Pine is a beautiful soft wood widely used for making furniture. Its soft texture and flexibility makes it a very convenient wood for the manufacture of antique style furniture with intricate designs. The light colour pine wood will blends smoothly with other furniture as well as the ambience of the room. For this reason it is an inevitable material in the wood industry. Pine is used in combination with other variety of woods, to add elegance to the pieces. Unlike oak, walnut and mahogany, this wood is comparatively cheaper and affordable to all strata of the society. Probably this must be the reason for pine becoming the largest selling wood in the market. There are many varieties of pine which are used in the industry. The only one grown in UK is Scots pine.
Pine furniture require care and maintenance to retain its lustre and beauty. The charm of pine wood lies in its natural grains and knots. Dents or protrusions will leave natural traces on the surfaces, after processing and machining. All such inherent patterns of the natural wood will be retained for years, if it is maintained in good conditions. Neglect will cause irretrievable damage to its designs and colour.
As a soft wood, pine can be crafted to any shape or design. Rough handling or banging will cause cracks or deep scars on it, spoiling the very smooth and refined look of the furniture. Extreme weather conditions are not conducive for its durability. Exposure to direct sunlight, high temperature and humidity will cause severe damages to the pine wood furniture. If left uncared for long periods, the wood will loose its sheen, since the natural oils present in it will dry up to cause blotches. Never allow tea, coffee or alcohol to spill on the furniture. Such spills should be wiped of immediately. Ammonia or detergent based cleaning liquids should not be used for cleaning the furniture.
Regular dusting is necessary to avoid accumulation of dust which will mix with the moisture and form thick crust on the wood, and make the furniture look shabby. Application of protective wood oil will help to prevent the pine wood from drying up. The furniture can be coated with clear varnish, stained or painted occasionally.
Follow the instructions by the manufacturers in case of block wax or special polishes are to be used. Water resistant stains or polyurethane can be applied yearly to retain the colour, texture and strength as well as to prevent natural damages.
Pine is suitable for indoor furnishing for reasons mentioned earlier. Care should be taken while moving the pieces from one place to another within the house. Instead of dragging them it is better to lift them gently. Prolonged use will develop jerks in the furniture as nuts, bolts and pegs fastening the joints may become loose. It is therefore necessary to tighten, if not replace them in the course of time.
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