DIY: Refinishing An Antique Trunk

I refinished an antique trunk with my dad. Watch while I polish the metal, strip the interior, and then apply polyurethane. This was an exciting DIY project! This furniture restoration DIY kept me busy for months. I borrowed do it yourself restoration hardware from my dad and sourced the trunk from a family attic. This steamer trunk is a new heirloom that I'll always have with me.

We used tung oil on the outside wood. I used barkeeper's friend on the metal.

This 2020 covid project kept me busy!

A trunk, also known as a travel trunk, is a large cuboid container designed to hold clothes and other personal belongings. They are most commonly used for extended periods away from home, such as for boarding school, or long trips abroad. Trunks are differentiated from chests by their more rugged construction due to their intended use as luggage, instead of the latter's pure storage.

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[TheVelvetKitten]

Thank you for doing this properly with good advice. I have just watched some savage mistreatment videos of antique chests and I was shook! You did a beautiful job.

[sophielouise]

U just get better every video. Neopets AND chest restoration? Incredible

[astridproudfoot]

I have an old steamer trunk that has been sitting around for ages and Brettuns Village has been an invaluable resource. This video is fantastic, straight to the point and very easy to understand and relate to. Nice work! Great job with the trunk :)

[reaganquinnmusic]

Thanks for posting this! Just what I was looking for.

[vxecho]

i loved watching this restoration, though it was rather late into the process. the finished piece looks very pretty and it’s so lovely for you to share that with us :)
i appreciate your comment at the end, too. the: “just because i’m not creating videos, doesn’t mean i’m not creating”. it’s always fun to see the other projects people are working on, especially when their channel is very niche like yours.

[djbamberino]

Awesome video! Antique restoration is sooo much fun and it's wonderful having a piece that you know can be used for decades after you refurbish it. : )
What a beautiful trunk.

[laura]

I wall papered the inside of my trunk ages ago & just recently took off the wall paper . We didn’t have internet back then or it wasn’t common . We just had the library 😊

[x_ashley_x]

Yall I stan 1 (one) multifaceted queen

[laura]

Cats are so funny ! They only do stuff when they are ready .

[poutypufferfish]

This is so cool! Thank you for sharing, I'd love to see the other projects you've been working on! Tenitively dipping my toe into stuff like restorations and woodworking myself and really enjoy the inspo.

[MzVee]

I just purchased an old trunk but it doesn't require nearly as much work. I just need to do is refinish the wood inside, cover the outside with new material and polish the metal. Great job!

[MysteryMagicvlogs]

i'm so glad you kept the logo on the side of the trunk. i'm a huge trunk collector for my job as a magician. i just think about Harry Houdini and his trunk's. something just screams magician with a nice old reused trunk. great job on the restore. I've done a few and i'm glad you didn't put carpet or paper on the insides.

[laura]

Your trunk is awesome 😊 such a great project . I adore my trunk too

[sweetheartcarebear]

I have my great grandfather old steam trunk from Italy. I’m thinking about just using varnish on the outside of the material. I don’t want to change or take off the canvas. I like the natural state. Good job and beautiful work on your trunk!

[laura]

We just decided we will be using cedar in our trunk 👍🏻

[rhansen]

Thank you so very much for posting this video! I have 3 trunks that I want to repair.

[tinaglenn]

I have the exact same trunk...considering refinishing

[hippycow]

I’m planning on either doing this or getting it done to my families very old trunk, i think its from the 1800’s

[aubreyv]

I use barkeepers friend occasionally to polish by stainless steel skillets.

That stuff is super caustic, I recommend wearing a face mask if you’re using the powdered version in large quantities.

[markduffey]

Fantastic video, thank you for posting it! A friend gave me an old trunk a few days ago and I am going to refurbish it. My trunk is covered with thin, stamped steel and has wood horizontal bands. The leather handles are long gone but I am very happy you mentioned Brettuns; your source for replacement parts.. I was wondering where I would get authentic leather replacement parts! My trunk has badly chipped paint on the interior, so I am going to remove it and also finish with polyurethane and cedar for the bottom. Thanks again!