House full of woodwork--how do I know what to do with it?

We are lucky enough to have bought a house chock full of beautifully preserved wood paneling, etc.; the owner seems to have stripped and then reshellacked periodically. There are a few places–mostly around windows, and the floor’s parquet–that have been painted brown or have water damage or otherwise need attention, but for the most part I need to figure out how to care for what I have (ie what to mop the floors with? how to get the plaster dust out of the balusters?). And the stairs are a total disaster. Every time I try to figure out what to use to clean, etc, I get lost in a maze of conflicting opinions, and I don’t want to muck it up by doing the wrong thing. Can anyone recommend someone who can offer a consultation/guidance on what to do, or otherwise point me in some direction?

nf85

in Wood Restoration 13 years and 6 months ago

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nf85 | 13 years and 6 months ago

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Many thanks!

callalily | 13 years and 6 months ago

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We use Murphy’s Wood Oil soap. Put a teeny drop on a dust cloth for dusting the wood work. To clean the floors, we have a super fast and easy method. First vacuum the dust out of the corners. Then we use one of those mop-thingies with a dust cloth that attaches via Velcro. We put a drop of the Murphy’s Wood Oil soap on that, and dust away. When we finish, I carefully remove and wrap up the dirty dust cloth, throw the dirt in the garbage, and put the dust cloth in the laundry.  Be very careful on stairs. The soap makes them slippery. Always wear shoes with rubber bottoms. Never just socks.

BHS | 13 years and 6 months ago

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Start with a good vacuum cleaner with crevice tool and the brush attachement. I dust with microfiber towels with the tinyest bit of water on them. You can spritz the towels with a plastic spray bottle. This is fine even for varnish or shellac because I don’t get it very wet and I dry it completely. If you need to clean off serious grime, try microfiber towels and some Dawn dish soap. Be careful to text in a small area for problems with the water.

Goatcrapp | 13 years and 6 months ago

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it the shellacing was done well – you don’t have to treat it like a porcelain doll….  a damp clean cloth, not abrasive, will handle most dusting duties. for stains or spills (espeically sticky ones) – baking soda and water paste should handle the rest.  If the stain or damage exceeds the ability of baking soda paste – you’re likely in for a little bit of repair work  (at least a light wetsand + polish) anyways so you might as well clean it with something harsher. (but again – only as a last resort, and knowing that if it’s that stubborn of a stain – you’re in for some restoration anyway) for adhesive, tar or other – try goof off, lighter fluid, or kerosine.  Give the latter plenty of time to evaporate, and don’t soak the area – the wood will absorb it, and it’ll be hard to re-finish in the future.