Farrel's Profile

I love my NAPCO "Cookies All Over" jar that was given to me by my grandmother. I keep my kitchen counters very spare, but that cookie jar with the cookie designs and cheery walnut on the lid really pops with color. It's a popular design, and some particularly rare pieces can sell for $150, but I've seen others as low as $30 on eBay and at antique stores.

A big warning, don't do this to your recently manufactured furniture! Most wood furniture built in the past fifteen years or so has a polyurethane finish that should not be waxed. The polyurethane is more than sufficient to protect the wood, and waxing just makes the surface look ghosted and dirty, since it can't penetrate into the wood.

Also, never use wax on wood that has been treated with Pledge or silicone furniture spray, and vice versa. The wax and silicone bind together to create a sticky, opaque film that is quite literally impossible to remove without refinishing the table.

Unfortunately, I've learned this from experience. In short, wax is great on antique wood, but otherwise, be wary.