Tag Archives: Minwax

Anybody who is into mid-century furnishings knows Heywood-Wakefield. They have been in business since before the turn of the century. Their design and quality is unmistakable. Recently we were able to piece together a living room table set off of Craigslist. We had to drive all over the central valley and the bay to acquire all four pieces. We ended up finding two matching end tables, “lazy susan” coffee table & also a corner table. As is normal for original used Heywood-Wakefield pieces the finish was peeling and there were stains on the surface. This did not concern me because I knew that they were made of solid wood. I could sand off any imperfections and it will look like new. My intention was to sand all pieces and then stain them with Minwax “Ipswich Pine” stain. After I had applied a few coats and they had dried I then used a spray on polyurethane with a semi-gloss finish. Once the polyurethane had dried I light sanded and then applied another coat. I did this about 3 times. Since I do not have a paint booth it is nearly impossible to get a perfect finish. Not to worry, all you need is some “0000” steel wool. I then took some car wax and applied a good amount to the steel wool and began to rub in the direction of the wood grain. I let it dry then buffed it off. The finish was nice and smooth and the semi gloss finish compliments these pieces well. Here are some pictures of the process and how it turned out.

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