Care of your newly refinished  wood furniture

In addition to the tips outlined below, here are a few things to keep in mind when caring

for your newly refinished furniture.

The  finishes used by The Restoration Studio are of the highest quality available. In most cases, they are superior to the original finish and will last for many years if properly cared for. It is important to keep in mind that special care must be used for the first 2 weeks of receiving your newly refinished furniture.

For the first week, nothing should be placed on the top. Although the finish is dry, it is still curing, and will not be fully cured for up to two weeks from the time you receive it. During this phase, extra care must be taken.  Refrain from placing heavy objects, such as a centerpiece, on top surfaces for the first two weeks.

When dusting or polishing, It's always best to polish in circular motions or with the grain. 

After the initial two week phase, use proper care as explained below and your furniture will stay beautiful for many years.

Care of your fine wood furniture

Common sense is the best approach when caring for your furniture. Dust  your furniture regularly to help maintain its beautiful appearance.

Always treat your furniture like a treasure. Some objects may be unfriendly to furniture finishes, so protect your furniture. Do not set hot or wet objects on the surface. Use felt pads under lamps and other decorative accessories placed on your furniture, avoiding those pads with adhesives. Also, do not place abrasive materials, rubber or plastic on your furniture. When moving objects, such as a lamp, always pick up and move the object as opposed to dragging it across the finish surface.

Remember, when moving your furniture even a few inches, to pick it up instead of pushing or dragging it. This is especially important with bedding. Always disassemble your bed entirely. Pulling or pushing a bed even a few inches can cause splits and cracks.

Environment can be as harmful to your furniture as it is to you. Protect your furniture from sunlight, as well as excessively humid or dry air. Look around before you decide on the best place for your furniture.

For weekly maintenance, choose a soft, clean cloth - one you would like to feel next to your skin. Spray cloth lightly with a quality furniture polish such as  Guardsman, and dust your entire piece. Avoid polishes with heavy oils and waxes.

As with all of your fine furniture, blot up any spills immediately.

Care of your Antique Furniture

For routine maintenance, it is a good idea to occasionally apply a protective coating to the finish. Both paste wax or lemon oil make excellent treatments. The wax usually gives a glossier finish while the lemon oil typically retains a duller appearance. Products with abrasives should not be used continually since they might wear away the protective finish.

Often people worry about paste wax build-up on their antique pieces. This actually is very desirable since accumulated wax and dust contribute to the antique patina sought by antique collectors.

For housekeeping purposes it is suggested that the interior of drawers be occasionally waxed. This will help seal the wood and also clean any dust which might have accumulated.

Joinery

Most early construction utilized the mortise and tenon or dovetail joint for the majority of structural components. Both of these techniques allowed two pieces of wood to be joined without the use of nails, screws or glue. For example, legs were attached to skirts utilizing mortise and tenon construction, while drawers were constructed, both front and back, using dovetail joints. Other non-structural components, such as table tops, might be attached using screws, nails, or small glue blocks. One of the fascinating aspects of Colonial furniture construction is the lack of rigid construction conventions. While basic dovetail and mortise and tenon joinery are common to most 18th century American pieces, the variations in their execution seem endless.

Expansion and Contraction

It is important to realize that wood is a dynamic medium in that it will expand and contract with changes in humidity. This movement is related to wood's porous structure which allows it to absorb or release moisture depending upon the relative humidity. Different woods exhibit different amounts of expansion and contraction. However, in all cases the amount of movement is significant. This constant seasonal movement creates certain characteristics common to all antique furniture. One of these is the appearance of cracks in any panel where the wood has not been allowed to expand and contract freely. These shrinkage cracks are especially noticeable in the following areas:

1. The side panels of highboys or lowboys which are attached to the legs using mortise and tenon construction.
2. The tops of chests or tables which are attached with pegs, screws, or glue blocks.
3. The side panels of chests or desks where moldings restrict wood movement.

A second trait is the swelling of wood which occurs in humid weather. This moisture uptake can result in the following conditions:

1. Warpage of table leaves because of variation in moisture absorption between finished and unfinished sides.
2. The sticking of drawers because of expansion of the drawer secondary wood.
3. Protrusion of dovetail pins or wood pegs due to the lack of movement parallel to the wood grain.

To minimize shrinkage cracking the following steps are recommended:

* Avoid placing furniture in direct sunlight. This will reduce the chance of localized drying.
* Avoid placing pieces very close to heating coils, radiators, or air vents.
* If possible, try to maintain a fairly constant humidity throughout the year. This should not become a burdensome task; rather try to avoid moving a piece from one extreme to another, such as from an attic to a basement. A dehumidifier in a hot air or air conditioning system will often help control humidity extremes.
* Occasionally treat the entire piece with a little light oil, such as lemon oil. This will help prevent drying out of the surface finish and a subsequent reduction in its protective ability.

To the inexperienced collector, age cracks often create considerable concern. However, as most seasoned collectors realize, these signs of age are of minor consequence and insignificantly affect the value of the piece.

During humid weather case drawers will often stick. The easiest remedy for this problem is to rub a little candle wax or paraffin on the drawer sides and bottom runners. This treatment should help the drawers slide easier. However, if the humidity remains high this wax treatment will sometimes be insufficient. In this case, it is best to bring in a dehumidifier or simply wait until the air turns drier. It is not recommended that the drawer sides be planed until all other options have been exhausted.

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