Need To Put Your Vintage Furniture In Storage? 4 Ways To Avoid Permanent Damage

Posted on: 1 June 2016

Whether you inherited vintage furniture from family members or you purchased your own collection, you may intend on keeping it all in your family for the rest of your life. But, this does not mean that you will always have room to showcase these pieces in your own home. If you need to put the furniture away for some time, you should not let it sit in a garage or basement where it is at risk. These areas are almost guaranteed to get hot and humid at some point throughout the year, which can cause permanent damage to your furniture. But, you also must know how to keep it all safe in storage.   

Lift Off the Ground

In an outdoor facility, you have to worry about water seeping through the cracks on the bottom. Melting snow and heavy rain are the two main causes for this happening, so it is even more important to take caution when you are storing the furniture in an area that gets lots of rain or snow. The easiest way to lift everything off the ground is by putting them on pallets, but a standard wood pallet can still rot. If you can, you should consider getting plastic pallets for better protection, especially for long-term storage. 

Polish the Wood

Most vintage furniture contains some type of wood, so it will be necessary to polish it beforehand. The process of polishing is not difficult as the main steps involve cleaning, applying wax, and wiping off. It is important to polish the wood parts of the vintage furniture every year to ensure protection for all parts.

Protect Metal

If you happen to have some furniture with metal parts, you will also want to enhance its protection. The best ways to prevent corrosion with all metal types is by cleaning and adding some protective coating. Painting the metal surfaces is another method that you can use to prevent rust buildup.

Eliminate Humidity

If you have the extra money to spend, you should greatly consider investing in a climate controlled storage unit, which can cost $115 to $150 each month compared to $75 to $140 for units without. If you combine the humidity protection with climate control with the other preventive measures, you should have no problem coming back to a self storage unit with your vintage furniture in excellent condition.

When you need to store vintage furniture, you should do it the right way to avoid permanent damage.

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