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Home » Home

Simple and Cheap Homemade Method to Refinish Wooden Furniture

Modified: Jun 10, 2015 by Vanessa Goodpaster-Beaty · This post may contain affiliate links · 19 Comments

Simple and Cheap Homemade Method to Refinish Wooden Furniture

Ok, so hitting a good yard sale or flea market and finding great old furniture is such fun. The problem however, is in refinishing that furniture. You certainly don’t want to get an old dresser for a steal and then spend a fortune having it redone. A better way? Why, the DIY way of course. This quick trick comes from the Lily and Thristie from http://lilyandthistle.blogspot.com.

What you need is:

  • Olive or Vegetable Oil – About ¾ cup
  • White or Apple Cider Vinegar – About ¼ cup

Just mix together and dip a rag into the mixture. Then, just wipe your furniture down with it. This will completely eliminate those nips and make the furniture look nearly new again. And, because the vinegar and oil are not bad for the furniture, you can wipe it down as often as you like. If you have old coffee tables or any other furniture at home that needs a little pick me up, this is a great way to give it a new look again. It makes it very shiny and well-polished and not at all like something that you picked up for pennies at a yard sale.

 

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  1. Eric Werner

    June 18, 2015 at 9:59 pm

    As a professional refinisher in business for 30 years, I would not recommend continually doing this for several reasons. Although it does cover up scratches temporarily, It helps the rest of the finish to separate from the wood doing more damage. Also, the veg. oil is not a drying oil so it stays stick and collects dust for years. Down the road the the oil that has been absorbed into the bare wood will not allow correct refinishing with out it's removal. You would be much better off learning how to correctly apply Tung Oil, a true re-finishing of the bare wood.

    Reply
    • Harpy

      July 21, 2015 at 11:56 pm

      Thank you. Oil and vinegar are for salads. If you're going to DIY it, use the proper materials.

      Reply
      • Major moves inc.

        February 09, 2019 at 1:56 pm

        Both of you smartass need to make your own blog page if two know so much, shes only sharing whats she knows.nobody was talking bout salads, you should have read the title before you kept reading Einstein. P.s. keep on aharing the good knowlegde Ms. .

        Reply
        • Anonymous

          March 24, 2019 at 11:12 am

          You are criticising someone who knows more than you. Sit down before you hurt yourself.

          Reply
    • Barb c

      February 09, 2016 at 4:09 am

      I have always used Tung Oil on wood. It puts the moisture back into the wood as well as preserving the look of the wood. A KEEPER THE TUNG OIL ,!!!

      Reply
    • PJ

      August 27, 2016 at 1:47 pm

      I agree about not using this method. I did this and my wood got sticky over a period of time. I had to use another product to get the greasy feel off the wood. Pam

      Reply
      • Sarah

        May 24, 2020 at 6:37 pm

        What did you remove the oily residue with? I wish I hadn’t done this now 😬

        Reply
        • Angie

          December 27, 2022 at 6:14 pm

          Live and learn right- I have 2 small dogs after one week there was hair stuck in it ( yes I vacuum weekly sometimes daily) - I used old tee shirt rag and 90% rubbing alcohol - it took it all off - I used old English that matched my furniture (one dark one red oil so way lighter) and a clean Tee shirt rag. All good to go

          Reply
    • Tanya

      September 28, 2022 at 2:08 am

      How would you get white marks out of a coffee table? Would love to know ...Thank so much in advance

      Reply
      • Carrie

        November 17, 2022 at 6:13 am

        You can try rubbing alcohol just where the marks are.

        Reply
  2. dagmar Dlouhy

    July 06, 2015 at 7:07 pm

    It doesn't work! It's like spilling some salad dressing on your furniture. Smells good, that about all it does.

    Reply
  3. Casey

    October 28, 2015 at 1:40 am

    I tried it on my dining room table and it worked great !. I might not use it on everything but for my table it was perfect solution.

    Reply
  4. Sybinta

    November 19, 2015 at 2:55 pm

    I just did this for my fish tank stand and hood. As they were not treated with anything yet it turned out wonderful and shiny!! I used canola oil. It does not feel sticky, instead it is smooth, glossy and a lovely tan/orange color!! Not sure how well it would work for something already finished, but it worked great for my tank stand and hood!

    Reply
  5. sandra

    December 11, 2016 at 8:20 pm

    Used this method on wood dresser cabinet I was thinking of getting rid of it. Now it's in my living room it turned out so well. I also used this on a very old bookcase that's been in my attic since a friend gave it to me yrs ago WOW
    water stains and all are gone it looks awesome it's in dining room now. Used this on cabinet quite a few yrs ago still looks great

    Reply
  6. sue

    November 25, 2021 at 11:58 am

    It'll be fine for awhile, but eventually it will not be so fine. Surely everyone has had vegetable oil go bad, yes? Sticky, stinky stuff.....and now it's on your furniture. BUT, for a quick, easy, temporary spruce-up, it sounds like a winner!

    Reply
    • Marsha

      April 29, 2022 at 2:23 pm

      I have used this recipe 20+ times.,for 10+ years. Works great and ALL furniture looks good, with No long term negative effects. As long as you wipe off after, not a dust magnet.

      Reply
  7. Anonymous

    May 26, 2022 at 11:37 pm

    beeswax is another great product!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 13 DIY Home Repairs You Can't Afford To Miss Out On - Craftsonfire says:
    September 21, 2019 at 6:48 pm

    […] Diy tutorial via diyncrafts […]

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  2. 35 Furniture Refinishing Tips says:
    June 3, 2020 at 3:52 pm

    […] diyncrafts […]

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