5 Secrets for Minimizing Wood Movement Damage in Large Furniture

Wood movement can’t be stopped when the humidity changes. It’s nature. From season to season, your solid wood furniture will be exposed to different environmental conditions that will cause it to swell, shrink, or shift.

But while you can’t stop your wood from moving, you can stop this movement from ruining your woodworking project.

You just have to use the proper techniques. So let’s learn what we can do to avoid cracked tabletops, split bookshelves, and jammed cabinet drawers.

We’ll look at:

• What “wood movement” actually means
• How to fix damage from wood movement
• 5 ways to prevent or minimize damage

Let’s start by building a solid understanding of wood movement.

What is Wood Movement?

The cabinet door on the left shows evidence of swelling and won’t close properly.

Wood movement is when wood shrinks, swells, or shifts after releasing or absorbing moisture.

Wood is a hygroscopic material, or a material that responds to moisture, much like a sponge. And like most natural processes, the moisture in wood seeks equilibrium.

So if you have a dry piece of wood in a moist environment, it’s going to absorb moisture from the air until it reaches the same moisture content as its environment. This extra moisture will cause the wood to swell.

And if you’ve got a wet piece of wood in a dry environment, it’s going to release moisture to balance with the surrounding air. Losing moisture will result in wood shrinkage.

The point at which the moisture of the wood matches the moisture in the air, known as the equilibrium moisture content (or EMC), is when the wood stabilizes. It’ll stop swelling, shrinking, and moving…at least until the environmental conditions change again.

How Does Wood Movement Harm Furniture?

Wood movement occurs at every stage of wood processing.

It will move as green wood when it’s attached to its tree. It will move when it’s being cut at the sawmill. And it will move when you bring it into your workshop.

But the worst time for it to move is after you turn it into furniture.

Any damage to green wood or sawmill lumber can be worked around or removed. But when the wood that’s damaged is in the center of your dining room table, you can see how that’s a different story. Who wants to redo or cut a chunk out of the piece they’ve spent so much time painstakingly crafting and polishing?

Besides costing you time, money, and resources, wood movement has the potential to be more dangerous when it’s been turned into furniture. This is because the process of attaching wood panels together puts stress on them.

In its natural state, wood has room to breathe and move. But when it’s been fastened tightly into place by nails, screws, or glue, the attachments or fasteners keep it from moving freely. That adds more tension, which can cause the wood to snap, split, or crack with more intensity.

In extreme cases, this tension has caused people’s furniture to burst apart with a loud “pop!” But most woodworkers experience less dramatic—but no less frustrating—damage.

Movement may cause:

• Cracked or split tabletops
• Squeaky cabinet doors
• Swollen cabinets that won’t fit in their slots
• Cupping and checking in paneling
• Weak or warping shelving in bookshelves and dressers

What can you do about these problems?

Yes, movement is inevitable. You can’t stop wood from trying to acclimate to its environment any more than you can stop a sponge from soaking up water. It’s going to move as the seasons change or whenever you move it to a new location with different environmental conditions.

However, while you can’t prevent movement due to these changes, there are some things you can do to minimize its impact on your project.

You can also use equipment to monitor and regulate the environment to reduce movement.

How to Fix Wood Movement Damage

Photo by Collab Media on Unsplash

Dealing with a cracked dresser, split table, or ill-fitting drawers?

All is not lost. There are still some things you can do to salvage your project.

You can:

• Adjust the room’s temperature and humidity levels:¹ Adjust the thermostat and bring in dehumidifiers or humidifiers to counteract any conditions causing your furniture to move. (Ex: If your wood is shrinking because it’s drying out, introduce moisture so it’ll swell back into shape. If it is damaged because it’s swelling from too much moisture, dry it out with a dehumidifier.)
• Turn flaws into features: Do you have a big split in one of your tabletops? Fill it with epoxy to make an epoxy resin table.
• Create wiggle room:² This option will require the most work, but it’s also the best way to fix your projects. You may have to take the project apart to create grooves to loosen it up and give it room to move so it won’t have the same tension that’s causing it to crack and split. From there, you can add frames to cover any gaps you create so the gaps won’t be noticeable.
• Fill cracks: If you have small cracks, you might be able to get away with filling in the gaps. You can do this by inserting slivers of wood into the gaps or by mixing together sawdust and wood glue to make a filling paste that’s the same color as your boards. However, this might not be the best solution if you’re dealing with a larger split (or if you’re looking for a long-term solution).

In the end, there are a couple tricks you can use to fix movement damage.

But you know what’s better than fixing the aftermath?

Doing what you can to minimize damage from the get-go.

5 Ways to Minimize Wood Movement Damage

It’s a lot easier to reduce movement damage than it is to fix it.

Let’s look at five strategies pros swear by for minimizing movement damage.

#1 Choose the Right Wood

Some types and cuts of wood move more than others.

For wood that’s the least susceptible to movement, you may want to consider:

• Wood species:³ The density, wood grain, and natural oils found in various wood species help determine how resistant a given wood species will be to movement. The density of hardwoods typically makes them more stable and resistant to moisture than softwoods. Cherry, mahogany, walnut, and teak are all good options.
• Wood cut:⁴ Wood is cut in different ways to produce different grain patterns, which causes them to move differently. Flat sawn (or plain sawn) lumber is cut tangentially (along the growth rings) where most movement occurs. Quarter sawn lumber, on the other hand, is cut radially (across the rings), which makes it less susceptible to movement. Quarter sawn wood is more expensive than flat sawn wood, so that’s one thing to take into consideration when trying to decide which one to buy.
• Wood width:⁵ Because the most considerable movement occurs alongside the width of a board, the smaller your wood’s width, the smaller amount of movement it’ll have.

#2 Design Your Project With Wood Movement in Mind

One of the best ways to minimize movement damage is to design furniture that can accommodate future swelling and warping.

Here are some ideas for doing just that:

• Use the right joinery/attachment methods:⁶ Use attachment methods and joinery that will allow for movement. Some good options include tongue-and-groove, floating panels, and breadboard ends.
• Leave expansion gaps:⁷ Leaving gaps and grooves between boards and panels can allow for movement without tension.
• Keep wood grain orientation consistent:⁸ Wood expands and contracts in the direction of its grain, so it’s important that all the grain on a piece of furniture is facing the same way so it moves in the same direction.

#3 Keep Environmental Conditions Consistent

Photo by Kaffeebart on Unsplash

Since wood moves because it’s adjusting to changes in its environment, it makes sense that keeping its environment stable would prevent movement.

You can do this by using a dehumidifier or humidifier, depending on whether you need to dry the room or add moisture back into the air. You can also adjust the thermostat to change the temperature.

Typically, it’s recommended that you keep the inside of your home at 68-74℉ and 40-60% relative humidity to prevent moisture damage.⁹

#4 Wait for the Wood to Acclimate

Allowing your wood to acclimate to its environment before assembling it into furniture is one of the best things you can do to minimize the amount of movement. This will help ensure it has stabilized before you add those tension-causing attachments.

Stack and sticker your boards in whatever environment you plan on placing your finished piece of furniture. Wait for about three days and test your wood’s moisture levels with a moisture meter. If it matches the EMC of your environment, it’s stable and ready to work with. (See this chart to find the EMC for your region).

#5 Apply Finish

Wood finish is like a protective barrier for your furniture. It won’t prevent your wood from absorbing moisture, but it will reduce the amount of moisture it absorbs, which can minimize movement.

Shellac, hardwax oils, or oil-based polyurethane are all good options for a protective finish.¹⁰

Get the Tools You Need

Wood movement can’t be stopped. But it can be prepared for.

Stay on top of movement damage by equipping yourself with tools that will help you get the job done right.

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2. “Wood Movement,” Woodwork Details, March 26, 2021. (↑)
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4. “Wood Movement,” Workshop Companion; “The Ultimate Guide to Wood Movement Secrets.” (↑)
5. “The Ultimate Guide to Wood Movement Secrets.” (↑)
6. “Managing Wood Movement,” Cleveland Lumber; “The Ultimate Guide to Wood Movement Secrets.” (↑)
7. “Wood Movement,” Woodwork Details ; “The Ultimate Guide to Wood Movement Secrets.” (↑)
8. “What is Wood Movement? And How to Account for It In Future Projects,” Bau-Woodworks, YouTube, May 14, 2021. (↑)
9. “How to Maintain Optimal Humidity for Wood Floors and Furniture,” Venta Air Technologies, Inc. (↑)
10. “Understanding Wood Movement in Different Climates”; “The Ultimate Guide to Wood Movement Secrets.” (↑)