End Tables

So I move to Virginia the day after tomorrow! Since I haven't had time to bake or hike, and a post about packing up my life seems boring, I have a different kind of post for today. My parents got new furniture the other week and I've inherited their old end tables. Now, these end tables were here when we moved into this house 20 years ago, and who knows how long the previous owners had them. They were pretty rough looking, and a little dated.

I decided to strip the varnish off, refinish them, and get new hardware. I used Formby's Furniture Refinisher. It's pretty magical. You just dip a piece of steel wool in it, rub the table, and it strips off everything down to the wood. 

Here's one completely stripped, and one still original. It was actually really pretty wood. I don't know why they covered it up in the first place. 

After I got them both stripped, I used Formby's Tung Oil to finish them. It's pretty much clear, it just conditions the wood, protects it, and adds a little shine. You just use a cloth or sponge, and rub it in like you're waxing a car. It dries in pretty much a day. I'm kind of in love with the Formby's brand. My mom used it when she re-did her kitchen cabinets. It's not exactly cheap, but it's totally worth it. See, like brand new tables:

I got the pulls on the front and the hinges at Lowe's. The old hardware was in good shape, I just wanted something a little more updated and shiny. I'm completely happy with the way they came out. It was easy, kind of fun, and way gratifying. I guess the moral of the story is... if you have some old furniture sitting around, get some Formby's and you can make them like new!

One more before and after....

Before:

After: