WHILE Bermuda's climate may be difficult for some to bear, it's not the enemy of fine furniture many residents mistakenly believe it to be.

The greater threat, according to a top local restorer and preserver, comes from sources which are far easier to individually pinpoint - and much simpler to control.

According to cabinet-maker Andre Hubbard, extreme temperature change, direct sunlight and modern cleaning products can all spell ruin to much-beloved pieces, making professional restoration essential.

"Not everything needs to be musem-quality condition," he said. "One of the things that is so often overlooked is that the things we live with are to be enjoyed and to be used. When people bring pieces to us, aesthetically they're often not pleasing; they're constructionally compromised.

"Whenever we look at the restoration or conservation of furniture, what we're weighing up is its intrinsic value, along with its sentimental value, in contrast with the monies that would be put into preserving or restoring it."

That process could be compared to the work of the Bermuda National Trust, said Mr. Hubbard, under whose auspices he is to deliver a talk on The Conservation and Care of Fine Furniture in Our Difficult Climate at Verdmont Museum later this month.

"We do distinguish a difference between conservation/preservation and restoration. In essence, the average house-holder can conserve and preserve by implementing certain things. Restoration is a process where you obviously look to someone who has the ability and the knowledge to take that thing to pieces or recreate it as it should be seen appropriately.

"Conservation and preservation involve something different and it's applicable not just to furniture, it's what the National Trust is about - preservation of the environment, preservation of our history, of the nostalgia of our background."

A Bermudian, Mr. Hubbard spent six years in England, studying in the Oxfordshire towns of Thame and Abingdon, with budding furniture-makers and restorers from all over Europe. He returned to Bermuda to set up his business 12 years ago.

"I'm going to interpret this for the National Trust because I am an active participant. The National Trust in many ways is all about the preservation of our history and our artifacts. We are currently involved with a large restoration project that has been on-going for at least ten years, restoring not only (its) museums, but (their) contents, the fine furniture, the furnishings, the objets d'art.

"There's always been this sort of misnomer that Bermuda itself is highly detrimental to finer furnishings and, in particular, inlaid, veneer pieces. Actually, it's not true. I think one of the most destructive elements is where there is a large variation in climate."

In the past, said Mr. Hubbard, the ship journey from England and Europe - where much of the furniture came from - to the island took much longer. Then, pieces were given the leisure of gradually adjusting to the change in the environment - an impossible luxury with today's faster transport which quickly exposed them to differences in climate, temperature and humidity. A similar scenario, he added, was played out in the summer with air-conditioners.

"What we always recommend is to try and maintain a relatively constant environment in temperature and humidity versus creating the extremes. Often it's the case that air-conditioning is shut off during the day and it's put on full belt through the evening until the early hours at which time it's then shut off again.

"Factors like this create such extreme changes in the environment that really are detrimental because of the fact that wood is natural and it's ever moving. So we recommend, wherever it's possible, to maintain a relatively stable climate - which is also more cost effective in the grand scheme of things. If air-conditioning is not an option, forms of dehumidification are helpful and it doesn't necessarily have to be year round."

Modern aerosols and cleaners were two great offenders, said Mr. Hubbard, especially when used over fine furnishings.

"When I say fine furnishings, I'm talking specifically about furniture, trinket items, objets d'art, things of that nature, but in particular, furniture. Many of the contemporary, quick-cleaning solutions are highly detrimental to both modern and traditional finishes.

"I recommend using something that has a strong wax base to it. However, it is a continual issue. If the mould is removed within a short time of it appearing, it won't leave a mark or an unsightly blemish. Rather than looking at how to address it once it comes back, prevention really is key."

A problem caused by many householders was something which was easily avoided, he said.

"Bermuda has the most extraordinary clarity of the atmosphere and light and the ultraviolet. (Don't) put furnishings in direct sunlight for long periods of time. It has a tendency to bleach or fade surfaces quite drastically.

When it came to antiques, the cabinet-maker added, most of the woods typically used were those which did not hold up particularly well.

"What we typically see in the area of antiques is a prolific use - outside of Bermuda cedar - of mahoganies, walnuts, things of that nature which are indicative of the 18th and 19th centuries.There aren't any that hold up particularly well and, outside of taking preventative measures, there's nothing you can do about it.

"Cedar, although it's a wonderful and highly prized endemic species, particularly doesn't hold up well when it comes to finishes. Because of its composition and its high sap or resin content, it actually bleeds very readily and the finish compromises it."

Running candlewax along runners is a great method of preservation - minimising friction as it serves as a lubricant - that only needs to be applied twice a year.

"Just take the stubs of your spent candles and run them along the drawer runners. Especially with those pieces, such as a chest of drawers, that are used on a regular basis. In the long term, that's what typically compromises drawers, because the bottoms of the runners wear out. Things like candle wax minimise that considerably. Exponentially, the use of candlewax will double or triple the lifetime of a drawer."

When considering the preservation of furniture - whether a valuable antique or something that's simply valuable in sentiment - one of the wisest moves one can make is to document the piece either through a photograph or a written account.

"One of the difficulties that we have as restorers and conservators when we engage in conservation/restoration, is trying to draw on references from the past - how would this have been? How would it have looked originally?

"I would love to suggest to the general public, wherever possible, make some sort of record of the things that you hold special. Whether it's furniture or architecture or whatever either by photograph or by written reference."

Mr. Hubbard's talk, highlighting the do's and dont's of taking care of furniture in Bermuda, will be held at Verdmont Museum on September 22. Tickets are $35 and available at the National Trust office in advance or at the door. For more information or reservations, please call 236-6483.