Caring for Your Outland Wood Products

Keeping your Outland wood products looking great for generations is as important to us as it is to you. To assist you, we are providing some recommendations for keeping your Outland wood product looking beautiful and new! 

While these are only a few suggestions, we do recommend that before trying a new care product on your Outland wood piece that you first try it on a hidden test area. This helps insure that if for some reason the product is not compatible with your finish or has undesired immediate results, you can detect it before applying it to the entire piece. Please note that we can not honor warranties on finishes that have not been properly maintained and cared for.

For All Finishes

Natural wood products and finishes can be highly susceptible to damage from: high-humidity, direct contact with water or other chemicals, prolonged direct sunlight and ultra-violet (UV) rays, high heat and very cold conditions, rapid changes in ambient temperatures, and other unstable environmental conditions. For those reasons here are some helpful tips on caring for your Outland products:

  • Avoid placing items where they are exposed to prolonged direct sunlight.
  • Avoid exposing items directly to heat and/or air-condition ducts or units.
  • Do not store or keep items in a humid or rapidly changing environment such as outdoors, basements, garages, non climate controlled storage and similar locations unless the item is specifically designed for outdoor use.
  • Store or display non-outdoor items at room temperature in a climate controlled area such as the main living areas of your home.
  • Never use harsh or abrasive cleaners, conditioners, or waxes.
Care and Maintenance

Natural, Soft Finishes

For Outland wood products with a natural soft finish such as items that do not have a top-coat of polyurethane, epoxy, or other hardened sealers we recommended:

  • Dust with a dry, soft, lint-free cloth or dusting device. 
  • We do not recommend using heavy wax sprays or cleaners, this may cause a buildup or damage to the surface of your product that may significantly dull the finish, strip wood protectants, and make future care more difficult.
  • For stubborn dust use a lint-free slightly damp warm cloth. 
  • For heavier non-food-safe care when the item looks dry or faded; A readily-available delicate oil and wax product such as Howard’s Feed-N-Wax Polish and Conditioner used infrequently as needed (follow the manufacturers suggested care instructions for the product you are using.) We do not recommend this for regular maintenance as it may cause a buildup leaving your finish unattractive and difficult to bring back to its natural beauty.
  • For heavier food-safe care when the item looks dry or faded: an appropriate readily-available food-grade care product such as the Howard’s Kitchen Care product line (Use as directed).
Natural Wood Finish/No Finish

Hard, Sealed Finishes

For Outland wood products that have a hard, durable finish such as polyurethane, epoxy, or other hard top-coats we recommend:

  • Dust with a dry, soft, lint-free cloth or dusting device. 
  • We do not recommend using aggressive wax sprays or cleaners. This may cause a buildup or damage to the surface of your product! It may significantly dull the finish, strip or damage the wood finish, and it may make future care or finish restoration more difficult.
  • For stubborn dust use a lint-free slightly damp warm cloth. 
  • For heavier non-food-safe care when the finish is looking dull we suggest a product such as Howard’s Citrus-Shield Premium Paste Wax (Use as directed.)
  • For heavier food-safe care when the finish is looking dull we suggest a product such as Howard’s Wax-it-all (Use as directed.)
Outland Stepstool
Hard, Sealed Finished Steps

Outland Outdoor Products

Outdoor products can be much more susceptible to fading and damage from the elements that they are constantly exposed to. To keep them looking great, we suggest the following.

  • Help protect items from sun bleaching and/or paint degradation (chalking) with products like Howard’s Sunshield Wood Conditioner to minimize UV and element damage as well as keep them looking beautiful.
  • Avoid placing items such as potted plants and other items that may leave deep penetrating stains on the finish.
  • Where possible, provide shade to items that might otherwise be exposed to sunlight the entire day.
  • Avoid covering items in plastic or other non-breathing covers. Good ventilation is important to keeping wood stable and preventing rot or mold growth.
  • Keep items out of direct prolonged contact with moister or water. Such as flooded or damp soil, near gutter downspouts, drainage, etc. Prolonged exposure to water can damage even the most resilient woods.
Children's Picnic Table - Cedar
Outdoor Items and Furniture

We offer wood-care product suggestions here as a convenience to our customers and not as an endorsement of specific product or manufacturer. Outland Woodworks, LLC is in no way affiliated with Howard Products, Inc. or any other wood-care product manufacturer discussed on this page. Any wood-care products you may use, you use at your own risk.

All trademarks and copyrights are those of their respective owners.