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Lighten Up Dark Furniture Finish

Light woods, often referred to as scrubbed, pickled or bleached pine are used to decorate with a country feeling. If you're tired of your dark wooden furniture but can't afford new pieces, it's easy to lighten what you have.

Finish Remover Tips
Removal of old finishes may require a liquid stripper, available at most paint or hardware stores. Remove hardware from doors and drawers, and cover up areas not to be stripped. Always wear rubber gloves and work in a well ventilated area.

Hard To Reach Places
Using a wire brush helps to remove old finishes from hard to reach areas and open grain woods.

Bleaching
To restore the natural color of wood turned dark by age mix equal amounts of household bleach and water. Apply this to the wood until the desired color is restored. After bleaching, rinse the wood surface with plain water and allow to dry thoroughly.

Finished Naturally
Be sure the wood is dry and smoothly sanded before applying a finish. Watco Danish Oil Finish gives a natural, hand rubbed look and penetrates deeply into the wood pores to protect the furniture. No refinishing and no resanding are required. This finish comes in natural and light colors such as golden oak, light walnut, fruitwood.

In A Pickle
Pickling is a good way to conceal the natural yellow tint of new pine. This look can be achieved with wood stains that come in a variety of tinted pastel shades. For a do-it-yourself mix, thin white enamel paint slightly with mineral spirits and brush it on raw wood. Immediately wipe it off with a clean cloth leaving a white glaze over the entire surface.

The Naked Truth
If you find that your piece, once stripped has a warm, soft color, the kind that mellows with age, rub the surface with very fine steel wool, then coat with furniture paste wax. Let dry and buff for a soft sheen.

Baskets and Wicker
Bleaching or pickling lighten baskets and wicker as well. To lighten a dark pine basket for example, simply soak for l5 minutes in a solution of equal parts household bleach and water. Baskets of willow or vines take on a new look when bleached and you might also try bleaching pine cones for an arrangement.

Copyright Leslie Linsley, author Reprinted with permission, HouseNet, Inc.

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