Caring for your pine furniture

Having chosen your pine furniture and made all the decisions to ensure the pieces fit your purpose and the style and colour blends in with your home, your next concern may well be how to care for your it so that it will continue to give pleasure for many years.

Having chosen your pine furniture and made all the decisions to ensure the pieces fit your purpose and the style and colour blends in with your home, your next concern may well be how to care for your it so that it will continue to give pleasure for many years.

Characteristics and Colour

Solid pine is a traditional material for cabinet furniture and will, like many other timbers, vary in grain and colour from piece to piece. This gives the furniture a uniqueness that sets it aside from furniture made from synthetic veneers, and painted surfaces.

Over a period of time, depending upon the intensity of daylight available, the colour of the pine will mellow i.e. become darker, this often happens in what appears an erratic manner as some pieces will appear lighter than others. This effect is natural and not as a result of anything the manufacturer or their customer has done to the furniture. However, problems can occur if an item such as a lamp or vase or mat is left in one place, as this will inhibit the colour change of the timber below and may result in a circle of lighter wood that will take some time to mellow. The mellowing of the pine furniture occurs rapidly for about the first 2 years and then it appears to slow down and eventually the furniture will reach full "maturity".

Surface Care

• Always follow the manufacturers’ instructions for care of your furniture and never use any cleaning products that are not recommended by the furniture manufacturers.
• The furniture is finished with a modern lacquer that has been developed to resist normal use and should usually only need regular light dusting with a soft cloth.
• If sticky marks occur on the surface they can be removed with a dilute solution of warm soapy water, the offending area should be rubbed lightly and then completely dried immediately afterwards, before replacing any vases etc.
• Wax polishes should only be used when damage has occurred i.e. the lacquer has been cracked or removed, and it should be realised that the wax polish will not have the same level of resistance to damage as the original finish.

Protection

• Care of the furniture needs to be taken to protect it from accidents during use.
• When moving the furniture always take care to protect the surface from knocks and scratches, the corners and edges are particularly prone to accidental damage and need careful covering during moving.
• When the furniture is being moved, ensure this is done carefully and not dragged across the floor. Once the item is in its new position make sure it stands level to ensure smooth opening of the doors and running of the drawers. Never use force on doors, drawers or carcasses.
• When selecting a position for the furniture, ensure that it is in a place where it will not be exposed to excessive sunlight or in a position where there is direct heat, from say a radiator, as these may cause damage to both the surface and the wooden cabinet.
• When using the surface for serving food or drinks or any item, which may be wet, e.g. a vase, always use protective mats and coasters. If any hot serving dishes are used, special protection will be needed. Casserole stand type mats are best used as they lift the hot item away from the surface but take care the dish does not overhang the stand or hot liquids or condensation drop onto the surface.
• If any spillage occurs, hot or cold, make sure it is wiped up immediately.
• When your furniture is delivered carefully unpack it and immediately report any problems.

Modern furniture and finishes are relatively hard wearing and require little maintenance, however some care during use will help prevent damage and will prolong the life of your furniture.

Contact: Sue Calver
E-mail: info@fira.co.uk