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Posts Tagged ‘antique<’
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery on Jan 25
I was in an antique shop in London the other day, admiring some really lovely pieces of old furniture and wondering how they got their finishes so smooth. Later in the day I met up with an old London Carpenter friend of mine in a listed City pub. As he ran his hand over the gleaming wooden counter, he let a few trade-secrets slip.

• Wait for a windless day while you prepare a suitable work-place out of the sun
• Assuming you’ve prepared everything properly and that your work-piece is completely dry, give the varnish a proper stir for at least five minutes if not longer.
• Strain the varnish through a silk stocking to get rid of any remaining lumps.
• If you feel a call of nature coming on take that break now, as you are going to work through to completion.
• Moisten the best quality brush you can lay your hands on in the cleaning solvent the varnish manufacturer recommends (this prevents the brush from clogging up).
• Apply the varnish evenly with a series of long firm overlapping strokes. Do not return to touch-up. Never scrape the brush across the container – it is this action that creates the bubbles.
• Don’t fiddle with your work afterwards and mess it up. Allow it to dry naturally for twenty-four hours before checking in an inconspicuous place.
That sounds like good enough advice for me and I might no longer need to Find a Carpenter for those smaller jobs. However if I decide to re-varnish the wooden staircase in my home the wife is always nagging me about, I think I’ll rather go for Carpentry Quotes on Mr-Skill instead. It’s just so much easier, and inexpensive allowing for the savings on my own time.
Tags: antique, apply, brush, bubble, carpenter, carpentry quotes, clog, container, dry, fiddle, find a carpenter, finish, furniture, london carpenter, lump, moisten, naturally, overlap, prepare, scrape, secret, smooth, solvent, stir, stocking, strain, stroke, sun, tip, touch up, varnish, wind, wood Posted in Carpentry & Joinery | Comments Off
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery on Dec 07
While Carpenters generally speaking cut and finish wooden planks before assembling them with screws and nails, Joiners put more detailed work together using a combination of joints, wooden dowels and glue. Another difference is that Carpenters generally work on site, while you’ll more often Find a Joiner plying their trade in a workshop.
When you look around your home or office you’ll find considerable evidence of the fascinating art of Joinery:
- A wooden staircase rising to an upper level is the ultimate statement of a gracious interior. If you have a fine piece of architectural woodwork like this, you could be well-advised to contact a leading London Joining Firm if it needs repair so it’s not accidentally ruined.
- Furniture with exposed frames, like most dining-room and some lounge suites are often classic examples of a Joiner’s art. Dowels taken from the same piece of wood are frequently almost invisible. If you spot an antique leather-topped desk in a showroom or second-hand corner shop, consider it carefully because these things are vanishing.
Better-quality wooden doors, and wooden door and window frames are the work of trained Joiners too, and rely on joints that you can spot when you look carefully. It is these joints that give them the extra strength they need, when a gust of wind unexpectedly slams them closed.
Joiners provide a service to several different market sectors, where their different titles may be confusing. Cabinet Makers make storage furniture like shelves and cupboards; Shop Fitters create display and service points; Boat Builders finish off the interiors of yachts, and so on. The common denominator is the care they take, and their love of wood.
When you advertise a woodworking job on Mr-Skill that you need attending to, it is always a good idea to indicate the trade you need. Use key phrases like simple carpentry job, or needs a person experienced in making joints. That way you’re more likely to find the right person to provide you with the Joiner Quote you want.
Tags: antique, architect, boat builder, cabinet maker, care, carpenter, desk, dining, Dining Room, door, dowel, find a joiner, frame, glue, gracious, home, joiner, joiner quote, joint, leather, london joining firm, lounge, love, nail, office, plank, repair, screw, service, shop fitter, stair, staircase, strength, window, wood, wooden, workshop Posted in Carpentry & Joinery | Comments Off
Posted in Cleaning Services on Mar 09
Wood is a beautifully natural medium that can last forever if correctly cared for. Because it is natural though, it starts to decay as soon as a tree is cut down, which means it must be looked after all its life. If you have especially valuable antique wooden furniture you should consider getting Housekeeper Quotes from those specialised in the field.
The first step to caring for wood it is to determine which finish was applied to it
Expert Tip: Test in a less obvious place first.
Step 1: Rub a few drops of boiled linseed oil into the wood. Is the oil absorbed? Is yes, the wood either has an oiled finish, or it is natural wood – if neither, read on.
Step 2: Rub a little acetone over a spot in a gently circular motion. Is the acetone repelled? Then the finish is polyurethane. Is the acetone dissolved? Then the wood is lacquered – if neither, read on.
Step 3: Try a few drops of denatured alcohol. If the finish dissolves quickly it is shellac. Does it react slowly instead? Then the wood has been varnished.
Generally speaking, wood that has been oiled will benefit from a monthly application of a little good furniture oil to prevent it from drying out or cracking. Check to make sure that the oil will not make the wood go darker first. With this exception, you can keep all your furniture in tip-top condition with a general-purpose surface cleaner once a month, and a dusting once a week between.
Never expose wooden furniture to harsh chemicals or bright sunlight. Do not allow moisture to lie on any piece of wood for long, or else it may stain it permanently. This includes plastic or rubber objects that can generate their own humidity because they do not breathe.
If your wood furniture becomes water stained, a rated Cleaner in London may be able to provide some expert advice. Our advice is not to take chances with things you do not understand – rather Find a Housekeeper on Mr-Skill.
Tags: acetone, alcohol, antique, care, chemical, clean, cleaner london, cleaner quote, dust, find a cleaner, find a housekeeper, furniture, housekeeper london, housekeeping quotes, lacquer, linseed, natural, oil, polyurethane, rub, shellac, stain, sun, sunlight, surface clean, test, tree, varnish, water, wood Posted in Cleaning Services | Comments Off
Modern, tougher polyurethane finishes that are resistant to heat and water have largely replaced traditional French Polishing that was popular in years gone by. It still lingers on though in many older items of furniture, that may often be precious too. Use these handy tips to cool the temperature in the household if an accident occurs. If you are not quite sure though what you are doing or perhaps the damage is severe, perhaps you should find a decorator with specialist skills instead.
o First – establish whether the piece is actually French Polished, or not. Do this by gently rubbing an obscure spot using a soft, lint-free cloth moistened with methylated spirits. If you find a deposit on the cloth then you have confirmed your suspicion.
o Scuff Marks – Make up a solution of 5 parts methylated spirit, 2 parts linseed oil and 1 part pure turpentine. Moisten a soft, lint-free pad and work it over the damage using a “figure of eight” motion. If necessary, use undiluted methylated spirit to blend in scratch marks.
o Heat Marks – Work these away with a lint-free cloth moistened with 1 part pure turpentine and 1 part raw linseed OR camphorated oil.
o Alcohol Stains – Alcohol dissolves French Polish. You should mop it up immediately and leave the surface to dry. If you cannot recover the damage using the techniques described above, you should ask for decorator quotes at Mr-Skill (unless you want to try a French Polish substitute bought at your local hardware store). If the damaged piece of furniture is antique, then you may need the help of specialist decorators – London is the best place to find these.
Be careful when you follow this advice – do a test on a spot that is not normally visible, and use an expert if in any way you are not sure. The value of an older piece often lies in the patina of age, and you do not want to lose this.
Tags: age, alcohol, antique, camphorated oil, cloth, decorator quotes, decorators london, find a decorator, find a painter, french polish, french polished, frenchpolish, furniture, heat, linseed oil, lint free, methylted spitits, old, painter quotes, painters london, patina, polyurethane, scratch, scuff, turpentine Posted in Carpentry & Joinery, Handyman Services, Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
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