With proper care, your cabinetry will provide a lifetime of use and satisfaction. Proper care includes providing a wood friendly environment. Many of the internal environmental issues that affect human comfort, also contribute to a wood healthy environment. Specifically, controlled temperature and humidity with minimal changes from day to day and season to season will ensure your comfort and they will ensure the stability and life of your wood cabinetry.

Repeated short term exposure to excessive moisture such as splashing of surfaces from a sink or even a single longer term event such as flooding, WILL result in irreversible damage to wood cabinetry. Steam, from cook tops, crock pots and improperly sealed dishwasher doors, can cause problems as well. Moisture should be wiped from surfaces immediately, to minimize damage. If wood has a chance to absorb excess moisture, efforts should be made to dry out the wood including substrates, immediately. Avoid direct high heat, use fans and dehumidifiers, moisture absorbing cloth and compounds. Immediate attention reduces the amount of damage and also reduces the likelihood of mold and mildew.

Wood expands as humidity increases and shrinks as humidity decreases. Solid wood will dimensionally change more across the grain than with the grain. As wood expands (swells) and contracts with changes in humidity, the finish at the joints will crack. This cracking is universal but is much more evident on light colored paint than on stains or dark paints.

Regardless, this is the nature of product made from wood and not a reason for replacement.

Where humidity exposure is uneven, pieces may warp, cup or bow. Often, if the humidity level is returned to a normal level & maintained for a period of time, these issues will disappear. Extremely dry conditions can result in wood parts splitting and /or cracking in addition to shrinkage as described above. The optimal humidity level is 35% to 50% relative humidity. Extreme conditions (lower than 20% or higher than 80%) especially need to be avoided.

While most of the focus is on too damp or too humid conditions, too dry conditions can be equally damaging to cabinetry. Extreme dry conditions can lead to cracking in solid wood components. Under dry conditions, the insert panels in panel doors will shrink and the panel edges will be exposed. The exposed, unfinished panel edges will not match the finished surface of the rest of the panel and door. This is not a reason for replacement but is instead an indication that humidity levels are too low and need to be remedied.

Temperature variation can cause some of the same problems as humidity variation and the two are often interrelated. Temperature increases cause materials to expand. Temperature decreases cause materials to contract or shrink. Sudden temperature changes cause more dramatic material changes and is more likely to lead to cracking and splitting in solid wood. More likely to lead to warping, cupping and bowing in any wood components.

Use dehumidifiers and/or air conditioners in summer to control excess humidity. Use a humidifier to keep the air from becoming too dry in winter. Maintain climate control during the off season of vacation homes to reduce the risk of damage. Prior to installation do not store cabinets in a garage, basement or other unheated or unconditioned space. Treat your cabinets like any fine piece of wood furniture and you will enjoy their beauty and natural look for many years. Remember, preventative maintenance is the best form of maintenance.

Use a recommended cleaner (See recommended products below)

Spread the cleaner on the counter and use a soft damp cloth (think: microfiber or chamois, not any type of scrubber) to wipe down the entire cultured marble/ artificial marble countertop.

Most importantly, you should never use anything abrasive on a cultured marble/ artificial marble countertop-such as steel wool, colored scrubbers, or anything else to scrub out a stains. These can all damage countertops in a matter of seconds.

Gel Gloss Kitchen & Bath Polish and Cleaner Liquid or Aerosol Spray, Method Daily Granite, Stone Pro Marble Products, Mothers California Gold Polish. Hard water can stain countertops too. You should never leave water on your countertop in any form: water drops, water rings from the bottom of a glass, etc. Instead you should wipe up water on your countertop using a soft cloth. Technically, the dull finish that most people experience with cultured marble & marble countertops is call “etching”.