The type of care and maintenance of Antique Wood Furniture need an understanding of the

• Nature of wood
• Protective finish on wood furniture
• Knowledge of prolonging the life of the finish film

Always remember to seek professional advice from

• An antiques expert
• Furniture restorer
• Conservator

Handling

Careless handling is the primary cause of damage to furniture.

• Furniture of any size, should be moved by grasping its sturdiest part
• Furniture should never be dragged
• Surfaces of the furniture should be free from alcohol and water
• Objects left on a piece of furniture for long time causes uneven facing

Environment

When exposed to direct sun for a long time

• The finish gets bleached
• The finish develops dark color
• Heat from the sun softens or develops cracks in the finish

Temperature and Humidity

Wood is a porous material and absorbs or loses water.

When humidity levels are high

• The wood swells

When humidity levels are low as in a dry weather the wood

• Shrinks
• Develops cracks
• Veneer lifts
• Develops gaps in joints

Rapid fluctuations in humidity and temperature cause the greatest amount of damage

Furniture can withstand considerable variation in temperature and humidity provided the change occurs at a slow rate.

The ideal temperature and humidity levels are:

• In Winter it is 70 F with a relative humidity between 35 – 45%.
• In Summer it is 0 – 75 F with a relative humidity between 55 – 65%

Cleaning of the Furniture:

The Do’s and the Don’ts

• Do not use a polish containing silicone
• Dust with a soft dry cloth
• Wax the furniture with a good polish containing beeswax and carnauba wax once or twice a year
• Apply sparingly, and buff with a soft cloth

Do not use kitchen cleaners as they may scratch the finish

Do not use chemical cleaners or other commercial cleaners.

Maintenance Tips

Know your furniture to keep it in prime condition.

Try to understand

• Its design and finish
• The type of wood used
• How it behaves in different environment

Furniture needs to be pampered to be in good condition by

• Appropriate use
• Swift repair in response to accidental damage
• Right environmental condition

Cleaning

Furniture generally requires a minimum of cleaning.

• A weekly light dusting together with a twice-yearly wax polishing
• More attention should be paid to the inlays, marquetry and to the veneers

In case your polishing cloth lifts a piece

• Keep the broken piece safely
• Contact a restorer

Excessive Handling

• Lacquer is also vulnerable to excessive handling
• Gilded fittings should not be cleaned since the gilt may easily be removed

Moving

Since ‘furniture’ is a ‘moveable article’ its shifting is vital to its function.
While shifting furniture remember to

• Balance the items evenly to avoid accidents
• Employ people to lift larger pieces
• Support its main body or the frame
• Never hold the items by their tops
• Do not drag an item of furniture
• Pieces with castors should be lifted to prevent the legs from breaking
• Detachable/sliding parts should be removed for easy moving
• Doors on shelves should be locked

Positioning

Wood is particularly susceptible to the effects of light and heat.

• Direct sunlight causes wood to fade and lose its color
• Heat warps and shrinks wood

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“Preservation should be, if at all, reversible” – With just a little care you can safeguard antique furniture from environmental changes and careless handling. The finish on antique furniture pieces can be damaged over the years making restoration necessary so the antique can be enjoyed by future generations.

Below are listed some environmental factors affecting wood such as light, humidity and insects.

• Since wood is a bad conductor of heat, avoid placing furniture in direct sunlight or near heating vents and fireplaces. Heat and light cause fading, darkening, cracking and drying.

• Wood shrinks and swells with changes in humidity resulting in the loosening of glued joints, veneers, inlays and marquetry. Lack of humidity also causes gaps to appear where two pieces of wood come together such as table tops made from several boards. This is easily remedied by filling the gap with soft, warm beeswax which solidifies in the gap and contracts and expands with the boards. Furniture constructed with wooden pegs fares very well as the pegs expand and contract along with the rest of the table.

• Insect infestations are another problem for antique furniture . Wood worms burrow into the wood, slowly destroying it and causing worm holes. This problem is solved by injecting the holes with worm killer.

• Water spills, if not cleaned up immediately, cause cloudy white patches on wood finishes.

It is always better to maintain the original finish of a piece of antique furniture rather than refinishing it. However, if the surface is badly damaged, it might not be aesthetically pleasing to keep the original finish.

Some tips for moving antique furniture:

• When moving antique furniture, always check for damage or loose joints. Make sure the piece is empty and remove drawers and shelves. Secure doors and if the top is marble, remove it and transport it in a vertical position.
• Lift the furniture rather than dragging it as this could damage or break the legs.
• Pick up furniture at its strongest point at the legs rather than lifting it at the top.
• To transport antique furniture in a vehicle, cushion everything with blankets and secure it so it won’t move around in transit.

Below are some tips for taking care of antique furniture:

• Dust regularly with a dry, soft cloth.
• For weekly cleaning use an aerosol beeswax and spray the cloth rather than the wood directly.
• To cover up minor blemishes, use a solid beeswax applied very sparingly with the grain. Tinted waxes help to cover minor scratches.
• For more severe blemishes and wood that has become dry looking, rub with 0000 steel wool and apply beeswax.