Month: May 2019

A very basic bathroom suite is a toilet, a washbasin and a bath with matching taps and handles. However, there are more appliances, such as bidets, and extra items like cabinets, mirrors and storage solutions for the toiletries and other bathroom paraphernalia. Flexible cabinets, which have mirrors, lights and shaver sockets, are also available. The storage space being critical, the design should incorporate vanities on either side of pedestal sinks, with low-hung cabinets and even dressers for undergarments. Cabinets are normally furniture-grade and complement the bedroom furniture. The material used is oak or maple in natural or light tints.

Extra attention is paid to details such as outlets inside tower cabinets for hair dryers, electric shavers or other electrical appliances, as well as ironing boards and hampers built inside closets. Also, top cabinets

hide bathroom clutter while offering access to everything. The side cabinet, from the floor to hip level, is one of the latest trends. It comes with a washbasin and shelves to store the daily toiletries like the toothbrush, toothpaste, soaps and more. In the cabinet one can store towels and other linens.

The design of any bathroom will always include bathroom storage. One can find a combination sink/vanity for extra storage. A great bathroom design idea is that one can never have too much bathroom storage! One has to use the wall space wisely, with shelves or cabinets over the commode or almost anywhere in the bathroom. One can consider using corner shelves, and hanging towel bars above one another. Also, one can add a medicine cabinet with a mirror to the bathroom to store grooming supplies, medicine or toiletries. Traditionally, the medicine cabinet was always located above the vanity or sink, but nowadays one can place it elsewhere in the bathroom. One can also add a shower caddy to the corner shower for extra storage.

One of the most common means of furniture restoration is furniture refinishing. Refinishing furniture can breathe new life into pianos, tables, chairs, cabinets, bookcases, jewelry boxes and other items that have started to look a little bit worn.

With any furniture restoration project – and furniture refinishing is no exception – there are a few things to consider. First, you want to think about whether or not you can do it yourself. You may be thinking, “Why couldn’t I tackle furniture refinishing myself? All it takes is a few hours, some sandpaper and new stain.” While in many cases this is true, some furniture restoration should be left to the pros.

For example, piano refinishing isn’t the same as refinishing a jewelry box. Many large pieces – pianos, armoires – are far easier for professionals to restore and refinish. Another furniture restoration project that may be better suited for a professional is refinishing chairs. You may find that, for these projects, hiring a professional will cost less and take less time than if you were to do the projects yourself.

Another professional who you may want to consult before taking on a furniture restoration project is an antiques appraiser. While refinishing furniture you bought new can help give the piece more character or even help you to sell it for a profit at a yard sale, there are rare and collectible pieces of furniture that will lose value if they are refinished. When you’ve bought an antique dining room table, coffee table or cabinet, furniture refinishing could lower the value of the piece and you may want to look into a thorough professional cleaning instead.

If you are only looking at refinishing furniture that is newer or that has sentimental value, you may choose not to consult with a professional. In that case, it’s often best to get right into the project on your own.

To start your furniture-refinishing project, it’s often best to find a spot that won’t be noticed as a test site. In this spot – low on the back of the piece or on the bottom – you’ll want to start the furniture refinishing by removing a small portion of the current finish. Doing so will let you see what you’re up against and how hard will it be to remove the current finish from the furniture.

The answer to that question will vary some. Simple surfaces like a table will be easier to refinish than a cabinet with intricate corner work. Using a furniture stripper and a scraper will make it easier to remove a painted or varnished finish than merely using sandpaper. Once you’ve determined how to best remove the old finish from the furniture, the next step is to work outdoors (when possible) to remove the old varnish and paint.

Furniture refinishing, however, is not just about removing the old finish. Refinishing furniture requires stripping the old finish and then preparing the surface for a new finish by sanding the surface and wiping down the sawdust that sanding stirred up. Only after the surface has been prepared can you start the final step in this furniture restoration project: applying the new finish.

Refinishing the furniture, therefore, means knowing what the new finish will be. For some, the goal of refinishing furniture is to strip off color, get back to the natural wood and apply a clear finish that shows off the item’s natural beauty. For others, furniture refinishing is a matter of taking the wood to a darker shade – staining pine so that it takes on the color of cherry or mahogany wood.

Still others look at furniture refinishing as a chance to bring color to their table, desk, bookshelf or bureau. When refinishing furniture, many are likely to choose a colored stain followed with a topcoat of varnish for sheen. Another common choice people, who are looking for color, make is to select paint that matches the room or provides the contrast they are looking to achieve in their room.

Furniture restoration, after all, is a personal choice. Refinishing furniture gives you a chance to create a new look without going out and buying something new. For those inclined to take on little projects on their own, refinishing furniture can be a great way to spend a weekend – and have something to show for their time, for years to come.

Fire damage in homes and places of business needs to be taken seriously. Approaching the cleanup after smoke damage wrong, can cost you thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses. In the event your property was lucky enough to be saved, you will still need additional resources to make the items that were left usable. Couches, chairs, beds, and linens will all have a smoke smell. The smell may seem like something that you can live with. However, trying to live and relax on smoke filled furniture will cause all of your items not tainted by the smoke to smell like a hot furnace.

Contact a fire damage restoration specialist to know for sure what can be done in your business or home. The fire that occurred may have been covered under your insurance policy. Contact the insurance company to see what options they have for you. Part of the fees involved with repair may be offset by your insurance policy. The fire damage restoration specialist can help your furniture cleanup after smoke damage. Trying to repair and clean everything yourself may cause more problems.

A great example of that is trying to clean a smoke damaged piece of upholstered furniture piece. Try to avoid attempting to hand wash or spot clean any area that was damaged by smoke. Cotton or microfiber cleansing cloths that do work on regular upholstery for spot cleaning may simply only mask the appearance of the smoke damage. The furniture will still smell like smoke. Any company you invite who sites on the couch, will acquir the smell of the smoke damaged chair. Using a professional steam cleaner may not obtain the long term results that you want. The smell initially may go away, however the padding that is inside of the couch, may hold onto the smell.

If you take large drapes, curtains, and slipcovers to a professional dry cleaners their plain solution may not eliminate the smoke smell. Trying to do the furniture cleanup after smoke damage alone can cause you to pay more money than necessary to repair your furniture. The fire damage restoration specialist can give you a detailed list of everything that is salvageable. That way you do not waist time trying to repair things that are ruined.

The furniture items that can be repaired, are were you should direct your resources to. There may be several family heirloom pieces of furniture that may have been ruined in the fire. Take detailed pictures of items that are not salvageable. These pictures can be used to search for similar furniture pieces to replace them at antique shops, ebay, yard sales, estate sales, and storage auction sales. Use these tips to help with furniture cleanup after smoke damage.