A little over a week ago I bought something I’ve wanted for a long time: a wooden flat file. The best thing was, it was only 40 euros! It’s solid wood and in good condition. It has some small damage on the surface but I think it only adds to the character. This flat file was originally used to store maps but it’s perfect for storing drawings and art supplies.

I had a very clear vision about this makeover: metal casters and a darker finish. I bought some darker wood wax and stripped the existing lacquer. Then I applied the wood wax… and the color didn’t change at all. This was how the flat file looked after the wax and the casters:

I wasn’t happy about the color. It was still too yellow. I think the problem was this: the surface of the wood was so smooth, the wax didn’t absorb to the wood and the color of the wax was also too light. I thought that after wood wax it would be impossible to stain the wood. But after some research I discovered a stain that could be used for waxed wood. The wood had to be cleaned from the wax first and the stain could then be applied. This worked pretty well and I was able to get a darker finish I was hoping for in the first place. This is how the flat file looks now:

That’s better! Now it’s not yellow anymore. Total cost was about 70 euros including the flat file and the supplies. That’s not bad since I’ve seen similar ones go for hundreds of euros.