How to Restore Worn Wood Furniture {NO Sanding or Painting!}

You don’t need to stain or paint worn out furniture to give it new life!

Sometimes you don’t want to do ALL the work on old or distressed
furniture…sanding and then staining or painting it can take quite a bit of
time and effort. 

If you have an old piece of furniture that needs some love, these tips will
refresh your piece with way less work! 

First, the reason for this makeover. For years now, we’ve had the Everett
table in our entryway: 

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This table is great for a foyer or behind a sofa — it’s loooong and skinny,
so doesn’t take up valuable walking space: 

I added the cute labeled drawer pulls to the front when I bought it. It’s a
nice little custom detail. 

I’ve always loved this table, but for the past year or two I’ve been wanting
to transition some of the farmhouse-style pieces we have in the house. I’ve
never went all in on the farmhouse style, but I definitely dabbled in
it! 🙂

For a few weeks I searched Facebook Marketplace for a dresser or credenza
that would work in this spot, but I didn’t find the perfect piece. 

I was sitting and thinking one day (as one does), and started considering
the dressers we already have in the house. That’s when I realized the
vintage dresser in our son’s room would be perfect!: 

I found it on Craigslist about 15 years ago when I created
his “big boy” room
at our old house. 

Since then, the drawers were busting with his clothes (that have dared to
get bigger over the years), so it wasn’t a great storage solution for him
anyway. 

Thankfully we had a more modern looking Ikea dresser (with bigger
drawers!) in his closet that he likes better. 

So a few days after Christmas, we carried this heavy dresser downstairs to
the foyer…and I immediately fell in love!

It just needed a little love — the dresser was a little worn out, but I
didn’t want to do a huge makeover. There are so many ways to rejuvenate an
old furniture piece with sanding and staining!

Step one: Replace or rejuvenate hardware

This time, I loved the brass knobs and pulls on the dresser, but they were
so dark and from the patina over the years: 

I have no idea how old this dresser is, but I’m guessing at least 40 years
or so. And I’m guessing the brass hadn’t been cleaned once in all that time.
😮

The grime that came off was truly disgusting. I was so grossed out we had
been handling these for 15 years: 

I couldn’t believe how beautiful they were after cleaning: 

Cleaning brass has become one of my favorite DIY projects — it is so
satisfying to see that pretty brass tone come through again! 

I know many prefer a darker patina on their brass decor, but I LOVE seeing
that brighter, clean look. You can see so much more detail and really
appreciate the intricacies of the hardware when it’s cleaned up. 

Step two: Clean the crevices

You’ll be surprised at what a good cleaning will do for an older piece of
furniture. I’m not just talking about the surfaces that we always wipe down
with general cleaning. 

This step is especially worthwhile if you have a vintage piece like mine, or a
hand me down that may not have had a deep clean in a while. 

I grabbed a small bowl and mixed some warm water with a few squirts of dish
soap to clean the dresser. An old soft toothbrush is great for hard-to-reach
spots: 

Your wood furniture will be fine with water, just rinse and dry it off well
after cleaning:

If your furniture is made of MDF, I would not risk cleaning with this method,
as any water that gets into crevices can make the material swell up. 

I also used a soapy rag to wipe down the drawer fronts and sides of the
dresser. 

Step three: Fill in scratches and dents

This one step will make a huge difference if your furniture has a lot
of wear and tear! 

There are also stain markers that will hide any scratches, but I find a
regular Sharpie works just as well (if the stain is a medium to dark
wood). 

I don’t mind a “loved” look on our furniture, especially vintage items like
this dresser. But when you can clean up some of those imperfections, it kind
of calms down the piece and lets the other parts like beautiful trim or shiny
new hardware become the focal point. 

Step four: Condition and polish wood

The top of this dresser has always been the worst — there’s definitely some
wear and tear. One area has some water spots and some of the finish/stain is
worn:

I really didn’t want to take on the whole process of sanding the top and
restaining it (although I will someday).

Sometimes worn out wood just needs some moisture…this conditioner
rejuvenates those dry spots and gives them new life. 

I used a microfiber rag to saturate the top with the polish: 

Wipe it on and then let it sit for about 15-20 minutes before buffing out any
excess.

It’s helpful to use a light source to see where there are still dry spots that
need more conditioner. You may need a few coats, just let them dry fully in
between. 

This conditioner evens out the finish and moisturizes the dry areas, making
them look more uniform:

The final result

After all was said and done, these easy fixes made a HUGE difference! The
newly cleaned brass knobs and pulls have become the star of this
dresser: 

They completely transformed it! With the dark patina before, you barely
noticed the hardware. I still do a double take when I walk by, the change is
so significant. 

You will not regret cleaning up your brass items! 🙂 

I am absolutely in LOVE with the character this old Drexel dresser brings to
our entryway! It is exactly what I envisioned, and it was right here in our
house the whole time:

The Everett table always stressed me out to decorate. 😂 Once I found a look I
liked, it stayed that way all year (till the holidays): 

This gorgeous dresser feels so much more substantial and is much easier to
accessorize: 

Man, I wish I would have taken a better before picture! 

I swapped out the black lamp we’ve had on the long table with this vintage
brass lamp I’ve had in our basement. 

The lamp is one of my all time favorite thrifted finds and I love it
here. The brass plays so perfectly with the refreshed hardware:

While I was cleaning the dresser, I noticed it had brass feet! They were so
dirty, I had no idea. 

I cleaned them up with the same method as the hardware: 

That little detail adds so much character to this dresser: 

It just took a little sweat equity, I had everything I needed to give this
dresser new life: 

I’m so, so thrilled with it. What a treasure! 

If you have wood furniture, taking the time to clean it up can make all the
difference.