Protecting furniture?

[ForeverAutumn]

Does anyone know anything about protecting wood furniture?

We bought a solid wood (ash) table for our kitchen. The wood is getting scratched up much faster than I thought it would. I assembled a light fixture on it and put a few small dents in it, that was my own stupidity, but now I'm seeing some small scratches that look like they might be from the cat jumping up on it.

Is there a way to protect the wood so that it won't scratch so easily? Will a coat of wax do the trick?

[3-LockBox]

Well, if the kitty starts sharpening claws on it you can spray it with vinegar and water.

I can't remember if Ash is a hard wood or not - assuming it is, then polishing it could be a start, or you could buy a heavy duty varnish, which will still scratch, but your wood isn't getting damaged. Make sure and sand out the scrathes first. There's really no way to cover-up scratches unless you paint over them.

Wood is beautiful, but high maintenance.

[ForeverAutumn]

I looked it up and found that Ash is a hardwood. It's about halfway between Red Oak and Maple. Baseball bats are made from Ash. The table really shouldn't be scratching this easily. Now I'm wondering if it's just the finish that is getting scratched by the cat and not the actual wood.

I bought it at Sears and it just occured to me that it's probably still under warranty. I'll go and talk to them before I try to fix it myself.

[Auricauricle]

Wax might help, but either way, you're gonna have to deal with Her Highness....

To do this, you either have to find a way of making places the cat likes to leap upon more unattractive or shoo her off consistently....To prevent The Bean from jumping on the living room coffee table, we place magazines, books, etc. to giver her little room to hunker down. Short of that, you have to catch her in the act and respond with a short, sharp "Git!" and a clap of the hands. A water pistol might help. At the same time, make sure that there are some places that are "safe", like a certain chair or whatever you think you wouldn't mind it so much. She'll soon make the connection, but it takes diligence and perseverance to get the payoff...

You can also take a zomboni to it and make it so slick she slides right off, but this might be excessive...I donno....

[ForeverAutumn]

Wax might help, but either way, you're gonna have to deal with Her Highness....

I've never actually seen him on the table. He knows he's not allowed up there. But there are the telltale signs of scratches and fur letting us know that he's going up there when we're not around.

My bigger concern is the table itself. We keep the cat's claws clipped short so if the table is getting marked from him, there's a problem with the table. It shouldn't be getting marked up that easily.

[Auricauricle]

If your cat is gonna be an indoor critter, you may want to consider removing the front paws altogether....Sounds cruel, but the rear 'uns are the ones that are used to defend herself.

I don't know nothin' about table quality issues, Miss. Scarlet!...

[ForeverAutumn]

If your cat is gonna be an indoor critter, you may want to consider removing the front paws altogether....Sounds cruel, but the rear 'uns are the ones that are used to defend herself.

That's kind of extreme, don't you think?!

[Feanor]

That's kind of extreme, don't you think?!

I think he meant CLAWS not paws, (I hope).

[Auricauricle]

Eep!

Didditagin, dinniteye?

[ForeverAutumn]

LMAO! Of course I knew what you meant.

Do you know how they declaw cats? They amputate the top bone of their toes. Think of someone amputating your fingers at the top knuckle to remove your fingernails. This is a very painful experience for cats and I would never be a part of it. I'd rather have a scratched table and furniture. Lucky for us, however, that our cat was easily trained to use his scratching post.

[Rich-n-Texas]

I tried to post something here earlier but I got a "server busy..." message

I had my cats de-clawed when they were very young, but I'd advise against doing something like that at this point in your cat's life.

[ForeverAutumn]

I tried to post something here earlier but I got a "server busy..." message

I had my cats de-clawed when they were very young, but I'd advise against doing something like that at this point in your cat's life.

It's not even a consideration. Neither is removing his front paws.

Although we do have a raccoon in the neighbourhood that only has one back leg. But I'm not responsible for removing the other one. I don't know how that happened.

[Auricauricle]

Is that the one who comes to your back porch, crutch in arm, late in the night and staring balefully at your door...? I donno...

[Rich-n-Texas]

Yeah I don't think I'd ever cut my cats feets off either.

[02audionoob]

Sounds like you need a satin-finish clear lacquer on the wood. By the way...the hardwoods are the deciduous trees and the softwoods are the evergreens. I don't know that all of the hardwoods are all that hard.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Pine is a soft wood too. And that's what you get when you buy furniture at stores like Rooms To Go and Ashley Furniture. JUNK!

[Groundbeef]

Why stop with the paws? Just have the vet remove both front legs, then fashion some prosthetic legs with little cloth ends. Then before you go to work for the day just spray on some polish.

when you get home, the whole table will be shiny, and your cat will have done all the work. Seems like a good idea to me.

[Auricauricle]

Declawing does not involve bone removal--only the claw is fussed with and the cat is anesthetized to experinence as little discomfort as possible.

Beef, I think you and I need to talk....

[Groundbeef]

Declawing does not involve bone removal--only the claw is fussed with and the cat is anesthetized to experinence as little discomfort as possible.

Beef, I think you and I need to talk....

Right, I'm the guy that first suggested paw removal.

[ForeverAutumn]

Sounds like you need a satin-finish clear lacquer on the wood. By the way...the hardwoods are the deciduous trees and the softwoods are the evergreens. I don't know that all of the hardwoods are all that hard.

Finally something constructive in this thread! LOL.

If I lacquer the wood will I still be able to see the grain as well or will it just have a shiny finish? What I love most about this table is the beautiful grain of the wood...it's just gorgeous...and I don't want to do anything to it that will cover up the grain or make it stand out less. Also, will lacquer hold up to hot and cold on the table? I don't want to have to worry about rings from wet glasses and that kind of thing.

[Auricauricle]

You can always start cultivating pawpaws...

[Groundbeef]

If I lacquer the wood will I still be able to see the grain as well or will it just have a shiny finish? What I love most about this table is the beautiful grain of the wood...it's just gorgeous...and I don't want to do anything to it that will cover up the grain or make it stand out less. Also, will lacquer hold up to hot and cold on the table? I don't want to have to worry about rings from wet glasses and that kind of thing.

In my prior life (before a budget analyst), I ran a Sherwin Williams paint store for 8.5 years.

Refinishing a table is NOT an job for a novice. There are many problems to any solution, and one of the biggest is determining what finish is actually ON the table now.

Polyurathane is one of the hardest coatings you could use, but poly is very picky about the surface. It would need to be taken down to bare wood, and that involves a lot of either sanding or blasting.

Varnish is 2nd in hardness, and much more forgiving in application, and surface prep. A good sanding to rough up the surface is usually sufficient. However, varnish isn't as hard as poly, and conversly won't last nearly as long.

Lacquer is MUCH more difficult to apply (IE, forget about it!), as it drys usually in less than 5-10 minutes. It can't be applied by brush, and must be sprayed. Not really practical for home application.

Honestly, I would talk to Sears, and see if they have some sort of warrenty (hopefully you bought the "accident" insurance). Then, go and get a clear tablecloth and put on table. It isn't the most elegant solution, but will keep the scratches off. You can always remove for parties and such.

Or, conversly knit your kitty some booties to wear around the house. I can supply more info if you would like.

[Auricauricle]

Hmmm...a solution to the problems of solutions....Okaaay....

[Groundbeef]

Hmmm...a solution to the problems of solutions....Okaaay....

Painting anything poses multiple problems for both application, and applicator. Refinishing furniture is even worse. Don't belive the Minwax commercials. It's a real pain in the butt.

Stick to what you know Auri, and apparently painting/refinishing isn't what you know.

My writing may have been ackward but the message isnt. I'm in a sh*tty mode right now. In the process of saving FA's table, I'm also cutting over 700 jobs (on paper) for presentation to the legislature later today. Thats just in the 3 agencies I work on.

[ForeverAutumn]

My writing may have been ackward but the message isnt. I'm in a sh*tty mode right now. In the process of saving FA's table, I'm also cutting over 700 jobs (on paper) for presentation to the legislature later today. Thats just in the 3 agencies I work on.

Wow! Well that makes my little scratched table seem insignificant. Sorry that you have to present those cuts Beefy. That sucks.

I appreciate your advice on the table front. It's all excellent information. You've put in one little post what I've been trying and not succeeding to learn using internet searches. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

I'm going to take a good close look at the scratches this weekend to see whether I can tell if the wood is actually damaged and then go and talk to Sears. I'll let you know how things turn out.