Today's project

(well, besides unpacking)

I had heard from my dad about this product called Restor-a-Finish. He had used it on some furniture and had great success with it.

 

I decided that before I took a big leap and tackled a real piece of furniture, I would try something more Leslie-sized.

My test subject today was this wooden silverware box. As you can see, it has had better days:

I applied the stain with an old rag in the garage with the the door wide open- the smell wasn't as bad as I was anticipating from my mother's warnings, but it certainly wasn't something I'd like the house to smell like. I was really worried at first that it was going to look really streaky, but it didn't! So simple to use. And here's the after:

Pretty, right? The color difference is not quite as dramatic as it appears; it was bright daylight when I took the first picture and nighttime when I took the second. (I'll try and remember to take another one tomorrow)

I finished it up with a beeswax product that has orange oil- it smells so good! (which is a nice change from the brain-cell-killing smell of the stain.)