8 Tips to Help you Care for Woodwork

Do you know how to care for woodwork? Wood features and furnishings look great in your home, but you need to look after them.

To help you keep it looking perfect for longer, we’ve put together 8 tips on how to care for woodwork.

1. Dusting is important

It’s a notoriously boring job, but it’s important that you dust your woodwork. Use a soft, lint-free cloth or a lamb’s wool duster. They’re the best to use.

2. Care for woodwork by keeping it cool

Wood needs to be kept cool, but the conditions can’t be too dry. The best conditions for wood is between 40-45% humidity level. Any higher than that and you could end up with swollen wood.

3. Remove dirt or sticky patches with water

We’re not talking about soaking your woodwork in water, but if you have a small stain, a damp cloth will remove it nicely. Just make sure you dry the surface afterwards.

4. Don’t use olive oil

Somewhere along the line, rumours started that olive oil was a good agent to use to polish woodwork. This is not true.

care for woodwork varnishingOlive oil will show up all the dust, fingerprints and smears that land on the wood.

The best way to care for woodwork is to buy a good-quality polish or make your own out of water, lemon juice, denatured alcohol and gum turpentine. Rub on lightly then buff with a clean cloth.

5. You must finish your wood

Wood is porous, so will naturally absorb dirt and grease unless you finish it.

There are plenty of sealers out there, including penetrating finishes such as wax, linseed or mineral oil. There are also surface finishes which include shellac, lacquer or paint.

6. Let your wood finish cure

When you finish your woodwork, let it cure. This could take up to a month, so check the manufacturer’s directions.

It’s best to apply a finish during dry and mild weather so you can let some removable objects cure outside.

7. Stains and dyes make a wooden piece look great

Use stains to deepen the colour of woodwork. It won’t cover up the grain, so you don’t need to worry about ruining the character of your piece.

A dye will add colour and depth to the wood and can hide scratches. You can use both a stain and a dye together to create a beautiful look, but you might want to turn to a professional.

8. Get a carpenter to refinish old woodwork

If you’ve got a piece of wooden furniture that could do with some livening up, consider asking a carpenter to refinish it. Read our article on the ways you can refinish a piece.

So, do you think you know how to care for woodwork now? If you still have questions and need some carpentry work done, use our form below to get up to 4 quotes from reliable carpenters.

Emily Rivers

Emily Rivers is the Customer Experience Manager at Quotatis. She informs customers of the latest developments in a range of products so they can make the best choice for their homes and ensures they get the best out of our service.