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Caring for Your New Cabinets

Since you know your cabinets are designed to fit into specific public areas and are built like fine furniture, we would like to share with you some of the things you can expect from your cabinets.

1.) Cabinet finishes (stain colors, clear coatings, glazing, and distressing) will vary from samples you may have seen on displays or in the Showroom. This is due to the inherent nature of hand-crafted wood and finely-applied finishes.  As you know, different woods and door styles will show stains differently and no two pieces of your hand made cabinets are alike, so expect your cabinets to reflect your unique taste in your one-of-a-kind home.

2.)  Care for your cabinets, and they will reward you with many years of beautiful service.  Just as you wouldn’t leave a glass of water on an unprotected wood surface like an end table, be mindful that standing water, household chemicals, or personal care products that fall onto your cabinets could damage the finish permanently. For an enduring finish, wipe up any residue immediately.

3.)  Children and fine furniture can coexist, but only when careful attention is paid to the appearance of your new cabinets.  Since the surface coating applied to the wood is designed to provide a pleasing appearance that compliments your home, it is not the ideal showcase for your youngsters’ creative talents. Crayons, markers, and other writing tools can permanently mar the finish.

4.)  Acrylic finger nails or nail extensions can cause damage if not careful.  Since the acrylic material is harder sometimes then the hardened finish of your cabinets, care must be taken when opening the drawers and doors with finger pulls only.  Some suggest the use of knobs and pulls to minimize the damage that they might cause.

5.)  Your cabinets must be climate controlled.  Your cabinets are designed to have a certain amount of moisture in them.  Usually, just living in your home will keep the cabinets at the desired temperature, and the moisture from washing dishes, showers, and running the washing machine puts enough moisture in the air to prevent damage.  But, if you are going to leave your house unoccupied for a long period of time, it is a good idea to keep your thermostat at 80 degrees or below, and set a few buckets of water throughout the house.  It is also a good idea to close curtains, to keep direct sunlight off the cabinets.

It is also a good idea not to clean your cabinets with any oil polishes like Pledge or Old English. Wood furniture is treated a little different the most cabinets during the finishing process and the cabinets will not absorb the oil like other furniture. So I recommend using a damp cloth for wiping down your cabinets and dusting them. If you have oil splatter from cooking use a small amount of Murphy’s Oil Soap mixed in with lots of water. Always try this in a hidden area first to check reaction to the finish.