Furnishings

How to Restain Countertop Edging

Wear and tear, and everyday cleaning, can cause stained timber countertop edging to lose its warm appearance, however you can remove the old stain and employ fresh. You can even alter the appearance of the trimming by utilizing a fresh shade of stain. Although stain might seem deeply embedded in the wood, in most cases it’s possible to lift it with easily available wood stain removers located in home improvement centers and hardware stores. Harsh chemical strippers are no longer mandatory for eliminating stain and other finishes, which means you can choose an effective non-toxic merchandise if you like.

Sterile

Wood counter edges accumulate a lot of grime, grease and food particles. Although strippers remove just about any substance, cleaning the timber border before massaging enables the stripper to penetrate better and lift more of their old stain. Mild oil soap for timber is a non-toxic cleanser which softens old kitchen grease, allowing you to clean it off more readily. Mix oil soap and warm water in a skillet, and wash the countertop edge with a sponge. Old grease and meals are sometimes stubborn, so use an old toothbrush or a dull-edge metal scraper to remove anything that does not wipe off easily. Although oil soap is secure for sealed wood, you should not flooding the countertop edge with the liquid. Nicks or scratches through the old finish can absorb the water, which can produce the wood stained.

Protect

Before stripping off the old stain, you should protect the surrounding areas from stripper and the brand new stain and top finish coat. Painter’s tape creates a clean, sharp border between the countertop and the timber edging, and holds up plastic sheeting to protect the cupboard doors and drawers. An errant drop of stripper could ruin the face of your cabinets. Fall fabrics are also advisable for shielding the floor. Even ceramic tile is vulnerable, as a trickle of stained wood blot could permanently discolor the grout. Paint stripper can soften the painter’s tape adhesive if you accidentally get some on the tape, so get rid of the tape after stripping the border and apply a fresh layer before applying stain.

Strip

There are myriad timber stain strippers available in home improvement centers and hardware shop, but you don’t want one with harsh, smelly substances. Newer, nontoxic products are available that cut through water- and oil-based stains and sealers, and many of them work equally as quickly. Gel formulas are convenient for a novice to manage. The material is thicker than liquid strippers. It remains in place and does not dry out as quickly as liquids, and it brushes on with an old craft brush or disposable paintbrush. Following the stripper has dissolved the old stain and sealer, which is anywhere from a few hours to overnight, scrape it off with a metal scraper or a five-in-one painter’s scraping tool. Five-in-one scraper tools look like an odd-shaped putty knife with a metal lip on one end of border for reaching into small spaces. Sanding off the old stain and bleach rather than stripping is also an option, however, sandpaper and sanding sponges can harm edging with delicate information.

Stain

Wood stain can be found in water- or oil-based gels and liquids. Water-based stain absorbs and dries in as little as two hours, while oil-based stain absorbs and dries . In humid weather, oil-based stain can remain tacky following 24 hours. Mix stain thoroughly by shaking the tin or stirring the materials, and apply the stain with a paintbrush or sponge. After waiting approximately 5 minutes, wipe off the excess stain with a rag. Some people today would rather rub stain into the wood with a rag rather than brushing it on and then wiping it off, and this method works particularly well with gel stains. You can even stain wood with wood dyes, which work similarly to water-based stains. Dyes supply a wide variety of colors including standard wood tones and vibrant colors such as red, yellow and blue.

Seal

Even with oil-based stain, apply a top finish coat such as varnish to protect the wood from water and stains. Polyurethane is among the most common and easily available wood finishes, and can be found in water- and oil-based formulas. You can apply polyurethane with a fine-bristle wood complete brush as though you’re painting the timber, or rub it into the countertop edge with a rag. Rubbing on varnish leaves a natural looking finish, but brushing it creates a thicker, more protective layer. Apply at least 2 coats, but don’t use more than the instructions recommend. If applied too thickly, it can chip or flake out after it heals.

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Furnishings

DIY Table Top Grouting

A table’s top is the greatest part of its surface and the most visible. Whether you are trying to hide a table top, or creating a unique look for a brand new table, grouted tile is a simple alternative to stain or paint that supplies a gorgeous rugged surface. You should select a table top that is stable and firm for the application of your tile and grout. A table with a thick shirt will work better than the thinner shirt, because tile grout is rigid and takes a firm foundation.

Prepping

Inspect the table for any damage or irregular areas. Fill in damage and seams in the desk with auto body filler plus a flexible putty knife. Allow the filler to harden. Sand the table smooth using an oscillating tool fitted using a sanding accessory, and wash the dust from the top using a tack cloth. Apply a coat of oil-based bonding primer using a roller towards the top of the table. Allow it to dry completely and sand the surface gently. Wipe the rest of the dust from the table with a tack cloth.

Setting Tile

Mark across the table through its centre both approaches to make a T grid to set the tile. Apply tile mastic adjesive to the back of every tile, also known as”buttering,” to a depth of 1/8 inch. Start in 1 corner of the T and place the initial tile. Use a vinyl tile spacer off every corner and include more tiles around it, to make the proper gaps between tiles. Continue laying tiles in straight lines, with spacers to put each tile before the table is covered. Cut tiles to the edge of the table as needed to match. Allow the adhesive to harden. Use a damp sponge to wash adhesives from the faces of the tiles.

Grouting

Apply premixed grout between the tiles using a foam grout float, dragging the grout into the gaps between the tiles. Fill out the grout lines with the surface of the tiles. Dampen the grout float and then drag it across the faces of the tiles to remove as much grout from the tiles as you can. Smooth the grout using a little, easy instrument, such as a grout trowel, to make a smooth line. Allow the grout to set up and use a moist sponge to clean the grout from the tiles.

Sealing

If the tiles are presealed, then the grout will probably require sealing. A penetrating tile sealer ought to be used on porous, unsealed tile prior to sealing the grout. Apply it to the faces of the tiles in accordance with the label instructions. Allow the tiles to dry, then apply a penetrating grout to the grout lines equally. Wipe the tiles clean using a wet rag to remove grout sealer before it dries, that can lead to clouding. Enable the table to place for 24 hours prior to use.

Replacing Old Grout

To replace old grout onto an exisiting table, scrape on the worn grout from between the tiles using a handheld oscillating tool fitted using a grout removal blade, until you reach solid substance. Use mastic to reattach loose tiles. Enable them to set. Wash the tiles nicely with a household cleaner. Apply grout as formerly described. Seal your grout to shield it from stains and spills prior to using your own table.

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Furnishings

Sanding a Plywood Subfloor

Before you lay any type of flooring, the subfloor should be flat, and when it is plywood, 1 approach to flatten it is to sand it. That is best done using a flooring sander. If you need to remove adhesive from old carpet or shingles, use a floor buffer first.

Flattening the Floor

Prior to installing laminate or hardwood planks, the subfloor should be flattened to a tolerance of 1/4 inch in 10 feet. Going over the floor using a drum sander is the quickest way to try it, and as you do not have to be worried about scratches, you can use tough paper and do the job fast. Before you sand, do not forget to set all the screws and nails and fill depressions and gaps using floor leveling compound.

Removing Adhesive

Adhesives and heavy paint often gum up the paper onto a drum sander, so it is best to remove these using a floor buffer. You can find quite a few of buffer attachments that will do the job fast, including scrapers and specialty adhesive removers. After a treatment using a buffer, a thorough vacuuming and a pass with a drum sander should find the subfloor prepared for a floor covering.

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Furnishings

Wood Repair With Epoxy Putty

Epoxy putty is a modern improvement in wood restoration. It’s used mainly — but not exclusively — to get exterior wood repair when rot appears on casings, trim, decking or anywhere else where water has penetrated into the wood. Epoxy resin comes in two parts: a resin and hardener. A third part, the bonding agent, is employed as a precursor to this program of the resin after it’s combined. Epoxy resin is relatively permanent and, after program, can be shaped to match the profile of the existing wood. The repair is nearly impossible to detect after it’s painted.

Scrape off old paint around the broken or damaged area by means of a wire brush. Scrape and chip out any large debris and balls from the rotted area working with a screwdriver.

Install a grinding piece to a rotary tool. Grind out any remaining soft wood working with the rotary tool. When the bit strikes hard wood and the rot or delicate wood is gone, then the pit is ready for the bonding agent. The cavity can be irregular with differing levels or seams.

Use the liquid bonding agent to the cavity by means of a paintbrush. Apply it generously to soak the inside of the cavity completely.

Mix the two-part resin with a putty knife in line with the manufacturer’s directions. It might be tagged as part one and part two, or resin and hardener, depending on manufacturer. Mix the two parts with a flat piece of plywood or scrap wood.

Use the mixed resin to the cavity with the putty knife. Use it just like a trowel to push the resin into the recesses, pits and shapes of the cavity. Complete the program by smoothing and shaping the resin flush with the profile of the current wood working with the putty knife. It’s fine if the puttylike resin is raised up slightly higher than the surface of the wood. Permit the resin to dry overnight.

Shape and mold the hardened resin to match the profile of the existing wood working with a medium-grit file. Fold a sheet of 100-grit sandpaper into thirds and use the sharp edge just like a knife to sand inside tight corners. Roll the seams around a dowel to sand within curved profile lines. Sand the resin smooth utilizing 120-grit sandpaper. Apply paint as needed.

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Furnishings

How to Repair Cracked Limestone

Limestone is a soft, sedimentary stone made up of calcium. It can contain modest cracks called fissures at or beneath its surface. Over time, normal wear and tear can cause these fissures to open up broader into bigger cracks. If a crack appears in stone, it may detract visually from the rocks, and maybe weaken it also. Filling the crack using epoxy resin tinted to match the shade of the bunker both masks that the crack and gives the stone back its tensile strength.

Vacuum or sweep the crack in the bunker to eliminate any loose stone debris or dust. The crack needs to be totally clean and free of any loose stuff for the repair to hold.

Wipe acetone over the crack with a soft fabric. This cleans the crack and also prepares the surrounding stone to take the epoxy restoration.

Mix up the epoxy resin using the pigments till it matches the color of the stone. Put a few of those mixed epoxy to the syringe.

Inject the epoxy to the crack with the syringe. Begin at the far end and pull the syringe toward yourself as you push the plunger. Fill the crack until it’s level with the surrounding stone. If you overfill the crack, scrape the excess epoxy immediately with a craft stick or razor blade. Allow the repair harden for 24 hours.

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