Best Source: February 2014

Monday, February 24, 2014

HOW TO MEASURE YOUR HANDLES tutorial

How to measure for replacement handles and mounting screws.

99% of the time you will be dealing with a measurement on the quarter ...

Meaning the measurement will be

3" - 3.25" - 3.5" - 3.75"

3 inches - 3 1/4 inches - 3 1/2 inches - 3 3/4 inches and so on

A quarter of an inch is easy to misread so double checking is always wise

and measuring with a tape from the 1 inch mark is best.

This handle above has a 4 inch center to center mounting.

Now to the screw length ...

If you have picked a simple flush mounted handle you simple measure the drawer or door thickness

and add a quarter inch.

Flush mounting means the handle sits flat on the surface like the ones shown below.

If you pick a handle with a collar that goes part way into the drawer or door

you have to compensate for that length as seen below.

THINGS TO NOTE:

It is better to keep mounting screws with the furniture they came on than to remove them

and keep with the hardware because they already match the thickness of the wood.

Most hardware has the same thread pattern for mounting screws. Every so often

you will come across an antique piece with a smaller thread. These screws should be kept

with the hardware.

Your local home improvement store offers inexpensive mounting screws.

These are usually cutable to several different lengths.

I also offer a tutorial on How to fill hardware holes here
and a tutorial on installing your hardware here
You can find great hardware here, Etsy shop

FAT FRENCHY SIDEBOARD

Yippee ... Friday has arrived and for most a relaxing weekend is ahead of you.

I also have this perfect shabby white french sideboard ready for someone to pick up

this weekend and add to their home. It is not easy to find good frenchy sideboards around here

that are also quality solid wood. This one is a MALCOLM piece.

I finished it in a creamy white with plenty of rustic distressing.

I want that serious look of time worn use in a country home.

We had a bit of a date night last night and really enjoyed the time together and the relaxing.

So we will not be venturing too far from home this weekend and we will do a little more of that
relaxing time in between customer visits and tours.

If you want to stop by give us an email or a call.

driftwoodesign@shaw.ca or 604 790 3865

Have a great Weekend!

SPRAY PAINTING equipment information

In the beginning I used an inexpensive compressor ($90) with a small tank and low pressure capacity.

When I sprayed a large project it couldnt keep up. I had to let the tank refill all the time. So the motor
was running non stop, wave at your neighbor and smile like you have no clue why they are so upset.

It did last several years probably because I was only using it occasionally.

Eventually it finally gave up. Now I was starting to use it more often so I decided to upgrade
and get something a bit more powerful. For my next one I paid $200 at Canadian Tire.
It was twice the capacity at 150 PSI with a 6 gallon tank.

UPDATE:
The $200 compressor went after 18 months. I was using it every day so Im not surprised.
In the mean time I learned to buy my tools during Christmas. I got an even better one
the next time and only paid $127 on sale in December.

All this talk about my compressor and you are wondering where is the gun.

The gun is a separate piece and a separate purchase, about $50.

Again watch for specials at Christmas.

This is what mine looks like and it is made by Campell Hausfeld

It is a gravity fed spray gun (paint goes in the pot on top)

with air filter (thats the blue thing at the bottom)

and 1.4mm spray tip. (standard size)

I do not have a dedicated spray booth, area, or room, all I have is the great out doors.

When spraying out doors there are definite pros & cons:

BRIGHT SUMMER DAY

your paint dries quickly but bugs are attracted to your paint

you need sun glass using white paint but there is no threat of rain

be careful of the back or your neck, it burns too! Ive done it.

OVERCAST or CLOUDY SUMMER DAY

your paint dries at a regular rate and there are no bugs

you have some threat of rain but you wont go blind looking at your white paint

and the temperature is much nicer to work in

I love to brush paint furniture

but there are times when spraying is the easiest or obvious choice,

for example I will never brush paint spindles or chairs ever again.

If you get to the point of using a sprayer and you encounter what a clogged gun is like to clean out

you will understand the necessity of my next guide lines for what goes into my gun.

only water base paints

no paints with powders added

thin my paint with water

run the paint through a paint strainer

For thinning your paint for use in a sprayer:

You want to add water slowly, you don’t want it too runny like milk more like cream.

Add small amounts and you’ll get the hang of it quickly.

You will also have to experiment with your spray guns settings.

You should have a spray radios knob and an air pressure setting.

Scroll back to the picture of my gun and you will see one knob on the back and one on the side.

I hope this answers some of your questions for now.

Feel free to ask more if you have them.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

STACKING DRESSERS

This is a photo taken in my dressing room of two stacked dressers.

I really enjoy these dressers and many have asked about them after seeing them in the

background of some recently posted photos. To get the storage I needed I stacked them. Its

not common to find a pair of identical vintage dressers so I took advantage of the opportunity.

Here is what they looked like when I brought them home. They were a real mess.

I stripped everything off the tops to find this beautiful soft wood ...

and I didnt stop there. I stripped almost every other surface on both dressers.
I did not use chemicals on these I sanded them with power tools.

I gave both dressers a white wash and added cast iron plaques to the drawers

so that I can label the drawers using chalk.

The top drawer was too high to use as a drawer so I turned it into a hinged door.

I left a little strip of the original paint on the drawer edges cause I liked the rustic feel of it.

It has been years since I fixed these up for the dressing room and I still love them to this day.

Not fancy but super chic!

NO MORE RIPPED PANTIES cutting hardware posts tutorial

How many of us love our pretty glass knobs? Put up your hand!

How many of us hate the metal post that sticking out the back? Put up your hand!

We like to put pretty knobs on pretty furniture,

and we like to put our pretty things into the

drawers and cupboards of our pretty furniture.

Sometimes our pretty things get caught on these

not so pretty protruding posts and cause damage to our pretty things.

This post is dedicated to saving all your pretty things!

One of the last things I do after installing glass knobs on furniture

is to cut the posts off and I thought you may like to learn how I do it.

There are 3 tools I use for this job.

A pair of pliers

to tighten the nut on the post.

A set of mini bolt cutters

to easily cut off the post.

A metal rasp or file

to smooth the edges of the metal.

You have now protected all your pretty things.

You should be able to find a version of these 3 tools at your local home improvement store.

AND

tomorrow Ill have this project to share with you ...

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