Whether it’s a wall hanging or a table top piece, the care and maintenance for intarsia should be pretty straight forward.
Protecting the construction of your piece.
It’s wood, so it’s going to expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity. If it does either of those things too much or too fast, there is a chance it could crack the glue bonds and pop a piece off. Repair should be easy. Once the humidity has gone back to normal and the wood has stabilized, push it back into place with a dab of super glue on the back. (And if you don’t feel comfortable doing that, you can always bring it back to me for repair.)
Ideally, we want to prevent that from ever happening which means limiting large swings in temperature or humidity. Be smart about where the piece is displayed. Bathrooms where showers are frequently used is not a good choice. Near an exterior doorway that is frequently used is also not great. Remember that temperature swings also changes the relative humidity, so somewhere that is in the direct airflow of heating and cooling is also not a great choice.
Protecting the wood color.
Wood weathers and changes color over time, even when kept in ideal conditions. One of the things we do with intarsia is not use stains or paints, so all the colors you see is natural. I do put a protective coating on the wood that helps prevent color loss, but it can only do so much.
Keep your piece out of direct sunlight. The heat and UV damage from direct sunlight will greatly reduce the color lifespan. If it’s hot enough, it could also cause the kind of expansion that would crack the individual parts.
Compressed air to blow the dust off without touching it is ideal. Dust lightly with a soft cloth or duster, if required. Be careful of catching corners of the work with whatever you’re using to dust. Most everything is sanded smooth, but there may be times that sharp corners or delicate parts can get hooked and broken off. Don’t use liquid cleaning products as they may stain the wood. You can wax it if you want, but unless you’re handling it frequently, you shouldn’t ever need to do that.
If you have specific questions, feel free to reach out to me.