Caring for Solid Wood Furniture in a Humid Climate

Solid wood furniture is not fragile, but it is responsive. It takes on moisture when the air is damp and releases it when the air is dry, expanding and contracting slightly as it goes. Nearly all the damage we are asked to repair comes from that movement being unusually fast — not from the humidity itself.

The everyday routine

Dust with a dry or barely damp soft cloth, following the grain. Wipe spills as they happen, particularly anything alcoholic, oily or acidic — those mark a finish faster than water does. Use coasters and mats under hot dishes. That is genuinely the whole of it; most furniture is over-cleaned rather than under-cleaned.

What to keep away from the surface

• Silicone-based sprays and all-purpose polishes, which build a film that later clouds and complicates refinishing
• Ammonia and vinegar solutions, which strip protective finishes over time
• Sustained direct sunlight, which fades and unevenly darkens wood within a single summer
• Soaking water — a wet cloth is fine, a dripping one is not

Managing the monsoon and the air conditioning

The difficult period in Bangalore is not the wettest month; it is the transition. Furniture that sits in monsoon humidity and is then dried rapidly by air conditioning can develop hairline checks in a panel or a drawer that binds. Keep pieces a few centimetres clear of external walls so air circulates behind them, run a fan rather than pointing the AC directly at a large wooden surface, and expect drawers to feel slightly tighter in August. That is the wood behaving normally.

A drawer that sticks in the monsoon and frees up in December has not been made badly. It is doing what wood does.

Twice a year

Every six months, check and tighten any visible fixings — chair and table joints loosen gradually with ordinary use, and a joint tightened early does not become a repair. For oiled finishes, reapply a thin coat of the oil we specify for your piece, wiping off any excess after fifteen minutes. Lacquered and PU finishes need no oiling at all; oiling them only leaves residue.

When to call us instead

Deep scratches, water rings that have penetrated the finish, loose joinery that retightens and loosens again, or any cracking that runs across the grain are worth having looked at rather than treated at home. Our pieces carry a ten-year warranty, and early repairs are almost always smaller than late ones.