We bought our house last summer because it has some really lovely features. The hickory floors were clearly laid by hand with love. The cabinets are solid wood. The baseboards are gorgeous. And the family that rebuilt this home clearly loved it. I mean, they loved it A LOT. Like, a lot.
Our bathroom is a good example. 2 adults and 3 boys shared this room, and the vanity clearly received the tactile admiration of the whole family over and over and over again.
Because I’m a little pressed for time these days, AND we’re planning on renovating this bathroom in a couple of months anyway, I just wanted to touch it up, so it looked a little less, well, loved.
I basically followed a lighter version of my desk makeover to clean these up. You’re probably thinking, “If you’re remodeling, why not just refinish or paint it now?” Good question, my savvy reader. It’s because we’re doing a BIG renovation. We may be reusing these cabinets for something else, which means I may end up just sanding off my efforts in a couple of months. So to just be happy with this for the interim, I chose to clean it up, rather than redo it.
- I diluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and wiped everything down with a clean cloth. It was surprisingly not too dirty, but this ensured that I was sealing in only the wood, and not the crud from years of grimy fingers digging for band-aids.
- I let it dry for a few minutes.
- I applied Scott’s Liquid Gold with a soft towel. Just wipe on, and wipe off the excess. Allow to soak in. (Seriously, sponsor me, guys! I love your stuff!)
- Relax. That’s it.
This was just a couple of minutes and it looks like we ACTUALLY love it. It’s not perfect, but the wood is gleaming again, and shows *some* pride in ownership.
Like I said, it’s not perfect, but it’s definitely better. I did this on all our kitchen cabinets (the same kind, less loved, but still in pretty rough shape), and it’s lasted about 6 months. Not bad for a few minutes and a couple of pennies, eh?
What makeover project are you crushing on right now?
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Great and easy fix. Who knew you could make such a difference with so little effort.
Cindy
Thanks, Cindy! It’s not ideal, but a good compromise. What matters is that it’s better than before and it cost basically nothing.:)
Pretty good temporary fix. There are a ton of little things like that that totally bug me. I just painted the underside of a chair. I know it’s barely seen but the little details make me happy!
That’s hilarious! I would do that too–sometimes you gotta do what makes YOU happy, whether it’s logical or not!