Custom Furniture Care: Our Humid Months, Handled

Our humidity is hard on Custom Furniture, sitting near 80% for most of the year, and that moisture is the quiet enemy if you ignore it. A few simple habits keep your cabinets straight, your doors closing, and your laminate edges flat, and you don't need special gear — just a routine that respects the climate we live in.

Why Humidity Does the Damage

Wood-based boards breathe. Plywood and MDF take in moisture from the air and swell slightly, then shrink as the air-conditioning dries the room. Do that thousands of times and you get warped doors, sticky drawers, and laminate that lifts at the edge.

Solid wood moves the most, which is why it needs acclimatising before install. Laminate-faced boards cope better, but the raw edge at the back or underside is still exposed and soaks up damp first.

Keep the Air Moving and the Heat Steady

The single best thing you can do is run the air-con a few hours a day, even when you're out. A steady 23-25°C with lower humidity stops the constant swell-shrink cycle that cracks joints.

Open the windows only after a heavy rain. Fresh air is good, but a steamy afternoon lets moisture pour in. Air the home in the cooler morning instead.

Use the kitchen and bathroom extractors. Steam from cooking and showers travels down the corridor and settles on the nearest wardrobe. Switch the fan on before you start, not after.

Custom Furniture Care Through the Wet Season

Our wetter months, roughly November to January, are when we get the most call-outs for sticking doors. The air is heavier and boards swell a touch more than usual.

During this period, wipe down the tops of cabinets and the gap above the wardrobe where condensation gathers. A dry microfibre cloth once a week stops that damp from reaching the board edge and lifting the laminate.

If a door starts to drag, don't sand it or force it. Ease the hinge a quarter turn, let the weather dry, and it usually settles. Forcing it strains the carcass.

Small Daily Habits That Add Up

Care isn't only about big clean-ups. These small moves protect the finish year-round:

1. Keep pot plants off the cabinet tops; the saucer water seeps into the board underneath.

2. Wipe spills at once, especially near the sink and on the kitchen island.

3. Leave a 20-30mm gap behind freestanding units so air circulates and the back board stays dry.

4. Run a dehumidifier in the storeroom during the rainy stretch if you don't air-con it.

When to Call for Help

If you see a laminate edge curling, a door that won't close even after easing the hinge, or a musty smell inside a cabinet, that's past home care. Those point to moisture trapped in the board, and the panel usually needs replacing before it spreads.

Humidity here is constant, so the care has to be constant too — but it's light work. A weekly wipe, steady cooling, and good extraction will carry most homes through the wet months without a single warped door. Treat the air right and your cabinets will look the same in year five as they did on install day.