Making a House a Home

Unlike other less quality, cheaper dressers, oak dressers are usually heavy and sturdy as a result of heavier wood used for the different sections of the piece. While the back panel on oak dressers are usually made of plywood, other dressers would have ordinary hardboard stapled to them.

When looking for best quality oak furniture, it is best to avoid anything that has a lot of pneumatic brads or staples. The drawers of excellent dressers will have dovetail joints in them, essential to check for are zigzag methods used in joining the wooden furniture together. If it has a lot of staples or pneumatic brads, then it most likely is not good quality oak furniture.

Materials used in making the dresser are also important to look out for, top quality oak dressers are made of solid hardwoods or rarely, plywood. If an oak dresser has got parts composed of engineered wood, such as particle board or MDF, then it will most likely come in much cheaper than high quality ones. The low quality ones tend to be covered with veneer or plastic, but it is not uncommon to leave it uncovered.

MDF (Medium Density Fibre Board) is a type of engineered wood made from softwood fibres which is then combined with wax and a resin binder. Also known as craftswood, MDF apart from its inferior quality has been known to carry potential health hazards, both for the environment and humans. It is best to try and avoid furniture that consist of MDF entirely.

When buying solid oak furniture, the dust panels, which are the sheets found in-between drawers above and below each other and across the bottom are usually present. It is also essential for the dresser drawer pulls to have good quality hardware; cast brass would be the absolute top of the range. Other metals like iron and titanium can also be used with pot metal coming in at the very bottom.

Oak dressers will not have cheap nor drywall screws and hinges as can be commonly found in other lower quality dressers. Oak dressers or quality hardwood furniture will be made from top quality screws that will not strip when they get used.

A solid oak dresser will be very easy to operate, when opening and closing the drawers. Smooth operation is crucial as they are usually made from the best material, unlike cheaper furniture which is bound to be made of cheap glides. Cheap in the sense that they constitute lightweight metal or at other times trash wood that would most often bind or warp very quickly.

Less quality furniture usually have all colour added to them by what is known as a coloured finish, called a toner. Once the finish is chipped off the main dresser, beneath will be (http://research.the-bac.edu/color/wood/index.html ) uncoloured wood. On the other hand, a well made oak dresser will get stained before it is finished.

In part two of our list of hints for keeping your solid wood furniture stain free we look at some of the more extreme examples of wood marking.

Light Cigarette Burns:
Rub the stained surface with scratch-concealing polish. If that does not work you could try rubbing it with a paste of linseed oil and rottenstone with the grain until the burn mark is completely gone.

Nail Polish:
Try to blot the spilled nail polish as soon as possible while it is still wet. If it has become dry, rub it with fine steel wool dipped in bees wax. Wipe the surface dry and wax or oil.

Heat Marks:
This may be slightly tricky. Rub gently with dry steel wool soap pad or a cloth dampened with camphorated oil or mineral spirits. Be careful not to cause scratches. Use the finest steel wool available. Wipe the surface clean and wax or oil.

Paint Marks:
If the paint is still wet, it can be removed with water or oil-based paint solvents with mineral spirits. If it has become dry, put some boiled linseed oil on the stain and wait until the paint softens and scrape carefully with a knife or wipe with cloth dampened with boiled linseed oil. Wipe the surface dry and wax or polish.

Scratches:
Rub a shoe polish closest in shade into the scratch. This is a very effective and easy solution. You could also use a felt-tip pen of a matching shade to fill into the scratch.

One way to guard against noticeable marks, without having your lovely furniture permanently covered up or hidden away, is to buy what’s known as ‘rustic’ furniture.   Generally more common on Indian wood pieces, this effect is created by the craftsmen deliberately aging brand new furniture by selectively denting, chipping and filling different parts of it.  Whilst it may sound severe, done correctly the furniture will look naturally aged meaning that any minor mishaps you may have will just blend in.

Hopefully we have helped with some of the most common marks, but if anyone has any more tips feel free to post them in the comments box.

Despite extreme care, accidents with your wooden furniture are bound to occur, especially when there are kids around the house. They invariably tend to spill or drag something across your precious wooden furniture, causing stains and scratches which soon become eyesores.

However, there is a lot you can do amend all that. Below is the first part of a ready guide for the most common stains and problems that may arise with any of your solid wood furniture.

Wax or Dirt:
To clean wooden furniture of wax or dirt, dampen a clean rag with some mineral spirit and wipe across the wooden surface. Do this until all the dirt is picked up into the rag. To remove the dirt that collects in the grooves and crevices of carved areas use a cotton swab dipped in spirit. Immediately treat with whatever the product was finished in (Danish oil, bees wax, etc.)

Water Stains:
For recent and mild stains, cover the stain with a clean, thick blotter and press down hard for a few minutes. If that doesn’t work, rub with salad oil, mayonnaise or white toothpaste and leave it on for about 15 minutes. For older or tougher stains leave it for more time, even overnight if required. Then wipe dry with a clean cloth.

Milk or Alcohol:
For milk or alcohol stains rub it with a paste of boiled linseed oil and rottenstone with the grain. Substitute pumice instead of rottenstone for dull finishes. Wipe the surface dry and wax or oil.

More tips in part two…

Following on from our post titled ‘The impact of a sideboard’ we continue to look at the function of a sideboard and carefully choosing you new piece.

Function

An important element of a great sideboard is its function as a storage space. Whether your sideboard is a piece of meticulously organised oak furniture or simply used as the ideal place to tidy clutter away before the neighbours come round, it should create much more space for you to store your possessions easily and tidily. The balance, however, between a bulky and imposing sideboard that dominates your room and a small and ineffective storage cupboard should be carefully considered.

A careful choice

The current variety and range of sideboards, both in store and on the internet, is extensive and the secret to a great sideboard is to find the design that suits your home the most appropriately. This may be a sideboard that rests directly on the floor, or one that rests on feet, the furniture could have a pattern or lattice or remain plain. The function of the sideboard and what it will store means that there is a great choice between drawers, cupboards and a mix between the two, depending on customer requirements and preferences. There is also the choice between birch, Indian and oak furniture for example.

Once you have selected the sideboard that you most prefer the appearance of, and have considered the function, the potential position in the room, the durability and the price of the furniture, and carefully thought through the many options, you’ll find the perfect sideboard and an individual choice that suits your home and you.

In the next two part series we will look at the often overlooked impact a sideboard or desk can have on a hallway or lounge, providing a functional purpose as well as being a focal point of its environment, making a lovely piece of living room furniture.

Evaluating Style

The key to a great sideboard is a combination of several factors. Principally, the sideboard you choose should be stylish and look good in your home. It should complement and harmonise with the décor of the room; either your sideboard could stand out as a decorative but bold feature or blend with other furniture to provide an understated, sophisticated piece of furniture.

The sideboard should be of a classic design and as well as considering whether to purchase birch or oak furniture, it is important to note whether the handles, the shape and any patterns match the decoration of your room as well. Positioning in the room is also important, to find the ideal place that will showcase your sideboard but not impose too much into the centre of your room.

Birch, Indian or oak furniture?

A great sideboard should also be designed to last a long time, and be made of a quality wood. Birch, Indian solid mango and oak furniture are strong and durable. They can be easily maintained and kept in good condition if they are regularly treated, cleaned and polished. The joints used in the sideboard should be strong and well crafted such as dovetail joints. Oak veneers last a much shorter time than solid oak furniture although the quality of a solid oak sideboard is likely to cost significantly more. The strength of your sideboard is important particularly if you plan to place something heavy such as a television set on top of it. A veneer is much less likely to stand up to the weight and will be quickly damaged over time compared to the solid version.

In our next post we will look at the function and carefully choosing you new sideboard to ensure you get value for money, and most beauty piece for your home.