How to Bring New Life to Vintage Wooden Bowls

Promises are important to me. So, when I promised my husband, Chris, that I would actually DO something with what I found on the Route 127 Sale, I was going to make sure that I kept my promise.

First, for those who don’t know, the Route 127 Sale is billed as The World’s Longest Yard Sale running nearly 1,000 miles from Michigan all the way to Alabama. It’s held annually the first weekend in August and is an almost never-ending string of yard sales, antiques, and treasure.

The Thrill of the Hunt

I was at one of my favorite stops on Day 2 and spotted a vintage wooden salad bowl set. You know the type. If you were a child of the 70s (and you ate salad) you probably used these at your dinner table.  I don’t remember ours having the metal bases and it caught my eye. It had seen better days. The finish was flaking, and you could tell it had been used.

There was no price on any of the pieces. When I asked the guy minding the booth, he looked a bit lost and then offered $8. Needless to say, I jumped on it! His wife came back while he was getting my change for a $10 and she did NOT look please when he told her the price. Her loss, my gain. Hopefully, he wasn’t in the doghouse for too long!

After doing some research, I think they are Hellerware. I’ve seen the identical large serving bowl for $20 on EBay and sets ranging from $25 to $40 so I feel like I got a good deal. Beside the fact that I really do love the lines.

The Process

To start, I carefully removed the metal bases from the bowls.  They are attached with some of the smallest screws I’ve ever seen. I put the screws in a safe place and got out my Dremel sander. I used the sander to take the finish off the outside of the bowls and did the inside by hand. When I finished, I wiped them off with a damp cloth and caught some spots that I’d missed.

The bowls looked pretty dull at this point and I worried that they’d end up in my trash as opposed to my table. Enter the secret weapon!! I had heard about Howard’s Butcher Block Conditioner but had never tried it. You can find it at your local home improvement store.

The difference was immediate and amazing when I wiped the conditioner into the bowls with a soft cloth. I put on a really thick layer of conditioner and then let it sit for a few hours before wiping off the excess. I think wiping them with a damp cloth also helped to open the wood grain to accept the conditioner.

Finishing Details

To clean the metal bases, I used Palmolive dish washing soap placed directly on the metal without water and rubbed it in with my fingers to get any grease and grime loosened up. Then I rinsed and dried them quickly to avoid getting water spots. They still show a little age (which I don’t mind, so do I😊), but shined up nicely.

We’re closing in our carport for additional living space and we’re decorating in mid-century mod. I can see a few of these making their way into the design as well. At least I kept my promise to Chris. He was amazed at the difference.  They seem to almost glow. What do you think?