I don't remember what, if anything I did to that one other than clean it. Would have used something like a toothbrush or bristle brush with soft bristles to knock off any dust/dirt. Some like to coat with matte finish clear coat to seal the surface. This will usually make the surface turn a darker color though. I don't think anyone would fault the 'shade' on an original, so long as it's a medium brown/gray, or slightly towards dark brown/gray.