Home Improvement for Women

One of the most enjoyable ways to spend a fall weekend is to take a foliage and antique tour through the Hamptons and Montauk, in upstate New York, or along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. I love tooling around the countryside after a long workweek, making leisurely stops to poke around flea markets and vintage shops. And what a score of excitement I feel when I come across the perfect little side table or chest of drawers. 

The most important lesson I’ve learned about great vintage furniture finds is that they don’t always start out being pretty…you have to learn to look beyond peeling paint or hideous brown stain to the structure and silhouette of a piece. A soundly built, nicely designed piece of wood furniture can be refinished in a number of ways – and made modern, beautiful and useful once again. Recycling at its best! 

It’s easy. Before you buy (or rescue your piece from a dumpster or grandma’s basement) make sure your chair, table or chest is solidly built. Sometimes furniture repairs are hard to do well, and breaks or loose joints are often a sign that the piece was not well made. 

Let me tell you that most items you unearth at country collectable shops and flea markets are not valuable antiques and you will not be destroying a piece’s value by refinishing them. If you have any doubts at all, of course check with an expert. But frankly, 90% of the time you can have at it with sandpaper and stripper without worrying about destroying the importance of an old piece of furniture – in fact, you’ll probably add to its intrinsic value! 

No matter what you do you have to get the unpleasantness out of the way first, removing the original finish. So let’s get started. Assemble your stripping materials: 

·       Drop cloth

·       Mild liquid soap and water.

·       Plastic bucket with the capacity to hold 2 gallons of hot water

·       A roll of paper toweling, or several clean cotton rags A good quality  green or eco-friendly paste stripper such as Bio Wash, 3m Safest Stripper, Ready-Strip Pro and Citrus Strip.

·       A two-inch-wide inexpensive brush for applying stripper.

·       A metal coffee can or other metal container

·       Neoprene gloves

·       Plastic scraper

·       Coarse steel wool

·       Medium grit sandpaper

·       One or two sheets each of 120, 150, and 220 grit sandpaper

·       Tack cloth 

Make sure you have good ventilation in your workspace, whether it is on your patio or terrace, in your living room, or the back yard. Protect your area by spreading a drop cloth under your piece. Then, with some mild soap and warm water, and paper towels or rags, clean the piece and dry it thoroughly. Next, follow the manufacturer’s directions to apply the stripper. Green strippers may take longer to work than conventional ones, but they are safer to use – and ultimately just as effective. 

When the manufacturer’s stripping time has elapsed (which could be from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the brand you are using and the number of coats you are removing from your item) use a scraper to remove the finish and stripper. Remember to go with the grain of the wood, not against or across it! Use the steel wool dipped in a bit of water to remove any remaining finish and stain, then rinse the piece with a clean rag or towel dipped in water. Wipe it dry and let it dry thoroughly over night. 

Before you stain or paint you have to sand your piece really well. Sand in the direction of the grain of the wood, first with the 120 grit paper, then with 150, and finally with the finest grit, the 220 paper. After each sanding, use the tack cloth or remove dust.

 Right now painting furniture is very modern, especially when you use a contemporary color that helps highlight your piece’s “architecture.” If your item is made of a fine wood like mahogany you may want to just bring out the natural wood tones with a new stain and wax.  

If you decide to paint, apply one coat of primer and one or two coats of the paint of your choice, following manufacturer’s directions. Mythic and Ecos both make eco-friendly paints. Sand with the finest grit paper between coats of paint for a beautiful, smooth and professional looking finish.

If you decide to stain, look for eco friendly brands such as American Formulating and Manufacturing (AFM) Safecoat stains, Auro USA, or AGLAIA natural finishes. Again, follow manufacturer’s instructions for application. Once the stain is dry you can top your piece off with a coat of natural wax, varnish or polyurethane.  

Then stand back and admire your work. If I can do it so can you!  

There’s a lot to love about autumn – crisp, dry air; blue skies; brilliant foliage; great new movies; fabulous boots and bags (hey, even a DIY expert has to have style!). Along with all the benefits of the year’s most colorful and cozy season comes a whole list of chores and tasks to be completed before the snow flies and the temperature dips. Here’s my annual list of fall clean up and prep jobs. You can make short work of many of these jobs – but to make it even easier enlist the help of a friend , boyfriend or spouse and break up the list over a couple of days or weekends. When you’re done you’ll be ready to enjoy the coming months in a comfortable house, and free of worry and nagging to-do lists! 

1. Scrub and cover or store outdoor furniture and grills. Use a mild soap and water solution and a soft sponge to wash furniture, and follow manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning your grill. Next, protect everything with specially made covers or tarp – or if you have room, place outdoor gear in your basement or storage room. www.patiofurniturecovers.com sells vinyl covers for all sorts of outdoor furnishings, starting at as little as $20 for a chair cover, and $28 for a grill cover.
2. Clean out garden beds and pots. Cut back or deadhead perennials and remove dead or fading annuals. Mulch around perennials and shrubs. Get rid of weeds, and fertilize beds and grass lawns – and then plant bulbs for next spring. Alliums and daffodils are less likely than tulips to fall prey to hungry squirrels, deer, rabbits and other pests.
3. Wash the exterior of your house. Make the inside and outside of your windows sparkle with a “green” solution of vinegar, water and a few drops of a mild liquid soap. Use a clean rag made from an old tee shirt for a lint and streak-free shine. Rent a power washer and give your deck a good wash down. Once it is thoroughly dry (you may need to wait a few days) reseal it. SoyGuard makes an environmentally safe, fume free sealer for wooden decks. Make sure your home’s siding and foundation are clean as well – and while you’re getting rid of dirt check for cracks, peeling paint and other problems and fix them yourself or call in a professional for more challenging jobs.
4. Repair concrete, asphalt, and paved stone or brick sidewalks, walkways, steps, patios, terraces, and driveways. Check for and repair cracks, “pot holes”, or other damage that can worsen during the cold months and present a hazard for pedestrians – including you. Small cracks can be cleaned and filled with a quick drying filler. Large cracks and holes may need to be dug out and cleaned, then filled with whatever material the surface is covered with.
5. Remove air conditioning units from windows. Once they have been taken out, remove, clean and then replace filters. If you have central air, have it serviced and cleaned now.
6. Make your house snug and cozy. Heating costs are not going to be lower in winter – even if prices go down this is peak heating season. Save money and energy by ensuring your house is tight and sealed and your heating system is in topnotch condition. First, make sure there are no leaks around windows and doors by caulking and applying self-adhesive weather stripping – both available inexpensively at hardware stores. Replace storm doors and windows (and take down and store screen doors and windows). Make sure the filter in your heating system has been cleaned or replaced (depending on your system).
7. Refresh your bedroom. Now is the time to flip and turn your mattress. First, strip the bed, and then vacuum the side that’s up, then flip and turn and vacuum the “new” side. Wash or have your window treatments cleaned. If you have a ceiling fan in your room, clean the tops of the blades and then switch it to run in the opposite direction so that it pushes the hot air in the room down (most fans have a switch on the motor housing that allows you to do this). The Fuller Brush company makes a “Reach It Fan Duster” brush that sells for less than $25.
8. Clean and turn rugs. Vacuum all your rugs, turn them upside down and vacuum the backside as well. When you place them back right side up turn them to help create even wear. Milwaukee brand makes a wet/dry hose vacuum with a HEPA rated high efficiency filter for less than $100 (look for model # 0780-20 28V)
9. Have upholstery cleaned. Using a nozzle attachment, vacuum all your sofas and chairs, and have them professional cleaned or do a spot clean yourself. Zout brand cleaner is excellent for spot cleaning.
10. Clean out your fireplace (and hire a chimney sweep if your chimney has not been cleaned in more than 2 years), and stock your hearth with seasoned hardwood.

Make yourself some hot cocoa and admire your handiwork. You’re amazing! If I can do it so can you! Barbara K

Last night was the first time in months I felt a hint of things to come: a slight snap in the air. I looked up the sky and noticed the sky had a deeper hue than in previous weeks – a late summer blue. Time to exchange the light-colored embroidered cotton throw on my bed for a deep eggplant raw silk comforter. Fall is coming. Early autumn excites me – the beach is populated only with locals and the water is still swimmable. Cooler temps mean indoor and outdoor projects are much more comfortable to tackle. Not only are summer pleasures, like grilling outdoors and gardening, still an option – but new projects that are less possible in the heat and humidity of July and August like painting and power washing – eminently more doable.

Now is the time, before it really gets chilly, to indulge some final summer passions and get a jump on cool weather tasks. That way, when fall does roll around you can focus on coming up with this year’s prize winning costume for junior, getting to the polls on time (don’t forget to vote because you’re too busy cleaning out your gutters!), and cuddling up with someone special in front of the hearth. Here’s my list of must-dos:

1.      Visit the beach one last time and take advantage of off-season rates in the Hamptons and on the Jersey shore. If you’re driving – consider having your tires rotated or your oil changed if necessary. Better to do it now, when it’s still nice outside. While you’re strolling along the shore, bring a bucket and gather up some smooth, sea-battered stones. Use them to hold candles in place in a hurricane lamp, or to drain a bar of soap in an oval dish as a reminder of the past season’s good times and as a promise of the warm weather to come.

2.      If you have a fireplace, lay in a month’s supply of wood now – order it from your supplier or chop your own. You’ll want to heat things up when that first really cold night hits – and such evenings always come sooner than expected. You don’t want to be caught without your kindling. Remember to keep fires small and hot to reduce buildup in your chimney. Store wood where it will stay dry but also get good airflow. 

3.      Plant a tree. If you have a garden in the ‘burbs or a large city terrace now is the time to plant a fir or a fruit bearing specimen. You can find great deals on trees right now at garden centers all over the tri-state area. Planting in fall, before the first frost, allows roots to develop. You will be rewarded with a healthy vibrant plant come spring.

4.      Throw a final outdoor bash. Like plants, you can find great deals of barbeques, both traditional charcoal grills and propane powerhouses. Often unadvertised, big box stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and Kohls are getting rid of this season’s stock to make room for holiday items and next year’s models. Just make sure you have extra blankets and sweaters for everyone when the sun goes down and the thermometer drops below 65.

5.      Paint the exterior of your house. Humidity is the Darth Vader of drying paint. Drier air lets paint dry more quickly, and the daytime sun is not as punishing to the workman who are scaling your siding. Now is the time to hire painters if the exterior of your house is in need of a color update or freshening. Besides, outdoor contractors are moving into their slow period now – as if the ailing economy isn’t enough. So you will be able to get plenty of bids, and find the right team to do the job.

Most of all – enjoy the beautiful season. Rake leaves with the kids, pick apples with your special someone (that’s definitely on my list!), declutter and have a yard sale (remember, college kids are still looking for cheap stuff for their dorms and apartments), and go for a bike ride through the park or in the country. Why? Because next time we meet, I’m going to give you a serious winterizing to-do list….we’ll have real work to do. So enjoy the fading days of summer while you still can! If I can do it, so can you.