Bedroom furniture > Caring for your Wood Furniture

Caring for your Wood Furniture

by: Batsheva Vaknin

There is nothing like wood furniture to add elegance and beauty to a home. Whether it is a thick, all-natural butchers block table, an Art Deco wooden dresser, a simple mahogany dining room table or a sleek, modern coffee table, wood furniture is a staple in homes across America and the world. Make sure your wood tables, vanities and dressers stay gorgeous for generations to come with these simple solutions and guidelines.

Stain, Stain, Go Away!

Ever gasped after a child inadvertently left a giant scratch in the surface of your dining room table? Or cringed when a well-meaning adult accidentally knocked over a drink onto your beautiful wood coffee table? Well, fear not. One of the best attributes of wood furniture is that it is simple to touch up or renew its original luster.

Small nicks and scratches can usually be disguised with the help of a store-bought scratch cover product. For larger scratches, try using a felt tip pen or shoe polish in a color closely matched to the finish of the furniture piece. Shoe polish applicator bottles filled with the stain work well for the cover-up job, as do Sharpie markers. Coloring in the scratch is easy and surprisingly effective.

Get rid of pesky water spots on your wood furniture by allowing the spots to dry completely, then rubbing real mayonnaise onto it with a soft cloth, until the spots disappear. Erase color rings left on tables by cups and glasses with a homemade mixture of cigarette ashes and cooking oil. Prep the stain first by scrubbing it with an abrasive pad or sandpaper. Then, rub the oil and ash concoction into the wood.

And what about candle wax, marring the beautiful finish of your wood dining room table? Wait until the wax cools, then apply ice. Once the wax becomes extremely hard and brittle, gently scrape it off with a plastic spatula. Finally, polish the table with a rich cream polish, and buff away any residue.

Remove or Disguise Scratches and Stains

Problem:

Solution:

Nicks, Scratches

Magic Marker or Shoe Polish

Water Spots

Mayonnaise

Color Rings

Sandpaper, Ashes and Oil

Wax

Ice

An Ounce of Prevention, a Lifetime of Protection

Prevent serious damage to your wood furniture by taking care not to position it in direct sunlight. Unless you are going for the weathered picnic table look, shield all wood furniture from the drying influence of the sun. Also, protect your dining room table?s finish using an inexpensive table pad when the table is not in use.

When eating a meal or entertaining guests, use a tablecloth or placemats to protect the finish of a wood table, especially when serving hot food. Place hot serving dishes atop a hot pad and candle holders over a large felt protector with a plastic top, since plastic prevents wax from running.

Use coasters beneath all glasses and mugs to protect your coffee table, dining room table and wood dressers from unsightly rings and water spots. Beware, because not all coasters are created equal. Metal coasters can sweat onto the wood, and plastic coasters can react with certain finishes on some wood furniture pieces. So consider choosing wooden coasters with felt backing and a waterproof material on top to further ensure the longevity of your wood table tops. The best coasters are those that taper up on the sides, preventing leakage.

Protect Your Wood Tables from Damage

Protect From:

With:

General Harm

Table Pad (when not in use)

Sun Damage

Location out of Direct line of Sun

Heat Damage

Tablecloths, Placemats, Hot Pads

Wax

Felt Protector with Plastic Top

Water Damage

Wood Coasters with Felt Bottom

and Waterproof top

Proper Care and Cleaning

Polishing wood furniture every week goes a long way toward protecting the finish from damage and helping your wood tables, chairs and dressers look their best. Beware, though, of cheap polishes, or any polish that contains silicone or alcohol. Alcohol can do permanent damage to a wood surface, as can any household cleaner that contains ammonia. An excellent polish can be easily made at home, by combining lemon oil with 3 parts olive oil.

Now that you know about polishes, don?t forget to clean your wood furniture as well. Regular cleaning is especially important for coffee tables and dining room tables where food and drink are daily staples. Use a very mild soap, such as a diluted mixture of hand soap and water, as a cleaning agent for your wood furniture. And if you really want to ensure your dining room table or heirloom wood desk stays beautiful, have your wood furniture buffed and polished by a professional service once or twice a year.

Make Your Own Polish and Cleaning Agents

Type:

Mixture:

Homemade Wood Furniture Polish
=
1 part Lemon Oil + 3 parts Olive Oil

Homemade Wood Furniture Cleaner =
Hand Soap + Water

*Stay away from Alcohols and Ammonias

Now you are fully armed to properly care for your wood furniture. And don?t be disheartened if you are unable to make a nick or small stain disappear completely. Signs of use can add character to a piece of wood furniture, and are often barely noticeable. Whether it is a dresser, coffee table, bookshelf, desk, or dining room table, wood furniture is the perfect addition to any home.

About The Author

Batsheva Vaknin

Please find the original article and more information about this subject at http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=WoodCare

When Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin is not writing helpful and insightful articles like the one you just read for www.homeandliving.com, she writes plays, screenplays and short stories. In fact, she has just completed her first novel.

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Keeping it Brisk in the Bedroom

Keeping it Brisk in the Bedroom

by: Cameron Elliott

I like the cold. I love those brisk, late- fall days, when it?s a perfect 50 or 60 degrees outside, or those cloudy winter nights. The clouds trap the warm air in atmosphere, so it?s only 40 degrees or so, and you can feel cold air filling your lungs. It?s so refreshing, so invigorating. Whenever I talk walks on those nights, I come home a new man, a wide awake man.

My entire life I?ve kept a fan in my bedroom. I claim it?s for the white noise, which is part of it. I can?t stand it when rooms are too quiet, and a buzzing silence fills you ears. But mostly, I like it cold. At night, I?ll go the bathroom, and it will get noticeably warmer.

I can?t sleep when it?s too hot. The paralyzing heat keeps me lying awake all night, tossing and turning, trying to find a cool spot on my mattress. But that cool breeze puts me right to sleep. Once, I tried to go without a fan, and couldn?t sleep. After...

Keeping it Brisk in the Bedroom

Bedroom furniture > Keeping it Brisk in the Bedroom

Decorating your Workplace with Tropical Office Furniture

Decorating your Workplace with Tropical Office Furniture

by: Lee Rubenstein

If you love the tang of salt in the air, the soft whisper of nearby waves, and the crunch of sand between your toes, what better way could there be to create a workspace that you truly enjoy using than by decorating with tropical office furniture.
Tropical surroundings inspire creativity and create a relaxed and productive atmosphere for your home office or place of business.
Innovative pieces of office furniture ?tropical? - such as lovely computer armoires and printer cabinets - give your workplace an elegant look with the practical benefit of helping you to keep organized.
Here is a guide to choosing Hawaiian computer armoires, Bali file cabinets, and other types of office furniture, tropical style.

Materials Used in Office Furniture - Tropical Vegetation and Construction Techniques

Three terms used to describe materials that are commonly...

Decorating your Workplace with Tropical Office Furniture

Bedroom furniture > Decorating your Workplace with Tropical Office Furniture

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by: Shrinivas Vaidya

Dear friends,

Children at age of 1 1/2 start to walk, talk and express themselves. Their parents are the role models for them.
They learn to perform action which their parent teach them.

Based on these teachings children very quickly learn a
taste about everything in life. This includes, the food
they eat, the kind of toys they play with, the kind of friends they will make etc..

For a growing child it is necessary to explore new things, apart from what his/her mom/dad teaches. A bedroom is a great place to do this. When planned properly, a child bedroom can greatly enhance his/her learning experience.

Children have a curious mind. Even a child which is yet to speak, this curiosity can be easily traced by looking at the broken toys, torn books, etc..

That's why as a bedroom designer creating spaces within the
structural walls, using...

How to Design a Child Bedroom?

Bedroom furniture > How to Design a Child Bedroom?

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6 Factors That Affect A Bedroom Design Project

by: Shrinivas Vaidya

Dear friends,

If you are planning to design and decorate your own bedroom, then you must know that there are many factors that can affect the outcome of your creative exercise.

Let's have a look at some of the possible factors.

1)Furniture: Furniture occupies maximum space in a room. The size and style of the furniture you choose will directly affect the way the space is perceived after the decoration is complete.

Furniture pieces, which are abutting the walls such as dressing tables, wardrobes, cabinets, form the face of the walls which were previously blank in an empty room. Because of this the face of the furniture is a major factor is creating the mood of an space.

2)Interior Color Scheme: Color has a direct effect on human mind. Color can make the room smaller or bigger than it is. For example dark rooms are perceived smaller in volume than...

6 Factors That Affect A Bedroom Design Project

Bedroom furniture > 6 Factors That Affect A Bedroom Design Project

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Why Teak is the Best Wood for Outdoor Furniture

by: Sophia Kaif

Outdoor furniture supplement the beauty and elegance of your home garden. Being a natural product, wood is considered to be the best material for constructing garden furniture. Since most timbers are not resistant to adverse weather conditions and insects, utmost care should be taken to stretch their lastingness. Here comes the prominence of teak wood as the ideal wood for making patio furniture. Teak is one of the best, long-lasting and strong materials used for indoor and outdoor furniture. Some of the specialties of teak as the most suitable wood for outdoor furniture, are given below.

1) Teak wood is good-looking, smooth, sturdy and durable.

2) It is resistant to bad weather and insects. A garden bench made of teak is capable of withstanding rain and sunlight for several years even without periodic maintenance.

3) Unlike furniture made of other materials, teak furniture...

Why Teak is the Best Wood for Outdoor Furniture

Bedroom furniture > Why Teak is the Best Wood for Outdoor Furniture

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How To Create The Perfect Bedroom With NASCAR Bedding!

by: Patricia Bowlin

NASCAR bedding for kids is just the thing to delight your young racing fans! They'll just love dreaming about crossing that finish line when you decorate their soon to be favorite bedroom with all of the racing bedding and accessories you'll be able to pull together.

They'll give you the checkered flag no doubt, for creating such a special and wonderful bedroom for them. Imagine the wonderful memories that your kids will have in such a fun room!

Dan River may be a name you're familiar with already. They've got a great reputation for creating bedding that lasts, is easy to maintain and has superior attention to detail. And they are one of the very few companies that are actually licensed to make NASCAR bedding.

You could begin with the Checkered Flag sheet set made with a poly/cotton blend that's easy care for busy moms. The bold black and white checkered...

How To Create The Perfect Bedroom With NASCAR Bedding!

Bedroom furniture > How To Create The Perfect Bedroom With NASCAR Bedding!