Turn your tired, old kitchen knife set from a functional eyesore into custom cutlery.
Hey everybody. I really wanted to add this post because I think there are a lot of people out there who, like me, have an old wood handled knife set that has seen better days. This is a great trick to spruce them up a bit and give them new life. The set I’m showcasing was a knife set that my father had given to me when I bought my first house. He had picked it up at a yard sale years before for $10 and had been using it at his camper.
With some elbow grease and some patience you can take worn down knives like these and turn them into something beautiful that you can be proud to display on your kitchen counter. It’s really easy and the results are truly amazing. I hope this post highlights the fact that you don’t always need to spend a lot of money to have really nice things.
Below are a few more pics of just how raggedy these knives looked before I set to work on them. You can see that there is practically no finish left and the wood is starting to crack. Unfortunately these knives weren’t always treated properly and were thrown in the dishwasher often.
The first thing to do is make sure that the knives are very clean and very dry. Don’t try to rush the drying aspect. Wood is much easier to sand when it’s dry.
Next. Sand down the handles of the knives.
*WARNING* Knives are sharp. Duh. Be careful and read the
disclaimer.
I used 100 grit sandpaper for the first pass and finished up with 180 grit. Using a higher grit can actually impair stain absorption by the wood and is really unnecessary in this instance.
Apply the stain to the wooden handles and let sit for as long as the directions on the can tell you. **This is another step that can not be rushed.** Apply the stain, wipe off the excess, and allow the wood to dry EXACTLY as your particular stain instructs. Failure to do so results in less than stellar results and who wants that.
Depending on your particular tastes you may decide that one coat of stain is enough. I wanted a richer color so I stained my knives twice.
Once the stain is dry i wet a rag with mineral spirits and very lightly wipe down the stained wood. This helps to wipe off any excess stain and also remove any dust particles prior to you sealing the wood.
Now comes the most important part, the sealer. I used an oil based polyurethane. I find it’s easiest to apply the sealer with a foam brush. It eliminates brush marks. If you keep your eyes open you can find them on sale at a craft store for ten cents a piece. Again, follow the instructions for your particular sealer to the letter. Failure to do so will yield subpar results.
Now your knives should be looking sharp, pun intended. After the sealer is fully cured you can try a trick that I stumbled upon to really give your finish a beautiful luster. There is a product called synthetic steel wool. It comes in grits similar to sand paper and is made by 3m. It’s essentially a scrub pad like one might find in their kitchen sink. Although unlike the common green pads these are white and equivalent to 1000 grit sandpaper. It’s not a necessary step as these pads are not easy to find and do not come cheap.
Take the synthetic steel wool and a small amount of water and buff the surface of the wooden handle lightly. Polish and buff until you’re satisfied with the luster on your beautiful *new* knife set.
