Howard Restor-A-Finish: Review
We have nice solid wood furniture, but several of our pieces are a good 15 years old, and although they are still quality pieces, they are showing their age. I have decided that I am going to fix them up and make them look new, instead of spending hundreds of dollars on new furniture. Of particular interest to me were our coffee and end tables, and our dining room table. All three pieces are made of a light colored oak.
When deciding which products to buy, among the plethora of products flooding the market today, I did some investigating and reading. I spent hours online reading message boards, as well as talking to a friend who makes wood cabinets. One product was consistently making it’s voice heard … Howard Restore-A-Finish.
Description
This comes in a 16 ounce tin can, and the red plastic cap has a child proof lock, although it’s not too difficult for an adult to open, which I greatly appreciated. The Restor-A-Finish product comes in several different shades, but I chose the Golden Oak. The front of the can reads “Restore it – Don’t Strip It”. There is a picture of a table, half of it treated with Restor-A-Finish, the other half untreated, and the difference is amazing. I was skeptical that one product could actually restore my wood to the like new condition pictured on the front of my can, but for $7.00 it was certainly worth a try.
How To Use
Restor-A-Finish is applied with a small pad or cloth, along with super fine (OOOO) steel wool. You don’t pour the product directly onto the wood, but onto your cloth, and you always work the steel wool along the grain of the wood, otherwise you might scratch it. You cover a small area at a time, and then dry with a clean soft cloth.
The manufacturer recommends using a product like Howard Feed-N-Wax afterward to protect and maintain the restored finish. I have used and like both the Restor-A-Finish and the Feed-N-Wax.
Product Claims
* Restores original color and luster in one step
* Eliminates white heat rings
* Removes water marks
* Blends out scratches and blemishes
* Will not dissolve existing finish
My Experience
Restor-A-Finish is marketed as a finish-penetrating formula that restores the original color and luster to the finish while blending out minor scratches and blemishes. Restor-A-Finish claims to permanently eliminate white heat rings, water marks, scratches, color fade, oxidation, and smoke damage.
I had some water marks on my coffee table and scratches on my dining room table. The product worked great on my white water marks and surface scratches, making them blend into the wood rather than standing out and being visible. The deeper scratches on our dining room table were too deep, and this really didn’t cover them up. After using this and the Feed-N-Wax, however, my dining room table does look so much better, and now has the shine that it had when it was new. It had really become quite dull over the years!
The difference this Restor-A-Finish made in my expensive coffee and end tables (for the amount of time, energy and expense that I put into it) is nothing short of amazing! This is a very handy product to have around the home, just be sure and keep it away from children! It is flammable and contains petroleum distillates. It should only be used in areas where there is adequate ventillation, as it does have a strong smell. However it doesn’t linger for more than a couple of hours. (Not like the product that was used on our wood floors that smelled for several days!).
If you want a quick and easy fix for your blemished wood, and you don’t want to take the time and energy to strip it and refinish the wood, I recommend you give Restor-A-Finish a try. You have nothing to lose!
