Painted furniture needs upkeep and cleaning just like any other item in our home. It's typical for wooden furniture to become soiled from regular use. Dust, water stains, oils and a build-up of cleaning agents are a few examples of things that can accumulate and leave a sticky residue over time for cleaning. In comparison to furniture with a natural finish, painted furniture requires more maintenance work. Some top coatings for finishing are also slightly different from one another; for instance, a high gloss finish is simpler to keep clean than a matte finish. Cleaning painted furniture is divided into three categories: everyday upkeep, weekly or monthly maintenance, and how to remove tough stains. To give your wood furniture a facelift, use these cleaning suggestions. How Often to Clean Wood Furniture? Although dusting can be done more frequently, it should be done at least once a week to prevent scuffing. It is best to clear any accumulated residue that needs a thorough cleaning as soon as possible. It would be difficult to detect these stains and residues if you frequently clean your wood furniture. How To Naturally Clean Cabinets Different cabinet cleaning solutions are widely accessible at your neighborhood department shop. However, cooking with ingredients from your pantry can be just as efficient and even less expensive. The standard component for DIY cabinet cleaning solutions is vinegar. Best practices include mixing vinegar and warm water in a 50/50 solution, then misting the mixture onto your cabinet's surfaces with a spray bottle. Using a cloth that has been moistened with clean water, wipe away the cleaner. Stains are frequently scrubbed using a mixture of baking soda and a moist sponge. To prevent scratching, never use steel wool; instead, use a soft toothbrush or nylon-bristled scrub brush. When Cleaning Your Painted Cabinets, Avoid the Following: Abrasive sponges or scrubbers Cleaners that use harsh chemicals like bleach or ammonia Your cabinets with water Getting water into your cabinets or soaking hinges Leaving damp cabinets to dry naturally Step By Step Process to Clean Painted Wooden Kitchen Cabinets Begin with the painted cabinets. Though intimidating, just go ahead and do it. It's preferable to start with empty shelves for deep cleaning. Dishes, mugs, and appliances should be removed from the shelf. To make things a bit simpler, timed this when the dishwasher would be full. Because painted cabinets are delicate, it's best to stay away from abrasive cleaning supplies for cleaning painted wood. It's tempting to grab my standard multi-purpose bottle with all the sprays kept under my sink. To give the paint outside of my cabinets a good bubble wash, combine warm water with a little dish soap. A moist towel works best for drying painted cabinet sections, so be careful not to over-wet the cabinets. Before making a wipe, you might regret testing an all-purpose cleaner on a discrete area first. Some grease stains could still be present after thoroughly cleaning each cabinet. Mix two parts of baking soda with a part of warm water to make a paste, and then massage the mixture over the residual spots. Clean from inside where crumbs can turn up. For errant crumbs, a portable vacuum is an efficient option. Working cabinet by cabinet, wipe off each empty shelf after testing a multipurpose cleaner on a hidden area. Before continuing, be sure to wipe dry. Each cabinet's interior should be gently cleansed by using an old toothbrush. Make sure all surfaces are dry by wiping off everything before putting the dishes away. Remain Committed to Routine Deep Cleaning Take the cleaning of your kitchen cabinets to the next level at least twice a year: Use the same cleaning tools and techniques described above to thoroughly clean the inside of your cabinets, including the shelves, drawers, and cabinet exteriors. Empty your cabinets before you start. Be sure they are worth keeping before putting anything back in the cabinets. Get rid of anything you don't need or use anymore, including highly chipped plates, broken mugs, lidless plastic storage containers, and other worthless items that tend to collect in the kitchen cabinets' back corners. How To Get Rid of Spots on Kitchen Cabinets You may find a variety of things and ingredients in your cabinets. In addition, they see a lot of everyday use. Fingerprints – Cleaning Painted Wood Finger oil may leave ugly stains on cabinet doors and hardware. Fingerprints may be readily removed from kitchen cabinets with vinegar cleaning. Apply the dampened cloth to the prints using a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar, then use a polishing cloth to buff the surface clean. Grease – Cleaning Painted Wood Most grease stains will appear on cabinets that are right over the stove. Grease from kitchen cabinets may, however, easily be cleaned. You may use diluted vinegar to remove oil-based fingerprints from greased kitchen cabinets. To completely remove grease from cabinets, you might need to repeat the procedure multiple times because these stains are probably bigger than a fingertip. Splattered Food Perhaps a spill from the countertop trickled down to the base cabinets or a squirt of ketchup ended up in the wrong place. In any case, mop up food spills as quickly as you can with a moist towel before using baking soda to clean the cabinets. Using a clean cloth, polish the area.  Water Stains When cleaning kitchen cabinets, water spots on cabinets are a common issue if you have hard water. Switching from tap water to distilled water every time you clean your cabinets is the best method to avoid water stains.

We here at Brave were fortunate enough to have a young photographer spend a few days in the shop with us for his spring break. Below is some of his work: Photography by: Connor Hogue

Kitchen cabinets come in different shapes and sizes. But most of all, it varies in design depending on what the homeowner wants most. If you’re fond of shopping for kitchen wares, you probably came across custom kitchen cabinets Northern Virginia . But what does custom mean? Unlike the traditional kitchen setup, custom made kitchen cabinets are flexible and versatile. The woodworker will tailor the size, shape, and features to optimize the space in your kitchen.

Cabinets are important elements for a kitchen. Aside from being storage spaces, the exterior design adds aesthetic value to the area where you cook, eat, and sometimes entertain. Since it will bear the brunt of many kitchen feasts, the cabinets should last long time. And, since kitchen cabinets in Northern Virginia are statements of style, the design is a big factor to consider. Most homeowners would match the look of their kitchen with the overall palette of their house. It can range from country to rustic or grand to sleek. The materials will also vary depending on the look the homeowner would want to achieve. Budget is also an important aspect here. To help you choose the right design, here are some points to remember:

Is your kitchen looking bland and outdated? Maybe it’s time for a kitchen facelift. One of the main components of your kitchen are the cabinets. Revamping this crucial part of your kitchen will make a big difference. Brave Custom Woodworking Solutions creates custom cabinets and proudly serves Fairfax, Alexandria, Manassas, and more areas in Northern Virginia. From custom cabinetry to our portfolio of beautiful designs you’ll never run out of options. If you’re planning a renovation, make sure that you allot a portion of your budget to new cabinets. Aside from making it look more appealing, a new set of cabinets will also add more functionality to your cooking paradise. In case you’re scouting for custom cabinets, keep the following in mind:

Woodworking Network’s 40 under 40 award recognizes those individuals that have made a difference in their careers, their companies, their communities and to the industry. Benchmarks include productivity, profitability, social good, innovation, peer inspiration, product development and organizational leadership.  Congratulations Jesse!!!

Close to half, 43% of America’s workforce report spending at least some of their time working remotely in 2016 according the Gallup’s State of American Workplace report.  With the growing number of homeowners working from home, there is a need for a dedicated work-space in the house. In some instances, space or budget may not allow for a whole room to be used for an office – consider these alternatives:

MDF is made by breaking wood down to it's basic fiber. The process is very similar to how we make paper. Water is used to unravel the wood cells or fibers, then the water is removed. An adhesive is added to the fibers which forms a mat that when heat is applied under pressure. Particle board is manufactured by cutting logs or pieces of wood into chips. The chips come in different sizes from large (also called wafers of flakes) to small to even tiny. The small and tiny chips fill in any gaps the the large chips create. The chips are then mixed with adhesive and pressed.

According to 2018 Houzz Kitchen Trend, Shaker cabinets are the most popular door styles (57%) among those updating cabinets, followed by flat-panel (18%) and raised-panel (17%) cabinets. After shaker, urban homeowners are more likely to choose flat-panel (26%) cabinets, whereas suburban and rural dwellers opt for raised-panel cabinets (19% and 18%, respectively).