Thanks, Mom + How to Restore Rattan Furniture

Oh. My. Y'all. 

Remember this post? Remember how excited I was at the possibility of finding a hanging vintage egg chair in my own parents' barn? Remember??!!

Well, feast your eyes on this:

I am freaking out right now.

Yep, this baby came home with me about two weeks ago. It came to the states from the Philippines about 45 years ago when my dad, who was serving in the Vietnam War, bought it and shipped it home. It is in incredible condition, and it lives with me now. 

It was a little dirty, so I started by hosing it off and letting it dry in the sun. 

Then I hammered the loose nails back into place.

However, it was still looking a little dry and gray, so I decided it needed an oil rubdown.

After doing a little internet research, I decided my best option was boiled linseed oil. This was what several sites recommended for rattan, and rather than being a stain, it was just an oil, so it soaked in pretty evenly and I didn't get any weird lines.

Here's a close-up to show you what I started with:

Here's a blurry progress shot to show you what an amazing difference the oil made:

The directions said to wipe on the oil (I used a toothbrush) wait a few minutes, then wipe off the excess. When I went to wipe it off, there was no excess oil. This thirsty chair had soaked it all in.

The only downside to the linseed oil was that the chair was stinky afterwards and it needed to air out on the back porch for a couple days. But still. Look at the difference! 

I'll be back soon with an after picture of the chair and (hopefully) a picture of this thing hanging in my living room!