New Life Furniture Masque

Yes, I am in love. In love with a furniture polisher/refinisher/conditioner. It's the New Life Furniture Masque and while I'm not sure how to describe exactly what this product is, it works great and it has definitely been saving some of our wood pieces.

A little background on how I discovered this product.

I recently purchased an antique clock (Seth Thomas Sonora chime) for husband as a Christmas present. While I was paying for the clock, the owners of the shop said "let's spruce up the wood a bit".

I watched, fascinated as the tiny little scratches and scuffs disappeared as he worked his magic. The wood on the 100 year old clock looked almost as good as new. But it wasn't that bad to begin with.

Just a few weeks ago I found an amazing treasure at the Brooklyn Flea. Like the clock, the wooden case was about a hundred years old. Unlike the clock, the wood looked like it. The case was covered in gouges, deep scratches, was dry and had loads of little scratches.

This would be a real test.

The New Life Furniture Masque was applied.

• The cream was applied with fingers. Rubbing it on in small circles.
• After sitting just a few moments, the cream was wiped off with paper towels.
• Next a clean, soft rag was used to polish the wood.

the results on the portion that was done is amazing. No, the deep scratches and gouges are not gone, but the dry wood looks richer and the tiny scratches are gone.

You can see the before and after look on the image shown.

Another piece of furniture that it was tested on is an 80 year old wooden table. The table is the perfect look and size for our kitchen, but it shows everything. Put a cup on the table and a white ring immediately appears, it's the most "sensitive wood" I've ever owned. I now know what trivets are used for (!) and must use one for any type of dish that has even the slightest temperature -- cold or hot.

The furniture masque did get rid of the white rings with one application, I do think it will need additional applications of the masque and perhaps the moisturizer, to really get the table looking great.

I purchased the product reviewed at the antique clock shop, a 16 oz container for about $15. The two projects barely made a dent in the amount used, so it looks it should last for quite a while or at least for more than a few projects. If you can't find them locally, the product can be ordered online via their website.

Although I have not tried any of the other products, the company also produces:

• New Life Wood Moisturizer
  (suggested to use after using the above masque) and the original product created in the late l970s, which I have seen offered for sale in antique stores and malls
• New Life Cream Polish
  Suggested for leathers, vinyl, marble, tile, formica, porcelain, etc.
• New Life Brass and Copper Cleaner & Polish
  Cleans and polishes metals
• New Life Silver and Gold Polish
  Cleans, polishes and retards oxidation

If you have experience with these products, please share tips and comments here.