Furniture Care

OUR Philosophy on furniture care

It’s important to remember the purpose and intent of solid wood furniture. Our furniture is designed and built to last long periods of time and wear and tear is inherent to this longevity. While steps can be taken to maintain its luster it is important to recognize that furniture is designed to be used and meant to serve you.

When your furniture first arrives it will be pristine and there is a common desire to maintain this. The steps below are outlined to help you with this, but they are not meant to imply that your furniture should be maintained in its like new condition. This can bog you down and the wonderful functional nature of furniture can disappear into an abyss of cleaning regimens and worry. Instead we urge you to be comfortable with the fact that all things will age gracefully. Over the years we’ve seen this simple realization bring the most joy to our customers.

To put your mind further at ease, since these pieces are built primarily from solid woods they can be refinished in time, years down the road, if you ever feel the desire for that like new feeling again. Just remember the furniture exists to help you, not to be a hindrance.

Quick Tips

• Desks and table tops take a lot of abuse. From kids banging their silverware to their daily use at mealtimes, it’s inevitable that your surface will show wear over time and will begin as soon as the surface is put to use. Coasters and place settings will help avoid some of this. Since table surfaces will need actual cleaning from time to time follow the directions below.

• Storage pieces tend to take less abuse as they are touched less and should receive less wear over time. However we can offer you a thick custom cut felt pad to cover the top surface of a cabinet if desired.

• If you have a cleaning person, be sure to ask them not to ‘clean’ your wooden furniture. Dusting is all thats necessary on a day to day basis.

• Do not use commercially available chemical cleaners like windex or fantastic on your solid wood or lacquer furniture. They will more rapidly strip the oils from the surface. Just use a damp cloth.

• Protect surfaces from scratching by using stick on felt pads or a soft placemat below heavy or hard objects.

• Prevent rings on wood surfaces by using coasters, place settings or something that will absorb drips.

• Take extra care to avoid scratching lacquered surfaces as they can’t be easily repaired.

Changes over time

All woods will change their appearance over time with exposure to ultra violet light from the sun. Darker woods like Walnut and Dark Oak tend to lighten, while Maple, Sycamore and Birch will warm towards a more amber color. Cherry and Mahogany will darken significantly. This is a naturally occurring process that will be accelerated if your furniture is in direct sunlight or in a brightly sunlit room.

Be Mindful of:

Uneven changes over time - Areas exposed to sunlight will eventually change over time, but areas that are covered will not.

PREVENTION:

Try not to leave an object in the same place for months and years at a time. Its best to occasionally move things around to allow your furniture to age evenly. This mostly applies to the top surface of your furniture.

SOLID Wood

Little to no cleaning required, just occasional dusting. Too much cleaning will eventually remove the oils from the surface.

Be MINDFUL Of:

Rings - These occur when water is left to sit on the surface for some time. In some cases they may dry up and mostly disappear. In other cases, water is simply the vehicle for dust to enter the porous wood surface which creates permanent rings. These rings and other scratches can be removed with sanding and reapplication of an oil finish.

Scratches - Like all materials even the densest solid wood can scratch.

Prevention:

Rings - Never leave potted plants on a wood surface. If using a vase, put some form of coaster below to catch any water drips. Be mindful of cold drinking glasses left on the surface or use coasters to soak up condensation.

Scratches - Be mindful when placing heavy or hard objects on a wooden surface. If you must, use stick on felt pads, coasters or a soft placemat below so that objects glide smoothly over the surface if knocked or moved.

CLEANING:

In general use only a damp cloth and then dry the surface completely with a fresh cloth or paper towel. For extra cleaning, use Osmo Wash and Care which is designed for wood and has less harsh cleaning agents. This should be done seldom or can be used for accidental spills.

Replenishing:

Every once in a while, you can use Osmo Liquid Wax Refresher after cleaning. It contains some natural oils and waxes which will replenish the surface and prevent it from looking dry.

Repairing & Refinishing:

The steps below are mostly unnecessary if you prescribe to the ‘philosophy of furniture care’ written above. However easy steps to repair & refinish at home are listed below.

Minor Scratches on Solid Wood - Most minor scratches can be removed with a little sanding using 220 or 320 sandpaper. Sand only in the direction of the grain. Once removed you can use most furniture oils to refinish the area. To apply, put a small amount of oil on a clean rag and rub lightly in the direction of the grain. Follow by immediately wiping off all excess with a clean cloth or paper towel. It is important to wipe every last bit off. Oil is always applied as thinly as possible, it should feel like you’re not leaving anything on there. Let dry 24 hours and buff with 0000 (four zeros - the finest available) steel wool and re apply. For better blending of the local area you may want to apply more coats and apply a final coat to the entire surface.

Medium Scratches on Solid Wood - If a scratch looks too deep to get out with minor sanding you can try to steam it out. Lightly sand the area with 220 sandpaper to reach the bare wood. Saturate a clean cotton rag with lukewarm tap water and place over the scratch. Allow a few seconds for water to absorb into the wood fibers. Have a prepared clothing iron ready set to its hottest setting and press over the wet rag. You’ll hear and see steam forming under the rag. The hotter and more steam that forms the better but remove the iron after only about 5 seconds as you don’t want to burn the wood. The steam is being forced into the wood which lifts the grain and fills the scratch. You can try repeating this process several times, rewetting the rag until the scratch no longer feels like an indentation. If the scratch is too deep or if the wood fibers are actually broken this may have limited results. Afterwards re-sand lightly with 220 or 320 sandpaper and apply oil as described above to refinish.

Scratches on Cabinet Doors - Instead of solid wood, thin veneer must be used on cabinet doors to provide flatness and dimensional stability. It is much more delicate and not recommended to refinish at home. This will require an experienced furniture restorer. Be mindful and take extra care not to damage cabinet doors.

Rings - In most cases, rings can be removed by lightly sanding with 220 in the direction of the grain until gone, then refinish by applying oil as described above.

COLORED LacquerS

Little to no cleaning required, just occasional dusting. Lacquer is more likely to resist liquid penetration which is the cause of rings. Lacquer though will scratch just like any material and is harder to repair as it must be sent back to us, disassembled and resprayed.

Be MINDFUL of:

Scratches - Lacquers can show scratches and can not be removed or fixed without sending the piece back to us for respraying. Take extra care to prevent scratching lacquered surfaces.

Prevention:

Scratches - Avoid placing heavy or hard objects on a lacquered surface. If you must, use stick on felt pads, coasters or a soft placemat below so that objects glide smoothly over the surface if knocked or moved.

CLEANING:

Use only a damp cloth and then dry surface completely with a fresh cloth or paper towel. This should be done seldom or for accidental spills.

Metal

No cleaning required. Most of our metal finishes are coated to preserve their appearance. They will maintain this finish with normal use for a long time, but cleaning agents will slowly remove this film over time. Just dust when necessary.