OOOH am I glad I found this site. I bought an entire bedroom set at an auction for $35 (included a head/foot board, tall dresser, and mirrored dresser). I found it last year and bought it because I liked the mirrored dresser and plan to use it in my bathroom. I have a coworker that used a small dresser for a vanity in her bathroom and I loved it. On the one I bought, the mirror has the middle section with two narrower side panels to it and all are surrounded with wood and I plan to mount this to the wall over the dresser. I have not yet decided what to do with the top - use a whole new countertop or have a sink dropped into the existing top. My question here is this: the wood is already stained dark and I like it but, since will be exposed to water and steam, should I somehow seal it? My friend painted hers so that sealed the wood. This is an older piece (1930's maybe at the latest) and I want to make sure it's sealed against swelling. Do I use regular varnish, marine varnish? And will this extra layer make the drawers tighter and harder to close? I know about making room for the plumbing but I have not seen any discussion about protecting the wood from the dampness. Any help and thoughts would help. Thanks, Colleen

Cleaning antique furniture presents its own special considerations. The finishes on antique wood furniture are quite different than those on modern pieces. Care needs to be taken not to damage these lovely heirlooms or unique shopping finds. I don't like Murphy's much. I prefer the orange oil, but I also seen somewhere to give wood furniture a face lift you can use very thick instant coffee! Just make a sort of paste out of it put it on with a clean soft cloth then wipe it in like you would a stain. Then afterward treat with mineral oil. The piece that they did this to looked amazing afterward! Greets!

Good idea having the charity box going. for example, even one funnel is enough instead of having different sizes etc. so you might keep one and get rid of the rest. I also noticed you have two sets of measuring spoons and measuring cups so maybe keep one set of each and get rid of the spare set? This is what I've done and it has made life so much easier in the kitchen. If you're unsure, put the things you think you dont need in the goodwill box and keep adding to it, dont look in there and if after a couple of months you find you dont need to retrieve anything, you dont need it. I have my keyholder just on the side of an overhead cupboard near the kitchen entrance, because I find that when I go out or come back home I always end up in the kitchen anyway and if you come in with bags of shopping it's too much hassle to try and hang the keys until I put the shopping bags etc down which is in the kitchen. Also think about if you need the keys to lock deadlocks before you leave home, it might be a pain to have to get the keys from the mudroom first to lock up. my keyholder is jsut an mdf one which didnt cost much from a craft store, then i got some brass hooks from the hardware, painted it and put the hooks in before screwing to the side of a cupboard. It doesnt take up any space at all but I dont waste time looking around for my keys now which is such a time saver :) spare keys, we have lots of duplicates and I keep them in a container locked away so that if we get broken into the thieves wont find a set of keys lying around, which would mean getting all the locks changed and they could get hold of spare car keys so I dont keep those in the kitchen, they're too easy to find. I think the pot holders might get a bit greasy above the stove/in the range hood but if you have anywhere in the kitchen to fit a hook to the side of a cupboard or a wall they dont take up much space there and should be fine. you only use them once a day normally when making dinner. If you dont use the tile ones anymore then could you get rid of them? or you could put rings back on them (Im sure you could find something suitable at a hardware store) and then you could hang them on the walls for decoration or occasional use?

I'd love to see a picture....I suspect it's an Empire style dresser from about 1830 to 1850... The chest that I have that my great great grandfather made has a similar problem....and sometime someons put brass headed thumb tacks on the drawer sides where it slid on the body of the chest. Also, mine is so worn sown on the slider part that the 1/16 inch of the thumb tack helps it fit. Closed there is a 1/3 inch gap at the top of the drawer. Also, the thing in the center of the drawer that is supposed to glide between to pieces of wood on the chest itself....perhaps they are out of alignment. And the old solution was either parrafin, candlewax or soap. As how to combat the jumble....hmmm...mine now holds family pictures, but growing up it was the hat, scarf, mittens and a shawl to wrap up in while watching TV.... But how about purses/ Sweat shirts....or even extra linens....and use your linen closet for folded sweaters.