ks, prt : - 6 The Dallas Post Spring Home Improvement '91 Section 2 Wednesday, April 17, 19914 ~ & How you can restore castoff furniture to a semi-antique look If you want to satisfy your yearnings for antiques without having to take out a loan, try re- finishing antiques found at estate sales or garage sales. It really is as easy as it sounds. But care must be taken, because restoration done incorrectly can turn a soon-to-be priceless antique into a piece of junk. Before you begin your restora- tion of that 19th century chest of drawers you found, you need to de- cide whether or not you want it to look carefully aged or like brand- new. But if you overrestore the piece it may not be classified as an antique. And if you excel in your restoration project you might even be able to fool the ex- perts. And to help you turn a rickety rocker into a work of art, George Wagoner’s book “Refinishing Old Furniture” (Tab Books) gives you step-by-step instructions on refin- ishing. His detailed guide will help from beginning to end as you learn how to: * Choose the right finish and properly apply it. » Strip off the old finish and fill dents and holes. © Add special touches such as antiquing, distressing, gilding and gold leaf, and old-fashioned milk paint. BEGINNING REFINISHING Before your journey into the world of furniture restoration be- -gins, you must have some of the necessary tools. You don’t need to clean out the nearest hardware store and, depending on what you want to restore, you mav not need too many tools anyway. Wagoner suggests the following: e A work area with a work- bench. g e A spatula or wide metal putty knife to break free finish on level surfaces. e Sandpaper, sandpaper block, soft cotton cloth, a bristle brush, steel wool for other finishing work. A lightweight 13-ounce claw hammer, and assortment of screwdrivers, slotted and Phillips cross-tips, a sharp knife and a re- tractable utility knife for wood- working. * A four-in-hand wood file, wood chisels of various sizes and a saw for woodworking. Once you've assembled your tool supply, you are ready to go hunting for your first project, un-- less your first project is already a ———— eS LR HOME FACTS Many people surveyed want their spouses to help more with cleaning around the house. Percent who wanted more help with housecleaning: yo) SOURCE: Household Hints and Tips Better Homes and Gardens books sitting in your attic or basement. The best place to start search- ing is at garage sales or dumps. And make your first project a small one, such as a small chair or an end table. This way you won’t become discouraged. Once you've found your first victim, you're ready to begin the refinishing process. The first step is to remove the old finish. But examine it careful- ly, because you might not need to tare it off. You might bz able to polish the old finish up to new. To remove the finish you can use removers like paint stripper or lacquer thinner. Or you can use a spatula to remove chipping and flaking finish. Apply remover with a bristle brush and when the finish wrinkles you can use the putty knife to push off the loose finish. Be careful because you can gouge the real wood at this point. To help remove the finish you can soak steel wool in the remover and gently scrub with the grain to remove the old finish. Optical Illusions Make any room look larger by not overfurnishing. Rooms with slanted ceilings will look bigger by placing the heaviest and larg- est furniture against the highest walls. WICKER OUTLET "fog RERSY:1 SS ION S10] J I Stop in & see our Unlimited Spring Collection of BASKETS & priced with YOU in MIND! If RATTAN is your choice for that special room, we have: PAPASON CHAIRS w/Deluxe Cushion your choice of EVIE UR ELC [Ta Tol {eT ) £1 (oT)! $169.95 TIME FOR A CHANGE? Freshen Your Home with WICKER 5) at "Affordable Prices The BAHAMA SET $225.00 4 pc. AS SHOWN is of superior ITER ER (1 [To F:Ty [of] Our PATIO SETS start at $225.00 to $495.00 White or Natural Our DOUBLE PAPASON which fits two. with the comfort you have to see to believe. and priced that way too! Also in shortly will be the beautiful RATTAN PEDESTAL ROCKER AT $149.95 w/ Adult PEACOCK CHAIRS Spring Priced at $24.95 SR BASSINETS from $29.95 ALSO CU TR TT ET ROR CTT TR TT TS ROCKERS from $89.95 FERN TRUNKS from $29.95 EUCALYPTUS $8.95 Ib. DRIED FLOWERS from 99¢ a bunch STOM ORDER is available at no extra charge 73 Bridge Street (rear Fassett's Bldg.) at the Signal in Tunkhannock, PA (717) 283-5536 a 4 4 Jayes Nursery Landscape Service & Design ® Seeding * Tree & Shrubbery Pruning * Railroad Tie Walls & Planters ® Brick Walks Free Estimates ® Insured 946 Main St. Swoyersville, PA 18704 James A. Yuhas Proprietor WB JIM BENSON NATURE'S CREATIONS .@ LANDSCAPING 2 Specializing in Unique Designs that will enhance your home. New Lawns - Retaining Walls - Driveways Topsoil - Shrubs - Colored Stones & Mulches Compiete Excavating and Dump Truck Services - - - 833-2756 | ofl a) ‘- a? HUNTSVILLE NURSERY Garden Center and Landscaping Quality Plants and Planting Since 1924 VISIT OUR NEWLY REMODELED GARDEN CENTER GARDEN CENTER 675-2861 Call us for personalized analysis of your property’s landscaping potential! 675-0062 Garden Center Hours: 8 a.m. ‘til Dusk. We accept Visa — Master Card & Ee “=The Dallas Post Spring Home Improvement '91 Section 2 Wednesday, April 17, 1991 1 Ar hal SS vr HR MI oT in LO TOT hon he dial i Tg Floor finish. «+ frompage 10 : Orientals (attend a class, buy an ate checkerboard patterns, bor- illustrated book). When you know ders and faux area rugs. what kind and quality of rug you want and can afford, visit several vendors — from import shops to department stores — to compare inventories and pricing. ; Despite their hand-loomed ap- pearance, fringed braid rugs (pop- square) and thicker than those ular in country interiors) are inex- used to pave walls and counter- pensive, yet are practical and tops. easy to maintain. Glazed tile has color baked into its surface, and often has a dull finish to make it less slippery. Glazes are considered an art form, and formulas and methods from the past are being resurrected. Hand-painted, imported tiles can be collectors’ items. Unglazed tiles in natural clay colors are popular in Southwest and Spanish-style homes; those that mimic genuine slate, marble, granite and other stones also are available. TILE For a look that is timeless, dec- orative and durable, consider tile. Ceramic tiles used for flooring are larger (from 6 to 12 inches HARDWOOD You can’t go wrong with wood — it adds warmth and provides a pleasing backdrop for any decor. If your home has hardwood floors, sanding and sealing will re- store “their original beauty. (You can rent the equipment and do it yourself, or have it done profes- sionally.) The stain you select needn't be dark brown. Reddish, or mahoga- nylike hues blend beautifully with traditional and casual interiors. Consider a bleached or pickled fin- -ish for a more contemporary or Southwest look. New finishes make hardwood floors easy to clean and maintain. Baked-in penetrating stains im- part a soft, natural sheen to the wood; urethane resins cured under ultraviolet light create no-wax finishes. : Just as patterns have returned to rugs and carpeting, so have they to wood floors. Stencils cre- VINYL Resilient flooring has many forms, most commonly sheet vinyl and vinyl tile. These are durable, water- and stain-resistant, and come in a multitude of attractive no-wax patterns and surfaces. Because it is available in styles that are embossed, carved, tex- tured and grained, resilient floor- ing is an ideal choice if you want to hide a floor’s flaws and irregu- larities. A new high-tech technique cre- ates vinyl tiles that resemble mar- ble or granite with photographic fidelity — offering an inexpensive way to dramatize entryways, hall- ways and baths. Recently introduced by the Armstrong company, vinyl tiles have turned flooring into an art- ist’s canvas. The resulting designs (made from a palette of 14 colors) include black-and-white checker- boards, custom inlays, borders, and .(for children’s rooms) race- tracks and hopscotch patterns. Ar- chitect Michael Graves uses solid- colored vinyl tiles in combination with hardwood flooring. Borders for vinyl sheet flooring also come on rolls, just like wall- paper. NEW (AND OLD) OPTIONS Concrete, or colored cement, is a newly popular flooring material for kitchens, baths and hallways. Not only is it inexpensive, it’s easy to clean. Hot options for “earthy” interi- ors include quarry tile, natural stone, brick, flagstone and slate. According to Metropolitan Home magazine, a “tacky yet soulful” floor surface, “the om- nipresent stuff many of us grew up on” has made a comeback. eh SPRING PAT SAVE $ A400 GAL, National Paint & Supply Inc. 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