How to Oil Your Furniture

One the most rewarding parts of keeping a home is polishing the furniture. When the wood gleams with perfection, it can be hard not to gleam yourself! In this day and age of completely upholstered furniture, it seems that fewer and fewer people know how to properly oil their furniture. This guide will show you how.

Begin with clean wood. Before you begin oiling your piece of furniture, you will want to make sure that all pieces of debris and sticky spots are cleaned off. Carefully and gently scrub the surface of the wood with a light abrasive such as a moistened paper towel or an extra-fine sanding tool. If your piece of furniture has a finish, be sure to not scrub the finish off. Make sure that all of the wood is clean and dry. After scrubbing, soak up any moisture immediately to avoid water damage.

Dust on a regular basis. It might seem as though it does not matter whether you oil after you dust, but it does matter. As fine as dust is, there can be a lot of it and the result will essentially be a thin layer of mud. Dust all of your furniture at least twice a week to keep it looking new and bright. This includes pictures frames, dusty corners of walls and rocking chair runners.

Assemble your tools. Oiling your furniture can be quite messy if you do not have the proper equipment. I recommend Old English furniture polish. Be sure to match the color of the furniture polish to the color of your wood. You will also need a soft, lint-free rag to use for rubbing the polish into the wood. It is advisable to get a small plastic container to hold both the furniture polish and the rag in order to avoid staining carpets, linens or other household items.

The first coat. If you have not oiled your furniture before, you may need to oil in several layers at the beginning to quench the thirsty wood. Dip some polish out onto your rag and rub the polish into the wood, always rubbing in the direction of the grain. Never rub across the grain of the wood. If the wood is particularly dry, it may soak up the oil quickly and leave a darkened matte finish. Keep oiling until the wood glows glossy. After the first coat has been applied, let it dry. This will take approximately two to four hours to completely dry. Then, you can put the linens, doilies, lamps or centerpieces back on top or you may wish to apply additional coats. Do not place anything on the wood until the oil has soaked in and dried or it will stain the surface of the wood as well as the linens.

Subsequent coats. After a piece of furniture has been thoroughly oiled for the first time, subsequent times will be much easier. You will not have to use as much furniture polish and it will dry in approximately two hours. Test the wood by running your finger along the grain. If your finger comes back moist or tinted, it is not dry yet. If it is clean, then the oil has dried and you can place everything back on top.

The glow of freshly oiled wood is beautiful. It gleams with perfection and makes your entire house look tasteful and elegant. Polish your wood furniture once a week and I recommend doing all pieces in one day. Doing this will not only keep your home looking lovely, but it will greatly benefit the condition and longevity of your furniture.