Make Old Like New
You’ve spent two hours traipsing round the local car boot sale. You’ve seen nothing good and you’re hungry. The place is full of stuff. Just CDs, junk masquerading as goods and old hagged jumpers from the Second World War. And lots and lots of people haggling over fifty pence. It’s depressing, really.
Then you spot it: there, in the corner, the old wooden table that’s calling your name in an abstract sort of way. It would seem your luck has changed!
The only thing is–when you get over to it you see that it is also crap; wishful thinking goes a long way. The surface is rough and worn and you wonder why you even bothered getting up in the morning–
Only wait a second. It might seem impossible but with some careful preparation you can turn that old table in to a masterpiece, almost (depending on your patience, of course). How?
Like this:
1) Remove any dirt and sand it down properly. Use heavy (rough) grade paper to begin with, and then finish with fine stuff. Nice one.
2) Not happy with the colour? No problem. Go and buy some spirit-based stain from the local DIY shop. Teak, oak, mahogany, it’s up to you. Then splash it on. You don’t need to be too careful with it.
3) Buy some clear wax (this usually looks white, but dries solid and clear).
4) Stain the piece then wait for it to dry. Then apply the wax. Be liberal with it. Once it’s dry (this may take at least several hours, and is best done out of direct sunlight) you can start to polish it.
5) After you’ve polished it, apply more wax and repeat the process. You can do this as many times as you like. The more you do it, the shinier the piece will become and the greater it’ll look!
Did you find yourself loving your creation? Turns out there is a massive market in furniture restoration, why not start a little business on the side and make money from home?
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