Here are a few tips to keep your solid wood furniture looking great. All our wood is kiln-dried to a relative humidity of 7 - 8%, and then further dried to Calgary’s dry climate in our workshop prior to use. Unlike veneers, solid wood requires more care to prevent it from drying out, and ultimately cracking, but we feel it is worth the effort.



Maintain Balanced Humidity

Wood is an organism that interacts with its environment. The single most important thing you can do for your furniture is to maintain adequate and stable humidity in your home. Just as your skin dries out in winter, so will solid wood furniture without the help of a free standing room humidifier.

New furniture will usually undergo one cycle of shrinkage in winter and expansion in summer. Ingrained Style designs and builds with floating panels to allow this expansion/shrinkage cycle. During the shrink phase, thin lines of unstained wood may appear (which usually lie beneath the adjoining piece of wood) and can be touched up with matching stain.

Keep your furniture out of direct sunlight as the sun can dry out and crack your furniture, as well as dramatically change the colour of the wood.

Marks - Blending Dents, Cracks and Scratches

All high quality, furniture grade wood will gradually accumulate dents, marks, cracks, and scratches during normal household use. Some woods, like pine or alder, will accumulate these faster than other species, like oak.

To make these marks blend in with the rest of your finish, use a soft cloth to rub in a bit of matching stain. Cracks or larger dents can be filled with a putty stick and then stained. If there is a stain on the lacquer, remove it by gently rubbing the area with a sanding sponge with a grit of 220 or finer. Matching stains and touch up kits can be purchased from Ingrained Style Furniture Co.

The other method is time. The colour of these marks will naturally darken over time and will blend in on their own.

Heat and Moisture

Heat and moisture are the two largest threats to your furniture after low humidity and direct sunlight. While the lacquer is quite heat and moisture resistant, it is still wise to use a trivet or coaster for hot items. Hot AND humid items (like a pizza box or porous ceramic cookware) will ruin your finish by creating a white haze in the lacquer – always use a trivet in this scenario.

Clean up liquid spills as soon as you notice them. While the lacquer is spill resistant for several hours, pooled liquids will eventually damage the lacquer and the wood if not cleaned. Note that high pigment liquids like red wine or grape juice may stain the lacquer if left for long periods.

Cleaning

Each piece of Ingrained Style furniture is finished using high quality stains and paints, and covered in two coats of specialized furniture lacquer to help protect the wood from stains and moisture. To clean, wipe with a damp, soft cloth, or use a mild cleaning solution.

There is no need to use a spray wax to ‘protect’ the wood as the furniture is well sealed. Some people like the look and feel of a wax finish, and for this we recommend Clapham’s beeswax.

Furniture that is not sealed with lacquer should be kept moist by applying Clapham’s beeswax regularly.

Following these simple steps will help keep your furniture looking good for years.