How can I protect hardwood furniture?
I bought a lovely hardwood desk at a yard sale. I'm not sure how old it is or what kind of wood, but it is in nice condition. Other wood furniture I have seems to form white, chalky rings when it comes in contact with water. My table, for instance, has a slight sheen to it and seems to be protected from water.
What can I do to give this desk the same protection? Is there a product I can use to keep the wood oiled and nice without damaging it?
Answers ( 2 )
The most common method is to use an oil-based finish like Linseed oil or Tung oil. You can also use a sealant like Polyurethane, Varnish, or Lacquer. Coasters also work.
Your desk most likely has some kind of finish on it already so first you will need to remove it by sanding it down to the raw wood. Depending on what finish is there you may need to use chemicals such as Goo Off all purpose stripper, paint stripper, or lacquer thinner.
The people that work at Home Depot and Lowe's are usually pretty knowledgeable and will be able to direct you to the product(s) that you need. Follow the directions on the container and you should be good to go!
Most importantly: don't forget proper ventilation and hand/eye protection when using harmful chemicals.
Nice find! Yes, if it is hardwood through and through, there are a number of things you can do to keep it in great condition.
The white rings you see are likely water rings- condensation from hot beverage containers, heating up (so melting) the waxy or oily components of polish, which then dries opaque. Most modern furniture (anything less than about 50 years old) has not been shallac'd or varnished with linseed or teak or walnut oil, but coated in polyurethane. While that is... not traditional, it is easier, lasts longer and protects better- unless you are willing to wax your piece once a month. And, trust me, you don't really want to do that.
So Pledge has a slight waxy component, and likely some silicone to add shine and help that micromilimetre layer of polish resist scratches and scuffs, along with a bit of oil, and it will make the wood shine a bit, but eventually, the build-up will just look like crap, smear-y and not-clean, so you'll need to buy something like Formby's Restorer, although denatured alcohol and 0000-steel wool will do the same for less money, to clean the wood back up.
Murphy's Oil soap is a cleaner, too, but you need to take care when using it: It contains a goodly amount of petroleum distillates, so using it even once a month will eventually start to soften your finish, and then strip it away. Use it only to clean a piece which is dirty, then wipe it all off, and finish with a bit of "four-ought" steel wool and denatured alcohol.
Honestly, we have a great deal of very good, solid woods (oak, and maple and mahogany and walnut, with some cherry and fruitwood thrown in) because my parents collected good antique furniture, my Father was a Master carpenter, and my husband likes to fix things- like furniture, so we know about wood furniture. Here in AZ, it is very dry a good part of the year, and even the most seasoned-seeming wooden furniture will dry out more and develop cracks and joiner-seams will open up a bit- wooden chairs are notorious for that. So, our pieces are protected by polyurethane and cleaned with a damp-Old English-dribbled cloth- drops- not much OE at all.
If you want to get an idea of how old your desk is, look at how it is put together- what type of fastenings are used. The older the piece, the less metal hardware you will find. In Germany, we found an OLD shrank (pronounced "shrunk"; upright piece of furniture in which to store dishes- sometimes called a "kitchen" in the US) which was so old, it was put together with square nails where it had any such fastenings, at all, Old, old, old piece. Good carpenters prided themselves on fitting the bits together tightly with as little hardware as possible- often preferring to use a peg instead of a screw, which was seen rather as cheating- if you ae finding metal braces and such, the piece is less than fifty years old,
You might also want to know what kind of wood it is- not that it much matters, If so, try this resource: https://kraycustomrefinish.com/identifying-wood-types-furniture/
And for finish-cleaning tips:
https://www.popularwoodworking.com/flexner-on-finishing-woodworking-blogs/understanding-furniture-polishes/