Love your wood…

Cutting Boards & serving trays

  • DO NOT DISHWASH!

  • Hand wash with mild soap and warm water.

  • Let board dry propped up vertically so that both the top and the bottom of the board can dry at the same time.

  • To deodorize your board, wipe slurry of baking soda on your board, let sit for 1-2 minutes and then rinse off with warm water. (Note: This may cause your wood to patina as the baking soda will also bring the tanins in the wood closer to the surface.)

  • Re-oil or wax your board liberally and often. The more often you do this early on the longer your board will last and the less you will have to re-oil your board in the future. Using food based oils is NOT recommended as the oils are not shelf stable and will go rancid causing your cutting board to have a foul odor. If you want to use a food based oil, use a high quality coconut oil. I personally love using the following products from Walrus Oils or Tried and True.

  • Liberally apply oil on both sides of your dry board and let soak in for 30 minutes or even overnight! Wipe dry with soft cloth. Basic rule of thumb for a re-oiling schedule is once a day for the first week. Once a week for the first month, Once a month for the first year and then on an as needed basis.

Chopsticks

  • DO NOT DISHWASH!

  • Hand Wash with mild soap and warm water.

  • Dry on a wire rack or propped up on a surface that allows all surfaces to dry at the same time.

  • Re-oil or wax your board liberally and often. The more often you do this early on the longer your board will last and the less you will have to re-oil your board in the future. Using food based oils is NOT recommended as the oils are not shelf stable and will go rancid causing your cutting board to have a foul odor. If you want to use a food based oil, use a high quality coconut oil. I personally love using the following products from Walrus Oils or Tried and True.

  • For best results, I will place clean and completely dried chopsticks in a large zip lock bag and fill with enough oil to cover them and let them soak overnight. Wipe dry with a soft rag upon removing them from the bag.

Furniture

The furniture that you purchase from me will be finished in one of two ways. Each has different care instructions.

  • Oiled furniture is finished with a penetrating oil that once cured, leaves behind a durable finish that improves the woods resistance to water, UV damage, stains and also helps to stabilize the wood from natural movement. This is my preferred finish on furniture as it enhances the natural beauty of the wood as well as allows for the preservation of the wood feel on furniture. Rubio Monocoat Oil 2C is a high end penetrating oil that provides an absolutely unbelievable finish on hardwood furniture. It is completely non-toxic and contains zero VOC’s and is completely food safe once cured. (Click here for Materials Safety Data Sheet). The finish is very durable and long lasting, but the biggest benefit is the ease of maintenance and/or repair.

    • To care for furniture/countertops finished with Rubio:

      • Clean regularly by wiping with mild cleaner suitable for cleaning wood products. I personally clean with Mrs Meyers Multi Surface Cleaner and for stubborn stains and a more thorough cleaning I recommend and use Rubio Soap or Rubio Surface Care on my wood furniture.

      • When surface loses its luster or surfaced feel apply a natural wax based wood finish like Walrus Oil Furniture Wax or use Rubio Renew. I would recommend doing this

      • The beauty of natural wood furniture finished with Rubio is the ability for most DIYers to easily and effectively touch up minor damage to furniture or countertops! Refer to the DIY fix it section for more on how to repair minor damage and how to erase wear and tear back to new conditions! Most repairs can be completed with a trial size bottle of Rubio Monocoat Oil 2C Pure.

  • Lacquered Furniture. As an option, you have the ability to order your furniture or countertops finished with a commercial hi build precatalyzed lacquer sprayed thru a HVLP system. Lacquer is considered an additive finish, in the sense that it is sprayed on and bonds to the surface of the furniture. This finish provides a super durable and lasting finish but the drawback (in my opinion) is the loss of the wood feel on the surface. There tends to be less maintenance but the surface is more susceptible to minor damage (water marks, solvent burning, chipping, scratching) than oil finishes and can be more difficult to repair. The lacquer system I use is designed to “burn” into the previous layer which gives the added benefit of a thicker luster as well as a very durable coating. Where as most other additive finishes build layer upon layer in essence providing a coating that is built upon multiple layers; the pre-cat lacquer sprayed in multiple coats will in essence become one thick layer. This allows a more desirable luster as the sheen has a deeper appearance and is how most high end kitchen cabinetry is finished. My preferred pre-cat lacquer system that I use is from Target Coatings and is the Emtech EM7000HBL finish with cross linker added. (Click Here for Materials Saftey Data Sheet) It is unique in the sense that it achieves or exceeds standards while being a water based system low in VOC’s and harmful additives. It is a bit more expensive but the benefits definitely outweigh the cons!

    • To Care for furniture/countertops finished with Lacquer:

      • Clean regularly with multi surface cleaner and soft cloth.

      • EM7000HBL has superb resilience to most adverse events such as water staining, hot temperatures, acids (i.e. orange juice), alcohol (i.e. Tito’s), lacquer thinner, acetone (nail polish remover). Finish may suffer some temporary whitening, softening or swelling. FOR BEST RESULTS - immediately lightly pat dry offending liquid and then allow the finish to recover for 24-48 hours. The finish will fully recover most of the time with mishaps from general wear and tear.

      • After time, if the surface loses a consistent luster and some spots show wear, you can buff the finish back using non-aggressive abrasive polish and buffer! This method produces much better results than sanding for most instances!

      • Attempting to refinish with store bought lacquer is not recommended and should you find yourself needing to refinish your surface… feel free to send me a message prior!