Solid wood furniture costs a pretty penny and is commonly among the most prized pieces of a person's home furnishings. As such, it makes absolute sense to see that wooden furniture is properly protected from harm before you put it into storage. Of course, putting it away for just a night or two is unlikely to do any damage, but wood furniture stored for weeks or months at a time can be damaged by moisture.
Here are just a few tips to prevent that from happening.
Treat the Wood Before Storing
You'll probably already know that you need to treat wood furniture that goes outdoors to prevent rainwater and moisture from getting into the grain and causing it to swell, but why would you have to take similar precautions before putting it into storage?
Well, storage conditions are typically quite closed, and moisture can develop due to the humidity. As such, you need to treat the wood with furniture polish before you put it away — just make sure the treatment you use suits the species of wood. This will also add moisture — luckily the right kind of moisture — to prevent the wood from drying out and cracking.
Disassemble Before Storing
You'll probably be disassembling your furniture anyway, simply to make it easier to fit into your storage area. This is vital, and you'll want to make sure everything that can be unscrewed and taken apart is unscrewed and taken apart. This is important because moisture can get into those cracks; once it does, it's very hard to dry out because the area is so closed off. Additionally, taking your furniture apart will give you the opportunity to fully coat each piece in protective treatment, as described above. If you leave everything assembled, it's easier to miss smaller spots.
Cover It Right
Want to know one of the most common mistakes people make when storing wood furniture? Covering it with plastic. Doing so will trap moisture, creating condensation and commonly causing the wood to swell. You should cover the furniture, but use something breathable. Old bedsheets are ideal — they don't trap moisture, and they'll still protect against UV light and dust.
Protect From Below
There's still a place for your plastic sheets, and that place is beneath your furniture. Storage spaces often have concrete flooring, which tends to give off moisture. If you lay down wooden furniture on concrete flooring without protection, the wood is probably going to swell. Try raising your furniture up on something, such as a pallet, and then place it on a thick sheet of plastic for further protection.
Share14 August 2017
When I decided to become a freelance designer, I decided I would work from home. I was sick and tired of being in an office all day and to be honest, some of my workmates were pretty annoying. However, I did not consider that I might have to make some changes to my home in order to make it suitable. On the first day of my new life working from home, I realised I would need much more natural light, so I had new windows installed. I then realised that I would need a larger work table to work on my cut out designs. In the end, I made hundreds of changes and I learnt an awful lot about home improvement.