MAINTENANCE OF WOODEN FURNITURE
WHAT TO DO
Solid wooden furniture treated with oil need maintenance if you want to keep its look. It is important that the re-treatment of Wood Zone wooden furniture is done with the same treatment as it was treated with in the beginning. Besides that, you should only use the cleaning- and maintenance products that are suitable for the specific treatment. Never use regular household cleaning agents, soaps etc. as these damage the oil, exposes the wood and make the wooden furniture less durable and it will more likely get stains and discolouring.
At Wood Zone we use the oils and care products we believe to be the best on the market from Rubio Monocoat. The good thing about these products is that there is a wide selection of both soaps, stain removers, maintenance oils and much more, which all go together. Therefore, you do not have to be nervous when for instance cleaning your dining table. The soaps and stain removers from Rubio Monocoat are made to not damage the oiled surface. We are official dealer of Rubio Monocoat and offer a wide selection of both care, maintenance and wood oil, which you can find here.
Wood is a living material which is affected by environment in climate. Especially the humidity can affect solid wood and may result in the wood cracking. The ideal humidity for a solid wooden table is between 30 % and 60 %. If the humidity is lower than 30 %, the risk of cracks is enhanced. Due to the nature of the wood, wooden furniture should be placed away from heat sources, direct sunlight and other types of thermal stress to avoid cracks. A humidity on over 60 % can also damage the wooden furniture, as it can cause distortion and expansion of the wood.
Because of the wood’s sensitivity towards changes in humidity and temperature, wooden furniture in solid wood may change as the seasons change – the width of a tabletop in solid wood can for instance change. In the winther, the humidity is low, which will make the wood shrink whereas in the summer, the humidity is higher leading to the wood expanding. As a mail rule, solid wood can expand around 1 % of its width. For instance, a tabletop with a width of 100 cm could expand one centimeter. However, it is mostly the width of the wood that will expand, hence, changes in the length will not be noticeable.
Through time, the colour of the wood will also be enriched. This is a consequence of the impact of daylight. Change in the colour of the wood will be most present in the beginning of the wooden furnitures life. Likewise, different objects such as vases, candlesticks etc. can also leave shadows and marks on the surface of the wood, when these are placed in the same spot for a longer period. This is the reason why we recommend leaving larger wooden surfaces bare for the first couple of months after receiving the furniture. Direct sunlight should be avoided, as this enhances the risk of dryness and spots from decorations.
As wood is a natural material, no planks are the same. Knots, more present grain structures and colour variation in the wood are therefore expected. This means, to products of the same model will never be completely the same. The design will be the same, but the look of the wood will vary from product to product.
