When we last left off with our little media cabinet, we had scrubbed away all the grime and removed the musty smell from the drawers with vinegar. We still needed a way to hide the cable box inside a drawer and to seal the wood to lock in the color and shine. We finally finished both tasks, thanks to a bit of technology and some elbow grease. Here’s how we got the cable box off the floor and restored the cabinet.
First, we drilled several large ventilation holes in the back of the top middle drawer and in the back panel of the unit using a 1 3/4″ drill bit. We made matching holes on both the left and right sides of the back of the piece, plus four holes in the back of the drawer itself. The drawer was also open at the top, which allowed heat to escape easily.
After drilling the holes, we placed the cable box in the drawer, connected it, slid the drawer closed, and tested it. The box works perfectly without having to leave the drawer open because we used an IR extender. The extender consists of a small round receiver—about an inch wide—that sits visibly but discreetly on the front of the TV and picks up signals from the remote. A thin cable runs from the receiver back to the cable box inside the drawer. This setup lets us use the remote from the couch while keeping the cable box hidden. It has been just as reliable as pointing the remote directly at the box, and with the vents in place we haven’t had overheating issues even if the drawer stays closed for a long period.
With the cable box situation solved, we moved on to restoring the cabinet’s finish. The piece had been thoroughly cleaned, but the wood looked dry and showed small dings and scratches. We pulled out the drawers and moved them into the sunroom where we had more workspace. For restoration and sealing we used Restore-A-Finish and Howard Feed-N-Wax, two products we’d heard good things about and that work well together.
We started by applying Restore-A-Finish to each drawer and to the cabinet frame using a soft rag, following the product directions. The formula refreshed the wood immediately, evening the tone and moisturizing the surface. The small dings and scratches faded considerably and the overall appearance improved dramatically. For a few deeper chips that Restore-A-Finish couldn’t completely fix, we used a brown marker from our art supplies to blend the damaged spots, then smudged the color slightly with a fingertip to make the chips much less noticeable.
After letting the Restore-A-Finish sit for the recommended time, we applied Howard Feed-N-Wax to seal and protect the wood. Using a clean rag (an old white sock works in a pinch), we rubbed the wax into the drawers and frame, allowed it to soak in for about 30 minutes, and then buffed off the excess. The wax added a soft sheen and a tactile finish that felt smooth and rich to the touch. Sliding the drawers back into place revealed a media cabinet that looked revitalized and far more polished than before.
We’re thrilled with how the cabinet turned out. The total cost for the piece itself was modest and it had sat at the thrift store long enough to be marked down, which made the find even sweeter. The improvements we made—ventilation for the electronics, an IR extender to control the cable box from a closed drawer, and careful restoration and waxing—gave new life to the unit without drastic alterations.
If you’re considering a similar project, these are the key takeaways: add ventilation if you’ll enclose electronics, use an IR extender to control hidden devices, apply Restore-A-Finish to even out and deepen wood color, and finish with a good wax to protect and enhance the sheen. Those relatively small steps deliver a durable, attractive result that keeps function and aesthetics in balance.
What projects are you working on for furniture updates? Have you tried an IR extender or used Restore-A-Finish and wax together? It’s a satisfying combination when you want to refresh a piece without stripping it down or replacing parts.