Stools

Wooden Stools

Buying beautiful wooden stools is a great investment for the look and homey feel of your home or bar area. But we do mean investment – good quality pine, oak or cedar wooden stools can be pretty expensive for a set. This alone is enough of a reason to do whatever you can to lengthen and extend the life of the wood from which your stools are made. With a few simple techniques and materials you can keep your stools looking beautiful and healthy for even longer than they would last usually.

First it is important to understand what not to do to your wooden stools to make sure that instead of lengthening, you’re not actually shortening the life of the stools. Leaving wooden stools in direct, harsh sunlight can cause drying out, warping and discoloration of the wood – so keep them out of sunlight. Another thing to avoid is putting the stools in the direct path of the airflow from an air vent, and for the same reasons. Hot air blowing constantly can dry out the wood and cause it to warp.

The next step is to clean the wood regularly. Use cleaner meant for wood, as harsh chemicals can take away the shine and discolor the wood of the stool. Use a soft cloth, nothing harsh like scrapers or rough scrubbers. Dirt and oil buildup on un-cleaned wooden stools can also cause discoloration, so regular cleaning is important to keep the shine of the wood perfect.

Cleaning alone can cause havoc on wooden stools, even if you use mild soap and water and keep them dry. Cracking and drying can still occur. That’s why the next step is the most important – polishing. Using a good quality wood polish as you clean your wooden stools will help keep moisture locked into them and a beautiful shine and protective coating on them against dust, dirt and oil. This has to be done as regularly as the cleaning, otherwise deterioration of the beautiful original wooden stools you invested in a few months ago will already begin looking discolored, warped and dried out.