Antique French
Antique French
Maintaining Your French Furniture
The main damage to furniture is often caused by conditions that are either too dry or too damp. Both conditions can cause damage; cracking in the former and warping of the timber in the latter. However, changing from one extreme to the other will cause even more damage as the timber first dries out, then absorbs moisture again. A stable temperature is the most important part of good maintenance.
Damp and humid conditions also encourage mould and fungus, as well as insect pests such as borers that will cause a great deal of damage to your furniture. The presence of insects can be ascertained by looking for fine sawdust – known as frass - in and around the furniture.
Keeping your French furniture out of sunlight is also important. Sunlight not only causes heat and thus drying, but it can fade the colours in the wood and damage the finish. In fact, even daylight contains ultra-violet radiation, the damage from which accumulates over time and is irreversible.
French garden furniture may be made with other things such as brass, marble and marquetry as well as timber. A clean, dry duster should be used to keep all areas clean, but not a feather duster which can cause fine scratches. In fact, many surfaces that are complex should not even be cleaned with a duster which can snag the tiny projections and cause more damage.
A pony hair brush or soft banister brush is the best thing to clean your French furniture with, especially any gilt surfaces. Even polishing should not be done too often; only when there are marks in the wax surface should a small amount of quality beeswax furniture polish be used for buffing.
Silicon polishes – often found in a spray-pack should never be used. Silicon can damage the finish of antique furniture and leave an unwelcome residue that does nothing to enhance the look of it. For more details visit our website www.franceheritage.com.au
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About the Author
Rhys Keats is an antiques collector and is involved in the hobby for over a decade. www.franceheritage.com.au
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