Pssst....It's called borax.

According to antique furniture expert Fred Taylor, the term borax as it applies to furniture was coined during the Depression of the 1930s. It refers to extremely cheap furniture, usually made of gum or poplar, that was painted with a yellowish wash. After painting the inferior wood, the pattern of a fancy veneer was applied to the surface and a router was used to produce an engraved appearance. This type furniture was aimed at the bottom of the market and meant to be sold on the installment plan.

Furniture of the Depression Era by Harriett and Robert Swedberg

The term derives from the coupons that came with borax detergent that could be redeemed for this low-end furniture. Borax furniture cannot be refinished, as stripping or sanding leaves a blank piece of wood.

This particular type of furniture continued to be produced into the 1940s, when a return to prosperity made good furniture affordable to the middle class again. Modern design came into vogue, characterized by simplicity of design and the use of quality materials.

Borax has become synonymous with any cheap, mass-produced furniture. In the 1980s, furniture manufacturers began using the "photo finish" technique, ushering in a return to cheaply made pieces designed to be showy but of poor quality. Unfortunately, much of today's furniture is not meant to last for decades, as so much of the furniture of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was, and is the borax of present-day design.

Modern day borax, 3 faux marble pieces for $159.99, sofa table for $89.99
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From auctioncentralnews.com