A Tisket A Tasket, A Shabby Rattan Basket

I have two dark rattan storage cubes in my living room, which function as my coffee table. I love them because they add texture to the space and their dark color adds a pop of depth amidst all the creams, taupes and blues.  Plus, they are amazingly functional: I store extra blankets in one and some of the kids' toys and games in the other.  They were soooo affordable.  I think I got them for $25 each at WalMart.  Here they are in the room:

The only problem: after a year and a half of heavy use (including use by the cat as his scratching post), the rattan is looking a little worn and shabby.  They are still in good shape structurally, so I knew I needed just a little something to cover the worn areas.  I racked my brain until I came up with the solution that I already had on hand: Old English Scratch Cover in the dark finish [note: it also comes in light finish].

It took all of five minutes.  I simply followed the instructions on the bottle: I poured a little of the scratch over on an old cloth and then rubbed the cloth on the cubes.  All the old, light, worn areas faded away and look dark again!  So nice.  Here are the before and after shots, including several "afters" with the culprit Coco.

Before
 See how the rattan is worn and light on the edge?

After
Now the edge is dark and looks much better - brand new!

Before
You can see the worn spots: especially at the bottom

After
And the worn spots have disappeared! The same is not true for Coco.

Gotta love a quick easy fix.  It took about 10 minutes for the product to dry, and I recommend airing out the room because it smells a little like stain.  The Old English Scratch Cover is great for other things too. I bought it for our dining room table to hide some scratches from Coco, but also works on floors and other furniture.  I found mine at Target (where else?) in the wood furniture polish area.  

Got a before and after you'd love to share here? Let us know!

See you swoon,

{note: Old English has not sponsored this post}