Care of Fine Furniture

All fine wood furniture finishes requires some maintenance.  Care should be taken to ensure that liquids are not left to sit on table tops.  Use coasters under glasses and be sure to put an impermeable surface under any houseplants that are left on the piece. Use felt under objects set on furniture which may scratch it.

Damage will depend on the finish used on the piece.  Most of my table tops are finished with shellac which will resist damage from water.  But since shellac is alcohol based any alcoholic beverages that spill on the finish will cause damage if not wiped up. 

One way to determine if the damage can be fixed is to note the color of the "water ring".  If the ring is white then the damage is in the finish and can usually be repaired with a little effort - rub with paste wax and very fine (0000) steel wool.  However, if the ring is dark colored or black then the damage has gone through the finish and is in the wood.  This will require some amount of refinishing.  If you can bring the piece by the shop I can assess the damage and determine how best to repair the piece.

The other damage that occurs to wood furniture is scratches, dents and dings.  Fixing these can be more problematic.  However, marks of use are what make antiques so valuable so you may want to consider leaving these as they are.  If not please contact me and we can discuss a remedy.

The basic care of wood furniture is pretty simple. Wipe off dirt and dust with a slightly damp towel and then wipe the piece dry. 

Occasionally you may want to wax the piece. Waxing too often will leave the piece looking hazy so don't apply wax more than once or twice a year. Lightly rub the piece with a fine furniture wax and let it sit for at least an hour.  After the wax has dried it will look hazy.  Buff the piece to remove the haze and bring out the natural luster of the wood.

If your piece has been allowed to sit in the sun and the top has become dried out it can be rejuvenated by applying an oil finish.  You will want to wear rubber gloves for mixing and applying the finish. The recipe for the oil finish is one part linseed oil, one part tung oil and one part interior urethane.  Mix these together in a clean container.  Apply a light amount of finish to a clean cloth (a half of a paper towel folded over several times will work) and then lightly rub the finish onto the piece.  You are only trying to evenly coat the piece at this point and not actually "rub" the finish into the wood.  Let the finish sit for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes take a clean paper towel and wipe off the remaining finish.  Keep wiping with clean paper towels until no more finish is being left on the towel.  Let the piece sit and dry for 24 hours.  After 24 hours repeat this process.  After two to three coats have been applied let the piece dry for 24 hours and then apply wax as described in the preceding paragraph.