How to care for your bespoke joinery

Thank you for choosing Concept-Linea bespoke joinery. We hope that you are delighted with your furniture and with the service that you have received from our team of professionals.
We have crafted your furniture with timber and associated products which are subject to change with temperature and humidity. Therefore, proper care and maintenance is essential to ensure many years of use and enjoyment. Whether we have finished your furniture with oil, spray paint or lacquer, you will need to follow similar care instructions unless otherwise stated.

Cleaning

Daily dusting and a wipe with a clean damp cloth will ensure that your joinery will continue look its best. Please ensure that you do not leave wet marks for any length of time (for example a water mark which has resulted by placing a cup or glass on the furniture). In fact, it would be best to use placemats if you plan to place items on the furniture which may cause it to scratch, which contain water, or which are hot.

It is best to use a damp micro-fibre cloth which is suitable for cleaning without detergents. If you wish to use a detergent, please check the instructions to ensure it is suitable for use on your wooden furniture before use. Make sure your cleaning cloths have not picked up any grit, remove rings from your fingers and be careful with scraping devices.

Occasional application of a good quality furniture polish will help prolong the life of any lacquered furniture. Do not use abrasive cleaners or solvents on your furniture as these may scratch the surface and damage the finish.

Maintenance

For furniture that is oiled, we suggest that regular oiling on a bi-annual basis will keep your furniture at its best. Please contact us for details of the exact type of oil that should be used as this will depend on how your furniture was finished.

Please check all working parts (ironmongery) to ensure that these are moving as intended and add a little oil if required. For sliding doors, keep bottom tracks clean and wipe with a cloth with a dry silica based lubricant if required. Top tracks should be lightly greased and hinges oiled. This will ensure a smooth action and increase the lifespan of the hardware.

Wear and tear

As furniture is used over time, it will be subject to natural wear and tear. Please contact us if you would like to bring your furniture back to its initial condition.

Fading and discolouration

Wood finishes will fade with prolonged exposure to natural or artificial light, particularly where there is direct exposure to sun light. This is one of the most sought after characteristics of wood, and the reason it is selected for many external applications.

All paints are also susceptible to discoloration over time. This is due to UV exposure as well as airborne particles such as smoke and oil from cooking, tobacco and fireplaces or candles. Discolouration also occurs where there is no ventilation and is most visible in lighter colours.

Fading and discolouration are not considered defects and we do our best to delay this from happening by using the best products on the market such as UV protection oils for external applications and non-yellowing paints for spraying.

To protect against fading where wood has been oiled, we suggest regular re-oiling as per instructions listed in the Maintenance section. We have a re-spraying service for spray painted joinery that has discoloured over time.

Cracking and joint lines

Wood products have a natural process of expansion and contraction due to changes in moisture and temperature from season to season. Therefore, our joinery should be expected to “move” during the seasons which may result in cracks at joint lines. The finish will still protect the surface, and the structural integrity of the joint will not be affected however, an exposed wood joint can become damaged from subsequent prolonged exposure to water or heavy moisture. Therefore, wipe off any excess moisture from joinery surfaces as soon as possible.

Excessive heat and moisture

We cannot accept liability for natural movement or distortion, warping, swelling or splitting which is caused by the item being exposed to excessive temperature or humidity, or if the item is not correctly treated. Joinery must not be stored or installed in a newly plastered room or a building which has not been adequately dried out.

Please be aware that natural variations of colour and texture of the wood are not considered defects.