How to Choose the Right Wood Finish?

You are all set to start with your DIY project for wood finishing! Read on these tips to help you with the proper selection of wood finish for the results you want.

• Decide on such issues as to how the wooden product will be used? Whether it will be exposed to water, moisture or other such elements? Do you want the wood finish to be transparent, semitransparent, or opaque?
• Depending upon your requirements, buy the appropriate finish. For this, you must know the basics of wood finishes. Clear finishes give transparent looks and include varnish, polyurethane, lacquer, water-based and shellac. Opaque finishes are paints, which come in various colors.
• Always read the information on the package label for additional help in selecting the right finish. Look at the finished samples available at many stores to get an idea of what the finish will look like.
• For exterior wood surfaces like siding and fascia boards, use a paint that is labeled for exterior use and preferably contains a fungicide.
• If you want to change the color of raw wood, use a wood stain. Wood stains also make inexpensive wood, such as pine, look more expensive (like cherry, oak, or mahogany)
• If you want a weatherproof finish such as for outdoor wood furniture, use wood stains made with sealers.
• Give thick finishes to the furniture in high-moisture or high-traffic areas. Examples of such furniture include your garden furniture or living room furniture. To get a thicker finish, go for wood varnish, polyurethane, lacquer, water-based finishes, shellac or paint. These can be applied in several layers on the wood surface. Oil finishes cannot build up layers and leave the wood surface more natural-looking.
• To bring out the beauty and the grain in wood, use oil finishes. They work more efficiently on hardwoods such as red oak, maple, cherry, and walnut.
• Use linseed oil finish only on interior projects and for restoring wood furniture with an existing linseed finish. You will find both- regular and boiled linseed oil. Use boiled linseed oil if you want shorter drying time.
• If you are finishing a wooden craft that has not been finished previously, you can use either danish or teak oils. Danish oil has comparatively low luster than teak oil.
• For non-toxic wood finish, like for butcher blocks or wooden toys, use mineral oil.
• For articles that are more exposed to moisture, use tung oil finish.
• For slightly glossy or flat appearance, use wax finish.

Whatever finish you choose, remember wooden finishes protect your wooden crafts and furniture apart from making them look good. So, give a finish that is appropriate to the wood surface and make them stay with you for a lifetime.

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Diwali Cleaning- Take Care of Antique Wood Furniture

Home cleaning is on an all time high! And why not? After all, its Diwali time! Cleaning of curtains, carpets, windows, doors, furniture- every nook and corner of the house- becomes a responsibility of everyone at home. Apart from cleaning all these household goods and amidst the mission of decorating home for a joyful Diwali, one comes at a sudden standstill- How to clean antiques? They need special treatment. They have to be cleaned as well as kept intact with their 'old' looks. How is it possible? Read How to Clean Antique Wood Furniture and know the secret!

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How to Care for Wooden Furniture?

Whether we go for traditional style of home decor or a contemporary one, we all love to have wood home furniture. Wood furniture is liked for its beauty, strength and durability but if proper care is not taken, these furniture lose their sheen and also develop cracks that can make you lose them shortly. So how to care for wood furniture? Here are certain tips for your help.

• Extreme temperature and relative humidity harm wooden furniture the most. Keep the temperature of your home between 70 - 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Relative humidity should be at 50-55%.
• Take help of humidifier or de-humidifier to keep the air in the rooms from becoming too dry or too damp.
• Dust regularly. That's the mantra to give long life to any furniture.
• While dusting, avoid using wet cloths or mops. They can stain and damage the wood. Use soft cloth, preferably lint-free cotton, or a vacuum cleaner with dust brush attachment for general cleaning of your furniture.
• Always use coasters, place mats or other protective things for keeping hot or cold items, even water, on top of wooden furniture.
• Keep solvents like nail polish remover, alcohol and paint thinner away from wood furniture. They can easily harm their finish. Colognes, perfumes and medications, wine, beer and liquor- all contain alcohol and are harmful to your wood furniture.
• Plastic objects like tablecloths, wrappers, plastic toys and games lying on wooden surfaces can leach into wood over time. Avoid them.
• Don't expose your wood furniture to direct sunlight, heat, cold or excessively damp or dry environments. Curtains on windows will protect the furniture from sunlight.
• When polishing and waxing wooden furniture, select the correct cleaner and polish according to the type of the furniture's finish.
• Always follow manufacturers' instructions when using spray or liquid polishes.
• Use polishes that are specifically manufactured for wooden surfaces. Never mix different types of polishes.
• Polishing too often can lead to a cloudy, filmy build up on the furniture that doesn't assimilate with the look and feel of wood. Polish once or twice a year. Its enough to give extra life to your furniture.
• If possible, use paste wax as it provides a thick, hard, lasting finish to hardwood furniture. It also delays the formation of water rings, which give a little extra time to wipe up the moisture. Liquid wax are like paste wax but provide a thinner coating.
  

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Interior Decoration with Votive and Candle Holders

Candles are one thing that bring instant feel of romanticism as soon as they are lighted. What's better than wrought iron candle holders to decorate your interiors then. Have a look at what kinds of votive and candle holders are available there for you and how can you illuminate your home interiors with style.

• There are smaller sized wall candle holders that generally hold only one candle. They are available in various amazing twisted and curled shapes to match any of the room's decor.
• There are certain wrought iron candle holders that have mirrors behind them giving distinctive artful appearance and, not to mention, more of light when illuminated.
• You can even find wall sconces in a bird cage which looks like a housing for the candle, giving it a unique look. Bring it home to make your home decor unique too.
• As far as size of these holders are concerned, you can find them for almost any size of candle- from votive to larger pillar candles.
• What more, if you think that a single candle holder is not sufficient in your large room, get them in pairs. They come in a large variety of pairs.
• And if, anyhow, you don't get satisfied with a pair, go for larger holders that can hold from two to upto sixteen or more candles. Celebrate the joy of lights right at your home!
• If you want something different, go for decorative plate candle holders to set your pillar candles.
• Bring a candle holder shaped like a small lamp. It will add soft light to any room, best suited for your bedroom.
• Fascinated by floating candles? Choose one from many fancy wrought iron bowls as your candle holder or buy a candle in a jar with an ornamental lid.

After installing, don't forget to keep your wrought iron candle holders clean and pretty for lifelong experience of art and beauty.

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DIY: Remove Stains from Wood Furniture

Wood furniture lends sheer elegance to any home. They are durable and easy to maintain too. They are given efficient wood finishes by wood furniture manufacturers. However, sometimes these finishes can not counter the problem of staining. The furniture can get stained by milk, nail polish and even water. So how can you get rid of these stains? Here are some easy to follow techniques for your help. However, if there are some tough stains on very expensive furniture item then its better to get professional help. Sometimes the quick remedies may damage the wood finish.

Tips for Removing Common Stains

Before applying the following remedies on larger areas of any furniture, remember to test it on a small area to see whether it damages the finish or not?

Water Stains: If you see any water marks in the form of rings on your wooden dining table, cover it with a clean, thick blotter and press down with a warm iron. Repeat the process for some time. You can also apply some salad oil, mayonnaise or white toothpaste on the stain and then wipe it dry. Now you can wax and polish the table.

Alcohol/ Milk Stains: Take some liquid or paste wax and rub it on the stain with fingers. You can also use a paste of boiled linseed oil and rotten stone. Another trick is to rub with a dampened cloth having ammonia on it. Then wipe it dry and wax or polish.

Nail Polish Stains: If nail polish spills on your hardwood furniture then treat it as soon as it occurs. Blot it immediately and then rub it with fine steel wool dipped in wax. Steel wool is a bundle of strands of very fine soft steel filaments, used in finishing and repairing work to polish wood or metal objects. Afterwards, wipe it dry and wax or polish.

Paint Marks: Fresh latex paint on hardwood furniture can be removed with the help of water and oil-based paint with mineral spirits. If the stain has dried, soak the stained spot in boiled linseed oil. When the paint gets softened after a while, lift it carefully with a putty knife or wipe with cloth after dampening it with boiled linseed oil. If some paint is still left, remove it by rubbing along the grain with a paste of boiled linseed oil and rotten stone. Wipe it dry and wax or polish.

Wax Marks: Hold an ice cube wrapped in cloth against the wax so that it gets hardened. Then remove it with fingernail or some other stiff object such as a blunt knife or a plastic card. Now rub with extra-fine steel wool dipped in mineral spirits. Then wipe it dry and wax or polish.

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Slate Tiles: How to Install Them?

Have you always wanted to install slate tiles in the porch of your house yourself but never knew how to? Do you worry about not being able to do it properly? You will be relieved to know that installing slate tiles is not a very tough job. The only things required to do this project are a design, some tools, slate tiles and a lot of patience as this work can take few days to get completed.

For installing slate tiles in your porch or patio, you have to make a design on a graph paper where each square represents ½ or 1 ft of your area. After designing, you have to buy the essential supplies based on your design. Before you start to install the slate tiles, you have to clean the area and make it level and smooth. With the help of an adhesive, you have to place the tiles following the scheme of your design. You have to start from a corner and work from outside, completing one column or row at a time. The basic process is simple but care has to be taken while doing the work.

Want to learn more about how to install slate tiles? Read Installing Slate Tile

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