DIY Lemon-Coconut Oil Natural Wood Restorer

Welcome to the first installment of Frugal Homemade!

Today I am bringing you DIY Lemon-Coconut Oil wood restorer, which I created to make my abused antique table look better without spending a bunch of money, stinking up the house, or using a product I am not familiar with and risking damage to the old table which we are quite fond of.

Our natural cherry Harden dining table is about 80 years old and we’ve had it for eight. I am not sure how it was treated in its previous homes, and it was not perfect when we got it, but it has been abused in the second half of the time we’ve owned it. This is mainly due to the smallest member of the family, who happens to be four. Lately the dryness, from cleaning as well as sunshine, has been bothering me. After a bit of digging, I came up with this concoction and am very happy with the results.

This is natural wood, so it is not sealed, just oiled or waxed to bring out the color. As it is cleaned, the oil or wax gradually wears off, making it look bad and dry out more. The right side above is dried out slightly less than it appears in the picture, the extra lightness being due to the sun shining in the window. We don’t really go for table cloths, but believe it or not, we do use place mats. But the range of a toddler at the table, as it turns out, is well beyond the dimensions of any mat. And of course it got this way gradually so it was hard to really see what was happening before it was too late.

I decided on these ingredients, mostly because I had them on hand. I needed to use up the little bit in this tub of coconut oil that has been sitting forever since I stopped cloth diapering and making wipes solution with it. It also seemed like the richness of it was just what the table needed. From what I have read, people have had success with all kinds of oil, from canola to olive, so this definitely isn’t the only option. But coconut oil has tons of uses, so it isn’t a bad thing to have around the house. The LouAna I had was inexpensive and sold at most grocery stores (and I have noticed it on sale at the Centrella stores a lot lately). Additionally, Amazon is a great place for high quality coconut oil. Right now, you can get a two pack of 15 oz jars of Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin coconut oil for under $16, even less if you do Subscribe & Save. Vinegar is a common choice for cleaning-type applications, so I thought it would be a safe bet here, and added lemon juice because it is also a good cleaner, but also for the lovely scent.

I went with 2 parts oil to 1 part each lemon juice and vinegar. Add that to a sealable container and shake it until emulsified. Pour some of the mixture onto a soft cloth and rub into the wood. It is a good idea to follow the grain, most importantly as you finish treating it.

It still isn’t perfect, partially because it could probably use another treatment, and partially because of the previously existing imperfections. But I am so happy with how this table is looking as an octogenarian after having a rough stretch of years.

Be sure to check back each week for something new! I will be bringing you how-tos, advice, and articles on everything pertaining to easy frugal living: From DIY, to recipes, to practical tips and tricks. To help balance out the couponing and deal chasing we do a lot of here, I’ll talk about easy ways to incorporate frugality into everyday life and to do more from scratch.