Few people know that proper care of woodwork requires much more than an occasional dusting. Your woodwork was once made up of a living thing, and without the proper care, it’s going to look quite dead. However, it is possible to revitalize your wood and keep it strong and healthy without much effort. If you’ve got an older home with a lot of woodwork, you may need to spend some extra time on it, but generally, these techniques should only take a few minutes.
Let’s start with revitalizing wood floors.
If you’re floor is already dried, cracked and the shine is completely gone, you’re going to need to do a major overhaul to bring it back. This means stripping the floor of any remaining varnish and re-staining it. This may take several coats depending on the color you would like. Once you’re done staining, you’ll need to revarnish the floor. In most cases, and especially with high traffic areas, this requires several coats and plenty of drying time in between. You need to keep the area as dust free as possible during this process so that the varnish stays smooth.
If you’re floor has seen better days but it’s not quite down for the count, you’ll need to add some oil to it to get it back. We recommend Murphy’s Wood Soap followed by Olde English Wood Oil. This comes in a few scents, but the lemon oil is probably the best for your floors. Completely wash the floor with Murphy’s and then add the oil to it once it is completely dry. You’ll really need to work that it and then give it plenty of time to dry since it will be a little slippery. Wood floors should have this done at least once a year to keep them looking fresh.
Moving on, let’s talk about the woodwork in your home, such as door frames, window sills and any built-ins you may have.
If the varnish is still in pretty good shape, but they’re looking a bit dull, you can try Murphy’s and Olde English to bring them back to life. Another great trick involves some olive oil on a soft rag. Gently work the oil into the wood until it has been completely absorbed. If the area is near curtains, take them down before you start to avoid staining them with oil.
If the woodwork is already dry and or damaged, you’ll need to strip it completely down and start over. For doors, it’s best to take them down to this so you don’t end up with drips in your stain or varnish. Otherwise, you’ll need to be careful and avoid overloading your brush with stain or varnish. This will help decrease the amount of drips. If you catch some while you’re still working, quickly brush them into the finish to disguise them.
The key to keeping your woodwork looking great is constant care and the right kind of cleaning products. Never use any cleaner on your wood that was not specifically made for wood. This will only strip the wood even further and make it harder to maintain.
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