Help my furniture is cracking warping!

[Udhi]

Hi all,
I bought a load of furniture from the East, about 18 months ago.

A fair few of them are showing warping and some have cracked. Am I to understand that is due to the use of unseasoned wood or because I had moved the furniture from humid tropics to an environment with radiators etc?

Is there any way that I could reduce the warping and cracking? The stuff has some emotional value attached than financial. They are beautiful and simple, no decorations as such.

I was thinking of sorting out the severe cracks by way of filler and then making them look like blacked oriental stuff.

 

[r896neo]

Did you buy these new in india thailand/malaysia? Are they made from acacia or sheesham? If so I don't want to rain on your parade but it sounds like they have been made cheaply with poor quality materials and workmanship.

If you didn't buy them new then i apologise for the assumptions but so much of that stuff is awful quality with almost no glue and some rustic looking bolts keeping it hanging it together.

 

[Udhi]

You are right on the first count - these were bought new. In Bali, and I SWEAR we weren't intoxicated when we made the order!

There are no bolts etc, the joints seem nearly watertight on the ones I have take out.

Do you have an idea about any preventative or remedial action I could take? I am under the impression this is Teak.

Regards

 

[r896neo]

can you post a photo?

also how are they finished? If it is teak which is unlikely (but certainly possible if bought in Indo) it would probably be oiled in which case a fresh coat or two of oil would do no harm.

 

[Udhi]

I will get some photos over the next three days.

This definitely did not come in an oiled finish. I do recall the builder sending a repair kit of some kind of flakes - can it be a lacquer or varnish of sorts?

If it is the latter, I was thinking a feed of Tung oil might rescue it? Anyway, standby for piccies.

 

[r896neo]

Flakes would probably be shallac and imply that it is french polished which is pretty surprising.

If that is the case you don't want to use oil but rather you should wax it. You'd need to determine exactly what it is finished with before doing anything though.