Category Archives: Clear Lacquer Finish

Repurposing Barnwood to Make a Coat Rack

Pile of Reclaimed Barnwood

When I spotted this crate brimming with short pieces of barnboards, I knew I could come up with a project for them. After also finding some hooks at the same salvage warehouse, I decided to make a coatrack for our downstairs “mudroom.”

Tools Needed:

Making Those Missing Shelves

You may recall that I recently transformed a discarded 1990s microwave cart into this rolling serving center. However, each time I looked at the inside of the doors all I could see was the opportunity to add a pair of shelves to them.

So, I picked up some half-inch thick oak boards
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A Rolling Holiday Serving Cart

The holidays are always a time for parties, so when I took a closer look at this 1990s rolling microwave cart Leigh Ann had been using to pot plants in our garage, I got an idea.

All it had was a thin natural finish over the birch boards, so a light sanding with #150-grit sandpaper
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An Antique Mirror Restoration Made Simple

1. Before

While it may not look so bad from a distance, this 1950s maple mirror had originally been finished with lacquer, a popular finish for mid-century furniture. Unfortunately, this early version of lacquer tended to develop tiny cracks and blemishes over time. Fortunately for us, they
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