Tips for Polishing Wood Furniture

Wood furniture is crafted from wood that is carefully dried, retaining just enough moisture for the furniture to properly acclimate to the relative humidity in your home. The wood in furniture continues to exchange moisture with the air, shrinking and expanding in response to changes in relative humidity.

Like your own skin, solid hardwood furniture's natural response to extremely dry air is to lose moisture and shrink a bit The halves of an extension table may part slightly or a few tiny openings may appear on a solid wood surface. This will correct itself as the relative humidity rises, and the wood absorbs enough moisture to expand slightly.

Here are some ways to ensure your solid hardwood furniture's longevity:

Wood Furniture Care To Keep Stains Away

To polish carved furniture, dip an old toothbrush into furniture polish and brush the surface lightly. To remove polish build-up, mix one of cup water and one cup vinegar. Dip a soft cloth in the mixture and wring it out before wiping furniture. Dry immediately with another soft, dry cloth.

It's surprisingly simple to protect and enhance hardwood's natural beauty. All that's needed is some tender loving care. Here are a few tips from the experts:

Read the manufacturer's care directions carefully and keep them handy for future reference.

Dust with a soft cloth by following the grain pattern of the wood. Use an old T-shirt, baby diaper or cheesecloth that's been laundered to remove the sizing.

Dust often to remove everyday abrasive particles from wood surfaces. Before dusting, moisten cloth lightly with a spray product. A dry cloth can leave hairline scratches on the finish.

Surfaces also can be cleaned with a mild non-alkaline soap and water. Use the suds on a damp sponge or cloth, but be sure to pretest the solution on an out-of-sight-section to make sure it doesn't damage the finish. Dry immediately with a soft cloth and buff lightly, following the grain.

Care of Your Wood Finish

Wood finishes benefit from an occasional waxing or polishing. A paste wax can be applied every six to twelve months. Remove old wax first with a mild non-alkaline soap and water solution.

Avoid waxing urethane-finished furniture. Waxing these surfaces causes them to gather dust and dirt rather than repel it.

Dark Wood Stain Removal

Fill scratches with shoe polish that matches the lightest shade of the finish, or rub with walnut or Brazil nut meat in the direction of the scratch. A child's crayon or felt-tipped marker can also be used.

Cherry Finish Wood Stain Removal

Fill the scratches with cordovan or reddish shoe polish that matches the wood, or apply darkened iodine with a cotton swab or thin artist's brush.

Light Wood Stain Removal

Fill scratches with a tan or natural shoe polish, or apply darkened iodine diluted 50 percent with denatured alcohol.

Cleaning Wicker Furniture

Some real handy tools to use for cleaning wicker are a tooth brush, a paint brush with its bristles cut to about half the length, a medium bristle small brush, like a fingernail brush and a piece of dowel about the size of a pencil and sharpened in a pencil sharpener. The reason for cutting the paint brush bristles is to make them stiff enough to have some muscle, yet soft enough to work into the weave of the wicker.

Outdoor Wicker Furniture

The wicker furniture should be tilted when you're cleaning it, the same as when stripping, with the tighter weave to the top so that excess moisture will run down to the looser weave where it can be wiped up.

It is very important to not disrupt the weave pattern or spacing of the weave on your wicker furniture when it is wet, because it will shrink its length to its original shape wherever it is, so if the strands have been separated, it will dry with a gap in it. If the strands are too far out of position, they will put stress on the joints of the wicker furniture and pull the piece askew.

Cleaning Wicker Patio Furniture

Water should be dipped out of a pan or bowl during the cleaning part, to have a minimum of water at any particular place at a time. For a final rinse, a quick squirt with a garden hose and drying with paper towels or cloth works well. Be sure to let the wicker furniture or accessory dry for 24 to 48 hours before you do anything else to it.

Remove dust from wicker by vacuuming with the dust brush attachment. To remove grime, wash with a solution of two tablespoons ammonia per gallon of water. Use a paintbrush or toothbrush in hard-to-reach places. Rinse well and air dry in the shade.

Wicker furniture has been used in all rooms of a house as well as outside on patios, decks and right in the yard. It is very durable, functional, comfortable and nice to look at. Like all things left outside it will become dirty.

Wicker can withstand moisture to a certain extent, but will become limp, loose and saggy with too much moisture. The nice part about it is that it will resume its size and shape when it dries. It's very important to not disrupt the weave pattern or spacing when it's wet, because it will shrink its length to its original shape wherever it is, so if the strands have been separated, it will dry with a gap in it. If the strands are too far out of position, they will put stress on the joints and pull the piece askew.

Wicker furniture is woven out of strands which have been soaked in water until they are soft and supple so that it can be woven and turned around corners and doubled back on itself without cracking and breaking.

Polishing Wood Furniture

While dusting and cleaning wood with sprays and oils can help woods look rich, it doesn't change the condition of the wood or provide protection to the wood's finish. Wax polishing, on the other hand, can bring old, tired finishes to life and safeguard wood from future damage at the same time.

Wood Polish

Wax polish is a semi-liquid made from a mixture of materials, including beeswax and carnuba. Waxes and wax-polishes can be applied on woods that have been finished with shellacs, varnishes or oils. Some waxes also contain ingredients like silicone, which makes wood appear glossy and slick to the eye.

Wax Pigment

Pigmented or colored wax can be used to enhance the color of the wood you're working with or on unpainted wood surfaces which have been finished with shellac, varnish, or oil coating. Pigmented waxes can be used to conceal minor blemishes, such as nicks, cracks, and scrapes. Pigmented waxes leave wood with a soft satin sheen. Many experts cover colored waxed woods with an additional coating of clear wax when they desire a more glossy effect.

Clear Wax

Clear wax can be used on wood furniture, whatever its original color or type of wood. Clear wax provides a deep shine and luster to wood. Generally speaking, the more layers of wax you add, the shinier your furniture will look.

Pine Wax

Pine wax is often used on light colored or unfinished furniture. When finished, woods have a yellowy-orange naturally deep, rich color. Pine wax is perfect for use on pine and other light colored woods, which have little appeal on their own. After using pine wax, a clear wax coating or wax polish can be applied to give a more lustrous look to the wood's finish.