Caring For Your Cabinets

At Waukee CabinetWorks, our cabinets are crafted by experienced artisans using the finest materials available. With proper care, you will be enjoying your Waukee CabinetWorks cabinets for many years. We've provided some basic information about caring for your cabinets, but if you have additional questions, please contact your Waukee CabinetWorks designer.

 

Cabinet Care & Use

To keep your cabinetry in top condition and maintain its beauty and luster, you’ll want to incorporate proper cleaning and care methods. Cabinetry, just like fine furniture, should be dusted or vacuumed periodically depending on the amount of dust that may have accumulated. Always dust with a polish-moistened or damp cloth, as dry dusting may scratch the surface. It is also a good practice to follow the grain of the wood when dusting - wiping across the grain could cause scratches to appear if the dust contains grit. Residues such as smoke, cooking vapors or body oils can be cleaned with a damp cloth with a small amount of furniture cleaner. Remember to use a clean soft cloth such as an old t-shirt, cheesecloth, dish towel, flannel or chamois with no snaps or buttons that may scratch the surface.

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Solid wood face frame cabinets, by their nature, require joints and seams. To ensure the best joint or seam, WCW takes special care in construction by gluing, clamping, and/or screwing joints and seams in each cabinet. However, having the best joint or seam possible will not change the fact that a small amount of expansion & contraction will take place; this happens in all solid wood and wood composite materials. Expansion & contraction is caused by small variations in the temperature and humidity levels that naturally occur in every home. Homes that do not control humidity levels year-round are at greater risk for cracking occurrences. This environmental factor influence fluctuations in other building materials as well, such as sheetrock, wood trim, and tile. The Architectural Woodwork Institute recommends a relative humidity level of 25% - 55% be maintained.

 

Gluing, clamping, and/or screwing is still the best way to ensure joints are durable and strong. WCW utilizes the most durable, moisture resistant finish in the industry. Despite this incredibly tough finish, expansion & contraction can still cause small surface cracks in the finish due to the nature of wood. Depending on the finish, these surface cracks may be nearly invisible or they may be more highlighted.

 

Stained and natural finishes offer color contrast and natural sculpting in their wood grain. This grain and tonal diversity reduces the capacity for the naked eye to pick-up on small surface cracks, and can doubly reduce the visibility of scuff marks, scratches, and dents that occur as you live in your home. Slight surface cracking is more noticeable with light opaque finishes like paint. When considering painted finishes for cabinetry, versus stained or natural finishes, please consider this aesthetic element.

 

While surface cracking may become visually evident in some cases, it will not affect the strength or integrity of our cabinets.