Oak panelling

Susan Lunas <bookbinder<-at->preserveyourtreasures<.>com> writes

>This question comes from a private party who knows about historic
>conservation/preservation, but has no access to our List.
>
>    How should one care for oak panelling that lines the interior
>    foyer of a 65 year old structure?  Should the panelling be oiled
>    periodically? Dry cleaned with something?  Left alone? Thank you
>    for your help.

I agree with Craig and Paul about how the paneling should *only* be
cleaned and waxed.  Oiling it is unnecessary and really creates a
big magnet for attracting dirt, ultimately creating a huge
conservation issue down the road.  Because I do so much wood species
identification, I can tell you, also, that oiling the wood can make
future microscopic analysis difficult.  Not to say that microscopic
analysis will ever be necessary, but it does mean that oiling it can
permanently alter the wood (despite it being on a microscopic
level).  And this is what we as conservators strive never to do.

Lori Arnold
President
Arnold Wood Conservation, LLC
1822 Fairmount Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19130
484-477-3666


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 28:30
                  Distributed: Sunday, January 4, 2015
                       Message Id: cdl-28-30-003
                                  ***