Quality restorations and repairs for over 45 years! Tips From The Restoration Trade This information is based on first hand knowledge gained by a life time of professional furniture restoration. My goal is to give the reader some simple basic information that will enable you to add many years of life to your fineAlso read through the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and (Furniture Care) section of this web site for more detailed WAX, POLISH, OIL: WHICH IS BEST? With all the sprays, polishes, oils, cleaners, and waxes available today, its no wonder that this is the most asked question by far. is always the same; "Do you just want a shine or do you want protection also"? Spray-on polish and oils, "time savers", give a quick temporary shine in just minutes, but that's all you get. they "shine" is because they are WET. "wet look" may produce a nice shine but offers little or no protection.

products became popular in the late 1940s and have increased in popularity evercleaning wood floors shinyTV commercials showing a house wifelaptop fan cleaning spray using product X on a dull table top,best cherry hardwood floor cleaner followed by her smiling beautiful face inbest way to deep clean leather car seats the reflection gave proof of the effortlessbest vacuum cleaner for carpet in india shine their product would produce. best way to clean wooden rocking chairs

that was nothing but a good marketing ploy to boost product sales. even today, would not want to save a lot of time and good old fashion elbow grease? What they did not tell you, was that the silicone oils and petroleum distillates in their product would actually cause harm to your finish over time. In the late 60s and early 70s refinishing shops made a lot of money refinishing hundreds of table tops when their finish softened and turned into a sticky, gooey mess. much improved today and can be good for the occasional quickie just before guest arrive, but prolonged use can still leave a gooey mess and still no real protection. It is easy to tell if a customer has been using these kind of polishes. swirl marks in the wet oil with your fingers, or lift a cloth place mat from the table top to reveal a dull spot the same shape of the mat (the oil was absorbed byBecause the surface is wet, it

will actually attract and hold more dust and pollutants from the air. Lets take a moment and consider just what a finish is designed to do. foremost it is to seal the wood. Sealing the wood protects the wood from moisture changes, spills, stains, andSecond it is used to enhance the beauty of the wood grain. you ever heard someone tell how their product "feeds" the wood. furniture is unfinished, or the finish has deteriorated, there is absolutely no way any polish, oil or wax is going to get through the finish to the wood. common misconception is that wood furniture is "alive" and need to "breathe," so don't seal the pores with wax. not "alive" it can not "breathe" nor does it need to be "nourished" or "fed'' withJust the very opposite isContinual changes in humidity, not the lack of "feeding", cause un-sealed wood to crack, warp, swell, shrink and glue has been used for centuries as a finishing material itself

and a finish protector. paste wax will provide a thin, hard,Waxes dry hard so they do not smear and attract dust and dirt. waxing typically lasts 3-5 years, depending on how much the furniture is used and how manyTable tops and chair arms are an exception, generally needing to be waxed once a year, due to the extra antique lovers, prefer the soft sheen provided by paste wax. Also, waxes do not interfere with future refinishing like silicone polishes most often do. It will take 4-6 hours to paste wax a dining room set and if done properly will not need waxing again forIt requires effort, but you won't obtain a more durable, beautiful protectionRemember, the wax protects the finish, the finish protects the wood. To dust or clean, just wipe with a soft damp, lint free cloth. A typical can of past wax cost less then $15.00 and if the lid is put back on properly after each use will last

the average home owner 20 years or so. consider the advertisements that tell you to dust every day with their $3.00 per canAll right, now do the math. One $3.00 can a month for next 20 years ($720.00) verses one can for 20 years atNext consider the time factor. say it takes 5 minutes once a week to use a spray polish on your dinning room set. minutes times 52 weeks times 4 years: that's a little over 17 hours spent giving your set a non-protective shine. it took 5 hours to wax the first time then you spent 1 more hour per year doing the table top and chair arms the next 3 years, that's 8 hours spent giving your set a protective coating that has extended the life of the finish.Make sure you use a wax designed for wood furniture. car waxes can cause problems on some to reprint the article you just read. it in your ezine, at your website or in your newsletter. requirement is including the following