How do you clean the canvas backing?

Do not wet the canvas backing under any circumstances. Moisture degrades the animal hide glue holding the slats to the fabric and will cause the tambour door to fall apart. Instead, use a soft brush attachment on a vacuum cleaner. Keep the suction low and run it lightly over the fabric to lift loose surface dust.

I bought an oak cabinet and the door is jammed halfway down the track, what is the best way to get it moving again without forcing it?

The slats have likely jumped the track. Look closely at the side channels to see if one wooden strip has wedged itself at an angle. Applying wax to the grooves sometimes helps. A block of beeswax rubbed into the exposed tracks provides lubrication. If the canvas is stiff, the whole back panel might need removing to ease the door out and reset it.

Can tambour slats be replaced?

Yes, a cabinetmaker can cut matching slats to replace missing ones. The repair usually involves stripping the door down to apply new canvas.

When you pull the curtain down on these cabinets does it automatically lock all the internal drawers inside at the same time or do they have their own keys?

Many late nineteenth-century office cabinets feature an integrated locking system. A mechanism at the back of the carcase drops a wooden bar down when the main door shuts. This bar slots into notches on the back of each drawer. It means closing the tambour curtain secures every drawer simultaneously without needing individual locks.

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Antique Tambour Cabinets

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An antique tambour cabinet is a storage piece defined by a flexible rolling door made from narrow wooden slats glued to a canvas backing, originally designed to conceal ledgers and paperwork on a desk or freestanding unit.