by Ryan Henders
It is a rewarding feeling to restore an old house to a pristine condition. One of the most difficult tasks is refinishing your cabinets.
To do the job right its means you have to strip all the old product such as paint and finish off. Then you have to bleach the wood to remove either the stains that were left from the old finish or having something spilt or set on them. Then there is sanding and scraping to tend to. Finally, there is the new stain and them the finish to be done. After all,\ of this you can sit back and admire you long and enduring hard work.
Most jobs of this magnitude don?t usually go all that trouble free. You will run into at least a few minor snags, but the majority of them can be dealt with. It?s important that you know the wood that your cabinets are made from. If it?s an older house don?t be surprised to find out that there are several varieties that were used. In this case, you will never get one light stain to come out the same on all the pieces. You can however go to a deeper stain and get results that are more satisfactory.
You really may want to consider buying new doors and drawers and just keeping the original framework. When you are working with the many chemicals it would take to strip your cupboards most often, it can be too harsh on older wood. Another issue is getting the old finish totally stripped at hard to get at pieces can sometimes be impossible. Then once you even get to the point where the old cupboards are prepared for the new stain and finishes you have to take into account the several coatings you are going to have to apply and the drying time that is going to be involved. The kitchen is one of the most difficult rooms to work in because of the food preparation, grease and steam that is almost always present there.
Before you say no to the idea of buying new doors and drawers at least check out your home improvement store and see what they have to offer. At least this way you are covering all of the possible options and making an informed opinion.
If you have decided to go ahead with the original, you may want to consider at least buying new hardware. In the older cupboards quite often the door handles didn?t have a lot of character and the knobs were likely ceramic that has become cracked and chipped.
You are going to have to make decisions on what type of refinish you are going to do. This is best done after all the preparation work is done so you can see what condition the cabinets are in. This will determine if you are going to have to go with a darker stain.
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Are you looking to build a shed? Don't build your shed until you've seen MyShedPlans. With over 12,000 plans to choose from, you'll find what you need. It also offers
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June 24 2009 | Woodworking | No Comments »
by Ned Dagostino
A hobby allows you to expose your talent. Woodcrafting is one such hobby that allows you to expose your creative talent. Over time, you will become an expert in the art and craft of woodcrafting. That's when you build yourself a wood cabinet to demonstrate your ability in woodcrafting to all and sundry.
This is a popular project with hobby woodcrafters. It is easily a project that lets you demonstrate your talent to the fullest. You can use a number of artistic devices to decorate the wood cabinet. The wood used for cabinet making goes all the way from pine to birch and everything in between!
When it comes to choosing a material to build a cabinet of, wood is the hands down winner, every time! Wood is evocative of a natural, timeless beauty, with deep tinges of nostalgia. A wood cabinet is highly durable too, and though it does require periodic preventive maintenance, the wood cabinet long outlasts those made of plywood and pressboard. So the initial price barrier notwithstanding the popularity of wood cabinets continues.
As a woodcrafter yourself you should try your hand at cabinet making. It's easy enough if you bear a few rudimentary points in mind.
Once the plan is filed, you must decide on the finish. What finish will you use? That is simple enough. The cabinet should match the other articles of furniture in the room. So if they're all light colored, that's the finish for your cabinet. And if they're all dark colored then that's what your cabinet is going to be like.
Finish means 'varnish', a light coating which allows you to see the wood grain beneath. But you have an option. You can paint the cabinet when it's done. That way you have more control over the tonal effect of the cabinet. Painting is an excellent idea and does not detract from the natural beauty of the wood cabinet. Just avoid colors that are hideous, or clash with the room's decor. If you have a friend who is an interior designer, then it will be a good idea to get his opinion on which color to paint the cabinet.
Wood is a good durable medium for artistic expression. And a cabinet is a good article of furniture to put your mark on. Putting the two together, a wood cabinet is an ideal project to establish your credentials as a quality woodcrafter. Remember, this is a three dimensional work of art, more like a sculpture rather than a painting. Consider it your 'David'. Put your heart and soul into it. That way you will feel truly proud to say: 'I did it!
About the Author:
To do any wood project right you'll have to have good
woodcraft supplies. Visit www.WoodcraftGuide.com to learn more about working with wood. And if you're stuck for an idea for your next creation, subscribe to a high quality
woodcraft magazine to receive all the information you'll have to have.
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June 17 2009 | Woodworking | No Comments »