn
candles on top of a piece of wood furniture, use a large felt protector
with a plastic top. The candle wax doesn't run as much when it hits plastic.
To prevent water rings, keep coasters readily accessible. The ideal coaster
is made of wood with an absorbent material on which the glass rests, and
felt on the bottom where it touches the wood. Look for coasters that have
a slight outer ridge, helpful for capturing any condensation that accumulates
on the glass. Avoid metal coasters, which tend to sweat onto the table.
Also, the chemicals in a plastic coaster may react with the high-tech
finishes used on today's furniture.
Cleaning & Polishing
A little bit of cleaning and polishing goes a long way toward enhancing
your furniture's appearance. Once or twice a year, have your furniture
deluxed (buffed and polished) by a professional. Polish your furniture
once a week with a quality polish to help protect the finish from damage.
You can even make your own polish by mixing one part lemon oil to three
parts olive oil. Be careful not to use a polish that contains silicone
or alcohol. Alcohol is a basic ingredient in some furniture strippers;
included in a polish, it could actually damage the finish.
Rejuvenate the finish by cleaning with a mild soap – like one that you
would use to wash your hands – that has been diluted. Do not use any household
cleaner containing ammonia on your wood furniture.
Disguising Damage
It's inevitable that an accident of some kind will occur, with a visible
effect on your wood furniture. Here are some quick fixes to help undo
the damage; or if that's not possible, to help disguise it, at least.
Water spots
Let water spots dry out completely. Then, put a dab of mayonnaise (not
sandwich spread) on a soft cloth and rub it on the water mark. In most
cases, the spot will disappear. If cups or glasses leave a colored ring
on the table, rough the area slightly with an abrasive pad or paper and
rub with cigarette ashes mixed with cooking oil.
Scratches
There are specific scratch cover products that are effective in disguising
minor scratches. Just apply the product to a clean cloth and rub lightly
over the scratch. Shoe polish and felt tip pens also work wonders in hiding
small scratches on furniture. And, you can fill empty shoe polish applicator
bottles with stain and use them for touching up your furniture.
Candle wax
If wax does drip onto a table, here's what you can do:
- Wait until the wax cools and hardens before trying to remove it.
- Apply an ice cube directly to the wax and give it time to make the
wax hard and brittle. Take a plastic spatula and gently scrape off the
cold wax.
- Polish the table with a clean cloth and a good cream furniture polish.
- Buff away any remaining residue.
For more assistance with wood furniture upkeep, or to schedule a repair
or wood treatment, rely on Furniture
Medic for professional furniture
refinishing.
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For more assistance with wood furniture upkeep, or to schedule a repair
or wood treatment, rely on Furniture
Medic for professional furniture refinishing.
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