Furniture
care, What you need to know
Sound furniture care requires at least, a rudimentary knowledge
of the characteristics of natural timber. Timber is a natural organic material that reacts to
all atmospheric
conditions; even well seasoned timber will continue to move with
the different humidity levels that will be present through the different
seasons. Timber will swell in conditions of humidity and shrink in
dry conditions. All good furniture makers know this and construct furniture in
a way that minimises this phenomenon to the structure and apply
appropriate finishes to lessen effects to surfaces; this has the
added benefit of enhancing the furniture’s appearance. However, to
remain looking good, furniture requires regular care and thoughtful
attention throughout its life. We, today, have a problem that didn’t
arise in our forebear’s time. The combined effect of double glazing
and central heating; we could call this a clash of cultures, the
past with the present. When cultures clash, there are generally
casualties and in this particular case it is our treasured
heirlooms.
All wood, as you know, needs to be seasoned and dried before it
can be used. Air drying of timber was traditionally carried out by
placing the timber outside, after it was cut into planks, with
spacers called ‘stickers’ between each level. A temporary cover
would then be placed over the stack, but not at the sides thus
allowing the free movement of air. Later, after at least four or
five years though often much longer, the timber was brought inside
the workshop or factory to condition before being converted into
furniture. This whole process reduced the timber moisture content to
about 11 or 12 %. This was fine because the ambient moisture content
of most homes was the same and furniture remained perfectly happy
for hundreds of years, except for the occasional accident and
untreated woodworm. By contrast, modern homes with central heating
and double-glazing are about 8% ambient moisture content. This
differential can be represented by a large crack in panels, loose
fitting doors or draws and loose joints. The later problem will be
exacerbated if the furniture was subjected to moisture before your
acquired it, which will have degraded the hide glue. Chairs are
particularly susceptible to this kind of degrade.
The worst effects of dryness can be offset by the use of an
efficient humidifier. This will also have the added benefit of being
really
 good for your own and the family’s health into the bargain.
Ideally relative humidity should be maintained at 50 – 55%. Adequate
ventilation is also essential. We are encouraged to consider the odd
small draught as a mortal enemy, this is not so as a supply of fresh
air is vital for the health of every one and everything in a home.
Direct sunlight is extremely harmful for furniture’s and can
cause all kinds of severe damage over extended periods. It most
definitely will lead to the breakdown of finishes and will also
cause irreversible discolouration of the timber below if not worse.
Even diffused light will have an effect; this generally goes
unnoticed, unless for instance you habitually keep an ornament, or
similar, in the same place on a surface. Eventually you will find a
lighter, or in some cases darker, mark the same shape as the
ornaments base. Keep ornaments by all means however, move them to
different positions on a regular basis. Never ever place a piece of
wooden furniture near a heat source, damage is inevitable; damp will
cause a different type of damage and possibly rot in the extreme
cases. The latter is unlikely in a modern home; however I have seen
too many fine pieces damaged like this through bad storage.
Now that your heirloom is happily situated in a suitable position
what could possibly go wrong now? Not too much to the structure it’s
true, unless that is, you have a large marble statue precariously
balanced above it, or your house is infested with woodworm, prone
to flooding or earthquakes. That still leaves the finish and this is
really the first thing most people notice about a fine piece of
furniture. Most makers will have put a lot of effort in bringing out
the timbers natural beauty to best effect and you will naturally
want to keep it looking that way.
The method par excellence is simply dusting; this may sound too
simple to be an effective furniture care tactic, but if done
regularly, makes much else unnecessary.
However innocuous dust may seem, it can quickly damage a finish,
especially the type of finish you will find on antique furniture.
This is because it will attract any moisture that is in the air,
mobilising any impurities trapped in the dust and helping them to
migrate into the finish. Dust will also penetrate wax deposits left
in corners or mouldings and form an unsightly build-up over time.
Regular dusting helps stop this and, contrary to what the
manufacturers of furniture care products tell you, it is not
necessary to wax or spray furniture every time you dust, in fact
this can work against you, by resulting in a greasy looking build up
which will eventually mask the surface as it attracts even more air
born dust and other pollutants. I have to mention here, it is
impossible to feed or nourish wood, it’s dead and even if it
were not, the finish, if it is doing its job properly, provides a
barrier preventing the wax from actually getting to the timber. It
is never the less better to dust with a damp cloth, rather than a
dry one. Dust has microscopic particles of grit within it and a damp
cloth helps lubricate and lift these without scratching. A polishers
"tack cloth" is ideal for this, I shall describe how to make one at
the end of this article.
You of course will have been scrupulous in the care of your
furniture, but what if you have just acquired the piece and the
previous owners were not as diligent in their duties. You may be
facing some serious grime or even scratches.
Furniture with traditional finishes, may at first appear
difficult and even daunting, because knowledge our grandparents used
every day has been lost or forgotten and attracted a certain
mystique. Especially French polish and most antique furniture and
furniture produced before the 2nd world war will probably
have been finished with shellac, better known as French polish. This
is the finish I use on all my new furniture, using different methods
of application to suit the piece, shellac does not necessarily mean
a high gloss finish, shellac is also completely non toxic, so much
so it is used by the pharmaceutical industry to coat pills. You may
occasionally also find an oil finish and some rustic pieces may have
a burnished wax finish. All are relatively easy to care for if you
follow a few simple guidelines.
Generally if your furniture is looking dull and dirty it is
probably as a result of a grime and wax built up over many years.
The safest and surest way to deal with this is to carefully wash
this build up off. This may sound alarming at first, but if done
properly, will remove 95% of all accumulated dirt. If necessary the
last 5% or so can be removed with a solvent based cleaner and
reviver, I’ll give the recipe for a first class one later.
To wash, place a little soap liquid (‘’teepol’’ is best and
available from specialist finish suppliers) in a shallow dish. Fill
a small bowl, with warm water, choose a clean piece of cloth and
have an old towel or similar to hand. Now dip the clean cloth into
the warm water, just enough to dampen it. Then take a little soap
liquid onto your dampened cloth squeezing out any excess on the edge
of the dish. Then gently wash your piece of furniture using small
firm movements, work only on one small area at a time. Dry
thoroughly with the towel before moving onto the next area. You will
be surprised how much dirt this removes. Some old heavily masked, or
very large items may require several changes of water and cloths, so
it’s a good idea to prepare these in advance. Although cleaning like
this will be enough to revive most furniture, you may find some
persistent stains like ink, water or oil that require further
treatment, I’m a bit reluctant to describe the treatment for these
here as it is easy to make mistakes if a defect is wrongly
diagnosed. If you do have a particular stain that needs attention,
contact me by email and I shall be happy to advise.
Next choose a good quality beeswax polish like Harrals or Libaron.
Work the polish into the surface very sparingly in a circular motion
with a clean cloth (use a small brush for mouldings) let this dry
for about an hour before buffing with a clean duster (use a clean
brush to buff mouldings).
The results can be truly amazing. Frequent dusting, with waxing
no more than once a year, will keep your heirloom looking good in
the future.
A Waxed finish may be revived and cleaned by simply applying new
wax ( a natural beeswax paste polish ) with 0000 grade wire wool.
The new wax will soften the old wax and the wire wool will
effectively remove blooms or marks, leaving enough wax behind to
build a shine. As with all restorative work proceed lightly and
slowly, testing results in an inconspicuous area, before proceeding
with the whole project. Do not cut right back to the timber unless
absolutely necessary and seek further advice if necessary. Fill
dents, holes etc as described with the appropriate colour wax filler
stick.
If oil finishes have been waxed you may find that you can proceed
as above. If however a more robust solution is called for, cut back
the finish gently with 0000 wire wool and turpentine, then let dry
thoroughly, as before do not if at all possible remove all the
finish. Reapply a new coat of linseed oil ( boiled dries quicker or
you can add a teaspoon full of driers to raw linseed oil mixture )
diluted to about 1 part turpentine and 2 parts linseed oil. Apply
with brush or cloth, whichever proves easier, and leave for thirty
minutes, then wipe off any excess with a clean lint free cloth and
leave overnight to dry. It’s difficult to say when an oil finish is
finished; Old timers say that oil should be applied once a day for a
week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year and once a
year for the rest of your life. So I shall leave you to deicide when
it is ready. Oil will if built up over years give one of the most
beautiful and deep shines, the secret is to give many light coats
and let them thoroughly dry, before proceeding. Otherwise you will
only achieve a soft dullish skin that will eventually wrinkle and
crack as it dries. Oil, done well is also one of the most resistant
finishes and easiest to repair, it can be waxed if you wish to take
the shorter route to a shine. Soak all used rags in water before
disposing and lay them out flat when not in use, while working.
Don’t use any commercial oil based scratch remedy, ever. Their
reparative quality is temporary and disappears as the oil dries,
however the dye they contain will have permanently stained the
timber, marking the position of the scratch even after a proper
repair has been made. The right way to repair a scratch is to first
apply a little shellac into the scratch if it penetrates to the
timber, quickly wipe off any that may have gone onto the surface.
Now work a little appropriately coloured wax filler stick into the
scratch and smooth with the flat of your finger nail. Allow to
harden for a while before buffing. Wax filler sticks are available
from finishing suppliers.
One final word of warning; don’t drag furniture when moving it,
especially if it is on carpet. Damage of some kind is almost
inevitable even if it may not be immediately evident, not to mention
damage you may do to yourself.
I know there may be a lot of precautions and don’ts in the above
that may make for dull reading, however it’s my intention that you
avoid costly mistakes and that you have many years of trouble free
enjoyment from your furniture.
Furniture Care Recipe's
Tack Cloth
Take about a 12’’ square of mutton cloth (if you pull a thread to
start a hole 12’’ into the roll, then open this out into a tear,
rather than cutting a piece off, you will find you do not get all
those little bits of thread falling off) Wash this in cold water and
wring out as much as you can. Next mix about an ounce of linseed oil
with a similar amount of turpentine, white spirit will do the same
job, but does not smell nearly so good, especially in the home. If
you have it you could add a small amount of orange or lavender oil
if you wish. Dip the cloth in this and take up as much liquid as
possible then wring out and repeat, making sure to wring the cloth
as hard as you can. Your tack cloth is now ready to use, you may at
this point notice how clean and soft your hands are. Simply pull the
cloth over your furniture to take up the dust and not rub the cloth
into the furniture, used like this and stored in an airtight tin or
plastic tub, it will last for months. Don’t omit the water; in fact
all cloths that come into contact with organic oils should be soaked
before disposing of after use. This prevents the chance of
accidental combustion.
Recipe for reviver and cleaner:
Pure turpentine 200ml
Mentholated spirit 100ml
Acetic acid B.P. 50ml
Teepol ( soap liquid ) 25ml
Brasso or similar 25ml
Ammonia ½ teaspoon
Place all the ingredients into a half litre bottle with a secure
top, starting with the turpentine and mentholated spirit.
Give the bottle a good shake to emulsify the ingredients. You
will need to continue shaking the bottle during use.
Start by putting a small amount of reviver onto a clean cotton
cloth and work in much the same way as you did when washing.
Use only on shellac or varnish that is in good condition. Cracks
or gaps in the finish may cause you to work dirt into the timber
below, which will then be extremely difficult to remove. The same
applies to washing. Always seek further advice if you are uncertain
about the condition of your furniture.
Phew! now I need to put my feet up
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