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…)
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…)
Before phoning the plumber consider the following — you can’t take the mountain to Mohammed, so Mohammed will be charging a call-out fee to come and look at the mountain, after which he will charge you a bit more to fix the mountain. After 5 minutes you may realize that the mountain was in actual fact a very insignificant little molehill, easily taken care of yourself, if only you’d known.
The molehill could take on various forms: a leaking tap, a blocked toilet or a blocked drain, all of which you will be able to fix if you follow our detailed instructions. But there are a number of mountains best left to the plumber. These will include a burst water pipe (possibly caused by over-eager digging in the garden), a water pipe that accidentally connected with a power tool near the bathroom or kitchen (caused by over-eager drilling) or an old geyser that is on the blink. (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…)
Vacuum regularly and get into those corners. If you entertain you would have had to get rid of some nasty stains; if you entertain heavily, you may have had to get rid of some more severe markings, and smells.
Generally, always work from outside in and never brush or rub too vigorously as you may damage the fibres. When using some of the stronger solutions, first test it on an inconspicuous part of the carpet. (more…)
Recently, workers in modern offices, public buildings, and schools have complained of recurrent symptoms, including headaches, fatigue and sleepiness, irritation to eyes and nose, dry throat, general loss of concentration, and nausea. Studies monitoring the indoor air of these environments have found a complex mix of pollutants — formaldehyde, radon, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, and particulates such as tobacco smoke. But the symptoms are also thought to derive from factors such as fluorescent lighting, air that is too hot or dry, a build-up of positive ions, and a lack of individual control of the environment. This problem has been defined as environmental and is known as the “sick building syndrome”.
Increasingly, Western medicine is having to relate illness not to viruses and microbes but to environmental phenomena. These can be chemical (organic and inorganic substances); biological (bacteria, moulds, dust, and pollen); and physical (electromagnetic, light, temperature, and noise). (more…)
People love to boast about the restoration or purchasing of antique pieces.
`My husband and I did it ourselves. Just about sanded our fingers to the bone.’
`I bought it for R5,00 from so-and-so’. Poor old so-and-so. The reparation of antique pieces is an industry on its own and construction damage is for experts only. Riempies are an exception. (The book ‘Cape Cottage Furniture‘ by John Kench has a very good section on the restoration of furniture).
Is it valuable?
This question is usually asked but sentiment has no price and if it is an heirloom it should be valued. All pieces containing stinkwood and yellowwood are valuable even in small measure. All oak pieces have a newly discovered value and the furniture of the twenties have become collector pieces. Those senseless copperplate ornamentation is now a costly recommendation. (more…)
Furniture polish after oil treatment on dark wood and yellowwood
Furniture polish can be applied direct on a previous oil finish or on a fresh surface prepared with sandpaper or steelwool. If the leaf surface has not been renovated the polish can be applied with grade 000 steelwool. The steelwool is dipped into the polish and sanded strictly along the grain. For dark woods the polish slurry is worked into the grain with the palm of your hand after it has become half dry. This is not required for yellowwood. Wipe off the excess slurry with cheesecloth and shine with a soft cloth. Follow up with another application of polish, leave to dry and shine until you have the gloss of your preference. Polish as often as needed. With a good polish the periods in between applications grow longer. A surface that is not much in use will not need polish more than once a month. (more…)
There are rarely sufficient electrical socket outlets in a modern home. If your system is in good order, you can install extra ones.
One of the easiest ways to increase the number of sockets is to convert any existing singles into doubles. Any single socket on a ring circuit can be doubled, but if you are working on a spur with two sockets, you cannot convert either of them to a double. You can, however, double a single socket if it is the only one on a spur.
To establish whether a socket is on the ring, or if it is the only one on a spur, switch off at the main and remove the faceplate. If there are two sets of wires, the socket is either on the ring or it is the first one of two on a spur. To determine which, you need a continuity tester. This you can easily improvise from a battery and bulb holder . Connect one lead of the tester to one of the red wires in the socket, and the other lead to the other red wire. The bulb will light if the cable is part of a ring, but not if it is a spur. (more…)
All the sockets in your rooms may be doubles already. And even converting all the existing singles may not give you sufficient socket outlets. Moreover, you may want a socket in an entirely new position. A new socket is installed by means of a spur. You can have only one socket on this spur, but it can be a double so you might as well make it that. Use 2.5 sq. mm cable for the spur.
Begin by switching off at the consumer unit and then fixing the socket either flush- or surface-mounted. Connect the cable to its terminals, and run it to the point at which you propose to connect it to the supply. There are three possible places at which you can make the supply connection. (more…)
Use bread, squeezed into large pellets, or a clean india-rubber to remove dirty marks. Rub gently. Dab greasy marks with a pad slightly moistened with carbon tetrachloride or any proprietary brand of dry-cleaner. Wise to test first in a corner. Don’t rub or the pattern may come off. You can replace badly- damaged patterned paper by tearing an irregular patch (hold the paper pattern- side down) from a left-over piece. Paste over damaged area, carefully matching pattern. If paper is plain you will have to replace at least a complete length.
Muraweave : Muraweave, grass paper, bamboo wall coverings, etc., should be dusted with a vacuum cleaner attachment. For stains, use a good upholstery fabric dry-cleaner. Test first.
Washable: Washable doesn’t actually imply sluicing down or scrubbing. Wipe them with a damp sponge; don’t wet them more than necessary. Work up and down to avoid lifting at seams.
Always rinse off all detergents and cleaners after use. Read instructions. Don’t use too strong a concentration of any cleaner, otherwise you will remove gloss, and paintwork will get dirtier more quickly in future. A little furniture polish helps protect window sills and areas that get heavy wear. (more…)
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