Expert: Kirk Ryan - 7/29/2009

Question
Hi, Kirk,  Thanks in advance for being available to answer my question.  I inherited from my mother several pieces of furniture which are solid Honduran mahogany.  Drawers in two bedside tables open with clutches and stops (not smoothly).  And, the glass doors to the china cabinet move roughly along two grooves.  What can I do so they will move smoothly along the tracks?

I also have 2 Scandinavian pieces in teak where flat bottom drawers fit into finished spaces in the bottom of the coffee & end tables.  They are designed so that they can be opened from either side and can slide all of the way through to the other side to be removed.  Despite being completely finished wood throughout, the smooth bottoms of the drawers are leaving white marks on the finished surfaces on which they rest/slide.  

While I'm asking,
    1)  should I wax or oil all of these pieces of furniture?
    2)  which would provide the most protection from sunlight lightening the finish?

Thanks again.

Answer
1) Oiling or conditioning wood is always a good idea to prevent drying/cracking especially with solid woods. Wax can sometimes be a bad idea because it clogs the pours and can actually cause cracking and leave the wood dry.

2) Even if you could stop the sun from getting to the furniture, other natural elements can lighten wood over time. Teak usually starts pretty dark, but over time it turns light brown/gold/even light orange. There is nothing you can do to stop this. The mahogany you inherited may be done turning for the most part. If it is relatively old, chances are its already gone through its natural color changes.

To help with the glides moving more smoothly you may want to try an oil based product or a direct oil first. The majority of companies I work with are greasing these runners now which seems to last a bit longer and help them stay smooth.

Something tells me that those drawers are maybe rubbing too tightly in there and that is why you are seeing those white marks. A teak oil, or scand oil should help get the marks out, also you can try using a "triple zero" steel wool(very fine) to remove any marks. Some people will apply butchers wax to the area that seem to be rubbing tight to cause a smoother slide.

Hope this helps.