HUMIDITY, or I should say the humidity level of your home, is a top concern in protecting your Amish built furniture. Depending on where you live, the humidity level of your home can cause all sorts of problems that will distract from the enjoyment of your furniture. High levels of humidity can cause furniture to swell, doors and drawers sticking, joints cracking, and others issues. Humidity too low can cause wood cracking or splitting, joints shrinking, or table leaves not fitting properly.
Wood is in a constant dance with the air that surrounds it. Wood is almost always doing one of two things, losing or gaining moisture. Small variances in moisture content are easily handled by most hardwoods
Your Amish built solid wood furniture was designed by expert craftsmen, who through the use of different types of wood joinery, allows the wood to move freely to a point. It’s the extremes that cause the problems
Controlling your homes humidity to a 35 to 55 % range will not only allow your handcrafted furniture to give generations of beauty and service, a balanced humidity level lessens many health risks as well. Here are a few simple steps to help
- Control your humidity with a humidifier in the winter, and a dehumidifier in the summer.
- Place your furniture away from fireplaces, heat ducts, and radiators if possible
- Keep your furniture a few inches away from the walls to allow air to circulate
- Try not to place your furniture in direct sunlight
- Store table leaves as close to your table as possible, so leaves adjusts as the table does
- If unable to store leaves in your table, store leaves horizontally to avoid warping
- Don’t wax or use any polish that contains silicones