Turns out you can transform your furniture hardware by doing one simple thing...its called cleaning!
Not to be a smart ass, but seriously, let's think about the years of grime on these handles! This furniture is old as hell. The set belonged to my grandparents and story has it that they brought these over on the mother ship to the US all the way from Italy in the early 1900's.
Cute right? They have that Art Deco feel to them.
If you think your furniture hardware is made of brass, you can clean them with a few items you may already have in your home. White vinegar and fine grit steel wool is an excellent cleaner. I used a toothbrush to get into the grooves. It is advisable to wear gloves. You don't want the years of grime messing staining your fingers and also...vinegar is not a smell you want on your hands either.
The process of scrubbing the hardware can take some time. The more scrubbing I did, the more I questioned whether or not the hardware was actually brass. It looked like I was taking off some of the finish. Either way, it was a much needed improvement and I love the way they turned out!
Cool thing I never knew is that the hardware came in three pieces.
I also wanted to improve the finish of the veneer. I really dislike veneer. It chips away over time, stains easily and really shows it age. I love real wood because you can sand it. I have removed veneer from furniture pieces in the past and have just refinished the wood layer underneath. However, these pieces have such a cool variated veneer finish that it would be a shame to remove it...even though it looks a bit like garbage.
I gave it a good cleaning (which did nothing visually) and then polished it with Restore a finish. It is a simple way to reduce the look of imperfections in furniture pieces that you don't want to refinish.
So, what do you think?
I'm pretty happy with the results...now I only have to finish two more dressers....and 16 more handles!!!
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