A facelift for wooden furniture, a cheap option.

The cheapest furniture by far is from charity stores and junk shops. Or you may have some pieces already. It’s easy to give them a face lift.

 

For the most effective furniture makeover, choose pieces made from solid wood, and check that joints are well made and sturdy. Do any small repairs before painting/varnishing. Don’t waste time on rickety chairs or flimsy drawers. Change any handles for that final finishing touch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will need:

A shave Hook, An old cloth and/or sponge, bucket, washing-up liquid and white spirit, medium-grade sanding paper and mask, small brush, your choice of finish (whether primer and paint, or varnish), and brush cleaner.

These flexible sanding blocks make light work of those difficult areas and uneven surfaces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Painting your furniture

 

A painted finish is easiest as you can usually paint over old varnish or paint. Good quality brushes are a must! Try the Harris Brushes range, they have natural bristles and high performance synthetic filaments, with new comfort grip shaped handles. http://www.harrisbrushes.com/brushes

For this project, we updated four plain, wooden kitchen chairs. Allow around three days. It is not particularly labour-intensive but drying times are essential.

1. Make sure your furniture is free from dirt. Wash it over with warm water and allow to dry completely. If your furniture is very dirty, add a few drops of washing up liquid to the water, use a soft scrubbing brush, and give a final clean rinse.
2. Sand the surface to smooth out rough areas, scratches and dents. Wear a mask to avoid inhaling dust. Use medium-grade sanding paper, working with the grain, and then wipe over with a cloth dampened in white spirit.
3. Using a small flat brush, apply a primer and allow to dry for at least six hours.
4. Choose a good quality gloss paint colour for the final surface. Apply two coats, allowing at least 16 hours between coats. Clean brushes.

Stripping old furniture

If the finish on your old furniture is very poor (for example, uneven, cracked or flaking), you should strip it off. And of course you will need to do this if you want to simply varnish the bare wood.

Modern paint strippers can remove layers of paint with ease (eg Polycell Advanced Paint Stripper with “active gel” which can take off up to 15 layers of paint/varnish without harming the wood).

1. Decant the active gel into the lid of its tin.
2. Using a brush, apply a generous even coat over the furniture surface.
3. Leave until the paint begins to blister (from two to four hours) and gently test scrape, using a paint scraper or shave hook. You can leave it on for up to six hours if necessary. When ready, softened paint should scrape off easily. Don’t try and hurry the process: you may score the surface of your furniture.
4. Remove all of the peeling layers of paint.
5. Repeat the process if any paint remains.
6. Wipe over with white spirit to remove any remains of stripper/paint/varnish – this will avoid raising the grain of the wood.
7. Clean brush with soapy water.

A varnish pad can be used on intricate bits of furniture, such as chair backs

 

Varnishing wooden furniture

A simple way to varnish stripped wood is with a varnish pack, which comes complete with a pad for easy/quality application.

 1. Prepare furniture as described above, stripping back to bare wood, wiping over with white spirit, and sanding to a smooth surface.
2. Gently lower pad onto surface of varnish, making sure that the flock underside is evenly covered, but keeping foam pad dry. Scrape off any excess onto sides of tub.
3. Use pad flat to cover all flat areas in long smooth strokes – it’s quick and easy.
4. Use the angled front edge to reach any intricate bits, such as chair backs. You can take the pad off the handle to get between uprights.

If short of time, use a quick dry varnish (eg Ronseal Quick Dry Varnish) Or there is Ronseal Eco Varnish based on oil-based resins, with a third less petrochemicals than traditional varnishes.

Is it Black & White?

In the age when coloured photography is on its peak and required in day to day of your life yet black and white photography did not loses its shine and still demanded by most of the photographers and photo lovers. There could be significant reasons behind it because black and white photography is that kind of photography which could portray emotions and the mood quite well. This type of photographic atmosphere could not create by the colour photographs. Black and white photography is much more interesting because as they focus much more on the subject by the help of shadows and lights.

Another most important thing for black and white photograph is the selection of the subject because in case of colour photograph you may not need to do so. A photograph which looks good in colour photograph can look dull in the black and white photograph. As black and white photograph is the simplest forms of photograph and also at the same time complex as the image must be clean and fresh so that it must leave a great impact on the heart of the viewer. Most important this type of images captures the impression and emotions in nostalgic as well as in the dramatic way.

The 3 great elements:
Lights colour and shadow this are the most important elements in black and white photograph. By the help of lights and shadow you could change the whole appearance and the meaning of a photograph and also the impact of the image in the mind of the viewer. Now why colour? Yes colour is highly important because choosing the right subject solely depend upon the fewer colour of the subject. More the colour more it would be difficult to choose the right subject.

In true sense black and white photography is eternal. Many of the black and white photographs which are made by the famous photographers still knock our heart. So choose the proper subject before go for black and white photographs.

It's hard to believe that summer is almost over!
 

 

If you're the kind of decorator who likes to change your decor with the seasons, now is the perfect time to start looking at Autumn decor for your home. One of the nice things about rotating decor with the seasons is that you can keep a fresh, updated look in your home.

Redecorating an interior design needs lots of inspiration and also great imagination to create a livable home. One of the most vital and private rooms in our house is bedroom. And a new bedroom design surely would bring so much fun and refresh our mind. You could décor it with new furniture or reorganize your existing furniture.

Moroccan style is about comfort and easy living inspired by the outdoors. It's colors and designs come from a varied ethnic history influenced by the Berber culture, French Colonials, and Islam. Hallmarks of Moroccan style include large lanterns, lush fabrics, and colourful ceramics.

Try the Fabric wall?

A long curtain made from fine white fabric runs the length of the back wall to add softness and warmth to this bright room.

Great for the Autumn Air!

A hot tub is used for soaking, relaxation, massage, or hydrotherapy. In most cases, they have jets for massage purposes. Hot tubs are usually located outdoors, and are often sheltered for protection from the elements, as well as for privacy. Other variants in naming include "Spa", and the trade name "Jacuzzi". These variants can be used to mean an indoor fixture, but a "Hot Tub" is almost always outdoors.

There are essentially two different styles of hot tubs:

  * Simple wooden-staved soaking tubs

  * One piece plastic tubs (usually referred to as spas)

Hot tubs are usually heated using an electric or natural gas heater, though there are also submersible wood-fired heaters, as well as solar hot water systems. Hot tubs are also found at natural hot springs; in this case, the water may be dangerously hot and must be combined with cool water for a safe soaking temperature.

Water sanitization is very important in hot tubs, as many organisms thrive in a warm, wet environment. Maintaining the hot tub water chemistry is also necessary for proper sanitization and to prevent damage to the hot tub.