A Breath of Fresh Air for an Old Piece

It is very true, when you are pregnant- at about 7 months this nesting phenomenon kicks in and you are just overcome with a need to get everything ready for baby. I fell victim to it a little earlier because I generally have a need to have everything ready-period. I decided to put a queen bed in the nursery because I wanted to have comfortable place to sleep while I was in there. I am not sure what I was thinking- thinking that we would use Baby Bub's nursery any time soon considering it is on a different level than our bedroom.

But, in addition to his crib, I put a big bed in his room. The bed frame was my great- grandmother's; Baby Bub's great-great grandmother. I love that. That is a 5 generation span. Unfortunately, the bed frame was looking its age and I wanted to give it a little love. I debated painting it. No- it's antique. I debated refinishing it. No- for several reasons. 1. I was prego. 2. It was antique and refinishing furniture strips away its value- because it's not original. However, the bed frame needed more than a good cleaning.

My Aunt Martha to the rescue! She introduced me to Howard's Restor-A-Finish. Here is the exact description from the can: "Restor-A-Finish is a unique finish-penetrating formula that restores the original color and luster to your finish while blending out the blemishes and minor scratches. Restor-A-Finish restores the finish in one step - without removing any of the existing finish." 

She had used it spruce up her dining table and she thought it might be exactly what the bed frame needed. I bought mine at Home Depot. It comes in several different shades: maple, dark oak, walnut, cherry, etc. I followed the instructions and the bed frame turned out great. The Restor-A-Finish was just what the bed frame needed.

Sooooooo, when I was distressing the coffee table, I noticed that my grandmother's china hutch was in need of some attention.

Restor-A-Finish to the rescue! Did I mention that Restore-A-Finish sure beats the hell out of refinishing anything! Here is a slightly abridged version of the directions: Wipe the entire piece with Restor-A-Finish but do not pour it directly on it. If you think it's necessary, repeat process and definitely finish with a furniture wax, preferably Howard's furniture wax. It is just that easy. Now, this china hutch has seen it's better days- and Restor-A-Finish is awesome but, it does not walk on water.

While the paint on the coffee table was drying, I got busy with the Restore-A-Finish on the china hutch. First I wiped the entire thing with a wet towel and then I applied just one coat of  the Restore-A-Finish and then one coat of the furniture wax, again according to the instructions. And I have to say, I was very pleased with the results. 

It looked like the hutch just breathed a sigh of relief like you do after a massage. Like I said, it is not a miracle worker- but, I can tell a major difference. It's like the hutch came back to life. I am very pleased with the results. I would 110% recommend anyone start with Restor-A-Finish before they refinish anything but especially an antique piece of furniture.