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Care Tips For Table Tops in home

Written by Posted On Tuesday, 26 November 2019 11:03
Care Tips For Table Tops in home

You probably spent a lot of money and time picking out the perfect table top (whether for your dining room table, desk table, or coffee table). You’ll want to spend some time learning how to care and clean it.

There are many different ways to clean a table top. It’s important to note that we’re not just talking about dusting here - cleaning and dusting are different process. There are specific care and cleaning guidelines on how we can clean a tabletop and keep it looking new for many years to come.

Cleaning is also different than refinishing or restoring an old piece of your furniture. Restoring or refinishing is needed when there is extensive long term damage that can not be removed or fixed with simple cleaning. That is another subject (and another article).

Here are some of the few tips on how we can take good care of our tabletop and restore it to its natural beauty.

Use Warm Water and Mild Soap To Start

When cleaning your wood tabletop, it is important that you only use warm water and mild dish soap. Water won't hurt your tabletop; you just need to ensure it does not soak into the wood.  Making use of an old toothbrush is a good idea to get rid of dirt for the hard to reach areas. After doing all this, you need to ensure that dirt is wiped off with a soft cloth or paper towels until they come up relatively clean. Dry off residual moisture with a soft cloth in a final wipe.

To make your tabletop stays in regular pristine condition, you should have a routine for cleaning. For example, during the summer you should be cleaning at the beginning, in between, and at the end of summer. With regular wiping to remove dirt is the best way to protect it.

Protection

The best way to protect the table top after cleaning is to use a good quality wax. This should be applied thinly as directed. After the tabletop has absorbed the wax, buffing it gently with a brush/cloth will protect and restore the natural colour. The process should be repeated again after 30 minutes. This will leave a beautiful shine that will continue for many months.

The wax provides long-lasting protection, doesn't smear and is more durable than sprays or polishes. It is also non-toxic, unlike other sprays or finishes. Using a wax made specifically for furniture is essential. Learning how to apply wax will eliminate streaks or cloudy appearance. Always remember to use light coats, allow to dry and buff to a clear shine with a soft cloth.

Keep Your Furniture Out of the Sun Or Heat

A lot of us think that a window glass can protect or block the damaging sunlight. Wrong! The temperature of the sun coming through a window can go above 140 degrees fahrenheit. It can cause fading and discoloration as it literally ‘cooks’ the table surface.   Dry heat can cause the wood to dry and shrink. Wood table tops are very susceptible to sun damage; it is important to treat with UV protection if your surface is regularly getting heavy sun rays. If needed, you can apply a varnish to build up a protective barrier that will reduce the number of UV rays, ultimate preventing cracking and splitting.

You can also consider changing the position of your furniture. Once in a while, change the layout of your room so that your tabletop is not subject to exposure (especially exposure in the same places time after time). The location of your furniture is a crucial factor when it comes to the severity of the damage caused by the sun. It is best to situate furniture away from direct contact with the sun if possible.

When you put hot things directly from your tabletop, it is essential to use heat protection. Placemat are good protection in case you want to eat or decide to carry or place something hot from the table.

Get Scratches Out Of Wood

Scratches in wood can look bad in a piece of furniture, even if the furniture is an expensive heirloom. It is essential to treat this immediately. Repairing small scratches can be simple. Here’s a trick: use tea to colour in the scratch. First place a tea bag in a mug, let it steep for 2 to 3 minutes (the liquid should be dark). Try to match the darkness of the liquid to the colour needed. Then, try rubbing out the scratches with a cloth dipped in the tea. If needed with larger scratches, you can mix the tea with a mineral paste and ‘fill in’ the scratch. Then wipe it off with a dry cloth. Another filler method for large scratches is to use a wax crayon that matches the wood colour as much as possible.

Another way to hide scratches is to cover them with an oil-based artist paint. The one that comes from a tube. You have to choose a colour darker than the finish of your table top. Then rub a little from the scratch to blend with the finish.

We have focused on wood table tops, but general guidelines on how to clean table tops can be applied to different kinds of the table top. Here are a few pieces of advice for a specific table tops.

Laminate Table Tops

Must be cleaned with warm water and soap mixture regularly and should be dried with a soft cloth. An all purpose cleaner can also be used (you would NOT want to use this cleaner on wood). Spills should be wiped up quickly. For hard to remove the stain, a mild cleanser and baking soda can be used. This should be scrubbed with a stiff nylon brush, then clean as you normally would.

Wood Table Tops

This can be maintained with mild soap and water. Harsh cleaners and chemicals should not be used on these tops. These can harm your wood grain permanently. A  gentle all-purpose cleaner can be used if the soap and water is not working. Wood may have grains and minor craks. To clean cracks you can use a toothbrush with a bit of toothpaste, and then clean with a damp cloth.

Resin Table Tops

Warm water with a mild detergent or all-purpose cleaner must be used in cleaning daily. To remove scratches from the surface, it's advisable to use toothpaste or car buffer to even out the table top.

Your table top is often the highlight of your room, and maybe even your house! Maybe it is in your dining room, your den, your office (maybe it’s even a gorgeous standing desk table top with a live edge). Regardless, I hope these cleaning tips can make your table top looking great for many years to come.

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Hector Gavilla

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