Cabinet Care and Maintenance Guide
Download Cabinet Care and Maintenance Guide (pdf)
To prolong the life and beauty of your new cabinetry, please read and follow the product care and maintenance instructions. While we take great care in building quality cabinetry and ensuring that cabinets arrive in excellent condition, normal everyday use will result in the need for small touch-ups and adjustments.
Unpacking Your Cabinets
After receiving your cabinets, store them in a secure and dry space until you are ready for installation. Do not remove your existing cabinets prior to the delivery and inspection of your new cabinets. Using two people, remove the cabinets from their boxes. Then, inspect each cabinet and accessory for damage.
Save your boxes until you’ve completed your inspection. CliqStudios may ask you to return damaged products covered under warranty. You will not be charged for any warranty replacement products. Please recycle the boxes.
General Care
Your CliqStudios cabinets, with all-wood construction and superior furniture finish, have undergone rigorous testing to ensure they will be structurally sound and beautiful through years of everyday use. As with fine furniture, you will want to use common sense and basic maintenance to keep them looking their best.
After Installation: Wipe Down the Finish
Note: Complete all door and drawer adjustments (instructions in the Cabinet Care and Maintenance Guide) before installing knobs and pulls.
After your cabinetry has been installed, wipe down the cabinets with a clean and damp cloth. Clean one small area at a time and immediately wipe dry to avoid moisture damage. Although polishing is not immediately necessary, a commercial cleaning polish (see below for products to avoid) can provide additional protection for your cabinets.
Caution: Heat and Humidity
Be careful with your cabinetry around appliances that emit high heat, such as self-cleaning ovens. To avoid damage from heat exposure, we recommend removing cabinet doors and drawers during oven cleaning cycles. It is important to always keep cabinet surfaces dry. In areas that experience excessive humidity, such as bathrooms, be conscious of moisture build-up that, if not wiped off, can damage the cabinets’ finish.
Caution: Cleaners, Sponges, Pads, Aerosols and Wax
Harsh abrasives will mar the topcoat stain or paint finish. NEVER USE:
- Commercial detergents
- Powdered cleansers
- Scouring sponge pads (such as ScotchBrite)
- “Magic” eraser pads
- Steel wool
- Spray polishes containing silicones or petroleum solvents
- Paste, wax or products containing silicone (residue attracts dust and can build up over time)
Note: Exposure to Light
Over time, ultraviolet (UV) light present in natural sunlight will affect the appearance of your cabinets. CliqStudios applies UV inhibitors to all its wood cabinetry as part of the finishing process. The finish on your cabinetry will not change with exposure to UV light, but, due to its natural characteristics, the appearance of the wood itself may change. Depending on the amount and direction of light exposure, the portion of your cabinetry that receives light may change in appearance.
Daily Care
Daily care for your cabinets is simple and easy. The key is to wipe up spills and water marks when they occur. Be especially attentive in the sink and dishwasher areas. Do not hang wet dish towels over the cabinet doors. Over time, this moisture exposure can cause irreversible damage to the wood and finish. Dust cabinets frequently with a slightly dampened cloth or a spray-type dust remover.
Long-Term Care
We recommend that you wash and polish cabinets once or twice each year depending on use. Use a light coat of a high quality, oil-based furniture polish. Do not use paste, wax, or polishes that contain silicone. The build-up is difficult to remove and will leave a residue that attracts dust.
Touch-Up
CliqStudios provides a complimentary touch-up kit with every kitchen order for minor scratches and nicks. Before touching up damage, establish whether it will be a substantial repair. In the damage is significant, please protect your investment by consulting a professional refinisher.
Be advised that paint is more difficult to repair and blend than stained products. Practice on a small, concealed area of your cabinets before making any repair. If you have any concerns, please consult a professional refinisher.
If the damage is minor and you want to do the repair yourself, please read the instructions for the putty stick and stain marker before attempting the repair. For easy fill application, soften the putty stick by carefully heating the end with your hand. Fill in the recess with an even back-and-forth motion. After the fill is complete, use light, even strokes with the stain marker pen. Use your fingertips or a soft cloth to blend the colors. Do not allow the stain marker fluid to accumulate in one space as it may drip.
Hardware Adjustments
CliqStudios designs much of its cabinetry to be adjustable by you, our customer. We construct each cabinet with several types of durable, high-performance hardware that will operate smoothly for years. Periodically, you should tighten hinge screws, realign drawers, and adjust runners, since they can move with normal use.
Maintenance will be needed more frequently for high-use doors and during seasonal temperature changes. Doors are made of hardwood, which is affected by the temperature and humidity levels. Your cabinets may require adjustments after installation as they become acclimated to the new environment.
