Furniture Deterioration

Anybody who is familiar with old furniture, knows that furniture needs proper care to slow down deterioration. There are things that happen to wood even when they aren’t exposed to the elements, like rain or sun, over time, wood can still have issues. Like, it can start to crack or split. There is nothing you can do to prevent it, but there are things that you can do to slow it down. Humidity, for example, can help keep the wood from drying out and aging, or at least have it happen a lot slower.

Key Takeaways:

• Maintaining a constant indoor humidity level is the best way to protect wood furniture, but is impractical.
• Adding fresh paint or finish will slow the exchange of moisture into and out of wood.
• UV light and physical scratches cause wood finish to deteriorate.

“Because wood shrinks and swells far more across the grain than along the grain, joint failure and veneer separation are almost inevitable when the glue ages and becomes brittle.”

Read more: https://www.popularwoodworking.com/flexner-on-finishing-woodworking-blogs/flexner-finishing-furniture-deterioration/