Looking after wood furniture without ruining the finish

This is written to be used rather than admired. Each section below is a decision about caring for wood, and each one has a default.

Find out what the finish is first

Oil, wax, shellac, lacquer and modern hard finishes all respond differently to cleaning products, and treating one as another causes damage. A discreet test in a hidden area tells you a lot: shellac softens with alcohol, wax marks with a fingernail, and a hard film finish resists both. Applying oil to a lacquered surface leaves a sticky film that attracts dust and does nothing for the wood.

If a piece has any value or age, ask a restorer before applying anything, because the wrong product can reduce both value and reversibility.

Humidity does the real damage

Timber expands and contracts with the moisture in the air, and the largest risk is rapid change rather than any particular level. A solid table moved next to a radiator, or into a newly heated room in winter, can split within weeks. Antique furniture that has lived in a cool damp house for a century is especially vulnerable to a sudden move into dry central heating.

Keeping pieces away from direct heat sources and avoiding extreme swings does more than any product applied to the surface.

Light changes colour permanently

Sunlight bleaches some timbers and darkens others, and it does so unevenly wherever an object sits on the surface. Moving objects around occasionally, and rotating pieces, spreads the change instead of creating a hard-edged mark. Some finishes yellow with age independently of light, which is why a repaired area rarely matches exactly.

Room to room, this is a reason to keep a piece out of a bright window rather than to expect a coating to prevent it.

Cleaning and polishing

For most finished furniture, a barely damp cloth followed by a dry one removes almost everything and risks nothing. Wax polish builds a protective layer on wax and shellac finishes and needs applying rarely, perhaps once or twice a year. Aerosol polishes containing silicone leave a shine that is difficult to remove and can interfere with any future refinishing or repair.

More polish more often does not help, and a heavy build-up of old polish is a common thing restorers have to remove.

Common damage and what can be done

White rings from hot or wet objects are usually moisture trapped in the finish rather than damage to the wood, and are often recoverable. Dents in solid timber can sometimes be raised with careful use of moisture and heat, whereas scratches through a film finish generally need refinishing. Loose joints should be dismantled, cleaned and reglued rather than injected with glue, which rarely holds.

Woodworm is active if there is fresh powder and clean-edged holes, and treatment and structural assessment should come from someone qualified.

Budgets and buildings differ, and old buildings differ most.

Old finishes and safety

Old painted furniture may carry lead-based paint, and sanding it releases dust that is hazardous, particularly to children and during pregnancy. Where old paint may be present, do not dry sand it; testing kits exist and specialist advice is available in most countries.

Over years, chemical strippers require ventilation and protection, and some older formulations are considerably more hazardous than current ones. When in doubt about an old finish, stop and ask a professional restorer rather than experimenting on the piece.

The takeaway

Identify the finish, keep it away from radiators and sun, and clean it with a damp cloth rather than a can.

A room that is used will always beat a room that is finished.