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Got this from my parents and I know it has been refinished at least once before. You can see it does have some damage on the front of the leg that needs fixed. Don't know if it's worth anything, but would like to refinish it one day. How would you refinish it...a distressed paint? stain? I just don't want to mess it's value up, if it is worth something besides emotional attachment. Thanks

Start with the least invasive products. Give it a good cleaning so you can see which areas are the most in need of repair. Try Restore a Finish in a color that most closely resembles the wood. Buff it out well and I think you will be pleased with the results. It is a very handsome piece.

Gorgeous piece. Definitely Restor-A-Finish and wax it.

Enjoy it and be sure to let us see the after pictures.

It has such a pretty grain on its veneer that I would not paint or stain, but as others suggest, give it a good cleaning.

OK - Just replied and it was held up by a tri**er word, so I'll try again, and apologize if my other one shows up as a duplicate.

My first reaction was "Oh no, don't paint it!" but I figured I would be in the minority, so I'm happy to see that so far I'm not!

Oh, I hope you don't paint it! The wood is beautiful and looks to me like it just needs some TLC. Try Howard's RAF, it is a miracle in a can!

I agree, clean up, wax and enjoy the grain! They do sell Carnauba wax with a color added so you can cover scratches with it as you add the wax finish.

A Definite Winner!!!

First clean it well with 0000 Steel wool and mineral spirits. (0000 is pronounced 4 aught) Do not substitute for that size of steel wool. It is the finest, least abrasive of the steel wool.

Wipe up old wax with a clean cloth.

After this step, you apply Howard's Restore A Finish which you can buy at Home Depot or Lowe's. Look for the proper color. The color looks like Mahogany to me.

After you apply the RAF, then apply several thin coats of a high quality paste wax. Magnaverde recommends Butcher's. Buffing like mad between the coats of the wax.

You will be absolutely AMAZED at the difference.

Do you have the pulls for the drawers? If not, I'll bet you can have some made to match the ones on the bottom drawer OR buy some period pulls from an antique store.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Love, Lu,

Love Lu,
I have used Howard's Restore A Finish, and it is amazing stuff!

I think the color is Old English, Mahogany can have reds in it. But be sure to try it out on the back first to make sure you have the color you want.

Found definition online:
"Butcher's Wax is a brand of paste wax, primarily carnauba wax, which, when dried, leaves a hard shiny coating of wax that is fantastic for many uses"

I use the Briwax brand, but there are good choices sold locally at the HD and Lowe's type stores.

Also take out the drawers and sand a bit on the runners, they will move a bit easier, hope yours open better than mine did when I had a piece like this.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mary Ruth,

Its so difficult to tell from a picture but the buffet looks like it is made of Crotch Mahogany to me. And yes, mahogany does have some red in it it but not like the cheap refinishing job that one often sees. High quality mahogany is a deeper color and not a bright red tone like cherry.

Never have heard of Old English color in Howard's Restore a Finish. I'll have to look for it. I have a lot of mahogany furniture. I just went and looked at the can of Howard's RAF that I use. It just says "mahogany" color on it. Nothing else.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Love, Lu,

Love, Lu,
Oh you were referring to Howard's mahogany color stain, that makes sense, I must have read your post too fast! lol Thanks for clarifying!

I think this piece is fairly good condition so it should come out beautifully!

I am thinking this is Tiger Oak, I had a buffet once of Tiger Oak and this is similar.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mary Ruth,

Great advice already. Just wanted to say that it is a beautiful piece.

MR.......I was thinking it was tiger oak because of the style of the piece but the color looks more like mahogany to me. Monitors and pictures can distort things so much.

And then I looked at the grain on the doors and I thought maybe crotch mahogany. I guess MountainBeach is just going to have to figure out what kind of wood it is by matching the Howard's Restore-A-Finish to the color that's on it to figure out if its Oak or Mahogany.

I'm surprised with all the tiger oak and crotch mahogany I own that I can't be more sure. Guess I'm getting ditzy in my old age.

Whatever the case, MountainBeach is going to have a beautiful antique once she gets it cleans and waxed.

So hard to tell on monitors is right! I look at some of my old photos I used to post, and with my new flat screen monitor, my old photos are pinkish! YUCK, I actually posted those before?

You and I can be ditzy together!