I know this is oddly specific, polishing hardware on mid-century modern side tables, but trust me you can apply this to all hardware on any of your furniture! We found these matching side tables at Fleaesta – well my husband did. I was at home by the time he ran across them and we were on the fence. Well, I was because I wanted to see them in person. But he’s got great taste so he picked them up anyways.
Once they got home I noticed the oversized screw caps and wondered if they were brass. So I unscrewed them and saw that they were indeed brass! Since the tables are very basic, I thought a pop of brass color is just what this mid century modern side tables needed.
Before I started polishing the hardware though, I gave the white top and good scrubbing with a magic eraser and the tops looked as good as new. Please remember guys, magic erasers are seriously just that – magic. The hype is real.
Next up is the screws. I find it interesting that for all the thrifting I’ve done and all the old stuff I have, I’ve never polished anything! I guess I just really like the patina on everything. After all, old is my thing.
Oddly enough, I had been hearing so much about Bar Keepers Friend and how mazing it is to polish anything old so I knew where to start. So with $1.99, a rag and some water, I got to work. Let’s take a look at the screws before.
When using Bar Keepers Friend, I suggest you head outside. It can get a little messy and wet. To start I wet the rag, just to make it damp. Then sprinkled some Bar Keepers Friend on the rag and started polishing the screw. This does take some patience and elbow grease, depending on the amount of patina, but the end result is worth it. Slowly, but surely, the tarnish melted away and this gorgeous brass, almost rose gold glow, came through. Look at the difference!
I know in the first picture it looks a little underwhelming, but the below picture really does the before and after justice!
Now on to the legs. You’ll do the exact same thing you did before and wet the rag, put the Bar Keeper Friend on it and polish. However, I starting polishing one leg and noticed it taking off some of the wood finish. So for the rest I put painters tape around the wood to make sure that doesn’t strip the finish. The before and after here won’t blow you mind, since they’re just silver metal leg knubs, but I’m still happy I did it. Let’s take a look at the before legs.
And here is the after.
Obviously, the top screws are the vast improvement. The legs are kind of a boring upgrade but now the tables look all kinds of spiffy and clean.
I would highly recommend breathing some new life into any furniture hardware you might have. Polishing with Bar Keepers Friend does take time but it certainly works! I’m so happy with the finished product.
How to
Polish Hardware on Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Supplies
- Bar Keepers Friend
- Water
- Rag
- Painters tape
Instructions
- Clean the screws and legs down with a little water and a rag. Let dry completely.
- Unscrew the screws from the legs.
- Wet a rag with water, a little more than slightly damp, pour the Bar Keepers Friend onto the rag and scrub the screw.
- This does take some elbow grease but not much since they’re so small and not intricate.
- Rinse well with water and dry off with a clean, dry rag.
- For the legs I placed the painters tape just above the legs where the metal and wood meet to prevent the wood finish from being stripped.
- Do as above: wet the rag with water, a little more than slightly damp, pour the Bar Keepers Friend onto the rag leg ends and scrub.
- Rinse well with water and dry off with a clean, dry rag.
- Assemble table back together.
