How to clean and restore an antique oak card catalog without losing its original character!
Who doesn't love authentic antique card catalogs and multi-drawer cabinets?
They are by far my favorite pieces to hunt for, both for myself and my vintage shop.
In the past, I've fully refinished card catalogs, but a recent oak card catalog that I just picked up had so much original character that I couldn't bring myself to fully refinish it.
It had some marks and blemishes but was nothing I couldn't take care of without completely sanding, staining and refinishing.
SUPPLIES NEEDED TO RESTORE AN ANTIQUE CARD CATALOG
(without fully refinishing)
- LA's Totally Awesome (available at Dollar Tree)
- Restore-A-Finish (Walnut)
How to restore a card catalog without refinishing
There's something about original stain and character that you just can't replicate. I know some may not like marks, knicks and imperfections on their furniture, but I welcome and appreciate the added character when it comes to antique and vintage furniture.
In an effort to maintain the original character of this 15-drawer solid oak card catalog, I opted to give it a good cleaning over fully refinishing.
Working in small sections, I sprayed on a generous amount of LA's Totally Awesome to the top, sides and drawers of the cabinet. On each section, I let the cleaner sit for about 30 seconds before scrubbing and wiping it off.
On tougher areas where tape residue and yellow marker were left, I let the cleaner soak in for a few minutes before wiping it off. I kept repeating this process until all the unwanted marks were removed.
I began by very lightly sanding the marks with 400 grit sandpaper, being careful not to sand too hard, removing and damaging the original stain.
I then sprayed on LA's Totally Awesome Cleaner, let it sit a few seconds then scrubbed off what I could. I repeated this process two or three times until the ink was completely removed.
Once the cabinet was clean and dry, I went over the entire card catalog with Howard's Restore-A-Finish in Walnut. This product is like a miracle drug for wood. It completely revives dry and damaged wood in seconds.
I finished off the card catalog by adding four black triangle furniture feet to give the cabinet a little height and a more finished look.
This beautiful restored antique card catalog (and all the decor and plants in the pictures!) will eventually end up in my new office and I can not wait!
I love that this antique 15-drawer oak card catalog has an updated vintage-industrial look without losing all its beautiful original character!
Wow! What a difference a little time and elbow grease can make! I love the addition of the feet - they look very modern ( and make it easy to hoover up the dust bunnies)
ReplyDeleteLooks great! I'm so glad you kept the original finish.
ReplyDeleteWow! I never knew you could use Awesome on wood! Totally agree on the Restore-A-Finish it's a miracle product. I finally found my own card catalog last year and I love it so much.
ReplyDeleteIt looks so good now! I just got hold of a small one and have been debating what to do with it. This is the perfect look.
ReplyDeletegorgeous!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely makeover. Nothing beats natural wood and great patina. So glad you didn’t paint this beautiful cabinet turquoise or teal!
ReplyDelete