Formal or casual, modern or traditional, indoor or outdoor -- no matter what style you're thinking of, we have the ideas and expertise to make your dining room design dreams come true. Browse Living Space Photos Browse Living Space by Style Browse Living Space by Color See More Dining Room PhotosBack to Ideas & Advice How to Clean Wood Furniture Whether you’re passionate about mid-century modern style, love the raw feel of the urban industrial look or like to cultivate an eclectic mix, you probably own at least a few pieces of wood furniture. Wood adds warmth to a room, and today there are so many choices beyond oak, cherry and mahogany. Popular woods for indoor furniture include walnut, mango, ash and even teak. If you love a sense of romance and history, wood reclaimed from old buildings lends wonderful character to furniture. So how should you clean your wood furniture? Reach for an all-purpose furniture polish? Steps for Cleaning Wood Furniture

First, determine what kind of finish or top coat your wood furniture has. Is it polyurethane (like the finish on some wood floors) or water-based? Is it coated with varnish? Is it rubbed with a wax that makes it silky smooth to the touch? Next, check the directions and ingredients of your polish to make sure the product is compatible with the piece. Look for harsh chemicals that may pull out a stain or alter a finish. Some products may dull the wood’s surface, others could darken or yellow it. And if the product promises a high sheen, avoid using it on unfinished or waxed wood. For all types of wood, start the cleaning process by gently dusting the piece. Using circular motions, wipe with a slightly damp, soft cloth. Dilute a bit of dishwashing liquid in water if you need to work on a small spot, but use the smallest amount of soap possible and test on a hidden spot first. Follow with a dry cloth. Beeswax can restore as well as clean wood furniture. Apply it with the grain, and be sure to purchase clear wax as it does come in a number of wood-equivalent shades, with ebony being the darkest.

There even are wax products that mimic the look of liming. Paste wax is another option. It’s especially effective on finishes that are hand-rubbed, and it is often used on antiques. Application requires a bit more elbow grease, but it also adds a buffer layer that protects against surface scratches.wall decor for high ceilings Treated cloths are also available to streamline the process of cleaning wood furniture. decorate my room with christmas lightsSome are even formulated to help remove rings and haze caused by moisture.3d wall art buy online If you own teak outdoor furniture, be aware that it’s normal for it to take on a silvery gray, weathered look over time. home exterior design software online

Many people enjoy this look and are happy to let nature take over; it doesn’t mean the teak is damaged. But if you’d prefer to retain its original golden glow, you may choose to oil the furniture with teak oil once or twice a year. Whatever type of furniture you’re cleaning, be sure to read the manufacturer's care guidelines. what is the best type of exterior paintSome rules are obvious—it’s not a good idea to place anything very hot on a table (use a trivet). beach house decor diyClean liquid spills immediately and use coasters to help guard against rings. Other rules may surprise you: Some manufacturers will advise against leaving printed materials on a wood surface since the ink can transfer. Many advise against placing a piece of furniture in direct sunlight since it may fade.

Check the product information for your furniture to see if it has a nitrocellulose lacquer finish, and if it does, avoid placing plastic items on it. Plastic can sometimes create a reaction that melts the lacquer--think plastic clock feet, radio feet, speaker feet, and plastic coasters and placemats. If you follow a regular cleaning maintenance routine, your wood furniture will continue to look as good as the day you purchased it. View More Furniture IdeasI just found you on Pinterest.  I was googling best neutral wall color with stained wood trim and found you again.I am selling my house and the painters are coming Monday to repair all of the damage from ice dams from the winter from HELL in Massachusetts.   I have hideous, badly stained dark woodwork, not nice dark, but leaning towards orange.  I can not afford to make it white to sell my house ASAP as I am also getting divorced.  So I have my Ben Moore fan decks out and almost picked Navajo white and Bone white until I read your hilarious descriptions about how bad they are! 

My dining and hall are already Jicama, but I thought I should tone it down.  I have to stay with some yellow to deal with the horror of the woodwork but my living room is already a cheery yellow.   But too white will make the woodwork even more Oompa Loompa.  Do I have any hope?? Folks, this one is a real email! And I do have permission to use it from this lovely lady. What is totally freaky is that I was just getting ready to start a post on this very subject! If there is one subject that is as hotly debated in the world of interior design it’s whether or not it’s okay to paint over trim that’s already stained. If you wanna hear people frothing at the mouth, this is a great post about whether to paint stained wood trim (on a Craftsman Home) on Apartment Therapy. If you are living in a home-built by Frank Lloyd Wright for instance, painting over the wood trim would be like putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa. (Leonardo probably would’ve liked that.) The same goes for a lot of architectural styles such as Arts and Crafts, AKA Craftsman Style and sometimes Shingle Style.

(although, not all shingle homes are Craftsman). I’m going to come back to this in a bit. Then there’s the Victorian period which morphed into the Edwardian period. Oh, this is so difficult! I’m just not a fan of stained wood trim. unless it’s done super well and the colors and furnishings are incredibly cool. In that case, I DO like it. Still… this is the girl who painted her brand-new upholstered chairs and cabinet. If there’s white paint and a paint brush nearby, nothing is safe. :] I love paint. I love the freshness. I need to exert some discipline because this post is about paint that goes with wood trim, not IF the trim should be painted.I have no self-control. I want to live here. Or, I could easily live here and below too. The two above are in the craftsman influenced style. There is no wood trim except for a door. I don’t see hell freezing over. I bet you expect to see this.These are vintage craftsman homes. While I can appreciate them, it wouldn’t be my preference.

This house, you’re to paint everything black for resale or else just light a match and put everyone out of their misery.If you live in a home that was built in some decade when men were designing buildings apparently under the  influence of LSD and quaaludes, you MUST paint that hideous brown trim. There is nothing historical about it. It’s a blight on history! I promise you, that you will get the money back on the home sale. Which would you rather live in? If you say the top one, please just unsubscribe right now!I don’t really mean that. I just really hate it, the stained wood trim; I grew up on a house built in the late 50s with ugly brown doors and trim. I guess that’s where it stems from. And that horrid dark Oak clad Synagogue that was so dark and forboding. (Someone did burn that place down to the ground many years ago.) Alright, I’ll calm down because for whatever your reasons, you need to keep the brown trim and there are ways to make it look amazing!

So, let’s focus on that! Another way is with beautiful colors and furnishingsBut with one caveat. The wood needs to be a deep rich color or even an ebony. Boy, you’re not making this any easier for me. You don’t have to completely refinish it! You might be able to stain over the ugly orange-y trim. (with a little sanding, of course.) I would never do this with a large piece of furniture or a floor, but with trim, you can probably get away with it. There is a product by Minwax called Polyshades. It is stain and poly in one. You might need two or three coats, but it might be worth it to get the wood looking lovely again. I would experiment first, however. Centsational Girl took her staircase from this… She didn’t use polyshades, but some other techniques that didn’t require a full refinishing. First, let’s talk about what not to do. no bright white with orangey trim. (I love that they painted the spindles white which adds quite a refreshing note to this home.)

There are so many wonderful greens. You can see some of them here and here. The cabinets in this amazing kitchen by  Frederick + Frederick Architects look to be Benjamin Moore NANTUCKET GRAY  HC 111 Gold is another wonderful color with wood trim. Some of my favorites by Benjamin More are: STRATTON BLUE HC 142 is a nice gray-teal A color one might not think of very often but looks wonderful with stained wood trim is red. A good red to try with a warm stained wood is Benjamin Moore LADYBUG RED 1322 For a rich, warm browny, orangey red, try SPICED PUMPKIN 034 Another wonderful color with wood trim is a warm deepish brownish purpleish color. One of my favorites is ELEPHANT GRAY 2109-50. This is such a sophisticated color and a shade that provides less contrast looks elegant with the mid-tone stained wood trim. FYI, the paint color is Benjamin Moore BLACK BEAUTY 2128-10If you don’t know the blog above, please check it out. Her home is filled with wood trim and every room like the one above is cooler than cool!

A brown-black with a black ceiling! I’m pretty sure that if I only had one home, that I would never do this, but if I had 2 or 3 homes–definitely! The pale blue-gray is a refreshing change with this rich mahogany stained trim. Love it with the wicker which knocks back the formality in a refreshing way. This color looks a lot like Benjamin Moore SHORELINE 1471 I guess I just had to end with my painted white. I truly love it. But if you don’t and you prefer wood, then who am I to tell you differently? Unless it’s considered a historic masterpiece, I don’t see the problem with painting it. Most of the periods of time when these places were built in the late 19th and 20th century also had styles where the trim would’ve been painted.It’s just a house. Life is too short. Hell paint Frank Lloyd Wright too! He called our dear Dorothy Draper an INFERIOR DESECRATOR!!! That kind of comment will get your face smacked with a paint brush and a pair of white gloves Mr. Wright!