|
Dehydration
Baking
Breathing
Pregnancy
Hiking
Seasons
Auto
Care
Produce
Electronics
Packaging
Gardening
Physical
Adaptation
Sunburn
Eye Protection
Wind
Allergies
Illnesses
Day
Travel
Skin and Hair
Altitude Sickness
Furniture
Home
Care
Wildlife
Recreation
Scenery
Disclaimer:
This site is provided for informational
purposes only. The information here is not intended to diagnose
or treat any condition, and should not replace the care and attention
of qualified medical personnel. Use the information on these pages
at your own risk, and, as with any information pertaining to health,
nutrition, mental health, or fitness, consult your physician before making any
changes that might affect your overall health.
|
High
Altitude Furniture Care
I'm
sure this is one of those pages that people will look at and
say, "Huh?" and wonder why I put it in here! But
we have noticed some differences up here in how we have to
care for our furniture.
 Mostly, it is a matter of humidity. Furniture tends
to dry out more easily up here, and there is not a lot you
can do about it!
Furniture that
is moved from moister climates to a dryer climate can dry
out quite a bit during the first few months. It does actually
take a while to completely dry out. When it does, it may develop
surface differences, or even split.
Pieced furniture
that is made from glued boards may split between the boards.
We have had several pieces of furniture do this. Solid boards
may split along the wood grain, and either break, or become
more fragile.
Log furniture
tends to split vertically with the grain, and splits can be
deep enough to reach the heartwood in the center of the log.
On a 6" log, you may get splits as wide as half an inch.
These splits look unsightly, but they don't usually affect
the sturdiness of the furniture.
When wood dries
out and splits, there really is not anything you can do about
it. You may or may not be able to get the damage repaired,
depending on what type of damage it is.
Surface affects
though can be handled with a good oil polish. Furniture that
is showing wear because the original finish was too thin,
should either be refinished, or at least regularly treated
with a good polish.
Care should be
used when cleaning wood furniture, because in a dry climate,
you want to avoid repeated use of water and harsh cleaners
on the surface. Dust with polish when you can, and scrub as
little as necessary.
If furniture survives
changes from lower to higher altitudes without splitting during
the first several months, or year, then it is not likely to
have problems later. Just keep treating it well, and it will
last as long as it would anywhere else.
|
High
Altitude Library
|
Editorial Comments throughout this site written by Laura Wheeler (with occasional sarcastic remarks by her son, David). Laura is a 10 year resident of Medicine Bow, Wyoming, where the altitude is greater than the population. Medicine Bow is at 6200+ ft above sea level, and boasts a total of 297 residents from the last census. Laura is an experienced technical, health and family writer.
|
|
