Wipe On Furniture Finish-Make It Yourself.

When I need to apply a quick finish that can be wiped on, I make my own.  It has decent durability, requires little or no sanding between coats, and is dry to the touch in 20 minutes or so.  Here is the formula...


1 Part Fast Dry Polyurethane


1 Part Boiled Linseed Oil  (It will say "boiled" on the can when you buy it.  Do not attempt to boil linseed oil on you own!)


1 Part Mineral Spirits


Mix all 3 parts together in a can and shake a minute or so until well mixed.  The mixture will foam a little bit and bubbles will be present, but this is not a problem.


This finish is now ready to apply.  It goes on kinda like a tung oil.  Just wipe it on with a paper towel.  Wait 15-20 minutes and wipe off excess finish.  Apply a second coat right away if you want.  More coats may take a litle longer to dry.  Finish cures completely in about 24 hours.  That's all there is to the application.  Pretty easy. 


I do not use this finish on things that will require a ton of durability like tabletops.  I also do not use it on things that require thick coats.  But, it is great for small projects that you don't want to get out your brush for.  I was using it on one of my hand carved cooking spoons the other day and it was teriffic. 


Tip:  This finish works a lot better if your project is VERY well sanded before you apply it.  On my recent walnut spoon project I sanded it down to 400 grit and it was pretty nice.  You can go with even finer grits and get even better results with this finish. 

I recommend trying it out on some well sanded scrap before you use it on a project, so you can get a feel for it.  Let me know how it goes.



Rory

Guest Post Swap?

If any of you bloggers out there are interested in doing a guest post swap, let me know.   I would like to schedule a few over the upcoming month.  Thanks.  Also, be sure to link up to the party.  It is still going on and I would love to have all of you join in.

Rory

Link Party Project Of The Day From Primitive and Proper

The link party is still going on so stop by and join all of us.  Today's featured link up blogger is Cassie from Primitive and Proper .  That's her in the green with the great smile.  She loves to decorate and likes to mix vintage with modern. 

This is the fun chippy shutter table she made and posted on the link party. 

She also apparently is a baseball fan.  Here is a picture of one of her favorite Cub players.

2 things you need to do today.  1st thing, while you are here, please join the link party.  I love to write feature posts on bloggers that party.  Maybe your blog will be the next one I write about.  2nd thing...go see Cassie at Primitive and Proper , of course.


Rory

Featured Blogs From The Link Party

My very first link party is underway and we already have a few people linking up.  Lee Ann from the French Maids Place decided to show off her hand stamped ribbon this time.  It's pretty creative stuff.  Her blog is still very new, but I think it is going to be pretty fabulous.  Be sure to say hello to London, her rhinstone collared cat. Here is her link.

http://thefrenchmaidsplace.blogspot.com/

Rita from Curbside Creations sent in this china cabinet makeover project she recently finished.  The before and after pictures are on her blog.  Her specialty is dragging home things that nobody else seems to want, and creating something beautiful with them again.  She does great work.  Give her a visit.

http://curbsidecreations.blogspot.com/

By now, I think all of you know what a nut I am about repurposing and recycling.  One of our new followers specializes in sign making and hand painted furniture.  Her blog is called Signs of Obsession.

Christina does most of her signs from recycled and repurposed materials.  She shows the step by step sequence of the making of this one on her blog.  It is a post worth checking out.  If you have ever attempted signmaking, you will appreciate how great her work is.  Tell her that The Greentiques Solution sent you.

http://christinassignsofobsession.blogspot.com/

The link party is still going on. Show me your best stuff.

Rory

The Greentiques Solution 1st Link Party!

I have been wanting to do a link party for a while now, so here we go! I am a glutton for punishment so  we will be partying for a full week.  (Reminds me of younger days.)  Here are the rules.  Link your best projects (up to 4).  No duplicates please.  Use you post URL to link with. Not your blog URL. 

It is not required but I would appreciate anything you can do to help promote this link party.  Put The Greentiques Solution on your sidebar or put the party in a post or just plain pass the word along.

In return, I will be doing daily feature posts on some of my favorites to help promote some of your blogs out there.  I can't wait to see how this goes!  Have fun!

Rory

Link Party!

Rory's Book Of The Week-The Caners Handbook

For those of you who want to try something new, you might want to give chair caning or rush seat weaving a shot.  There are alot of deals at garage sales and flea markets on old chairs that need new seats.  Repairing these old chairs has become somewhat of a lost art.  I get calls all the time from people who need them done. 

Whenever I have an issue with a seat that I have not run into before, this is the book I turn to.  I highly recommend it.  It is called The Caners Handbook and it is written by Bruce W. Miller and Jim Widess.  It has great pictures and step by step instructions.  There are also chapters on wicker repair, split oak, pressed cane and swedish cord.  It is a wealth of information if you are going to do seat repairs.

It is available in The Greentiques Solution Bookstore, or just click on Rory's Book Of The Week, located on the sidebar.


Repairing these old chairs is a great way to keep them out of landfills and make some money at the same time.  Give it a try!


Rory

Introducing Donatella Style and DustyLu-2 Fun Blogging Sisters

This post is about 2 fabulous sisters that are wayyy fun.  Everytime I visit one of their blogs I picture these 2 charachters laughing and enjoying each others company as they search through antique shops and second-hand stores.  They truely seem to have a great time together. 

The first sister is Donna.  She lives in southern California now, but was originally born in Italy.  That is her picture on the right, with the flower in her hair.  She writes a blog called Donatella Style.   It is about Home Decor, Recipes, and Family Living.  Her recent post about garden beauty and bringing a little bit of "indoors", "outdoors",  is one you should read.  Here is her link.    http://donatellastyle.blogspot.com/  

 The second sister is Lu.  She is in the picture on the left with her family.  Looks like it was a pretty fun dinner by looking at them.  Lu's blog is called DustyLu.  I love the clean fresh look of it and her great eye for photography.  Her passions are Decorating, Styling, and Cooking.  Her current post showing a recipe for fresh red bell peppers is nothing short of mouth watering.  Give her a visit.  Her is her link.  http://dustyluinteriors.blogspot.com/

Donna and Lu are 2 of those special kinds of bloggers that make you feel like one of the family.  They are a pleasure to be around.  I love this old pic of their mother in Italy, from 1958.

Isn't she fabulous?  I could not resist posting it.  Makes me want to buy a plane ticket back in time, to Italy.


Make sure you visit Donna and Lu.  They are the kinds of bloggers that will become your friends.



Rory

Rory's Tip of The Week-Lead Based Paint

Many homes built in America prior to 1978 were painted with lead-based paint.  This may include window casements and shutters.  If you are planning on using old window frames for your next prim project, here is a little advice.

Keep sanding to a mininum and wear a protective mask.  The dust is hazardous if breathed in by nose or mouth.



All loose paint chips must be removed.  Small children are especially suceptible to health risks from swallowing lead-based paint chips.



Handling items coated with lead-based paint and then putting your hands near or in your mouth is a concern. 



Whenever I repurpose old window shutters of frames like the ones pictured, I apply a coat of polyurethane or shellac over it, so that there is no lead based paint exposed.  This also solves nearly all of the problems associated with lead-based paint chips falling off onto the floor after it is hung.


Hazards of coming into contact with lead-based paints include, high blood pressure, headaches, nausea, brain damage, and slow growth in children.  Most homes built before 1978 contain it.  Many of us still live in older homes, so there are specific ways to deal with it, according to the United States Evironmental Protection Agency. 


Here is their link for more information.

http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadinfo.htm#buy



Please be careful when you suspect that something you are working with is a canidate for lead-based-paint, such as architectural moldings, banister railings and posts, old fencing, metal ceiling tiles, etc. 


Keep up the good work.


Rory

Rory's Editorial Post of The Week - The Gloom and Doom Impact

Everywhere I go I seem to be surrounded by negativity these days.  I heard and saw a great deal of it at the antique show in Charlotte last weekend.  I have also seen it at the Scott's show in Atlanta, and in every antique mall that I wander into these days.  Negativity about the economy, republicans,  democrats,  the weather, the cost of gasoline, health care, and you name it.  I think that our worst problems are not about any of these things.  I instead think that many of America's problems are due to our own " gloom and doom " mentality. 

Let me give you an example.




About 3 months ago, Lee Ann and I signed up to be vendors at the Charlotte ICA antique show.  The first day of the show there was an ice storm.  Lee Ann and I spent the entire first day of the show sitting in our booth waiting for customers that never arrived.  This is how we make our living, so it was pretty disheartening to have counted on a little income, and then have an uncontrollable event happen, like an ice storm, on the very first day. 
The second day we were hoping for good weather.  We thought we could pull out a decent amount of sales if the sun were to show it's face.  Lee Ann and I got up early and turned on the local weather channel.  Here is what the weatherman said.... " If you don't have a reason to go somewhere, it is better if you just don't go. "  And guess what happened.  Even though the weather improved a great deal, people stayed home. 

The weatherman could have easily put a little bit of a positive spin on things, but he chose not to.  As a result,  his negativity had a destructive impact on the economic welfare of several hundred vendors that were at the show that month.  One gloom and doom comment, by only one weatherman, is all that it took.


We get that same gloom and doom negativity all over the place.   You cannot turn on the tv without being bombarded by it.  Even though our economic recovery is dependent on consumer confidence, I keep seeing Americans dwelling on negatives instead of positives. 


I know it is diffcult to have a positive attitude about things during economic rough spots, but here are a few things to remember that may help.......


1. Sales are the backbone of the economy and a negative attitude never helped a salesman sell anything.


2. Most of us have very small problems in the grand scheme of things.  I personally did several million dollars better than General Motors the first quarter of 2010.  If you made any money at all, you could also say the same thing.


3. Stay way far away from the negative traps that the media sets for you.  Negativity sells more newspapers, so why print anything positive?




4. Beware of politicians who predict doom amd gloom.   Politicians know that predicting disastrous consequences if you don't vote a certain way, will probably get them on tv.  Be especially wary if they are coming up for re-election soon. 


5. As a former business manager, I had a strict rule where my employees were concerned.  I told them that they were welcome to give constructive criticism, but they were never to complain.  The difference between the two is that complaining is negative, and constructive criticism is positive.  Constructive criticism is usually coupled with a solution to the problem, where complaining has no real value. 


6. Some of the most successful people in the world got that way because they surrounded themselves with the right kind of people.  Successful people want to be around postive thinkers and problem solvers.  


 7. Make a committment to yourself that excuses and complaints don't wash anymore.  Excuses and complaints won't help your items sell on Etsy.  Instead, evaluate your situation and become your own problem solver.




Most of all, keep up the good work and stay positive.  If you can get  through these tough economic times,  you will have it made when the recovery takes hold. 


The next antique show I attend I think I will go around asking vendors a couple of simple questions like, What is working for you?  instead of,  How is it going?  By the way, I would love it if a few of you out there would post what kinds of things are working for you.  Let's hear a few success stories.




Rory