French polishing storage cabinet is a skilled craft but, using proprietary solutions, it can be tackled by anyone with patience for that special piece of storage cabinet that is beau but not faux.
Step by Step
1 Remove broken latch and strip wood veneer off storage cabinet top panels.
2 Rub down storage cabinet timber with methylated spirits using steel wool to remove lacquer. (more…)
The art of renovation is not limited to demolishing walls and raising the roof Recycling should always be a priority and small-scale renovation projects offer great scope to the homemaker who likes to be creative.
Mangy storage items lend themselves perfectly to renovation — so why not trade new looks for old?
When you’re considering storage, don’t make the mistake of thinking that the only way to improve the situation is to start again. Firstly, it is not always the most practical solution. Secondly, the constraints of budget rarely allow such luxury, and thirdly, in the interests of the planet, recycling should always be a priority. (more…)
Step by Step
1 Slate must be laid on a firm base that will support it. Timber floors present a problem in that timber and particle (chip) board expand during humid periods, and shrink during drier times. Timber floors can be prepared in several ways. Care should be taken with all the procedures however, bearing in mind that timber or particle (chip) board is not the best base material for slate.
2 A number of slate suppliers have specially developed membrane systems available for the installation of slate on a timber floor. The one used here is the hessian and bitumen method and will provide the necessary `slip’ joint between the rigid tiles and the timber. (more…)
Slate has enjoyed great popularity with home improvers for many years, because of its toughness and range of natural earthy colours, which can vary from soft green to deep purple, mottled brown and dark charcoal.
The project is to apply slate to a family room, where its lasting strength will provide good service. (more…)
Choosing the right floor and floorcovering is an important aspect of furnishing your home — it is not only one of the most dominant decorative surfaces, it will also claim a large proportion of your furnishing budget.
The type and quality of the floorcovering you choose should be appropriate for each room, just as the right colour and design are important. Poor quality flooring, ill-suited to the requirements of the room, will wear out quickly and end up costing you a lot more in the long run. (more…)
17 Cut off the two damaged ends of the lead, and then cut sufficient length off the wider lead to place around the semicircle defined by the cut panel. The lead is cut using a sharp lead knife, in a rocking motion. The other half of the perimeter is the last piece in the jigsaw to be fitted at the end.
18 Select the piece of glass for the starting point. On our circle it can just about be anywhere on the bottom perimeter, but where successive pieces can be installed easily. The best place would be in the middle. (more…)
Blinds have travelled a long way from their origins as the gauze window protectors of elaborate drapes and furnishings in grand houses. Modern blinds can be totally functional and unobtrusive, or unashamedly ornate and extravagant.
These blinds are tailored and neat looking, economical in their use of fabric and regarded as being quite simple to make. There is less sewing in this style of blind than, say, a festoon blind, and they lend themselves to stripes or evenly printed geometric fabrics very well. (more…)
Formal swag pelmets are draped pieces of fabric which, when attached to a pelmet support board, become a classic draped pelmet. They hang free of the curtain and usually add a classical, ornate appearance to windows.
Here are some rules to remember with swag trimmings: they look best on tall windows in rooms with high ceilings, so be sure that you don’t over-design your room; consider your fabric requirements (swag curtains can take up large amounts of fabric, and this can become a budget-breaker) — plain calico or home-spun fabric is one idea, as the old principle of using fabric generously applies well here. Generous amounts of inexpensive fabric look wonderful next to skimpy quantities of expensive fabric. (more…)
Dressed windows, in the form of curtains, elaborate drapes and blinds, are probably the most decorative type of fabric use in the home. Large or small areas of attractively used fabric can quickly transform a room — so look upon window dressing as interior decorating, as well as a practical essential. (more…)
Openings in houses may be voids, doors orwindows. Voids tend to be in areas where security is not a consideration, such as between rooms in an open-plan living area. Doors provide a means of access and security to the building. Windows, however, are designed to provide daylight and a means of ventilation. They should also provide a view, but still allow for privacy when required. (more…)
As far as bedding is concerned, ordinary household sheets, pillowcases, blankets, quilts etc. are usually too sensitive to be used for camping. They are also rather bulky. Instead of separate items of bedding, it is more practical to have a one-piece sleeping bag that will not suffer as a result of being trampled on or crammed into the car boot. It also provides the right kind of warmth because the way to ensure a comfortable night’s sleep is to have as much insulation underneath your body as on top of it. Neither an air mattress nor a thin campbed gives enough warmth by itself. (more…)
Give the lid of the paint tin a good wipe before opening it to avoid getting dust and dirt in the paint. Mix the paint thoroughly and pour some paint into the tray. (Cover the tray with clingwrap or tinfoil beforehand to make cleaning afterwards easier.) Before using a new brush the first time, work its bristles back and forth over your hand to get rid of loose bristles and dust.
Don’t dip the entire bristle area into the paint; you’ll have major job cleaning it and get paint clogging at the base, eventually turning your paint job into a mess. No more than half the length of the bristles should be covered in paint.
The basic rule is work top down and outside in. This means you’ll start with the smaller brushes, do all the corners and edges and cover for roughly 5 cm into the larger areas so that you leave enough space when working with the roller. (more…)
A French term for woodwork or wainscoting. In decorating it refers to the carved woodwork and paneling of seventeenth- and eighteenth- century French interiors. The carved details were often picked out in gilt and frequently were extremely elaborate. Traditionally used in conjunction with gilt furnishings and frames, and with an overdoor paneling with painting, boiserie blends only in very formal settings. (more…)
A furniture style usually associated with cabinets made in New England during the mid- eighteenth century. Notable examples of blockfront desks, secretaries, and chests that were outstanding in craftsmanship and design were made in the Newport workshops of John Goddard and John Townsend. The secretary shown here is attributed to Goddard. Most block front furniture is made of mahogany. The pieces have a raised surface at each side with a recessed area in the center. (more…)
Fabrics made from a combination of several fibers, either natural (such as wool, cotton, linen, or silk), man-made (such as acrylics and polymers), or both, in contrast to fabrics made of only one type of fiber. The advantage of blends is twofold. (I) Blending several fibers can yield fabric with the virtues of each of the fibers used (color absorption, durability, wrinkle resistance, warmth, or washability), some of which would be missing in a fabric made from any single one of these fibers. For example, the addition of Dacron, an acrylic, to cotton has produced sheets that do not need ironing. (2) Fabrics made with several fibers often have new qualities (weights, textures) with decorative possibilities that no single- fiber fabric has. (more…)
The toilet is hissing, spurting, gurgling and generally not sounding too health Maybe you’ve tried one of the following options to silence it — lifting, hitting, ignoring, or for those of you with a violent disposition — kicking! The latter became the most often tried remedy for us as we’ve been plagued by malfunctioning toilet for the best part of our independent lives. How silly, considering a pair of pliers and 5 minutes of fiddling would have solved the problempermanently, if only we’d known.
When you flush the toilet, it starts refilling wit water immediately so the next person who uses the toilet can follow suit. The toilet float-valve stops this flow of water as soon as the cistern is full. If the toilet float-valve does not work, the water keeps on running, driving youcrazy and wasting a lot of water. (more…)
Why is cleaning the bathroom always the worst? The stains are the pits — once they are there they stay, so don’t let them. Use these concoctions to get rid of them, clean regularly and keep the stains away.
Most old toilet bowls have stubborn stains that, regardless of how may litres of bleach you’ve poured in there, still remain. With a gas mask securely tied over your mouth and nose and industrial strength gloves on your hands, mix 5 cups of bicarbonate of soda with 1 cup of caustic soda. Sprinkle the mixture in the bowl and leave for half an hour. Give it a quick scrub with the toilet brush (you DO own a toilet brush, right?) and flush. (more…)
