Danish Furniture Maintenance

Care of Danish Teak Furniture Danish modern furniture that was manufactured in the mid 20th century had the advantage of being constructed of the best woods from old, slow growth trees. The designs were done typically in teak, oak, beech, and rosewood. With a minimum of effort and care, vintage danish modern furniture can still satisfy daily functional needs and retain it's beauty for generations.

Care for this type of furniture is very easy. Teak wood most often was not lacquered. Only an oil was used. To preserve this finish the owner simply needs to apply teak oil occasionally, in conjunction with routine dusting or whenever the wood appears dry. Other oils such as lemon oil or mineral oil may be used as well but might require a little more rubbing to encourage the oil to be absorbed into the wood. These oils provide resistance to stains, and highlight the wood's natural luster.The same treatment can apply to other types of woods that are not laquered, however the oil will somewhat darken the lighter colored woods such as oak and beech.

If a stain does appear on an oiled piece of furniture it can usually be removed by using an oil soap such as "Murphy's", and scrubbing the surface with an ordinary scouring pad like "Scotch Brite" or a finer steel wool. Rinse off the washed area and let it dry. Then apply the oil a few times until the wood regains it's glow.

Danish Furniture Restoration - Modern Furniture Rosewood was usually lacquered. This type of finish on rosewood or any other wood can be maintained with ordinary furniture wax or polish. Once in a while a rosewood piece is found without a lacquered finish, in which case it can be cleaned and oiled as previously described.

Traditionally, oak furniture from Denmark has a "soap" finish or is left in its untreated, raw state. Oak pieces can be cleaned by washing with an oil soap or by lightly sanding the wood (see below). The soap finish is applied by making a slurry with water and white soap flakes and rubbing it into the wood. After it dries it is polished with a soft cloth. This same treatment can be done to beech and ash as well and provides good resistance to stains in ordinary use.

In the case of veneers, be careful not to sand through . The veneers used to produce the vintage furniture however, were much thicker than is used today, so there is a bit more forgiveness when it comes to sanding. We always recommend trying first to remove any stain by washing, then if necessary, lightly sanding it.