So today instead of a room I have a sweet little old leather-topped desk to share, and the magic of Old English Scratch Cover and Polish. We had several furniture pieces we'd been scouring yard sales for - one of which was a small vintage desk to go in my small vintage office. Fun fact: I had a HUGE office style filing desk at Windy Poplars, and it took three strong men and all their might to squeeze it into the house when we got. That day we swore we were never moving it again, so it was written into the house contract that the monstrous desk was part of the package.
Anyway, back to present-day. We came across a desk that was the perfect size and style - even had a leather top still in decent condition *swoon*. BUT, it was rough, ya'll. Kept in a basement for years, it was heavily scratched, water damaged, and full of dust and dirt.
But something told me it was worth a gamble. Those dovetail joints and wooden handles got to me...
So over to Ingleside it came ($75) and to work I went. First a very weak solution of soap to rub it all down, then a toothbrush to really dig the years of dust out of all the grooves. Finally, it was time to polish!
Instead of a full "before" and a full "after", I thought it would be more effective to post "in progress", so you can really see what this stuff is capable of. Hopefully it will make a hard case for you to give those old worn out wood pieces at yard sales and thrift stores a second chance. I know it breathed a whole new life into my sweet gem!
Left side: BEFORE | Right side: AFTER
Left side: AFTER | Right side: BEFORE
Does it stay looking like this or do you have to keep re-doing it?
ReplyDeleteGood question! It does fade a bit over time, like most furniture polish, but it does last awhile! I'd say I've done pieces maybe twice a year that I've used Old English on. A lot depends on the room it's kept in, of course, and how dry/humid it is.
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