I love a good before-and-after, don't you? There's so much satisfaction in taking a sad roadside find or cheap garage sale rescue and totally transforming it into something new and different. We've rounded up some of our favorite furniture makeovers to inspire you to either start that upholstery project, get out the spray paint, or hit up this weekend's local yard sale scene. From dressers to dining tables, here are some of our favorite furniture makeovers. Continue Reading
The process usually goes like this: you’re careful with your measurements, make dead-on accurate cuts, properly attach and glue everything together, sand it as smooth as glass, and then … you screw everything up on the finish.
If you’ve ever built or refinished something made of wood, you’ve probably experienced this headache: the end grain turns out much darker than the side grain. Even if you’re not staining and only use an oil or clear finish, this sneaky little problem turns up in every project. Continue Reading
Rachel found this teak campaign trunk table and transformed it from bad nail salon decor to a really sophisticated piece.
Instead of doing the obvious and painting the entire table, she took the time to stain the legs of the table a dark walnut. Then she painted the top trunk portion a crisp white.
The best part of it, Rachel says, is the strorage. She stashes her clutter in it when people come over. And if that’s clutter, then I need to enter a 12-step hoarding program STAT. Continue Reading
Photo Images: Kit Latham
Long ago, I watched out next door neighbor painstakingly strip the paint off, sand, stain and seal his west-facing front door. The next year he was sanding and refinishing it again. What gives? I wondered. He said the hot afternoon sun had fried the finish. He was now wiser and decided to try marine Spar, a urethane varnish used for boats. He then made it through 2 full summers without
a touchup. Continue Reading
Summertime inspires light, airy clothing, and nothing beats a basic fresh, white shirt to feel fun and carefree. But, admit it, with white shirts comes the risk of underarm stains. To deal with basic white t loss, try these tips from Men’s Flair. From homemade recipes of borax and baking soda, to the simple science of drying white shirts in the sun and storing them in a light, airy place, some combo bound to work for your gear. Continue Reading
Say ‘Fels-Naptha’ to your mom or grandma and see what kind of reaction you get. It will probably something like, ‘Oh, yes! They used to use that in the olden days on laundry day.’ Why the bar soap isn’t still popular today is a mystery, because it is one of the best–if not THE best–pre-treater/spot removers on the planet. I know this because I picked up a bar at my local grocery store a while back to give it a try. Continue Reading
The School of Fibre Science and Technology shares the fruits of their research: a bookmarkable, clippable, or printable chart of how to treat almost any stain you can imagine. The techniques, tips, and ingredients are all there to guarantee your textiles stay clean.
Somehow, in the gravy making marathon of Thanksgiving 2007, I got splattered with a bit of olive oil. I feared not, however, for I knew there were good tidings of a great DIY solution.
1.Simply lay out your clothing on a flat surface where it won't be disturbed.
2.Liberally sprinkle baby powder onto the spot.
3. Allow it to sit for 24 hours. Shake clean, or use masking tape to remove the powder. If the stain is still present, simply repeat the process until it goes away. Continue Reading
Here's the skinny on specific techniques fo removing most carpet-staining culprits. (Read this post too!)
The “Housekeeper” from Club Femina suggests solutions for:
And all sorts more…
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