"All the wood in your home came from a living tree that gave up its oxygen generating life for your furniture, the least you can do is show it some care and respect" Anon Caring and looking after your furniture is rather an art than a science. All wood is an organic product, the manufacturing, products and processes that we apply to care and finish it are generally predictable. However, sooner or later the unexpected can happen. With what follows we aim to provide you with simple step-by-step guide to furniture care. General Furniture Care (waxed finishes) 1. If your furniture is dusty, dirty, or dulled by the passage of time we suggest cleaning prior to finishing with a general purpose cleaner such as Liberon's Lib Net Furniture Cleaner. This will remove old wax and grime built up over a period of time. 2. Apply appropriate wax finish - we suggest Liberon Black Bison Wax. Mexican Pine Furniture ~ Antique Pine Indian or Indonesian Furniture ~ Medium or Dark Oak Painted furniture ~ Clear 3. Apply wax with a brush working well into the grain. Use a generous amount but spread evenly. On flat surfaces work with the grain, on carved wood use a circular movement this will ensure the wax is pushed into the corners. 4. Set the work aside to dry, usually about 20 minutes. 5. Buff using a bristle brush, a shoe brush is ideal. You will need plenty of elbow grease to achieve the best finish, pay particular attention to the corners and any carvings. Remember buff with the grain on flat surfaces and circular on carvings. Alternatively you can use a bristle drill brush at this stage (*see photo), available at £15. This makes light work of large flat surfaces such as tables but always remember use light pressure and move brush constantly. 6. After working hard with the brush finish off with a soft cloth, buffing well to reveal the shine. You can apply as many coats as required to build up the patina of your furniture. Oiled Finishes The unique and beautiful look of oiled furniture is achieved by using mainly Boiled Linseed Oil, the wood remains in its natural state. It produces a soft, mellow patinated finish. Danish Oil and Finishing Oil will provide a tough,durable waterproof finish in a soft low sheen lusture, the sheed can be improved by buffing with a lint free cloth when dry. Teak Oil which is ideal for hard exotic woods will produce a hard wearing matt-satin finish. Most oiled finishes are easier to apply than other finishing methods. Should reoiling be required due to 'bleaching out' or to minor table damage such as ring marking the following should be followed. 1. Clean the furniture with an appropriate cleaner. 2. If you have minor ring marking or white water marks these can be removed by sanding with fine sandpaper, sanding with the direction of the grain. Then remove sanding dust, a tack cloth is recommended. 3. Reoiling can now be undertaken, always follow the manufacturer's instructions using a clean lint free cloth, apply working into the grain and set aside ensuring any 'pooled' oil on the furniture surface is wiped away. Drying time between coats should be 4-6 hours Emergency First Aid Sooner or later you may encounter the unexpected spillages, ring marks, knocks and bangs, scratching, opening of the timber joints to name but a few. Don't despair all is not lost. Generally after a few simple steps your furniture is back to its former glory. If you have any doubts or apprehensions please do not hesitate to call us for further advice, or click here to contact us. Generally the sooner you can attend to an accident the better. In the case of spillages e.g. wine, fruit juice etc, wipe up and dry as soon as you notice the spillage. If caught in time this is all that will be required. In the event of some form of staining or bleaching (fruit juice is a common cause of the latter due to the acidic content) a little more may be required. 1. Firstly you need to access the damage, some minor marks can simply be removed by re-waxing the area as described above. Otherwise we suggest the affected area is first cleaned with furniture clearer and a wire tool (000 grade) to remove the existing finish. 2. Apply stain (if required) to match the existing colour of the furniture. Using either water or spirit based stain, most can be intermixed to achieve the exact colour match (check individual instructions on containers first). Use a clean cotton cloth as a swab to apply the stain, allow to dry, repeat if required to build up base colour. Alternatively Black Binson Wax is available in a selection of base colours and will re-colour the damaged area. 3. Wax as above. Ring marks are among the most common mishap on home furnishings. Dedicated mark removers such as Liberon's Ring Remover (£4 a bottle) will remove white water and heat marks from most hard surfaces (French polish, varnish and lacquers). Follow the instructions on the bottle but remember if used in waxed surfaces it should be cleaned with furniture cleaner first. On most waxed finished treat as above for staining and bleaching. Scratches, opening of timber joints, knocks and bangs can all be repaired with wax filler sticks. 1. Inspect the damage, take a filler stick, these are available in many different colours, choose a stick of the same as or slightly darker than the surrounding wood. 2. For small holes rub the stick vigorously over the holes or scratch. Once 'full' remove the excess with wire wool (0000 grade) and when dry buff with a soft cloth. For medium holes, cracking or opening of timber joints, take a small shaving from the stick and work between your fingers to soften the wax. Force into opening by hand or with a small plastic scraper (metal will damage the timber) remove excess either using wire wool as above or the edge of the plastic scraper, then buff. Larger cracks and openings may be easier to fill with wax stick by melting the wax into the opening using a soldering iron to allow the liquid wax to flow into the excess (see photo.) Allow to harden and remove the excess and buff as above. Top Tips Uses disposable latex gloves or barrier cream when waxing to protect hands from wax and stains. In most cases several thin coats are better than one heavy coat If unsure always test finishes in an inconspicuous area first Make up own waxing kit buffing brush, soft cloth, wax, gloves, filler stick to be at hand when required