Unfinished Furniture Care
Unfinished Furniture
Unfinished furniture has certainly long been a popular option amongst those homeowners that are looking for a very particular furniture item, but that would nonetheless still like to have the freedom to finish their wooden furniture as they see fit. There are still, however, certain guidelines that you are advised to follow in your cleaning and maintenance of such a furniture type.
Amongst these guidelines are certain common-sense rules, such as taking care in the positioning of your furniture so that it is not exposed to an excessive amount of heat from radiators or direct sunlight from the windows. Nonetheless, there are also certain, more specific tips that we can give you to assist you in the protection and cleaning of your unfinished furniture piece.
Cleaning unfinished furniture
It can be a tricky enough task to clean wooden furniture without that furniture also being unfinished, whether it is something small such as our Viking Unfinished Pine 1 drawer bedside, or instead something rather bigger along the lines of the Viking Unfinished Pine 3 door, 3 drawer wardrobe. It's easy for dirt and grime to accumulate on a piece of unfinished furniture, and it can seem almost impossible at times to clean such a furniture piece without causing damage and affecting that beautiful wood grain that attracted you to unfinished furniture in the first place. Nonetheless, you'll need to clean your furniture prior to painting or staining it, so you'll almost certainly need to do it at some point.
First of all, you should swipe away any dirt and debris on the surface of your furniture with a microfiber cloth - but avoid using water, as this can lead to a swelling of the wood fibres and cause splinters. There are "magic eraser" type sponges that you can use to work away at those stubborn stains, and this can be followed by giving the wood surface a good sanding down. It definitely helps, when you are cleaning this type of furniture, to apply a sealer to protect the surface, with vegetable oil being a popular, non-toxic option that shields the wood from moisture damage.
Protecting unfinished furniture
Indeed, an effective sealer is the perfect addition to any piece of unfinished furniture, as it will not only keep the furniture piece clean, but will also add to its longevity. One other good sealer is tung oil, and it is oil products like these that help to protect against dirt, scuffs and scrapes, all while maintaining the original wood colour and shine. Although you will probably only need to apply the oil once, you can apply subsequent finishes whenever the existing one shows signs of damage.
You will first need to thoroughly clean the furniture with a dry cloth, followed by a light sanding with 150-grit sandpaper and finally, another once-over with a damp cloth. This should be followed by using a clean, dry rag to pour a small amount of the oil, before thoroughly applying the oil to every exposed surface. Allow the oil to dry for as long as 72 hours if necessary, and if you wish, apply a second coat for extra durability.
