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How to Care for Solid Wood Furniture

Caring for solid wood furniture takes a soft cloth, warm water and about a minute. Almost everything that goes wrong traces back to four causes, and three of them are about where a piece sits rather than how you clean it. This page covers all four, plus what to do once something has already happened.
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What Actually Damages Solid Wood?

Four things, and none of them are everyday use. The wrong cleaner, dry air, direct heat and sunlight, and abrasion account for very nearly all the damage a solid wood piece ever sees, and every one of them is avoidable without any effort worth mentioning.

Worth knowing what the surface is. Every piece we sell is finished with a catalyzed conversion varnish, which is a hard, durable, scratch-resistant coating. Scratch resistant and scratch proof are different claims, and the gap between them is most of this page.
Cause What it does What prevents it
The wrong cleaner Breaks down the finish and leaves a cloudy film Microfiber and warm water
Dry air Shrinks the wood until it cracks, splits or warps Humidity held between 35% and 45%
Direct heat and strong sun Marks the finish, or fades it unevenly Placemats and trivets, and out of direct sunlight
Abrasion Fine scratches that build up and show in the light Lift things rather than sliding them

Three of those four are decided the day the furniture arrives, by where you put it and what you keep next to it. Only the first is about cleaning.

What Are You Caring For?

Most homes end up with three different surfaces from us and they do not want the same treatment. Finished hardwood, upholstery and poly lumber each have one rule that matters more than the rest.

Hardwood wants stable air. Upholstery wants prompt attention to spills. Poly wants almost nothing at all.
Dining Tables

Finished Hardwood

Tables, desks, cases and chairs under a catalyzed conversion varnish.

Know What Is Covered Before You Need It

Care prevents most problems and the warranty handles a few of the rest. Two minutes now beats searching for the terms at the moment something has gone wrong.
SEE THE WARRANTY

What Does the Routine Look Like?

A soft microfiber cloth, dry or barely dampened with warm water, handles ordinary cleaning. That is the whole of the cleaning routine. Everything else on this page is about where a piece sits rather than what you do to it.

There is no oiling schedule, no waxing, no annual treatment. A conversion varnish is a sealed surface rather than a finish that has to be fed, which is the main thing people get wrong about solid wood.
Every week or so A soft microfiber cloth, dry or lightly dampened with warm water
The moment it happens Wipe spills rather than leaving them to sit
Now and again A wood-specific polish, only if you want extra shine
When the heating goes on Check the humidity in the room
Any time you move something Lift it clear of the surface instead of sliding it

Why Microfiber and Nothing Else

Paper towels feel soft and are not. Wood pulp fibers are stiff enough to leave fine scratches across a varnish, and those scratches accumulate into the dull patch that appears on a table after a few years.

Microfiber lifts dust rather than pushing it around, which matters because most surface scratching is caused by grit being dragged across the finish rather than by anything dramatic.

The limit is water. Damp is right and wet is not, so wring the cloth out and dry the surface behind you.

If You Want More Shine

A wood-specific polish used occasionally is fine and we recommend Guardsman products, which are made for real wood.

Use it when you want the surface to look its best rather than as part of the routine. The finish does not need it and nothing deteriorates if you never buy any.

The limit is what you reach for. Most supermarket furniture polish contains silicone, and silicone ruins more finishes than every other cause put together.

Spills, Heat and Pens

Wipe spills straight away. Standing liquid is the one everyday event that can get through a varnish, and the window is minutes rather than hours.

Use placemats and trivets without exception. Hot cookware set directly on a table can mark the finish permanently, and a trivet costs nothing against a tabletop.

The limit is writing. Put something under the paper, because a pen pressed through a single sheet dents softer species. Quartersawn white oak may show nothing at all while brown maple, hardwood though it is, takes the impression.

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Where Should the Furniture Sit?

Placement does more for the life of a piece than cleaning ever will, because three of the four causes of damage are decided by position. Heat, light, air and traffic all act on the furniture continuously, while a cloth touches it once a week.

The four below are worth settling on delivery day, when moving something costs nothing.

Away From Heat Sources

Radiators, floor vents and wood burners all dry the air immediately around them, and that is where a piece will crack first.

Avoid the wall immediately above a floor vent, and keep pieces out of the path of blown warm air. If the layout gives you no choice, a deflector on the vent redirects the stream for a few dollars.

The limit is that you cannot see it happening. Nothing goes wrong on day one, which is exactly why this is the mistake people only notice two winters later.

Out of Direct Sun

Strong sunlight fades a finish unevenly, and the line it leaves is sharpest where something has been sitting on the surface.

Rotate what sits on a sunny table through the year, or move a runner and a bowl occasionally so the top ages at one rate. On a south-facing room a sheer blind does more than anything else.

The limit is that fading cannot be reversed by cleaning. Once the tone has shifted, refinishing is the only route back.

In Air That Stays Between 35% and 45%

Timber trades moisture with the air around it continuously, so stable humidity is what keeps a top flat and a joint tight.

Between 35% and 45% is the range to hold, and it is worth a cheap hygrometer in the room to know where you are. Winter heating is the usual culprit, and a humidifier solves it.

The limit is the extremes rather than the average. A house that swings from damp to arid and back stresses the wood more than one that sits slightly outside the range all year.

Clear of the Traffic Line

Furniture in a walkway gets knocked, scraped and shoved, and most of the scratching on an older piece happened while somebody was carrying something past it.

Leave enough room to walk without turning sideways. The clearances in our room guides exist as much for the furniture as for the people.

The limit is that some rooms have no spare floor. If a piece has to sit in traffic, put the hardest-wearing one there and keep the delicate one out of the way.

Something Already Gone Wrong?

Send us a photograph and tell us which piece it is and roughly when you bought it. We will tell you whether it is a wipe, a repair or something to claim on.
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What Should Never Touch the Finish?

Four things, all of them sitting under somebody's sink right now. Silicone polish, paper towels, household chemicals and anything abrasive will each do more harm to a conversion varnish than a decade of ordinary use ever will.

None of this is fussiness. A sealed finish is the part doing the protecting, so anything that attacks the finish removes the protection from the wood underneath.

Standard Furniture Polish

Most mass-market polish is silicone-based, which is why it produces an instant shine.

That shine is a film sitting on top of the varnish rather than anything the wood has absorbed. Over time it breaks the finish down, and the buildup clouds the surface so the grain stops reading clearly.

The limit is reversibility. Silicone works its way into the finish and complicates any future refinishing, so this is the mistake that costs the most to undo.

Paper Towels and Rough Cloths

Paper towels are made of wood fiber, which is harder than it feels and stiff enough to abrade a varnish.

The damage is not visible on the day. It shows up as a diffuse dullness across the areas you clean most, which is usually the middle of a table where everything gets wiped.

The limit is that it is cumulative rather than dramatic. Nobody ruins a table with one paper towel, which is precisely why the habit survives so long.

Bleach, Ammonia and Commercial Cleaners

Heavy-duty cleaners are built to strip, and a furniture finish is exactly the kind of thing they strip.

Glass cleaner belongs in the same category, since most of it is ammonia-based and it frequently gets used on a cabinet door with glass in it. Spray the cloth rather than the furniture if you are cleaning glass set into wood.

The limit is that there is no gentle amount. These are the wrong products for this surface at any dilution, and warm water does the job in nearly every case.

Anything Abrasive

Scouring pads, melamine sponges and powdered cleaners all work by removing a thin layer of whatever they touch.

On a varnish that layer is the finish. A mark that will not wipe off is a repair question rather than a scrubbing question, and scrubbing turns a small problem into a larger one.

The limit is patience. Soaking a stubborn spot with a damp cloth for a minute will shift most things that scrubbing would.

How Do You Care for Everything That Is Not Wood?

Four other materials come out of this catalog and each has a different answer. Poly wants soap and water, leather wants almost nothing, fabric wants speed, and a mattress wants turning.

Apart from keeping everything out of direct sun, none of them want the routine above. Applying wood advice to upholstery or poly is a common and avoidable mistake.

Outdoor Poly

Poly lumber has the color molded through the board rather than painted on, so there is no finish to protect and nothing to reapply.

Soap, warm water and a soft brush handle everything. A garden hose brings a set back after a season outside without any risk of raising the surface.

The limit is the cushions. Everything else out there can sit through a storm, and they cannot, because they are not poly.
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Amish London Swivel Glider-Glider-The Amish House

Buckeye Leather

Leather is the lowest-maintenance upholstery we sell. It wipes rather than absorbs, which is most of why people choose it in a house with children.

Dust it with a dry cloth and deal with spills by blotting rather than rubbing. Keep it out of direct sun for the same reason as the wood, since strong light fades hide unevenly.

The limit is conditioning products. Leather types differ and the wrong product can darken or mark a hide, so ask us before applying anything.
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Amish 8675 Shaker Gateway Swivel Glider Recliner-Recliner-The Amish House

Fabric Upholstery

Fabric is warmer and quieter to sit on, and it asks for faster attention than leather does.

Vacuum it with a brush attachment as part of ordinary cleaning, and blot spills immediately rather than letting them work into the weave. Speed matters far more than any product.

The limit is that fabrics vary. Cleaning codes differ between them, so check what your piece carries before using anything wet on it, and call us if the label is unclear.
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Mattresses

A mattress is maintained by moving it rather than cleaning it, which is the opposite of everything else on this page.

Rotate it head to foot every three to six months so the shoulder and hip regions trade ends. On a two-sided build, flip it on a six-month schedule as well, which puts the rested face back into service.

The limit is that single-sided mattresses only rotate. They are built to be slept on one way, so turning one over achieves nothing.
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What Does Each Surface Need?

The one thing that matters most, surface by surface, for anyone who would rather not read the whole page. Each links through to the range it applies to.

If you only remember one line from this guide, make it the first of the six.
Tabletops

Tabletops
Placemats and trivets. Heat and standing liquid do more damage to a tabletop than anything else you will put on it.
Drawers and Cases

Drawers and Cases
Load the lower drawers heavier than the upper ones, and never use an open drawer as a step.
Bookcases

Bookcases
Dust with microfiber rather than a feather duster, which moves grit around rather than lifting it.
Outdoor Poly

Outdoor Poly
Soap, water, a soft brush. Bring the cushions in, leave the furniture out.
Mattresses

Mattresses
Rotate every three to six months. Flip as well if the build is two-sided.

Can Damage Be Undone?

Usually, and far more often than on anything veneered. There is enough timber in a solid top to take it back to bare wood and start the finish again, as often as the thickness allows, which is the practical reason this furniture outlasts the houses it was bought for.

What that costs you depends entirely on how deep the problem goes. Three categories cover almost everything.

Marks That Sit in the Finish

Water rings, hazing and light clouding are in the varnish rather than the wood, and they are the easiest to deal with.

Many respond to nothing more than time and a dry cloth, since a ring from a cold glass is often trapped moisture that eventually releases. If one persists, send us a photograph before you try anything stronger.

The limit is improvisation. Most household remedies for water rings involve heat or abrasives, and both of those do more damage than the ring did.

Scratches and Micro-Abrasion

Fine scratches read as dullness rather than as individual lines, and they show most on dark finishes because the contrast is higher.

A single deep scratch is a spot repair. Widespread micro-abrasion across a tabletop needs the whole surface redone, and on a solid top that is a genuine option rather than a write-off.

The limit is depth. Anything through the finish and into the wood needs a professional rather than a kit, and attempting it yourself usually widens the repair area.

Keeping the Reference

A stain name on an old invoice is close to useless, and finishes shift as they age, which makes any repair or later addition harder than it needs to be.

Keep the order paperwork and a physical chip of your species and stain together somewhere you will find them. That reference is what makes matching a repair or a second piece straightforward instead of a guess.

The limit is memory. Nobody remembers a stain name after five years, and the chip costs almost nothing to hold on to.
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For the Accidents Care Cannot Prevent

The Guardsman Protection Plan covers furniture for five years against the things nobody plans for, including stains, burns, rips, pet accidents, seam separation and mechanism failures, across fabric, leather and wood surfaces.
SEE WHAT IS COVERED

What Does the Warranty Cover?

Indoor wood furniture is warranted for one year against defects in craftsmanship or workmanship. Outdoor poly gets a residential limited lifetime warranty on a defective product or part. Neither one covers normal wear, commercial use, misuse or lack of care.

That last exclusion is why this page exists in the practical sense as well as the helpful one. A finish ruined by silicone polish or a top cracked by a heating vent is a care question rather than a warranty question.

The Terms in One Place

Indoor wood furniture One year against defects in craftsmanship or workmanship
Outdoor poly Residential limited lifetime on a defective product or part
Not covered on either Normal wear, commercial use, misuse, lack of care
Guardsman Protection Plan Five years, covering accidental damage across fabric, leather and wood surfaces
Delivery damage Must be raised with the delivery team before they leave

Raise anything you are unsure about rather than assuming. We would far rather look at a photograph early than at a repair later.

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Four Things, and Then Forget About It

Buy a microfiber cloth and throw the polish away. Put placemats where food goes and a hygrometer where the furniture lives. Keep the pieces off the heating vents and out of the sun. Lift things instead of sliding them.

That is the whole of it. If something has already happened, call us at 615-819-2772 or send a photograph, and we will tell you honestly whether it needs a cloth, a repair or a claim.

You can also download the care guide to keep, or bring the piece into our showroom on Nolensville Road if it is something we need to see. We are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm.
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Frequently Asked Questions

A catalyzed conversion varnish, on every piece we build. It is a hard, sealed, scratch-resistant coating rather than an oil or a wax, which is why it never needs feeding and why it does not want silicone anywhere near it.
No. Most of it is silicone-based, and silicone breaks the finish down over time while leaving a film that clouds the surface. If you want a polish, use one made for real wood such as the Guardsman range.
Between 35% and 45%. Outside that range wood can crack, split or warp, and winter heating is what usually pushes a house below it. A hygrometer costs very little and takes the guesswork out.
It can, permanently. The varnish is durable but it is not heatproof, so use trivets and placemats without exception rather than judging each dish on how hot it feels.
Usually. A single deep scratch is a spot repair, and widespread fine scratching across a top can be taken back to bare timber and finished again, which a veneered surface will not survive. Send us a photograph first.
No, and neither will help. A conversion varnish is a sealed surface rather than a finish that absorbs anything, so oils and waxes sit on top of it and attract dust rather than doing any good.
Put something under the paper. A pen pressed through one sheet dents softer species, and while quartersawn white oak may show nothing at all, brown maple takes the impression even though it is a hardwood.
It depends on the household. It runs five years and covers the accidents this page cannot prevent, including stains, burns, rips and pet damage, across fabric, leather and wood. With young children or pets it earns its place more often than not.