Posted: January 23rd, 2010 | Filed under: DIY, Furniture, Our Projects | Tags: dissolving rust with cola, nashville flea market, removing rust on chrome | 4 Comments »
Well, after surfing and polling some wise peeps, I gained a renewed hope for ditching the remaining rust spots on the chrome of my flea market stools. Cola applied with wadded up aluminum foil is the choice of car enthusiasts on the net..so I figure, why not give it a whirl?
People, can I just TELL you how thrilling, yet horrifying this was? It works. I mean really works. I knew I should give up my once daily diet soda, but I don’t think that will be a problem now. I can’t believe I’ve been ingesting RUST DISSOLVER. Not cool. At all.
There were a couple of areas I knew were beyond saving since it had penetrated the chrome, but all the other spots I couldn’t get with the Noxon? WOW. Check it out.
before and after
and another before and after
You can see where the chrome is pitted here…but still WAY better than before.
Then, I went back and polished up all over with the Noxon again and…Tah Dah!!!!!
one of the good spots…
It took a lot longer than I expected, but it was well worth it. They aren’t perfect, but they are miles ahead of where they were, and I lurv them.
Posted: January 22nd, 2010 | Filed under: Furniture, Our Projects, Shoppin' and Junkin' | Tags: nashville flea market, vintage cosco stools | 1 Comment »
So, I tried a new strategy this month and decided the hit the flea market Friday morning instead of Saturday morning. Supposedly, they set up Thursday night, but since the weather was cold and wet, a lot of vendors were not set up yet or were in the process of unloading. I didn’t bring my camera so it wouldn’t get wet in the drizzle.
I picked up another project from one of the dudes ready to deal. Why is it I NEVER find anything that doesn’t need work? Sigh. Anyway… stopped off at the hardware store on the way home and got busy.
I have to research chroming/chrome plating…that would be valuable info for me and the stuff I’ve got. Body shops?
I got a lot of the crud off, but some of the rust is there to stay…but, I’m OK with that for now..the pleather was in great shape…onward! Have a great weekend..
UPDATE: I’ve conducted a poll of friends and the Interwebs: Coca Cola and tin foil is the choice of many for those pesky rust spots…will try in morning and let you know…
Posted: January 11th, 2010 | Filed under: DIY, Furniture, Our Projects | Tags: cane wrapped bookcase repair, rattan repair | 2 Comments »
No, not Singapore’s solution to misdemeanors..I’m talking basket weaving cane. Remember the new bookshelf? I managed to find the cane to re-wrap the damaged areas….a decent sized roll for $30…bringing my bookshelf total up to $130. I’m quite pleased since I couldn’t even get the CB2 Hancock bookcase I had considered for that much.
Not knowing jack about weaving or caning…a little research turns up a few tips and we’re on our way. The CC took the lead on this one…he thought it looked like a lot more fun than organizing the workshop in below freezing temps, so I stepped back to simply document the process.
First, we soak the cane for 4 hours in warm water…while it was soaking, he removed the old torn bits and scraped off the old glue. He saved the tacks so we could re-use them…and then it was wrapping time. We were out of Gorilla Glue, which we love, so he decided to use plain old white glue. Tack the end and start wrapping until you finish the strip, Tack and repeat. Linseed oil or tung oil should be rubbed on it to prevent cracking etc.. so if you have dry cane on anything..a little oiling can save it…so say the wise weavers of the net.
There is a color variation between the new and old cane, but not too bad. My hope is that with repeated applications of the linseed oil, the color will even out. All in all, I think it was a success, and I have enough cane leftover to do something else down the line.
Posted: September 16th, 2009 | Filed under: DIY, Furniture, Our Projects, Shoppin' and Junkin' | Tags: bleaching wood furniture, removing water stains with oxalic acid | 1 Comment »
I found this coffee table in Fairview for $30 and just knew, despite its problems, I could make it work. It was covered in rings from drink glasses and had what appeared to be some ink in the wood as well. It didn’t have to be perfect since I needed it for the playroom…and it would get treated harshly. From Uno to Lego, this table would provide what we lacked so now…how to get it cleaned up? I somehow sensed that sanding alone would not solve my problems (and it didn’t) so I turned to the net for answers.
Oxalic acid is what I needed….4 out of 5 DIY dorks like me seemed to think that this stuff can take the stains out of almost any wood. I could order it online….but was determined to find it locally. I head out to Lowes and start reading labels…I was about to give up when I spotted the deck cleaning section and, lo and behold…Deck cleaner is primarily composed of…..oh yeah, oxalic acid. I grab a gallon and rush home with unrealistic visions of having it finished by nightfall.
Having already sanded it the day before, all I had to do was:
1) apply an acid/water solution to the stains
2) let sit for 30 minutes
3) then rinse, and seal once the wood dried back out.
Well, in the end I treated the stains with 4 different solutions of acid to water, strengthening it each time until I finally just put the deck cleaner on the stains neat. THAT finally did the trick..but to be cautious, I’d spent hours getting to that realization. To seal the table, I had bought both tung oil and linseed oil and decided to go with the linseed in the end. The wood looks great and I’m probably going to put another coat of linseed oil on in a few days after the other coats truly soak in. Well worth the effort…I think the Playmobil knights and pirates agree.
sanding
more sanding
one of many marks still showing post-sanding
ready to rumble
secret weapons
waiting
nary a ring
done
Posted: September 15th, 2009 | Filed under: Building Materials, DIY, Furniture, Landscaping, Our Projects | Tags: budget patio, pine straw patio, sawhorse dining table | 3 Comments »
I’ve bemoaned my current outdoor living situation…or really, the lack thereof, before. Until now…we only had 4 small chairs and 2 of my water heater tables on the small deck outside the kitchen. We hadn’t reassembled the back deck yet since Phil/lipa is STILL on the prowl (don’t EVEN get me started.) The point is, we had ample space, but nothing organized for outdoor entertaining. I had houseguests coming for a week and the weather here was unseasonably pleasant for late August/early September. We HAD to have a place for us all to hang comfortably outside and I only had a few days to get it figured out.
Since we were not yet sporting a new deck or patio…I needed to make one…fast and cheap, because anything I do will be bulldozed when the real landscaping begins. There was a flat area just beyond the deck off the kitchen that was nothing more than mud and stones with a few weeds thrown in. This, was the perfect spot for my poor man’s patio.
I bought 15 bales of pine straw for about $65 and started spreading it around to create the floor of my “patio”. I sprayed some weed killer before I put it down (and it needs another round already.) I loved it. It kept the mud from getting tracked in, and made a kind of “soft” floor for us to enjoy. I didn’t have an outdoor dining table anymore and we were adamant that we dine a-fresco in the glorious weather. I figured it was time to go for the industrial approach. Material list – very simple: Powder coated metal sawhorses ($25 each-adjustable height legs a MUST) and plywood picked up from Home Depot. My Crafty Counterpart connected 3 pieces of plywood together to get the length we wanted and bolted it down to the sawhorses for stability – they come undone just as quickly for disassembly.
In order to hide the lovely plywood, I get a big roll of chocolate brown burlap from JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts. I’ve been using burlap for outdoor table coverings for years…cheap, easy and customizable. If you buy a bolt of it ($3.00/yard) then it doesn’t matter how long your table is…just keep rolling it out and cut to size. If you want to get fancy, fray your edges by pulling out the last few rows of thread..it gives it a much more finished look. I ran out of time, so no fancy for me this round.
I found some chairs at the flea market last spring for $7 each and they’ve been sitting in the garage, waiting for their debut. They came from a church in Evansville, Indiana and they were perfect for the Regal Beagle’s yard. Plastic seats, metal legs and surprisingly comfortable – SOLD. I bought all 11 he had. Some have paint spatters, but luckily, I didn’t need that many right now so I could save that project for another day. That’s it. Instant dining area.
I had some furniture that needed work, but was still usable with a few cushions. I scrounged in the attic to find some old cushions to throw on the broken metal Woodards and then, we were ready to chillax in the yard. And chillax we did, while watching our friends the owls do a little evening hunting. It’s not pretty…it’s more like the Regal Beagle goes Redneck, but it was just the ticket. Sometimes function simply must trump form. As we sat out in the moonlight, listening to the cicadas in the forest, I didn’t care how ugly it was…and neither did my guests.
small amount of seating on deck
"patio" to be right under that tree at the top
straw over mud
spreading it out
plywood and sawhorses
all secured
burlap and candles then ran out of time
instant "patio"
Regal Beagle goes Redneck
Posted: July 30th, 2009 | Filed under: DIY, Furniture, Our Projects, Shoppin' and Junkin' | Tags: Burke chair restoration, fiberglass chair restoration | No Comments »
One of my more recent junking expeditions yielded a nice Burke, Saarinen style tulip chair. I had just read the posts here, and here on fiberglass shell restoration so I was feeling pretty confident that the condition of the fiberglass wouldn’t be an issue. Granted, all of the posts I’d found focused on the colored Herman Miller/Eames shells, but the consensus seemed to be that white ones were easy too…just coat with a different sealer to avoid yellowing…simple enough right?
Armed with different grits of sanding sponges, I start at it…at first it looks like the dirt is coming off easily…until I realize the white grit I am sanding off is just filling in all the gouges and as soon as I wipe it clean…it’s there again. This continues for several hours over 3 days. Even with wet sanding..the itchy arm syndrome exists.
Finally, I realize I need to just let it go and say enough is enough…it will never be perfect and I wouldn’t have wanted it if it were, so just seal the damn thing already. I used a spray lacquer/high gloss clear coat and it just kept sucking it in. I had considered linseed oil, but liked the low maintenance a sprayed coating would provide.
I had a few fabric scraps in the attic I tried to picture it with…but I think at the end of the day…I want a pretty obnoxious print on here so the search continues to complete the job….
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Burke Project Before
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Dirt Detail
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Dirt Detail 2
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Posted: July 3rd, 2009 | Filed under: DIY, Furniture, Our Projects, Shoppin' and Junkin' | Tags: desk before and after, junking in fairview, painted oak desk | No Comments »
I was out junking in Fairview, TN a couple of weeks ago and picked up a few projects…because I really don’t have enough on my plate. BTW, I love how everyone else in the country calls it “thrifting”…sounds so much more civilized…down here, it’s just junkin’.
Anyway, this cute little kidney shaped desk was perfect for a little someone in the family who was promised their own desk this summer. The faux bois laminate top was in perfect condition…just needed to be scrubbed and scraped of some old paint on it. As for the body…it needed a little more TLC. It was a LOT rougher looking in person than the photo lets on…really….I look at that photo and think…”it was nice the way it was”..and it wasn’t..I was there!
I started to strip it down…and realized it was going to take a REALLY long time. It’s oak and paint was WAY down in those unprimed grooves.
I decided: 1) I kinda hate oak furniture as a rule. 2) I’ve brought back enough blond wood pieces in this house….gotta stop.
Soooooo…. bringing it back to the natural wood wasn’t exactly worth the effort to me. A good sanding, priming, and coat of spray paint got this project done in a much more manageable time line.
The new owner is SUPER pleased which is all that really matters.
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Desk Before
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Desk Before Detail
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Desk Primed
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Posted: February 9th, 2009 | Filed under: Building Materials, DIY, Furniture, Our Projects, Shoppin' and Junkin' | Tags: DIY, lucite table, veneer, zebrawood | 2 Comments »
I really wanted a Karl Springer lucite table, but kept getting outbid by interior designers on e-bay every time a good one came around. So I gave up that approach and started thinking about how I can finagle a new glam coffee table for no more than $200-$250. I found the lucite base on e-bay – came with a giant glass top that made it look oh, so 80’s…but I was able to purchase just the base.
Next came making our own top….In discussions with my crafty counterpart – he decides 2 pieces of MDF glued together is the perfect base on which to apply our veneer. I went to the local woodworkers shop and picked out a nice piece of zebrawood veneer – from there, we built the tabletop to be the exact width of the veneer so we won’t have any seams on the top. We cut small strips to use on the sides and left the underside alone. Sealed with a few coats of polyurethane and it’s done.
Lucite Base
Before Veneer
2 Pieces MDF
Unsealed Veneer On
Complete
