Protecting Your Solid Wood Furniture for the Long Term
Solid wood is one of the most practical and beautiful materials with which to build quality, long-lasting, and beautiful furniture, but that doesn’t mean that it can stand up to anything without care. When you’re investing in an heirloom item, you’re getting a chance to own a designer piece of furniture that can last throughout your entire lifetime – but only if you treat it right.
A Beautiful and Durable Option
Solid wood is one of the most durable materials that is used in furniture making, but it isn’t indestructible. Just because there are chairs and tables that exist that remain in useable condition after hundreds of years doesn’t mean that every piece of furniture made out of wood has lasted as well. In fact, unlike your quality-made Woodcraft tables, the vast majority of furniture made out of wood has not survived.
Quality Wood’s Worst Enemy
The reason that so many finely made pieces of wood furniture didn’t last isn’t due to the fact that it was fragile, but due to the fact that it wasn’t cared for properly or else it was destroyed on purpose.
The two worst enemies that your wood furniture faces indoors is the risk of fluctuation temperature and the presence of water. This means that these are the two main things that you need to guard your furniture against in order to ensure that it remains in the best condition possible.
Quality Care
Most of the best ways to care for valuable solid wood furniture are actually very simple and require little explanation. For example, you should always take these precautions to help prevent water damage on your furniture:
- Do not allow water to sit on your furniture
- Keep a plastic table cloth on hand for emergency scenarios
- Give solid wood furniture a protective oil treatment
- Keep your table away from direct sunlight
- Ensure that your wood furniture is not subjected to extreme temperatures
As a rule of thumb, as long as you ensure that your solid wood furniture is not left exposed to water, extreme temperatures or extremely dry conditions for prolonged periods of time then you will probably avoid most damage. To find out more about proper care for your furniture be sure to get complete directions when you order your items from Woodcraft.
Naturally Weathered Furniture
While many historical tables and chairs are no longer around, many wood products have lasted very well even when facing the elements. The reason for this is that most solid wood is very durable so that water, light, cold, and heat do not actually harm it irreparably. When you’re protecting your wood furniture against these things, what you’re really guarding against is damage to the beautiful finish provided by the stain.
The Longevity of Reclaimed Wood
That’s why furniture designers are able to use reclaimed wood to make gorgeous barn wood tables and other magnificent new pieces of furniture. If the deep structure of this wood had been damaged by the elements, then it couldn’t be refinished into stunning new and durable pieces.
Ensuring that your handcrafted solid wood furniture enjoys a long life without suffering any damage only takes a minor amount of care. Contact an expert at Woodcraft to learn more.