Assemble the Supplies

1. One Clean Wide Mouth Jar - Clean salsa or peanut butter jars work good. It needs to be large enough that you can easily dip your 0000 steel wool into it with a gloved hand.

2. 0000 Steel Wool - I know it sounds like steel wool will just add to the scrathes that we are trying to eliminate; but, it works great. The 0000 steel wool is very fine and doesn't scratch when used gently. A cloth can be used; but, we prefer steel wool results.

3. Refinishing Gloves - Use gloves made for use with furniture finsh. Restor-a-Finish does not burn if it get's on your skin like some finish removers, it's just best to keep it away from your skin.

4. Restor-a-Finish - Select a color that best matches the finish being restored.

5. Clean Soft Cloth

Before

After

Wood Furniture Care

As antique chairs age, the glued joints dry requiring them to be tightened to restore sturdiness. If you are lucky enough to have joints attached with screws usually visible from the back at the seat level, tightening is a fairly easy task with a screwdriver. Many antique chairs have dowel rods that are held in position with glue. This type of chair can be tightened by removing the old glue from the joint. We recommend using wood glue that is non-foaming. For pieces that are collectible quality, wood working aficionados generally recommend the use of hide glue for restoration. With just a little care and occasional maintenance, antiques can span generations.   We like a blend of beeswax, carnauba wax and orange oil like Howard's Feed n Wax.

Furniture Restoration Results

Yes, the above pictures really are from the same location on a tea cart. Wow! What a difference. Our buyers remorse is gone along with the scratches! It is really hard to believe how easy antique furniture restoration is with Howard's Restor-a-Finish. We have transformed ugly wood finishes and neglected furniture into pieces that have the look of years of care. Restor-A-Finish is perfect for restoring luster to kitchen cabinets. It helps break down grease and restores beauty. Maintain with feed-n-wax or Natural wood preserver. Restor-A-Finish can also be used on bathroom cabinets or furniture with water damage marks or heat rings. Removal of heat rings may require more pressure. Refer to our Heat Ring Story for a discussion on how to remove heat rings from furniture. We've put together a few step by step instructions and demonstration pictures below to show you the entire Howard's restoration process from start to finish. Begin your project by testing an inconspicuous spot to confirm you are pleased with the results. If you are not satisfied, you can return the product.

Howard's Restor-A-Finish

If you are looking for a method to restore antique finish safety and easily, Howard's Restor-a-Finish may be a perfect product for your project. Howard's products provide a quick fix to antique furniture finish and are easy to use, gentle on your antique furniture and yield outstanding results. How about a quick free demo? Just take a look at our Howard demo photos below.  Our piece was very dry; we used cherry Restor-A-Finish to achieve a golden oak finish.  Normally, a finish color close to the color of the piece should be selected.