Do you have old wood that needs a makeover? Here’s how to brighten old wood and bring it back to life with this secret.
Does this sound familiar?
Remember my huge yard sale haul, where I brought home the entire cigar box population of North Texas with these picnic baskets.
This picnic basket has it all – it’s big and extra picnic-like with wooden handles and woven wood.
They are almost perfect…
….except for one thing.
Finish this.
Look how rough it is.
I love a vintage patina, but I don’t like a dried out, tired looking finish that looks dusty.
But don’t worry.
I have a secret that completely transformed this picnic basket.
All you need is this.
// The secret oil //
It’s called Boos Lock Mystery Oil.
I did some research on how to make the wood glow again without resurfacing it. I wanted to make sure the basket’s patina stayed (because it’s so pretty). I just wanted the wood to shine.
This oil was the answer. It is designed to prevent drying, splitting and cracking. Mystery Oil is made from natural white mineral oil and beeswax and is said to be safe for food surfaces.
There is also Boos board cream It’s pretty dry if you have wood (it’s also a little more affordable).
So did it work?
Wait till you see the results.
Here is the first.
// The secret oil //
And here’s the after.
Wait….what?
Please scroll up and watch first, and then scroll down and watch later.
// The secret oil //
The application is very simple. They sell applicators for the oil, but I just used a microfiber cloth.
I just applied a generous amount of oil (you can already see the difference in this picture).
I rubbed it all over the picnic basket and let it sit overnight, and then rubbed off the excess so it wouldn’t soak into the wood.
And now?
Wait until you see the picnic baskets (and where I decorated with them).
I added baskets to the bottom of the scalloped table.
(Total aside: you You can see how we added scallops to this table here).
Adding them under a scalloped table is the perfect way to add some extra storage to an entryway.
And look how fresh the baskets look. They literally glow and now look very fancy and healthy.
Speaking of sparkling? This is my favorite time of day to take pictures in the entryway as the sunlight shines through the windows on the back side of the house. Sunlight dances across the back entryway and creates tiny rainbows all over the walls and paneling.
Can you see them dancing in this picture?
But wait.
There are more.
I also used the oil on the cigar box, and look how beautiful the wood looks now.
Here are some other ideas the company suggests for using this mystery oil:
- Butcher block kitchen island
- Cutting board
- Countertops
- wooden utensils
Many projects. Many wood surfaces that can be refinished and polished without disturbing the original patina.
Also—in random, unrelated wood-shining news, my husband was growing lavender in the back yard garden.
He picked this up for me and brought it in.
I’m thinking about drying it because I love the scent of lavender.
Have you ever tried drying lavender? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Who knew a thrift store search could look like this?
Maybe they were so affordable because the picnic baskets looked like they had seen better days.
But now?
They sparkle and shine, and they look like supermodels.
I love a good before and after (and this was one of the best). 🙂
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