Exact Match Wood Touch-up is a wood repair system used for furniture, wood floor, and leather repair.

At Exact Match Wood Touch Up our business is about making your wood furniture, cabinets, floors and more last a lifetime. We want to make sure your wood cabinets (and all wood in your home) are well-maintained. In order to extend the life of the wood products and keep them looking the best, we have provided you with these wood care tips:

1. Clean all food spills from wood surfaces immediately and thoroughly. Most foods can damage wood finishes eventually, particularly high acid foods such as orange juice, coffee, tea, mustard, etc. But, don’t wipe up spills with a wash rag or dish sponge as detergents are also damaging to wood surfaces.

2. When cleaning off wood, use mild soap and water with a clean, lint-free rag. Use water sparingly and towel dry any excess.  Water could permanently raise the graining of the wood if allowed to penetrate through the finish.

3. Dirt and dust should be removed from wood regularly, using a soft cloth.

4. Polish rather than wax wood and be cautious of over the counter sprays and “cleaners” as they may contain silicone or wax products (to make them shine). Wax attracts dust, dirt and grease that will build up under multiple layers of wax.

5. Never apply polishes over dirty wood. Before polishing, wipe away all dirt, dust or spills. Applying over dirty wood only makes the problem worse (scratches, etc).

6. Open your home often to fresh air, allowing wood to breathe. Natural humidity is good for wood. Conversely, a controlled environment can dry out wood quickly; causing premature cracking and splitting if not cared for on a regular basis.

7. Go with the grain. Any work performed on wood, involving any type of physical or mechanical action, should always be performed in the direction of the grain.

8. Use a ventilating fan when cooking. It removes the majority of airborne smoke and grease which otherwise would be absorbed by wood cabinetry.

9. Whenever possible, do not expose wood surfaces to direct sunlight. The sun not only accelerates drying, it also tends to bleach wood. In turn, stain pigments become discolored and new pigments are prevented from penetrating the wood, thus yielding a washed-out effect.

10. Do not set synthetics, rubber or plastics on the wood finish as the chemicals may damage the finish.

For Products on keeping the wood surfaces in your home looking new visit our website at www.exactmatchwoodtouchup.com.

When you new furniture is delivered it will usually have a slight film on it from the factory.  Take the Exact Match wiping cloth and rub with the grain, the length of the grain if possible. This will reveal the true potential of the finish. After this apply a high quality polish/preservative such as Exact Match Luster Restore wood polish.

If you have ever looked at a tree on a very windy day you might be amazed at how flexible they can be before breaking.  This is because the tree creates natural oils to keep it flexible.  Once cut into lumber and made into furniture it no longer has a method to stay flexible and moist. If wood dries too much, larger pieces are prone to twisting and cracking. At the least the wood will shrink.

Look at the front panels of an Asian made china hutch. If you don’t maintain moisture in the wood they will shrink and become loose. The panel will show bare wood on the edges where there is no finish. There is no finish because the panel shrunk.  All in all it is not a good situation to have occur.The reason for these problems is that their climate is very different from ours here in the states and sometimes wood is not fully dried before being assembled into furniture . As long as you periodically feed your wood there will be no inherent problem with buying an Asian made piece of furniture.

Keep feeding your wood to maintain proper moisture levels. Exact Match Luster Restore is a proprietary blend of bees wax, orange oil, very expensive carnuba wax and one more special ingredient we don’t tell anyone about. It is simply amazing what is does for dried out wood. Once applied it will protect the piece for four to six months. We did our initial research on outdoor furniture. We figured that if it could hold up to the harsh environment of being outside it would hold up very well  inside. After six months outside, water  was still beading up on the piece. Extreme testing has led to a superior product.

We are now offering an 8OZ Luster Restore bottle at www.exactmatchwoodtouchup.com  Just a little goes a long way.

Thanks for reading the Exact Match Quick Tip of the day.

Let’s define the problem. If you use a leather couch, chair or even the leather seats in your car for any amount of time eventually you will wear out or I should say wear off the finish. In some cases this distressed look is nice to have but for most people having worn off the color of you auto interior just looks bad. It could be something as simple as a scratch from something in your back pocket or maybe you were hauling something in you car from the hardware store but the leather is scratched and the finish has come off.
This is a fairly easy repair similar to how we would perform a wood repair where the finish is missing. Your first step is to give the spot a little cleaning. Even a dry cotton rag rubbed vigorously will do the trick. The main thing is you don’t want to put on a new finish color over dirt or grime.
The next step is to grab the Exact Match system and pick the best color card. Once picked, activate the stain with a few drops of activator and touch it up.

Because leather usually has some texture to it a dabbing or stabbing technique with the brush is most effective. Once the area has had all of the color replaced take your brush and smooth it to it’s original point with a paper towel. This way it will be ready for any new wood or leather repair you may have.

The Exact Match system will be a durable repair that matches the color and can last for years.

The last step is to topcoat the leather with a good conditioner. We are working on a formula that will be equally as good as our Luster Restore wood polish but for now Lexol is a good product to use.