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Decorative Arts/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| tacky book shelves | 1/14/2012 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: We are building a built-in bookcase using pine boards. I just finished the last of 3 coats of Latex ... A: Nice to hear from you. How right you are. The hi gloss seems to stay tacky forever and therefore is ... | ||
| furniture | 11/3/2011 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: How do I remove gold leaf from furniture? I have a chest and three draws. I do not like the gold ... A: Nice to hear from you. There is no way to remove just the gold. Paint stripper will remove the gold ... | ||
| removing god leaf from white milk glass egg | 10/7/2011 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: i have a white milk glass egg handed down to me from my mom, she had it layered with gold leaf and i ... A: Nice to hear from you. The gold leaf should be easy to remove with paint stripper. Get a small can ... | ||
| Re -paint a wooden frame | 5/24/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I bought a wooden frame (double-layered...with door...and a mirror inside) years ago at a yard sale. ... A: Nice to hear from you. Yes, you can now use your acrylic paint on your sanded frame. This paint is ... | ||
| repairing mirror frame not sure what material | 5/21/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I bought an ornate oval mirror on ebay and unfortunately some pieces broke off during shipping (all ... A: Nice to hear from you. This frame is not plaster or concrete as you suspect. It looks like a resin ... | ||
| repair to broken plaster bust | 5/10/2010 | Darek Sokol |
| Q: My wife has had a bust of Buddha made from plaster for over 19 years. Recently, one of our ... A: Of course it is repairable but to assure a satisfying result this restoration work should be ... | ||
| gold leaf mirror | 5/2/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I have inherited my mother's large, ornate gold leaf mirror.It seems darker than I remember.Do they ... A: Nice to hear from you. This type of mirror frame most definitely does darken with age. Well its not ... | ||
| Refinish console table | 4/27/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I have a TV console table (48" longx26" H) which is a walnut shade. I want to refinish it to an ... A: Nice to hear from you. What a great project. The color combos are endless. I like your black idea. ... | ||
| Hanging Photos | 4/18/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I have seen paintings or photos hung on walls that use a strip of metal running along the very top ... A: So nice to hear from Switzerland. Here is all the info you need. Looks like a great way to hang ... | ||
| Painting wood furniture | 4/17/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I have a 3 piece living room set which I think was manufactured sometime in the 1950's. It has some ... A: Nice to hear from you. I did just what you want to do once so I know it can be done. Its very ... | ||
| repairing wall mirror set | 4/9/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I have an ornately carved, antique reproduction style mirror and matching base with a marble top ... A: Yes, remove any flaking paint and make your repairs with the poly fil. I usually do not prime such ... | ||
| repairing wall mirror set | 4/8/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I have an ornately carved, antique reproduction style mirror and matching base with a marble top ... A: Nice to hear from you. First you will need to build up the missing pieces with Poly-Fil. This comes ... | ||
| crown molding | 3/21/2010 | Darek Sokol |
| Q: I would like to add crown molding in my living room. I have recently installed hardwood floors and ... A: Sorry it took me so long to answer your question. I have tained and painted crown moldings dark (to ... | ||
| repairing old mirror | 2/18/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I bought an old mirror, it used to sit above a dressing table on wooden posts. I have sawn off the ... A: Nice to hear from Australia. When we hang these old mirrors, the hanging device must never be ... | ||
| How to create faux wood grain on plaster frames | 2/6/2010 | Darek Sokol |
| Q: I have quite a few oval plaster frames that have come down through my family. Several need the ... A: This is not that simple job as it may look. First of all you will need to restore those missing ... | ||
| modernizing traditional chinese art | 2/4/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I need help with your advise. I was given 4 Chinese traditional art sowing pieces of 4 different ... A: Nice to hear from a fellow Canadian. Not sure what the question is here Harvey but I think I would ... | ||
| Painting veneer furniture | 2/1/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I have two Ikea Malm dressers in medium brown (Particleboard, Beech veneer, Acrylic paint). I'm ... A: Nice to hear from a fellow Canadian. What you want to do is easily done right in the home. Just lay ... | ||
| repainting our mirror | 1/22/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: i have just bought an antique mirror from the local flea market and would like to repaint it. It is ... A: Nice to hear from you. Good heavens, don't use paint stripper or sand. Heres what to do Get a can ... | ||
| Repair plaster frame | 1/20/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I found versions of this question asked of you before but not exactly. I bought a fabulous ornate ... A: Nice to hear from you. This is a great question. In most cases we are not lucky enough to have the ... | ||
| bright gold to antique gold | 1/16/2010 | Darek Sokol |
| Q: I have a ceiling fan that has bright gold metal on it, I was wondering is there a way I can tone ... A: I recommend glazing the metal parts with a dark brown glaze. Unscrew all the fan wings first. Next ... | ||
| mirror frame | 1/12/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: we have an old beveled edged mirror with plaster frame and would love to restore it, but not sure ... A: OK..Heres what you do. Go to the craft store and get a bottle of camel colored craft paint. Also get ... | ||
| mirror frame | 1/11/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: we have an old beveled edged mirror with plaster frame and would love to restore it, but not sure ... A: Nice to hear from you. You don't remove what is on the frame now. If you tried, you will ruin the ... | ||
| Base/Crown molding | 1/10/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I have 2 part question. Our house is about 8 years old and it has all natural stained base board. I ... A: Nice to hear from you. There is nothing wrong in having baseboards in your living room that are ... | ||
| How to paint a frame . . . | 1/5/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I recently purchased a frame which has been painted white which what appears to be flat paint. I ... A: This will be super easy for you to do. Just remove the glass and use a spray paint for a nice smooth ... | ||
| Hand-paint design on wood frame | 1/2/2010 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I want to paint an African motif on six small raw pine frames. A novice crafter, I wasn't sure of ... A: Nice to hear from you. On raw wood, its best to first give a coat of primer but if there are any ... | ||
| Antique Picture Frame Repair | 12/29/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: The plaster detailing (twisted rope) around the inside of an antique frame has broken off in a ... A: Nice to hear from you. For this type of repair I use drywall compound or a product called dap. Both ... | ||
| Spray painting un-glazed ceramics | 12/23/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I have a ceramic rose that I made in a ceramics class in high school, and I am just getting around ... A: Nice to hear from you. My Sister in law taught ceramics and I took several courses with her. We ... | ||
| Mirror painting | 12/22/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: My parents have mirrors on the bathroom walls and ceiling, I was told that I could paint cover the ... A: Nice to hear from you. Yes you could paint over the mirrors but remember they could pose a hazard ... | ||
| preparing previously painted frame for new finish | 12/5/2009 | Darek Sokol |
| Q: Found a beautiful frame but it is gold and I need it to be silver. It has a lot of detail. What do ... A: First I would paint the frame with a dark gray (almost black) color. Now, normally I don't recommend ... | ||
| Mattson's Danish Modern Oakmaster Grand Rapids Bookcase and Chair company | 11/27/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: We have two end tables that came from my late mother-in-law's basement. My husband thinks that they ... A: Nice to hear from you. I found this info on the company. It was written by Fred Taylor of Allexperts ... | ||
| picture frame | 11/27/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I bought a picture with a damaged frame, thinking I could fix it with a little craft paint...didn't ... A: Nice to hear from you. No need to be afraid. Just pick your color and paint away. Use your craft ... | ||
| Refinishing lamps | 11/10/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I was just reading your response about lamp cleaning. I've got ceramic lamps with high gloss. Do ... A: Nice to hear from you. Theres really not much we can do to a high gloss ceramic but make sure its ... | ||
| repainting a plaster mirror | 11/4/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: What steps should be followed to repaint a plaster framed mirror please? A: Nice to hear from you. It depends what kind of look you want but there are actually no steps if you ... | ||
| Gold picture frames | 11/2/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I have 2 gold picture frames I receieved from my grandmother. (I think they have gold leafing on ... A: Nice to hear from you. No need to take the frames anywhere. You can do this simple project yourself. ... | ||
| faux painting | 10/20/2009 | Darek Sokol |
| Q: I did decorative painting for years, but not lately. A friend wants me to do "something" with a ... A: To make paint durable I would use either oil based primer and paint, or if you want to make it a bit ... | ||
| need a table top | 10/14/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: Eileen, We are renovating our kitchen,do you know how I can purchase a custom (33 x 48") tabletop ... A: Nice to hear from you. If you where my neighbour, you could walk over and I would make you your ... | ||
| Cleaning ornate picture frame | 9/15/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I recently purchased a second-hand circular mirror with what seems to be a plaster (and quite ... A: Nice to hear from you. Do not even think about dipping your old frame LOL. What you did on the frame ... | ||
| gold-leaf mirror | 9/14/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: I am decorating my Living Room and I inherited this lovely and large gold leaf antique mirror. I ... A: Nice to hear from you. Yes this is something I know about. I have done this many times. Always turns ... | ||
| painting over "antiquing kit paint" | 9/13/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: In the late 60's and early 70's it was popular to paint old wooden furniture with an "antiquing kit" ... A: Nice to hear from you. Don't worry if its oil or waterbased. Just make sure you sand the surface ... | ||
| painting over "antiqued" furniture | 9/13/2009 | Eileen Cronk |
| Q: In the late 60's and early 70's it was popular to paint old wooden furniture with an "antiquing kit" ... A: Nice to hear from you. To the best of my knowledge, most folks cannot tell oil based paint from ... | ||
Eileen Cronk
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
If you are decorating your home on a budget I can answer most questions about what to look for when buying "good old stuff" at garage sales, yard sales or auctions. I can answer most questions about the refinishing, and repairing of wood items. I have had lots of experience in this area and made lots of mistakes over the years which I may help you avoid.
Experience
I have been haunting auction sales,flea markets etc. for 30 yrs. I have worked extensively at refinishing, and repairing all the old stuff I bring home. I also work for other people, and do repairs and refinishing for several antique stores.
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