[chanrosemary]

I have just moved to HKG and unloaded 1 month ago. Recently I found that my rosewood dining table and a chair are cracking. They were in good condition when I moved from Singapore and I polished them every week.

I am curious on why they are cracking? Could it be the climate? Any advise on what I can do now?

[zenlogo]

I'm not an expert, but it might be caused by the the move itself. Wood is moisture sensitive and changes in humidity and temperatures can cause wood to expand and contract - causing cracking.

I think the cracking will settle down and later you can get wood fillers of the same colour to fill the gaps.

You might chat with antique stores, they're experts on restoration.

[Boris]

Rosewood is most likely a real wood inlay / laminate in this application. The cracking would be caused by the substantive wood, normally a soft wood so easy to absorb moisture, being subjected to the " real world " humidity rather than your homes settled temperature + humidity.

My guess, as you have not submitted a picture, is the carcass wood has swelled and split the inlay.

First thing is to let the wood settle down over a few weeks in your home. Even though this time of the year most of us are not using air con, your home will have a " drying airflow " unlike the sealed box container it traveled in, which has , in effect acted like a sauna.

If the end result is that the cracking is still obviously evident then its a job for professionals like french polishers, who will fill the gap and stain to watch the tenor of the wood.

There are no FP's in Yellow Pages but there is Furniture-Repairing & Refinishing and that would be a place to start.

[chanrosemary]

thanks for your suggestions.

spoke to some people in cambodia where i bought my furniture. apparently they have not "treated" the furniture for export so thats why mine's cracking.....

new year....new furniture......:0

thanks again!!