This page covers furniture restoration. To refinish furniture click here .

Unless the finish has worn down to bare wood, restoring it is much easier and neater than refinishing. Buy a furniture cleaner such as "Formby's®" or "Restore-A-Finish®". I prefer the latter. You'll also need "0000" steel wool and some soft rags such as old diapers or flannel.

Remove knobs and handles. Pour some cleaner on a piece of steel wool...never directly on the finish. Rub with the grain and let it stand for 15 minutes then wipe off. re-apply until you're happy with the results.

"Restore-A-Finish®" comes in different colors. Get one that's a little darker than the finish you're using it on. Use an old toothbrush to get in crevices and scroll work.

After you're all done wipe the furniture off real well. You can either apply lemon oil with a soft rag then wipe dry or apply a paste wax for wood, let dry and buff with a soft rag.

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