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DIY: Reviving an Antique Wooden Box

By Amy

Restoring luster to an old wooden box

I recently acquired this wooden box at an estate sale.

Box before

While I love its size –

just right for hanging on the wall to display pretty things,

it had lost its initial luster.

It was super easy to revive the box; less than an hour’s laboring.

Here’s how I restored the antique wooden box’s original beauty.

supplies for restoring antique wooden box

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Supplies Used: 

  • Murphy’s Oil Soap
  • Johnson’s Paste Wax
  • Minwax Paste Finishing Wax – Special Dark
  • Rubber gloves
  • Soft cotton lint-free rags – I use old t-shirts cut up

First, mix up some Murphy’s Oil Soap

according to the instructions on the bottle.

And wash the box, getting all of the old grunge off.

Allow it to dry good, probably overnight before proceeding.

Applying wax to the wooden box

After the wooden box is dry, apply the Johnson’s Paste Wax

to the box using a soft cloth and following the label instructions.

Be sure to rub with the grain of the wood on the box.

Wax on the box

Do this all over on one side.

After the wax has dried to a haze,

buff the wax with a clean, soft cloth.

Buffing the Box with a soft cloth

Allow it to dry before turning over and repeating on the other side.

I have tried to rush this process and ended up with marks

on the underside where the wax hardened

while pressed up against my holey table.

Don’t do that.  It isn’t pretty!

After it is dry, asses the box.

If you are happy with the way it looks, you are finished!

I wanted my box to be a little darker.

Box after first waxing

So, I repeated the above waxing process

with Minwax Paste Finishing Wax – Special Dark.

Special Dark Minwax

Minwax

Yes, I could have just used the colored wax first,

but I think it soaks in too much on the old dry wood

creating a super-dark appearance.

If you want your box really dark,

you could simply skip the clear Johnson’s Paste wax step.

Here’s the box with the left half waxed with the Minwax special dark 

and the right side with just Johnson’s Paste wax

 so you can see the difference the dark wax makes.

Box half waxed second time

Here’s the finished box!

Box after it has been waxed

It really is that easy to revitalize an antique wooden box!

Blessings~
Amy

Be sure to Pin this for later!

Reviving an old wooden box

Filed Under: Home Decor, Primitive Crafts, Tutorials

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About Me

Our small farm is nestled amongst the Amish. We have a few cows, some sheep, a labradoodle, one calico cat, and lots of wide open spaces for our children to roam. I enjoy making primitive needle punch, wool creations, and learning how to spin the wool from our sheep. Read more...

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How to Punch Needle
DIY Primitive wax bunnies
Punch Needle Garden Scenes
Primitive Fence Tutorial
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