As you all know, it’s not beneath me to stop and pick up a piece of furniture that was put to the curb by someone else. Some of my favorite projects have come from the curb, and although Sean shakes his head when I bring home the tattered and worn, he always appreciates my end result.
To my surprise, a couple weeks ago Sean actually shopped the curb.
In NYC.
He was on his way to his car after work and there on the sidewalk by his passenger side door was a worn and scratched up leather bench. After some serious maneuvering to fit this thing in his small compact car, he was off and bringing this leather bench home. A perfect piece that needed to be fed again.
After walking around the bench like a bird of prey, I planned out my refinishing plan. The bad paint job on the legs was the first point of attack. The paint was chipping and was a finish that really cheapened the bench. I sanded all that off, and turned my attention to the leather top.
The leather was scratched and in bad need of conditioning. There were so many scratches, that I knew that I needed more than leather conditioner to treat and refinish the top. My solution turned out to be an easy one.
Shoe polish.
Hey, if it’s good enough for shoes, why couldn’t I use it on a leather bench?! That’s exactly what I did. I used a brown polish and applied with a soft dry cloth. After the polish dried, I brushed the surface just as I would when polishing a shoe.
I then addressed the now bare legs. After looking at dozens of colors of wood stains, I decided on dark walnut. I applied 3 coats of stain, letting each coat dry completely before I applied the next. Once the stain was dried, I applied and buffed a thick coat of polishing wax to seal the wood stain and condition the wood.
Sean and I scoured online to see what the value of the bench was brand new. We found the exact bench online, priced at $499.
My cost: free + elbow grease.
It always pays to shop the curb. If you see something and it has potential, then by all means, pick it up!
Julie says
Wow! It’s gorgeous! I’m so terrible at seeing the potential in something, but I’m hoping to be more aware. Great job on this. Love it!
Candice says
What a great idea! With two big dogs our leather club chairs are looking pretty pathetic. And now a remedy as simple as shoe polish. It’s almost one of those smack your forehead/of course moments.
Grant says
GREAT JOB!!! Leather CPR from Restoration Hardware also works wonders on leather in that condition.
Jean H says
Really looks nice Brooke. And wasn’t it nice of Sean to bring home another project! 😉
Olivia says
Hi Brooke,
What a killer find! Sometimes I miss living in the Lower 48 where treasures and castaways abound on every corner it seems. This project of yours turned out beautifully.
Thank you for joining us at Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop. 🙂
Olivia
Reinvented Collection
Jennifer says
What a great recovery. It’s an awesome piece now. Thanks for sharing with us on Thursday Favorite Things.
Cheers,
Jennifer
https://awellstyledlife.com