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Bright summer sunlight slanting in through your windows can damage furniture just as a sunburn can damage your skin. It's a good idea to take protective measures, especially for valuable or heirloom pieces.
Peter Gutterman, a Damascus, Md., furniture restorer, says the only real solution is to place fine furniture away from direct sunlight
"Many polishes say they have ultraviolet protection," he explains, "but any layer of polish you apply will be so sheer that it won't have that much effect. It's like wearing sunglasses and assuming you have protected
your eyes from the sun glare.
If you don't want to move the piece, the next best step, he says, is to put a protective layer of film on the windows to filter out ultraviolet rays. Marine finishes and spar
varnishes are made to withstand weather but often are unsuitable for formal furniture.
Bruce Schuettinger, a furniture conservator and consultant in Mew Market, Md., agrees and points out there are many variables in how wood furniture stands up to sunlight: the position of the house, orientation of
windows, what woods the furniture is made of and how it is constructed.
"A solid wood piece may be able to withstand some temperature and humidity fluctuations, but the goal is to make the range of changes less broad and not as abrupt," he says. "If the piece has veneered surfaces, a
painted surface or delicate mother-of-pearl inlays and metal pieces that expand and contract at different rates, that's more problematic."
Heat, humidity and light all are enemies of fine finishes, they say. In the summer, when windows are left open for breezes or ceiling fans are used, moisture in the air can cause wood to swell and then contract as it
dries. The polish will peel, crack or become opaque and dull.
"People think first about how furniture looks when arranging a room, not what it's environment will be," say Schuettinger.
He advises that fragile pieces be kept away from entrances and exits. An air conditioner lowers humidity, but is a vulnerable piece is by a front door that open 15 or 20 times a day, the fluctuations can take a toll.
Also, he adds, avoid exposing a wooden surface,"like a console table under a window, because light will degrade the adhesive and coatings and lighten the wood.
"Just getting people to think about the object is
going to be subjected to, and not only what it looks like, is the bottom line."
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