4 the love of wood: Tips

This page is dedicated to offering unique tips & tricks to

refurbishing furniture from around the DIY community.

These are common sense things learned over time offered to help you.

Contents:

#1 dresser drawer placement

#2 removing finishing nails

#3 drawers gliding better

#4 cleaning brushes

#5 distressing with wax

#6 quick sawdust removal
#7 cleaning after sanding
#8 crackle medium
#9 wax finish for black furniture
#10 renewing your paint tray
#11 deglosser
#12 removing contact paper
#13 furniture stripper endorsement

1. Find the best fit for your drawers.

Drawers are often put back in the wrong places during the many
relocation's a piece of furniture goes thru in it's life. This is usually
unintentional but in most cases it causing them not to fit right
anymore. I find the best fit for all the drawers making sure
everything glides smoothly then they get permanently numbered.

courtesy of 4 the love of WOOD

2. Remove finishing nails thru the back side.

A lot of finishing nails don't have typical nail heads, in this

case it will cause less damage and be easier to remove if you use

pliers to pull the nail thru the back or bottom side of your trim.

courtesy of 4 the love of WOOD

#3 Wax your drawer glides.

A lot of us have experienced our old wooden drawers binding.
Rub a bar of soap along the drawer glide areas and all the points
wood rubs on wood. This will make a huge difference helping your
drawers run properly again.

courtesy of 4 the love of WOOD

#4 Clean those paint brushes well.

For water based paint clean up only.
Use a sink (kitchen/laundry) that is deep enough for your
brushes to stand vertically under the tap. The water gets deep
inside to where your paint also went and adding a drop of
dishsoap the same way will help in your clean-up.

courtesy of 4 the love of WOOD

#5 Distressing with wax.

Buy some clear wax bars (the kind you can add colorant and scent

to, to make candles). "Rub it" on the areas you would've

"distressed" after you painted your top coat. The top coat won't

stick there, and you can scrape the wax off with a dull razor blade,

or wipe it off with a hot rag when the paint is dry. Distressing

without sanding--it's a nice layered look.

courtesy of Catherine @ Freddy and Petunia

#6 Blowing your troubles away.

When I have a large project to sand, or a lot of small projects-my
first line of defense is to use my leaf blower to remove the bulk of
the sawdust before I start wiping the items down with a tack cloth.

courtesy of Gail @ My Repurposed Life

#7 Wipe the right way.

After sanding, wipe your piece with a damp rag.

DO NOT use an oil based cleaning product as it may cause your
primer or paint to repel rather than adhere. Wait for the piece to be

finished painting before you give it that thorough cleaning.

courtesy of Cassie @ Primitive & Proper

#8 Inexpensive way

Did you know that crackle medium is nothing but diluted (elmer's)

white glue ...even the cheap dollar store white glue will work.

courtesy of Deb @ Proper Prim

#9 Extra dusting not needed.

If you use paste wax on furniture as a finishing layer, DON'T use it on
black painted furniture. It will attract the dust in our home more readily
and be worse for upkeep than black painted furniture already is.

courtesy of Terry @ Forever Decorating

#10 Make your paint tray work for you.

Rather than using a new liner in my paint tray each time I paint,

I just throw down a piece of aluminum foil instead.

courtesy of Kim @ Second Time Furniture

#11 Wiping instead of sanding

When painting a piece of furniture with a sheen or gloss to it, you

don't always have to bring out the sander before you paint,

sometimes a liquid deglosser wiped over the piece will do just as

well. Of course, you must be swift in this case, as the directions on

the can of deglosser, say "paint within 30 minutes of deglossing"!

courtesy of Carol @ Antiques & Uniques

#12 Hairdryers and Home Improvement

Girls! ... if you have some pesky contact paper standing between
you and your next creative ambition grab your hair dryer, it heats
the glue and helps release it from the object it’s adhered to! This
technique also worked on a mod podge fabric project I was working on.

courtesy of Kendra @ Creative Ambitions

#13 CITRISTRIP

I really like the product CitrisStrip. It has no bad odor, is safe to use indoors, and

really does work well to strip old finishes. You spray it on, wait half an hour,

and then just wipe it off. I've used it on several pieces and it always works well.

courtesy of Anne @ Bird / Like

MORE COMING FROM YOU
to learn more go here
or
if you would like to contribute a simple tip
you have learned thru experience plz email
driftwoodesign@shaw.ca

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