Everything you ever wanted to know about furniture….from start to a beautiful finish.


Choose your furniture with care.
Purchasing furniture that suits you and your family’s lifestyle is an important decision. Let’s face it; along with buying a home and a car, furniture is an investment that requires careful consideration. Regardless of how much money is at stake, no one wants to end up with a white elephant. One of the first things to consider before heading out the door to the local furniture store is how the furnishings will be used. Will they suffer the relentless blows of kids and pets, or are they tucked away in protected rooms used only by visiting guests? Be realistic in how much wear and tear you expect your furniture to endure. Kids, pets, and extreme variations in climate and humidity should be considered when determining how much money you want to spend on furnishing your home and how you will care for it over its long life. Frequent use may require different construction methods and materials than furniture that is used infrequently. For example, sturdy construction and solid materials perform much better with day-to-day use than pieces that are not as well made.



What style best suits your personality and lifestyle?

Selecting a style of furniture for your home does not have to follow any set rules or fit into a rigid thematic scheme. What is most important is to buy what you like. In today’s times, anything goes—we have the freedom to choose a combination of styles that suits the whimsy of our creativity. There maybe certain woods you prefer over others, however, unlike the generations preceding ours, all the woods in our home do not have to match! Certainly there are stylistic trends that correlate one type of wood with the other; traditional styles of furniture may be solid wood or made from veneers of walnut, cherry or mahogany. Popular country and mission styles are usually oak or may be pine or maple that has been painted or whitewashed. Contemporary styles often use lighter colored woods such as beech, ash, birch or maple and may incorporate metal details or accents. The more modern designs can be combinations of wood, glass, and metal or plastic laminate. And what about the casual comfort of rattan and wicker? These pieces blend into a diversity of thematic styles and are most flexible when coordinating sunrooms with living rooms. Selecting appropriate textiles for your furniture takes thoughtful consideration. Are you more comfortable with natural woven textiles or do you prefer the durability and richness of leather and suede? Regardless of your style, the maintenance and care of your furnishings should be taken into consideration.



How much of an investment are you willing to make?

If kids are still young, you may want to consider furniture designed to hold up during the short-term with plans to replace certain items, as they get older. A common rule of thumb in making decisions about purchasing home furnishings is to buy the best quality you can afford. However, this may not apply to every situation. It is true that good quality furniture becomes the heirlooms of tomorrow, but we must be realistic. There is a time and place for everything. Whether solid wood or wood veneer, plastic laminate, or glass and metal, consider buying the best quality for the expected lifespan of the furniture. You will get the desired performance and will not have to replace it before due time.


Protect your investment by taking care of your furniture.


Wood is an organic material and whether your furniture is solid wood or wood veneer, regular cleaning and polishing is important. Maintenance and regular cleaning extends the life of your furniture protecting your investment for years to come. Finishes such as opaque or transparent stains, or lacquers and urethanes protects the surface of the wood, and enhances the appearance. Keeping the finishes bright and clean requires a regular application of a furniture polish. With each application of Pledge® Furniture Polish or Pledge® Extra Moisturizing Furniture Polish, surface soil is cleaned away along with the last polish application leaving a thin layer of protection. For better performance with any furniture polish, be sure to wipe the polish dry and change or clean your lint free cloths when necessary. Don’t overlook the exposed wood on your upholstered furniture; wood arms, backs, and exposed legs need regular polishing to protect against body oils that may wear off the finish. Try new Pledge® Grab-It; cloths or mitts -- they make it easy to pick up dust quickly.

Antique furniture that still has its original finish requires special care products like a paste wax. A small amount of SC Johnson® Paste Wax applied to a soft cloth may be wiped onto the surface then immediately buffed. If the finish is in excellent condition, a liquid or spray polish may be used. Even furniture made from plastic laminates, metal, glass, and sealed marble require regular cleaning. Pledge® Furniture Polish keeps these surfaces conditioned and removes dulling residues—consider using it on your leather upholstery to protect the finish.

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