The Andersbrowne Wood Care Guide

Keep your vintage furniture in amazing condition with our simple steps to after care.

There seems to be a general misconception that when you buy a vintage item you shouldn’t expect the same standards as when buying new. The AndersBrowne philosophy is quite the opposite. Our aim is to ensure the item you receive is in the best possible condition.

We hand select our products from the UK and across Europe, the original condition of each piece varies greatly but we love a challenge. We relish bringing an item of furniture back to life so it can be used for many years to come. A neglected, once beautiful piece of furniture shouldn’t be destined for landfill. We feel it’s not only best to restore furniture from an aesthetic point of view, it’s also better for the environment to reuse what we already have.

Most of the pieces we sell were built to last and this is evident in the quality of the refinished piece.

Before it reaches you, the majority of our items are refurbished and refinished. This included some or many of the following; joints strengthened, missing parts replaced, veneer repairs or re-veneers, surfaces stripped, stained, a satin lacquer (mainly since 2021) and/or a wax finish applied (mainly before 2021).

If you are in any doubt of the finish used, please do ask. We are here to help

Whatever a piece needs to bring it back to its former glory, it receives.

With this in mind, here is our guide on how to ensure your purchase from AndersBrowne lives on for another lifetime.

Regular Cleaning and Maintenance Routine (for all finishes)

We do not recommend doing anything more than wiping a soft, slightly damp cloth over your wood furniture to remove the dust. We also advise against everyday spray furniture polish as this will seal the dust and dirt into the wood grain.

To avoid scratches and marks, use coasters for homewares and water trays for plants. We recommend to remove plants from the wood surface for watering as any spills may cause water marks.

Periodic Care

Lacquer finished products.

If you purchased your furniture from us in 2021 onwards, it is likely your furniture will have a light, satin lacquer finish. This finish is longlasting, durable and more stain resistant than wax finishes while allowing the original grain to shine through.

The general maintenance advice above should be all you need. However, if you feel the piece could do with a clean and refresh, we recommend a wood reviver

Housemate Liquid Gold is an excellent wood reviver. This process is not as permanent as rewaxing but can work wonders. A tiny bit goes a long way and brings fabulous results, creating a rich, deep finish on all natural finished wood. You can use Liquid Gold to clean and restore the colour and lustre of wooden surfaces. The polish also removes dirt, reduces the appearance of scratches and protects against cracking or fading.

We mainly use this product on furniture interiors to clean them thoroughly. This is because we strip and refinish all of our products.

Application is simple, wipe a small amount onto your furniture with a clean, soft cloth. This will leave a filmy, glossy residue. Again, less is more. Using a clean cloth, buff away to reveal that lovely rich colour.

Please note. Liquid Gold can remove some wax finishes but is a recommended finish for lacquered finishes. If in doubt about your product finish, do get in touch as we will advise.

You can find Housemate Liquid Gold from many online suppliers - here is a link on the Rustins site for reference.

https://www.rustins.ltd/mate/our-products/liquid-gold/HM-Liquid-Gold

Please do note, you can choose to apply a wax finish (below) on the surface of the lacquer finish if you prefer a slightly thicker appearance to your finish.

Wax finished products

If your furniture has a wax finish, it is a good idea to ‘feed’ the wood from time to time to maintain its rich deep colour and finish.

We use Briwax (Wax finish)

We swear by this British range of furniture wax as it is one of the best in the industry and available from their online site or stockists around the globe.

Use a fresh white, lint free cloth (cotton T-shirt/terry towel etc). Add a small amount of wax to your cloth and work it into the wood using small circular motions. Polish off (with a separate clean cloth) in the grain direction. Don’t overdo the wax, less is more.

If the finish is streaky or sticky, too much wax has been applied,

Remove excess wax with 0000 wire wool
Polish again. Always finish by working with the grain.

Please ensure to follow the safety instructions on the product, open a window and work within a well ventilated space.

More information about Briwax products can be found on their website. We recommend trying to use a local stockist where possible to buy local. More often than not a plain old Google search will help.

https://www.rustins.ltd/briwax/our-products/waxes

Standard Briwax

https://www.rustins.ltd/briwax/our-products/waxes/briwax-original

Toluene- Free Briwax (for a less powerful wax odour)

https://www.rustins.ltd/briwax/our-products/waxes/briwax-toluene-free

Natural Vegan Briwax

https://www.rustins.ltd/briwax/our-products/waxes/natural-wood-wax