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For the wood, start with a Furniture Refinisher (Formbys's makes one). It's basically a low strength stripper and it allows you to clean up a lot of the damage without needed to completely strip the piece. It is incredible how much of the color fading, bleaching, and scratches that you can get rid of with refinisher. And it keeps as much of the original finish on that is still good so it protects the integrity of the piece. You don't want to strip and sand if you can help it because the entire piece will be veneer and it is very easy to wear through the top layer to the wood underneath and ruin it.

Speaking of, as another commenter mentioned that is not plywood, it is veneer. And I'm not sure it is oak. If you find out it is oak, be sure to look for a veneer that matches the quality and look of vintage oak, because it is not the same look as people use oak for now.

The top you may need to replace, or you may be able to spot fix. And the sides you may be able to gently coax/glue/clamp back into place. I would research veneer replacement and restoration to find out. Either way, you would only take off the very top layer (the thin veneer) and not the entire top and side, and that would be worst case scenario.



If you want to use this as an opportunity to learn beautiful wood finish, I can't recommend Charles Neil's Wood Finishing youtube channel enough. They are long, he's a talker, and he is amazing.

For the insides, I know nothing of electronics. I would probably try and vacuum it first before going to water. With restorations the trick is slow and steady. You do the least harsh method first and slightly upgrade aggressiveness if you need to. Much of the dust and dirt can be vacuumed out with a bristle attachment. When you say soap and water, I am assuming you mean slightly damp rag? Even then, I believe water can leave deposits, so make sure that is right.

Youtube has good videos, but make sure the person explains why you should use something or use a product. A lot of them rely on homespun wisdom that isn't really good advice (I already saw a bunch saying to clean with WD40 which is not a wood cleaner, don't do that). The pros will explain the reasons why and use it as a teaching moment. The home vloggers will just go through the process.

Glad to hear it! Steam is awesome for a lot of things. If you want something a little more powerful and versatile than the little handheld ones, check out the Mculloch MC1275. I bought one for my detailing side job (steam cleaners are probably the best tool ever for cleaning car interiors) and I find myself using it all around the house for tons of things. The squeegee in particular is great on glass, and they are killer for grout. The 1275 is still a low-range steamer but it is a big step up from the handheld for not a ton of money (the really nice, high pressure, high temp ones are $700 and up). You can find it at Harbor Freight for less than $100 sometimes, with the 20% off coupon. Happy your project worked out well!

I would think a fabric or leather dye would be your best bet. It's not going to fix it per se but it'll look better

https://www.amazon.com/Fiebings-50-2046-BU-P-Leather-Dye/dp/B00XOXGUM2

NEVR-DULL can be found in the car care section of walmart, or autoparts stores

Nice, you need to get some round casters like these and you'll be in business!

Thank you for the response.

so I purchased minwax "paste finishing wax" https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LNOZAW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - think that will work?

And if I apply this (or another wax) to just the splotch from where I removed the existing wax, will the border/outline of the splotch still be apparent? Or will the new layer blend in with the old layer with no border/outline showing?

Steam cleaner? https://www.amazon.com/PurSteam-Handheld-Pressurized-Cleaner-Accessory/dp/B06XHXFHWG