Tag: tips

There are many elements that offer calm & serenity.
First off, have a look at the layout and contents of your house. De-cluttering your space is at the fore front of the journey to making your surroundings a calm and serene environment.
Secondly, we all know that colour plays a huge part in our day to day lives whether that be in an emotional, psycological or physical way. Be aware of how certain colours make you feel and how they affect you. The colours that bring a sense of ease are the colours that you should surround yourself with. You can add blocks of colour and patterns in the smaller details.
Immerse yourself with nature!!! By incorporating natural elements such as [natural] light, wood, pine cones, plants and flower etc into your space, you are allowing a zen feeling flow into your life on a daily basis. Decorate using plants….you are cleaning and re-oxygenating the air within your home.

Follow Kingston Lafferty Design’s board Calm & Serene on Pinterest.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Paint Brushes and Paint Rollers
• RONSEAL Floor varnish – Walnut
• Drum or Orbital Sander
• Detail hand sander
• 60grit, 120grit and 240grit Sandpaper
• Dust mask
• Protective eyewear
• Plastic sheeting
• Vacuum cleaner
• Wood conditioner

PROCESS

Step 1: Clean out the room

Remove all furniture out of the room and tap out all windows and doors, openings to prevent wood dust from getting into other rooms.

Step 2 : Vacuum the floor

Make sure the floor is clean and vacuumed before you start sanding it.

Step 3 : Sanding

Rent a sander from a local shop, preferably a dustless one so it can be connected to a shop vac. You will need 3 different types of sand paper. The smaller the grit the rougher the sandpaper is. Begin sanding from the centre of the room. With the rough grit paper, sand with the grain from one end of the room to the other. Sand the corners of the room with the hand sander using the same grit paper. Vacuum the floor. Repeat the process with the smaller grit paper. If you are happy with the result use the smallest sandpaper for the final smoothing process.

Step 4 : Vacuum the floor

Once sanding is finished, vacuum and mop the floor.

Step 5 : Stain the floor

Apply base coat of wood conditioner prior staining. Allow to dry for 2 hours. Apply Ronceal walnut stain in the same direction as the wood’s grain. Apply 2-3 coats for desired effect. Allow to dry until stain is no longer tacky.

Step 6 : Seal the floor

Apply top coat of water-based polyurethane to protect and preserve the wood. Allow 2 hours to dry.

Step 7: ENJOY AND HAVE A GLASS OF WINE!

Enjoy yourself and have a glass of wine after the job you’ve just done.

HANDY TIPS:
Seal the room carefully as sanding process can get messy even when using ,,dustless sander’’. Vacuum the room regularly to prevent of dust getting everywhere.
Mop over the newly sanded floor with a wet cloth so the wood absorbs the stain better. (more…)

We were delighted at KLD to be asked to be part of Image Interiors and Living‘s ‘Ask The Experts’ and thought it would be helpful to develop our answer in to a step by step how to guide.

Q: ‘I have lovely cornice work on my hall ceiling, which is about 200 years old. Sadly, it is covered with so many layers of paint, you can hardly see any of the detail. Is there any quick method of stripping it back without risking it crumbling off ?’

A: Removing paint from detailed and delicate areas on original features like cornicing and ceiling roses can be both tricky and time consuming! To reveal the fine details of these original features, you’ll have to strip off the build up of paint. This will probably be a mix of both emulsion and oil-based paints that have been layers on top of each other over the years. Here are some easy steps How To.. Reveal Your Original Interior Cornicing.

MATERIALS NEEDED

– Scrapper
– Cloths
– Toothbrush
– Ladder
– Paint Stripper
– White Spirits
– Paint
– Paint Brush

PROCESS

Step 1 – Cleaning

Wipe away any dirt or dust with a cloth.

Step 2 – Scraping

Gently using a scraper remove any flakes or cracked paint. This should give you a good idea of how think the build up of paint has been over the years. Be careful at this stage not to damage the material beneath the paint by being too heavy handed with the scraper.Step 3 – Paint Stripper

Apply a ready mixed paint stripper (available from any paint supplier) this will begin to break down the paint. Follow the instructions of your chosen stripper, generally leaving the stripper on for 20-3o minutes before removing the broken down paint. Work in areas of 1-2 meters in length at a time.

Step 4 – More Paint Stripper

Due to many layers of paint you may have to repeat step 2 until you are happy with the level of detail that has been revealed. To help remove paint build up in grooves and detailed areas a soft toothbrush will get it to areas a cloth or scraper will not.

Step 5 – Painting Prep

When all the paint has been removed wipe down the area with white spirits using a cloth. This will leave a nice clean surface for you to apply you new paint.

Step 6 – Painting

Using a paint brush apply 2 coats of your selected colour allowing to dry between coats.

Top Tip

Always do a small test section with the paint stripper before taking on the whole job and wear gloves to protect your skin.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Sandpapers, 80 and 100 grit minimum
• Sanding block
• Base coat paint colour
• Top coat paint colour
• Varnish/wax for finish
• Wood glue
• Rags & cloths
• Brushes
• Sugar soap
• Candle wax
• Dust sheet
• Dust mask

PROCESS

Step 1:

Using warm water and sugar soap, wash down the piece of furniture. It is important to have a clean surface to work from, this will remove dirt, grease and oils or polish that have built up over the years.

Step 2: Sanding and checking for damage

Prepare your workplace as it might get a bit dusty. Put your safety gear on and start sanding the unit. Depending on the level of the damage start off with the 80 grit paper to remove the finish more quickly. If the unit has only minor marks you can start sanding with the finer paper instead. Make sure all the old varnish is re-moved, this will give the paint a key to stick to. If you apply the paint directly to the old varnish it will mark and come off with even the lightest of scratches.

Step 3: Repairs

Look for any broken parts or lose joints and simply squeeze in some of the wood glue to stick the parts together and allow to dry.

Step 4: More Sanding

If you’ve started with the rougher sand paper, now is the time to smooth the surface in preparation for finishing and remove all remaining scratches.

Step 5: Recreating a distressed look by paint

Apply 1-2 coats of the base colour until it is evenly covered and allow to dry.

Step 6: Distressing with wax

Using your candle, rub the wax on the areas of the unit you want to distress. Start with the areas that would naturally distress like the edges and corners and then work around the rest of the unit to achieve the desired level of distressing.

 Step 7: Paint second colour

Apply 2 coats of the second paint colour, so it is evenly covered and allow to dry.

Step 8: Sanding to reveal your distressed areas.

Lightly sand the areas where you applied the wax to reveal your base colour.

Step 9: Varnishing or Waxing

We would recommend sealing your unit with a top coat. There are many varieties of waxes and varnishes on the market.

This unit was sealed with a clear matte varnish so while it is sealed it is invisible to the eye. Varnish is also available in satinwood and gloss finishes depending on the look you are trying to create. Be aware that some top coats especially waxes may darken the colour of the paint by a shade or two. It is advisable to do a test on a small scrap piece of wood first to see if you are happy with the finish.

Step 10: Enjoy your refurbished furniture!

Handy tip

When applying the candle wax mark out the area you apply it to on a rough sketch. This will help you remember where you applied the wax when you go to sand and reveal your distressed finish.