Furniture Care & Maintenance

We handcrafted your furniture from real solid wood — a natural material that responds to its environment. Proper care is especially important during the first few months, while your furniture adjusts to the temperature and humidity of its new home.

Following the care tips below will help your furniture adjust successfully and keep it looking its best for years to come.

The First Few Months

The first few months are an important adjustment period for your new furniture. During this time, the finish continues to cure to its full hardness while the solid wood acclimates to the temperature and humidity of your home.

We recommend using placemats, coasters and trivets, and avoiding standing water, excessive heat and prolonged direct sunlight.

Some movement during seasonal changes is completely natural with solid wood. This can be especially noticeable during the winter months when indoor heating significantly reduces humidity.

Humidity & Solid Wood

Maintaining proper humidity is one of the most important things you can do to care for solid wood furniture.

We recommend maintaining a relative humidity level of 35–55% year-round.

Wood is hygroscopic, meaning it naturally absorbs and releases moisture in response to the surrounding air. It expands as it gains moisture and contracts as it loses moisture. Maintaining consistent humidity helps minimize this natural movement and reduces the likelihood of excessive shrinking, swelling, cracking or warping.

Seasonal movement does not mean there is something wrong with your furniture. It is a natural characteristic of real solid wood.

Every piece of solid wood is unique. Natural characteristics such as knots, checks, grain and colour variation, mineral streaks, surface variations, pitch or gum pockets and other variations can occur. These are inherent characteristics of solid wood rather than manufacturing defects and are part of what makes each piece unique.

Cleaning & Maintenance

For regular cleaning, use a soft, damp cloth and avoid harsh household cleaners or solvents.

For both the wood and steel components of your furniture, we recommend Howard Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish & Conditioner for occasional maintenance to help condition and protect the finish.

If you have questions about caring for your specific piece, please contact us. We’re always happy to help.

Our Finishes

Every J&S piece is hand-finished in our Vancouver workshop using a locally made, waterborne alkyd varnish with exceptionally low VOC emissions.

Our finish is durable, abrasion resistant and water repellent, with excellent resistance to common foods and drinks including tomato sauce, food oils, coffee, tea, wine and beer.

Should scratches or damage occur over time, the finish can be repaired through reapplication of the appropriate finish.

Do not expose the finish to solvents such as acetone, nail polish remover, lacquer thinner or gum/adhesive removers, as these can damage the protective coating.

Steel

Our steelwork is designed to naturally develop a patina over time through oxidation and exposure to atmospheric conditions.

It is protected with a beeswax and mineral-oil-based furniture polish. Periodic reapplication helps maintain the protective coating and prevents uncontrolled rusting.