My Eichler still has the original mahogany paneling, but its too dark/dirty/faded for me. Can it be restored to a golden glow?
Yes, paneling can be restored if it’s not too badly damaged. First, wash the paneling with warm water and TSP to clean it. Then sand lightly with 150-200 grit sandpaper. Be careful! The veneer is very thin, and you don’t want to sand through it. Don’t use a power sander like a belt sander. If you are very careful, you can use a random orbital sander, but don’t apply too much pressure. As to the color, architect K.C. Marcinik says that Watco’s ‘Satin Finishing Wax’ employs a similar formula to the original Cabot stain wax used by Eichler. She uses small amounts of universal colorants to achieve the desired color, adjusting them to get it just right, and notes that adding a bit of white colorant can help restore old paneling to a new look. Walnut Creek Eichler owner John Dark has come close using a quart of Watco ‘Fruitwood’ with two-thirds of a cup of ‘Black Walnut,’ and Andrew Mendelsohn found that red, brown, and gold colorants added to Watco Satin Finishing Wax gave him the results h
