| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| spiral stairs | 11/24/2009 | Joseph G. Swallow |
Q: I am trying to find a small spiral stairs to gain access to my loft, the area for the stairs would ...
A: Michael, Sadly the spirals are terribly restricted by codes. Both CABO, ICBO, the International ...
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| Kitchen Cabinet Hinges | 11/23/2009 | Jamie Yocono |
Q: Just bought a house that was built in 1983.The kitchen cabinets are the original,with overlay brass ...
A: Jim, The real key to these hinges is the amount of overlay the door has over the cabinet box. These ...
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| Exterior Oak Door and Side Panels | 11/21/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: Greg, after 15 years or so the front oak door and side panels have developed dark patches, and have ...
A: the only way to fix this is to restore the finish, and if it's turning dark/black, that means the ...
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| staining an office chair | 11/20/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: Ok, my boss asked me to do a "project" the other day and gave me a wooden desk to sand and stain to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. What your boss wants you to do is not possible without removing all the ...
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| waterproofing vanity top | 11/20/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: I would like to change an antique dresser into a bathroom vanity. What is the best way to ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You will need to coat the top with 3 coats of the best quality poly. Make ...
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| protecting interior of wooden house | 11/20/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: the project: interior of entire 1&1/2 floor house, of mostly wooden surfaces, consisting of: - ...
A: Any oil will darken the woods you have quite substantially, especially after the recommended 2-4 ...
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| Replacing ancient stuffing | 11/19/2009 | Mark H. Miller |
Q: What should I use to replace the thin batting and spanish moss type material I found laid on top of ...
A: Yes, you should have a sheet of burlap over the webbing, the reason for that is that over time the ...
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| Stripping "new" finish | 11/19/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: I purchased a reproduction clock, in oak. When I received the piece I find that it has this hideous ...
A: Nice to hear from you. You will need what is called an MC stripper. Here is an example ...
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| Finish coat for kitchen table | 11/19/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: I am ready to stain and coat my maple kitchen table. I am looking for a satin finish that is tough, ...
A: You are so right LOL. Poly always drips off the edge. So heres what you do. Get a clean rag in one ...
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| cleaning wood cabinets | 11/19/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: What is the best way to clean the built on grime on kitchen cabinets? What do you think about using ...
A: TSP is a water based mix, and can get down in the wood between the panels and stile and rails, and ...
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| Replacing ancient stuffing | 11/18/2009 | Mark H. Miller |
Q: What should I use to replace the thin batting and spanish moss type material I found laid on top of ...
A: The best material to cover the foam is a layer of bonded Dacron, or bonded polyester fiber. That ...
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| Finish coat for kitchen table | 11/18/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: I am ready to stain and coat my maple kitchen table. I am looking for a satin finish that is tough, ...
A: Nice to hear from you. I will tell you exactly what I have on my maple top kitchen table. Its tough, ...
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| protecting interior of wooden house | 11/18/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: the project: interior of entire 1&1/2 floor house, of mostly wooden surfaces, consisting of: - ...
A: I am not aware of a product that would fit those criteria..especially the "natural" part. An Acrylic ...
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| stripping an outside pine door | 11/17/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: I just read your instructions for stripping cabinets with Circa 1850. I followed them but have more ...
A: Oh what a dilemma you have. Is this door off the hinges and lying flat? You just cannot do this type ...
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| Applying Polyurethan to Stained Panel Door | 11/17/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: I have stained six panel interior doors and need to apply polyurethane to them. Can you advise the ...
A: you can spray them with an aerosol like the Minwax fast dry polyurethane. These cans are capable of ...
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| Cabinet Staining and Finishing | 11/17/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: I am refinishing my kitchen cabinets. The door panels are made of oak frame and oak plywood boards. ...
A: no you can't use the Minwax (or any other)oil stain in between other stain/finish coats, as it will ...
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| kitchen cupboards - fingerprints | 11/16/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: OUr house was built 6 years ago, and already I have oily fingerprints on my kitchen cupboard doors ...
A: Throwing all those chemicals at a clear finish can definitely hurt the finish...409 and some other ...
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| schlack finish | 11/16/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: i just schlacked a wall of new pine paneling (2 coats) what is the wearability of todays schlack?
A: Nice to hear from you. Its one of the best and most durable finishes out there in my opinion. Its ...
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| sanding and varnishing dinning table and buffet table | 11/16/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: me and my wife are looking to save money on a new dinning room set with buffet table but after ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Usually to do what you want to do, we strip and refinish the pieces. You ...
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| greasy fingerprints on cupboard doors | 11/15/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: OUr house was built 6 years ago, and already I have oily fingerprints on my kitchen cupboard doors ...
A: Nice to hear from you. This area is always a problem for greasy finger marks. I am surprised the ...
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| kitchen cupboards - fingerprints | 11/15/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: OUr house was built 6 years ago, and already I have oily fingerprints on my kitchen cupboard doors ...
A: if you've tried all those, then you likely don't have oily fingerprints...you're seeing something ...
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| Old wooden chest | 11/14/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: I have an old wooden chest, oak maybe I think, the top/lid has become very worn with ringmarks etc, ...
A: I'm assuming "white spirits" is the same as what we call mineral spirits?? I'm guessing the top is ...
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| Old wooden chest | 11/14/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: I have an old wooden chest, oak maybe I think, the top/lid has become very worn with ringmarks etc, ...
A: can't tell the type of wood from the picture, but the top is pretty bad, I think you'll want to ...
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| Exterior use of plywood | 11/13/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: I am repairing a garage door and plan of facing some old and weakened joints of the wood door with ...
A: I thought I sent out an answer yesterday, but I don't see it posted.....trying to do a sandwich type ...
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| wrouht iron balustrade | 11/12/2009 | Joseph G. Swallow |
Q: I am remodeling my house and want to replace the wooded railings/balustrade with wrought iron ...
A: Sorry, unless I saw the image myself I could not direct you. The company with the most available ...
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| re-finishing a dining set | 11/12/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: I recently bought an entire discontinued Ethan Allen dining set on the cheap (85 dollars!), but ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Really great buy. Good eye. Unfortunately to remove this type of lacquer ...
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| refinishing ash veneer cabinets | 11/12/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: we just put in ash hardwood floors...look great...but our attempt to match the stain to existing ash ...
A: but you have to strip the cabinets of the old finish with stripper, which is the correct course of ...
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| refinishing ash veneer cabinets | 11/12/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: we just put in ash hardwood floors...look great...but our attempt to match the stain to existing ash ...
A: Nice to hear from you. The answer to your first question is yes. You can refinish veneer. Stripped ...
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| Warped Table Leg | 11/12/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: I hope you can help me. I have a Three-Legged table made of Oak or Chestnut. One of the legs is ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Yes, something can be done but not to the existing leg. You must have a new ...
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| Exterior use of plywood | 11/11/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: I am repairing a garage door and plan of facing some old and weakened joints of the wood door with ...
A: What type of repairs will you be making? Marine plywood is really the best choice, but you'll need ...
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| antique chair seat springs | 11/11/2009 | Mark H. Miller |
Q: I HAVE THIS OLD CHAIR THAT IV'E STRIPPED TO FIND THE SEAT HAS ABOUT 15 SPRINGS WHICH 7 ARE BROKEN, ...
A: type "upholstery supplies" into your search engine and many sights will come up, or go to ...
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| bath vanity | 11/11/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: I have a bathroom vanity that is oak stained. How can I refinish it using a glaze. I would like to ...
A: Yeah, that's a glazing technique, the glaze is the brown (or any contrasting color) that simulates ...
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| Sleigh Bed Frame | 11/10/2009 | Jamie Yocono |
Q: I was recently staying at a friends apartment and bent a piece of the frame on his Hudson Sleigh ...
A: Ravi, Are you talking about a metal piece? Whenever I need to straighten out a piece of bent metal, ...
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| bath vanity | 11/10/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: I have a bathroom vanity that is oak stained. How can I refinish it using a glaze. I would like to ...
A: you mean you want it cream colored and then glazed? Like an Antique looking finish?....your vanity ...
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| painting over painted cabinets | 11/10/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: We chose the wrong color for our bathroom cabinets. They were professionally painted a mauve color ...
A: I don't think you can hope to change these with some type of glaze....why did you sign off on the ...
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| Painting cabinetry | 11/10/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: I am painting over my bathroom vanities and would like to know if there is something I can apply as ...
A: an Acrylic Urethane in Satin will give you added protection, especially a catalyzed one...I like ...
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| sticky spots on kitchen cabinets | 11/9/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: I think the kitchen cabinets of the house we just bought had never been cleaned. They are ...
A: Unfortunately no....the best thing is to let it sit for a few weeks, then evaluate it again...if ...
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| Painting over spray paint | 11/9/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: We just made a shelf and used gray primer spray paint and then black satin spray paint to finish it. ...
A: The best way to fix this is to sand the piece and pay particular attention to the rough areas. ...
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| maple shaker table &chairs | 11/9/2009 | Greg Scholl |
Q: hopefully you can help me out. Due needing more seating for holiday gatherings, my wife and I just ...
A: I would not recommend using Tung oil or Linseed oil on a finished piece of furniture. If this is ...
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| Old Cupboard | 11/8/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
Q: I have an antique cupboard I purchased five years ago for $950. It stands about 7 feet tall, is a ...
A: Nice to hear from you. Very interesting question. I actually read it several times so I am giving ...
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