As a material that was once living, wood requires special care. Unlike synthetic materials (plastics) and metals, wood entertainment furniture can experience changes in its moisture content according to the humidity level and temperature in the room. That said, the amount of maintenance is not significantly different from that of furniture made from more static materials—and any extra care is certainly worth the warm beauty of natural wood.
Start by placing your wood entertainment furniture in an ideal setting—one that’s not too hot, too dry, or too humid. This means locating it as far as possible from heating and air conditioning ducts or units and protecting it from direct sunlight. Any of those factors can dehydrate the wood, possibly causing it to crack or split, and the strong sun rays can bleach out the finish.
Certain designs of TV stands and other entertainment pieces practically beckon use as a coffee table, knickknack display, or some other dual purpose. While a corner TV stand’s limited flat surface area probably keeps it pretty safe from this kind of use, something like a console media stand is more at risk. Its very design invites you to place a lamp or decorative accessory on the plentiful space not taken up by the TV—and some of those accessories can end up wreaking havoc. Suppose you place a burning candle on your stand and it drips wax onto the wood, or somebody sets down their drink during a party. Do you know what the remedies are? You will if you read on!
Whoops! How to Fix Those All-Too-Common Blunders
Accidents happen, but the good news is there are tricks and tips for correcting those blunders so that they don’t ruin your beautiful—and costly—entertainment stand. We’ll outline a few scenarios and provide the instructions for neutralizing the damage done. Note: It’s best to try these remedies on a completely inconspicuous part of the piece before you attempt to repair a prominent flaw.
• Scratches: The best way to deal with scratches is to treat your furniture with care from the start. That means using doilies, placemats, or other protective accessories, and making sure any decorative accents (frames, small sculptures, and even trophies) have felt padding on the bottom. When you notice that inevitable scratch, there are a few things you can try. Shallow scratches can usually be camouflaged by adding color in a shade equal to the lightest component within the finish. You can use shoe polish (applied with a cotton swab), a marking pen, or even a crayon for this. Be sure to apply the color in the same direction of the scratch.
• Dents and Gouges: Deeper damage calls for a bit more work. In the case of a dent or gouge, you’ll need to first swell the wood’s individual fibers by applying a warm-water compress for 30 minutes. Next, heat your iron to a low setting and press it onto the compress, continuously pulling it back to check if the dent has been fixed. Once you’re satisfied, apply oil or polish according to the furniture maker’s recommendations.
• Water Marks: As terrible as those white rings caused by wet glasses may look, they’re relatively easy to fix (the task grows steeper if the rings are dark, as it means the damage goes past the finish). The most superficial rings will come out if you rub them with denatured alcohol on a rag. If that doesn’t do the trick, try substituting camphor oil for the alcohol, moving along to turpentine if you don’t get results. Other reliable home remedies include table salt in combination with lemon oil or mineral oil; salt mixed with vinegar; cooking oil mixed with vinegar; and a mildly abrasive toothpaste used solo. Always rub in the direction of the grain. When the ring stain is gone, follow with an approved polish.
• Ink Stains: You pick up that magazine or newspaper you set down on the entertainment center the other day, only to see several paragraphs right there, in reverse, on the wood’s finish. Disaster? No—it should come off even more readily than the water marks, as it’s a very superficial stain. Start by rubbing with a rag moistened with mineral oil, and if that doesn’t work go with the denatured alcohol. You should be all set in a jiffy.
• Spilled Wax: Candles are tremendously popular with good reason, but sometimes their wax gets in places you’d rather it didn’t: on your media stand, for example. Let the wax harden, and then gently scrape off what you can with a plastic spatula or other non-scratching tool. Remove the rest by placing a clean, white, cotton cloth over the wax and applying a warm iron, checking every few seconds to see when all the wax has been absorbed.
• Burns: There shouldn’t be too many hot metal pieces coming into contact with your entertainment armoire, but in the event of damage from a cigarette or some other form of burn, you’ll have to call on steel wool for the remedy. Rub gently in the direction of the grain to remove the damaged layer; follow with oil or polish according to manufacturer’s specifications. Very superficial heat marks can often be removed with an application of mayonnaise left on for an hour and then wiped off with a soft cloth.
A regular maintenance schedule of dusting and polishing all surfaces of your wood entertainment furniture (wood and any glass) will stave off problems and keep everything looking tip-top. Depending on how dusty your home is, you’ll want to dust your TV cabinet at least once a week and polish every other week. You can adjust those guidelines upward if you like your furniture to absolutely sparkle or downward if you’re lucky enough to have a low-dust home.
