Photo: practicalowl / Flickr

There’s something rather addictive about collecting and restoring old trunks, whether they’re made of wood, canvas or metal. Not only are old trunks useful in a modern context, but each one that you come across has a colourful story to tell. Old trunks may be in perfect condition, in which case all they require is a good polishing. Others are worse for wear and need a fair amount of restoration. Either way, the act of restoring an old trunk is very fulfilling.

Leather trunks

Use saddle soap to clean leather that’s in good condition. Allow it to dry and then dab some silicone waterproofing liquid all over the surface so that it is well coated. Finally, polish the leather so that you have a glowing finish.

If small sections of leather binding are loose, you can easily repair them with contact cement. Work some contact cement into the space between the trunk and the loose binding before allowing it to dry under pressure.

Should there be missing sections, ask your local shoe repair shop for some help.

Canvas trunks

If you come across a canvas trunk that is in fair condition, give it a gentle scrub with a fiber brush and a cleanser. Allow the trunk to dry and then look for loose and torn areas. You can glue these damaged areas with a solution of equal parts wood glue and water.

Polish any brass hardware and oil wooden sections. Finally, coat the trunk with polyurethane varnish. As for any worn areas, think of them as adding to the character of the piece.

Metal and wooden trunks

Metal trunks may require special care, especially if they’re badly rusted. If a metal trunk has rusted all over, rather walk away from buying it. It may demand more money and effort than it’s worth.

A wooden trunk can be compared to a piece of wooden furniture as it requires a similar process of renovation. Start by checking how solid the trunk is. Glue together any lose joints, bands, slats and corners. Use a good polish to put a shine to the brass hardware and replace any missing hardware with reproductions if necessary.

Finish by oiling and varnishing the wooden trunk.