midcenturyLA: Danish and European Mid Century Modern Furniture, Lighting and Design.

The most important thing to remember about any piece you have purchased is to enjoy it, use it and do not worry too much about damage. Most furniture will be damaged at some point in its long life, and it is nearly always repairable, so relax and use your furniture.

EXERCISE COMMON SENSE, we cannot tell you all situations to avoid or what affect something may have on a piece. The information below, while helpful, is in no way purporting to be expert advice, just our suggestions based on our experience.

When in doubt, call us and we will try to help and offer advice in any way we know how.

TEAK PIECES WITH OIL FINISHES

General Guidelines

Teak a very durable, versatile wood, but there's a few things you should be careful of that can definitely cause temporary or even permanent damage.

1. USE COASTERS. Do not leave anything wet on a teak, oil finished surface (or really on any wood surface) as this will leave a mark which could be permanent and not removable. If something is spilled on the piece, wipe it as quickly as you can until completely dry.
examples of things not to leave on teak:
wet glasses
plants in pots that can leak or overflow
spilled water/liquids
cold bottles of any liquid that will get condensation due to heat

2. USE HOT PADS. Do not put any hot pans/pots/other cookware on the table directly. Just as with moisture, this can cause permanent damage.

General Care Instructions

Purpose: oil finished pieces need to be re-oiled to replenish drying wood, which improves the look of the piece.
Frequency: as often as you like, but typically every few months. You will not hurt the piece by doing it more or less often.
Supplies necessary: Watco Teak Oil (not Danish Oil), 0000 Steel wool (finest steel wool), good cloth or paper towel.

1. Apply the teak oil with the steel wool. To do this pour some of the oil onto the piece and lightly spread with the steel wool. Do not rub too hard, nor try to force the oil into the wood, it should be applied in a smooth motion WITH the grain to avoid any scratching.

2. Leave the oil on the piece for approximately 5 to 10 minutes. DO NOT DO THIS IN THE SUN. The oil should not get tacky to the touch, if it does you will have to clean it off with Naptha and start the process again.

3. Completely wipe the piece down so there is no oil to the touch at all. Afterwards you may see some spotting or sweating which is the oil coming out of the wood, simply wipe it down again to get rid of it.

What to do if you get a water mark or burn mark

if you do end up with water marks, small scratches/other marks or burn marks, you can do the following.

1. Try using a small amount of teak oil on a cloth at first to rub into the area where the mark is. Typically this will take care of most minor issues. If not, you can use the steel wool, in the manner described above. .

2. If this still doesn't work, you can try using a small amount of naptha or paint thinner in the affected area (FOR WATER MARKS AND BURN MARKS ONLY, using a cloth at first and steel wool if that doesn't work. THIS WILL TYPICALLY GIVE YOU A DRY AREA WHERE THE WOOD LOOKS LIGHTER IN COLOR THAN THE REST OF THE PIECE, BECAUSE YOU'VE EFFECTIVELY DRIED THE NATURAL OILS UP WITH THE PAINT THINNER OR NAPTHA. YOU WILL THEN NEED TO DO THE OIL FINISH AS DESCRIBED ABOVE TO RESTORE NATURAL OILS TO THE WOOD AND TYPICALLY, ALTHOUGH NOT ALWAYS, THE MATCHING COLOR.

ROSEWOOD/MAHOGANY/WALNUT PIECES WITH LACQUER FINISHES

General Guidelines

Rosewood is also a very durable, versatile wood, and can be more resiliant than teak when it has a lacquer finish on it, yet there's a few things you should be careful of, just like teak, that can definitely cause temporary or even permanent damage.

spilled water/liquids
cold bottles of any liquid that will get condensation due to heat

2. USE HOT PADS. Do not put any hot pans/pots/other cookware on the table directly. Just as with moisture, this can cause permanent damage.

3. DO NOT PUT SHARP METAL OBJECTS DIRECTLY ON THE WOOD. Along with this, be careful of anything that could essentially scratch the finish such as stone, sharp plastics, keys, purses dragged across the surface, etc. All of these things will very likely scratch the lacquer finish, although not deeply and will not damage the wood typically, it will show cosmetically.

General Care Instructions

Purpose: Lacquered pieces are fairly resiliant, but do scratch, and sometimes show cloudy ares.
Frequency: as often as you like, but typically every few months. You will not hurt the piece by doing it more or less often.
Supplies necessary: Wax Free Pledge and a good soft cloth.

1. Apply the pledge as directed on the can, in a smooth motion WITH the grain to avoid any scratching.

2. Gently wipe it off with a dry cloth until you have ve wiped it clear and it has a polished appearance.

What to do if you get a water mark or burn mark

When a lacquered piece is damaged by either water or heat, you typically need to have the piece professionaly refinished. Once damaged, lacquer is not easy to repair. Cosmetic scratches that do not disappear with the application of Pledge can be removed many times with a professional polish, but we advise to have a refinisher do this rather than you attempt at home.

UPHOLSTERED PIECES - FABRIC

General Guidelines

Nearly all of our seating has been reuphosltered and has new foam and new webbing or support in it. We purchase our fabrics from a source that typically does not have fabric content information, so it is very difficult for us to tell you how to care for each fabric type. We are not professional fabric cleaners, and have faced the challenge of cleaning our own fabrics that have become dirty in our warheouse and showroom and it can be challenging to get stains out. We do not have any solid advice on cleaning, but we do suggest a few general rules to follow.

1. FOR LIGHTER COLORED FABRICS, SCOTCH GUARD. We suggest to Scotch Guard fabrics to protect them, although WE HAVE NEVER DONE THIS PROCESS OURSELVES SO WE ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DO IT NOR HOW EFFECTIVE IT IS.
2. Do not use soapy water or get a piece very wet. We typically try to clean things with a dry brush, in a gentle manner. If you do it to roughly, you can damage the fabric fibers and it can be permanent.

3. Do not use bleach, simply not a friend of most fabrics.

4. If you end up using a cleaning solution of any type, test it on an area that does not show before you use it on the area affected. (bottom of the cushion, backside of a sofa, etc...)

UPHOLSTERED PIECES - LEATHER

General Guidelines

Leather is a very durable material, and outside of a vegetable dye leather, will hold up well to most factors. A few tips we offer our clients include the following.

1. FOR LIGHTER COLORED LEATHERS, be careful with indigo died denim, it can be a killer.
2. If you spill something on your leather, like wine, wipe it up quickly. If your leather is not vegetable dye (if you don't know, ask us before doing anything) you can wipe it off with a damp cloth and then follow that with a dry cloth.
3. Do not use bleach, simply not a friend of most leather ever. period.
4. We use Lexol cleaner and conditioner for our leather goods, and we like the results we get from it. There may be far better products out there that we do not know of, but we have been satisfied with Lexol, which you can find in most stores.