Bathroom Furniture, Kids Furniture, Nursery Furniture, Patio Furniture, Bar Furniture, Cat

Furniture Styles

2008-11-26T22:26:00.001-08:00

Furniture Styles

Your home will look better if your furniture styles match a coordinated design idea. Some people gifted with the ability to match disparate pieces from the different styles; can pull of a great look using lots of different pieces. Most of us though, can use a little help making our house look great. Choose a style that you like, and buy furniture styles that match it, and your home will never fail to impress.
Colonial Style
One of the most popular furniture styles is the colonial style. These elegant wood furnishings are truly timeless and will add substance and weight to your home. The colonial style will work well for anyone who has a love of wooden antique furniture. Today's reproductions also mean that you don't need to spend a fortune to get that great colonial antique look!
Another popular look is the Asian style look. You can choose between Bali lush or Japanese minimalist, but if you stick to a certain Asian furniture styles, your house will look great. Make sure you have good Feng Shui!
Western Light
Western style furniture is a lot of fun and can give your house an airy and open ranch house feel. Western furniture styles are also wood based, and tend to use a lot of cheerful colors.
Whether you choose colonial style living room furniture or a furniture southwest style sectionals living room, just make sure that your decor is concerted. If you stick within your chosen furniture styles, your house will look great
Federal style furniture brings an air of formality to a stately living room, and tropical style furniture, with its use of natural fibers, will bring a fun and relaxed vibe to any room in the house. With tropical furniture styles, you'll feel like you're on a beach vacation all year long!
Farmhouse Simple
Country style furniture or Tuscan style furniture can give you farmhouse elegance. Their rustic simplicity can work well in smaller spaces.
Mediterranean or Spanish style furniture is usually bright and cheerful, and their pastel color schemes will leave you mood buoyant as you enjoy your home each day.
Arts and crafts style furniture can add a funky freedom and country French style brings a historical substance to its casual forms. Whichever furniture styles you decide upon, have fun choosing the pieces that appeal to you. Remember that comfort is important too, and that if it's not nice to sit on, then you never will. Choose the style that matches your personality and wow you friends with your beautifully decorated home!

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Antique Furniture

2008-11-25T22:23:00.000-08:00

Antique Furniture

Antique furniture is a passion. Many people loved it since they were children admiring the antique pieces on display at their grandmother's house. Your grandmother may have since passed on, and now a lot of those same antique furniture pieces may grace your home. You can also add a lot of reproduction antique furniture, because as you love the look of antique furniture, it doesn't always mean you can afford the price. I think it the tie to generations past that leads to people's love of antique furniture hardware. There is something reassuring about these solid pieces of beauty that have survived for so long, and will still be around for your granddaughter to enjoy 50 years from now.
Antique bedroom furniture fills many bedrooms. Antique furniture reproductions can fill the gaps left from the original pieces you have acquired. Find an antique cherry bedroom furniture manufacturer in the next county and buy a beautiful four post antique bed that will be the pride and joy of your bedroom.
Many people love cherry wood, Mahogany antique reproduction furniture is a close second. People love the deep reddish tones of a wood that defines substance. This antique furniture is truly timeless beauty and will look as good one hundred years from now as it looks today. That's the thing people really love about antique furniture, it can never go out of style. Furniture trends come and go, but you know that something that has 100 years of history or more will never fade in the esteem of others. Anyways, it's not about what others like, it's your home, and you should use what you like!
Replacement hardware is easily sourced for antique furniture. You never have to worry about being unable to repair a piece of antique furniture, and there loads of talented craftsmen who share your passion for antique furniture and take loving care of my furniture whenever it needs any maintenance work done. It's worth it to keep it looking great.
Antique birdcages and furniture can be found at a great antique dealer in any town, and many towns offer great English antique furniture and antique furniture lighting. Reproduction antique furniture Indonesia makes and antique furniture restoration part hardware is easily found in the great antique furniture stores San Francisco offers. Make a pilgrimage there every year just to visit all the great antique furniture shops.

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Cottage Furniture

2008-11-24T22:21:00.000-08:00

Cottage Furniture

Cottage furniture brings a touch of simplicity to our hectic lives, already too cluttered with technology. Try adding cottage furniture to the decor of your home you'll see how quickly their rustic and simplistic beauty will transport you to a more relaxed time, and you'll enjoy their natural hand hewn features and the comfort of natural materials against your body after a long hard day.
Cottage Furniture: Elegant Simplicity
Nothing beats coming home after a hard day at work and the stress of fighting through traffic to a place of sanctuary. Your home should make you fell completely relaxed, and while some modern designs may look striking, they have no warmth, and you'll take the country comfort of cottage style furniture or country cottage style furniture over the latest designs of Europe any day.
Many people grew up with their grandmother In a cheerful cottage style home, full of the furniture that she'd had since she was a young woman, and ever since that time, they've been enchanted by the white cottage bedroom furniture, and even designed their own bedrooms completely in country cottage bedroom furniture.
Painted Cottage Furniture
Your husband will love the comfort and practicality of the pieces, and you can both agree that cottage painted furniture lends a cheerful and airy buoyancy to your cottage style bedroom furniture, cottage bedroom furniture lends a lighthearted and simple elegance to the room that you spend a lot of our time in each day.
Cottage living room furniture and cottage style living room furniture in the den complete the casual beauty of your simple home. Visitors will always remark at the cottage furniture, and how clean and simple your house seems, a welcome retreat from the cluttered world of our busy lives and offices. Country cottage living room furniture doesn't let the electronics appliances dominate the room; instead they blend seamlessly into the timeless beauty of a room full of natural fibers and simple designs.
Maine Cottage Furniture
People reading cottage furniture catalogues are always struck by the beauty of Maine cottage furniture and Ashley cottage retreat bedroom furniture. If your house isn't already full of the country cottage style furniture that you love so much, then you'll be tempted to hop into the car and start redecorating.
Coastal cottage furniture is the next look for you. Decided to redo the basement again in the cottage furniture style; you won't believe how cottage furniture will transform that dank dreary space into a beautiful loveable environment.

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Country Furniture

2008-11-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

Country Furniture

Most of us live complicated urban lives. Our lives are spent running full tilt from the home to the office, through traffic etc. etc. Why not choose a decoration style that relaxes and soothes when you enter the front door. Something that really makes you feel at home when at home. Country furniture gives a house the substance of timeless design with the natural beauty of wood and other natural fibers. Some people are taken by the latest metallic and minimalist designs, and while some of them are quite striking. You could never imagine feeling comfortable in a home with furniture such as that. You want your home to feel like the home you grew up in; and the home that your parents grew up in. Country furniture brings that to your home. Transform your space with country furniture.
French Country Furniture
French country furniture is the style that graces many living rooms. We love the primitive country furniture and the feel of country living room furniture. Your antique French country furniture farmhouse tables and country home furniture in the living room never fail to soothe, and it's a great room to relax in while reading a good book ¦or even taking a quick guilty nap!
Bedroom Country Furniture
Country bedroom furniture also graces your sanctuary of a bedroom. Country bedroom French furniture eases you to a relaxed sleep with its warm lines and comfortable feel; bedroom French country antique furniture takes you back to an earlier time of manners and grace, and allows you to leave the troubles of your busy modern life behind as you approach sleep each night.
Country Furniture In The Living Room
You French country living room furniture has the grace of antique furniture, but at a fraction the cost. French country reproduction furniture is your living room country furniture. You love the look of living room country furniture and country French furniture, but are more than happy to buy reproductions that are very affordable, and look every part as good as the real thing.
Country style living room furniture and French country bedroom furniture have transformed our home into an elegant oasis that will be the envy of all your friends. They'll ask you how you can maintain such a relaxed feeling in your home, and you will tell them that it's your little secret ¦after all, you don't want to have any more competition at your local country furniture store than you already do!

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Rustic Furniture

2008-11-22T22:17:00.000-08:00

Rustic Furniture

One of the great things about rustic furniture is that there is so much to love about it. From the spectacular beauty of the furniture itself all the way up to the very cost effective way you can decorate with wholesale rustic furniture there is definitely a lot to love about rustic furniture. Rustic is not an adjective that many people would associate with the word beauty but there is something beautiful in simplicity and people that are able to make good rustic bedroom furniture for example definitely understand the concept of beauty in simplicity.
Advantages Of Rustic Furniture
There are many advantages to using rustic furniture in your design scheme and perhaps the most obvious advantage is the versatility you get out of these types of furniture pieces. Rustic living room furniture for example is great for setting out a cozy atmosphere that is both cost effective and easy on the eyes at the same time. Rustic garden furniture can be used to create a very nice outdoor area that you can entertain in and even rustic office furniture can be used to make your workspace comfortable yet functional at the same time. There are many great things you can do with this type of furniture; of that there can be no doubt.
There are also many different types within the rustic genre; a quick visit to a rustic furniture gallery in one of your local stores will illustrate to you just how much variation there is within rustic. Contemporary furniture is very popular nowadays if it has a rustic feel and many companies understand and construct some great pieces of rustic western furniture in a contemporary manner. Rustic Mexican furniture can also be constructed in a contemporary manner or for people that have tastes in a different direction many dealers will also have rustic twig furniture and rustic leather furniture as visual alternatives to the contemporary designs. Rustic outdoor furniture is available in all of these designs but also includes weatherproofing to make it last longer.
The Price
Whether you are interested in Mexican rustic furniture designs or any of the other ones mentioned over the course of this article, chances are you are not looking to pay a lot of money for that furniture. However you decide to go about decorating, price is always going to be a consideration. With that in mind, you can purchase rustic furniture wholesale from a dealer if you are looking to decorate your whole house and end up saving a lot of money in the transaction. Rustic furniture is also a little bit cheaper on average because of the lower amount of frills that rustic furniture designs tend to have.

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Bombay Furniture

2008-11-21T12:36:00.001-08:00

Bombay Furniture

Bombay furniture epitomizes the grandeur of a colonial age. You'll love the elegance that Bombay furniture adds to your home, it transports to a more genteel time of manners and civility. Add a little charm to your home too with Bombay furniture.
What's In A Bombay Furniture Store?
A Bombay furniture store will boast the lustrous polished wood pieces that are the standard of Bombay furniture excellence. But Bombay furniture is not just enjoyed by adults; children also love her Bombay kid's furniture. You can't explain it. You'll never see another piece of kid's furniture that can be fun, and also retain a classy elegance at the same time.
How Much Does Bombay Furniture Cost?
Bombay furniture can be expensive; reflecting the quality of materials and workmanship, but a Bombay furniture outlet will often have astonishingly low prices on selected items. Visit any Bombay furniture store, and be captivated by the Bombay chest furniture they have on display. Restrain yourself, and take home only the Bombay furniture catalogue on offer.
The Seduction Of Bombay Furniture
After a few nights lying in bed leafing through the catalogue, longing for the Bombay furniture accessories and reading the Bombay furniture quality reviews and lessening your resolve, within a week you'll be back in the store. The salespeople will hardly be surprised as people are often seduced by the Bombay beauty and return days after walking out empty handed. Try selecting a Bombay furniture leather chair, and when you later admire it in your living room, you'll know that you had made the right decision.
My Bombay furniture outlet store has an incredible selection of Bombay furniture, and there is something there for everyone, but it's not the only store you should frequent. There is a Bombay furniture store in bayside were you'll see great bedroom sets and a Bombay kids furniture store that sourced out the wonderful set that could grace your daughter's bedroom
Bombay Furniture Maintenance
Bombay lacquer furniture sets look lustrously beautiful year after year. There's almost no maintenance required to keep them at their best and you'll noticed no decline in quality after more than 20 years collecting Bombay furniture.
Start your collection of Bombay furniture today, but be warned, it can be addictive. Some people have purchased nearly 30 separate Bombay furniture pieces over the years, and say that they have by no means finished decorating their homes. The furniture will always compliment with other Bombay pieces, so once you start, it can be hard to stop!

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American Furniture

2008-11-20T22:12:00.000-08:00

American Furniture

American furniture is the best in the world. There are great craftspeople working in every community across the nation churning out American furniture that is truly second to none.
How Much Does American Furniture Cost?
American furniture liquidation sales can often be found. What better way to decorate your home with great American furniture, then when the American furniture is on offer at unbelievable prices. American furniture makers are producing furniture in all styles using all methods and materials, and their output is causing the world to take notice of what American Craftspeople can do.
Early American furniture is sought after the world over. This elegant, rustic and elegantly simple wooden furniture add substance to any decor. Thankfully you don't need to scour the antique dealerships for expensive authentic antique pieces. American furniture makers are producing wooden furniture reproductions that offer an antique elegance at a very reasonable price.
Why Buy American Furniture?
American furniture Appliance dealers should be supported. It's good for the local economy to keep production jobs in the community. American furniture and appliance makers are second to none, and they deserve your support. Reproduction American antique furniture and American electronics appliances and furniture can often be found at your local furniture store, and it's worth asking where a piece was produced. You won't get American quality buying from Taiwan!
American electronics appliance and furniture and American electronics appliance furniture should be very competitively priced, and even if the cost is a little bit higher, you know that you will be buying a quality good, and that your dollars are supporting the local economy. What goes around comes around! By supporting American furniture makers, you're supporting yourself!
What Styles Of American Furniture Are There?
American appliance furniture sofa and antique American bedroom furniture reflects the creativity that today's crafts people are bringing to their work everyday. You'll find innovative designs and beautiful reproductions of antique classics, with the construction quality built to last a lifetime.
American furniture manufacturers in small workshops around the country are reproducing antique American furniture. You'll be amazed at how authentic these pieces will look, and how low the prices can be.
Discounted American leather furniture and American country furniture will give you the look you want, at the price you ant. Don't wait any longer, support American furniture makers today you'll never regret that you did!

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Victorian Furniture

2008-11-19T12:33:00.000-08:00

Victorian Furniture

Some of the most spectacular furniture in the world is of the Victorian genre. There really no mystery here; the Victorian era gave us some of the biggest artistic advances in the history of the world, so naturally one would expect that a lot of stunning designs would be of the Victorian furniture type. Whether you are interested in Victorian bedroom furniture or any other type of Victorian style furniture, there is definitely a lot to go around. The good news is that the designers have not forgotten the roots of Victorian furniture and even today are able to create stunning masterpieces in the style of the greatest pieces of antique Victorian furniture.
The Good Points
Victorian reproduction furniture is created in the style of original Victorian furniture but tends to be more cost effective. The reason for this is that in reproduction, Victorian furniture pieces are not subject to the same use of expensive materials. Kimball Victorian furniture, for example, can either be genuine or reproductive and the price will vary accordingly. This makes it very easy on the pocketbook to purchase Victorian reproductions. Furniture pieces are available for all over the house, including Victorian built-in furniture that can be assembled as is once you get it into your house; this serves to make things more convenient for both the consumer and the deliverer.
Unfinished Victorian living room furniture is perhaps the most popular type of Victorian furniture purchased today not only because of the beautiful and dignified Victorian look, but also because the unfinished element gives it a more rustic appearance and this tends to appeal more to consumers than normal Victorian living room furniture. Victorian garden furniture is another example of popular Victorian furniture as it can be used with an actual flower planting scheme to give the whole garden itself a look of sheer royalty; something that is appealing to a vast number of people.
The Cost
Depending on the type of furniture you are after, the Victorian stuff can either be very cheap or very expensive. If you buy from a private dealer that does custom work then you might be able to get the normal stuff at a cheaper price than other Victorian furniture. Woodworking plans for custom designs however, are going to cost more money. Cheap Victorian furniture tends to be of the reproduction variety and while it looks the same it is not authentic Victorian material that is being used. This doesn’t bother most people looking for living room furniture, Victorian designs being very popular. If you don’t mind getting a reproduction rather than an authentic, then Victorian furniture can definitely be purchased cheaply.

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Amish Furniture

2008-11-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

Amish Furniture

The solid wooden Amish furniture always enchants visitors to Pennsylvania Dutch country. Amish furniture is as practical as it is beautiful, and brings the craftsmanship of a hand made piece of art to houses already too cluttered with machine and factory mass-produced furniture.
Amish Bedroom Furniture
Amish furniture looks beautiful in the bedroom. Amish bedroom furniture lends a rustic substance and airy country simplicity to the bedroom. You don't want your bedroom filled with factory made furniture when you can have the warmth of Amish furniture to wake up to every morning.
Your daughter will also love Amish furniture ¦Amish doll furniture that is! Amish made furniture could soon adorn her pride and joy doll house, and you'll have to admit that it looks pretty good!
Amish Furniture In The Living Room
Amish made furniture has a timeless quality to it, and we've recently put in Amish home entertainment furniture. Now, this seems odd. Amish furniture designed to support you home entertainment electronics, but don’t question the philosophy behind it, you'll be too busy enjoying looking at it! An Amish oak TV stand furniture set will be the showpiece of your family room, and guests never fail to admire is solid beauty.
Try putting in quite a lot of Amish wooden outdoor furniture. Ohio Amish furniture is especially beautiful gracing your outdoor patio or veranda, and will even bring complete strangers up your path to ask about what type of furniture it is ¦and how they could get some.
A spring road trop to an Amish furniture outlet could leave you with Amish dining room furniture set. The set is made of oak and has a rustic beauty that will have you eating in the dining room every night, whereas before that room was reserved for special occasion dinners.
Antique Amish FurnitureAmish Oak furniture Ohio Amish produce are exquisitely crafted, and it's hard to understand how something as beautiful and time consuming to produce can be so affordable. Needless to say, don't question too hard as you make yet another Amish furniture purchase!
Antique Amish furniture will always remind of the Amish furniture in Pennsylvania. The little Bed and Breakfasts there have awakened a love for Amish furniture in a lot of people. An Amish solid oak bedroom furniture and an Amish office furniture set will become cherished family heirlooms, and with the way they were made, you'll be enjoying them for years to come.

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Contemporary Furniture

2008-11-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

Contemporary Furniture

How many of us have home decorated with a mish mash of styles from all eras. It might be a good idea to seek out the advice of a decorating professional. They will show you some sample rooms using different furniture styles, and you will be blown away by the clean modern look of contemporary furniture. Redecorate your living room, and you'll just love the new look. It's such a welcome change to walk into the room with its concerted styling and perfect balance. Professionals really recommend anyone thinking of redecorating to seek the advice of a professional, and they'd also recommend contemporary furniture.
How Much Does Contemporary Furniture Cost?
Affordable modern furniture lets you completely overhaul your look, at a very affordable price. Contemporary living room furniture will shock you when you got the bill; it'll be the first time you will have ever went under budget on a redecorating project. Your partner was also very pleased, as they will love the look of modern contemporary furniture, even if they hate to spend any of their hard earned money. A lot of people decide that Danish modern furniture is the predominate look that they want because they both love wooden furniture and because they love the Danish elegant simplicity.
You should also get a few pieces of modern outdoor furniture. Gone are those hideous metal chairs with the peeling green paint, replaced by retro modern furniture outdoor sitting niches. They'll really add a touch of class to your veranda.
Danish Or Italian?
Many people decide to go Danish, but are also very tempted by the offerings of modern Italian furniture. These modern living room furniture sets scream Milan, and you'll have to restrain ourselves from redecorating another room in European chic.
Whether you choose contemporary outdoor furniture or contemporary living room furniture it's all cheap. Modern furniture need not break the bank to look great. You have friends who spend fortunes on antique furniture, and while the look is ice, (if you like old!); you'll much prefer the much more affordable contemporary furniture.
It Feels Great!
Ultra modern furniture is contemporary leisure furniture. It's made to look great, but also made to feel great. Your contemporary furniture will be so comfortable, it'll hard to get up and leave your new living room!
Some people have completely decorated their baby's nursery in contemporary baby furniture. It's a lot of fun, and a welcome relief from the stereotypical pastel wooden furniture nursery you so often see. Get some contemporary furniture, and transform your space!
Contemporary Office FurniturePeople in general are creature of habit; prone to conservatism when it comes to some parts of their life. Taste is one of those things and if a person enjoyed contemporary tastes growing up, chances are that contemporary office furniture is going to appeal to them in that same way. Whether you are interested in contemporary home office furniture or alternatively modern home office furniture, chances are that your pocketbook is going to like you for it. Contemporary office furniture tends to be mass produced across the world and that in turn tends to lower the price.
Geography
There is many places around the world that sell modern office furniture. GL is one of those places and there are many shops there where you can buy decent quality modern office furniture. Staffordshire is also another place that sells modern office furniture. UK stores in general are into the modern designs as well as the manufacturing and sales of contemporary office furniture. UK stores and their affiliates in North America are great places to look for home office modern design furniture, because that is usually their top selling style of office furniture.
Better Geography
North America is a great place to find modern office furniture. Saint Paul, Minneapolis and many of the other semi-contemporary cities in North America sell a lot of it, but if you want to find an even bigger selection, then you can use the greatest tool of our time. I’m talking of course, about the Internet. If your search for modern office furniture has not landed you anything particularly noteworthy, then maybe you should take your search for modern office furniture online. The internet has a large number of websites that not only sell you a wide variety of both modern and contemporary office furniture, but they also sell them to you at very reasonable prices; a change that is relatively modern. Contemporary office furniture that is purchased online is going to be of the same quality and even high class modern executive office furniture will have the same quality, regardless of whether you purchase it online or offline.
Cost
Perhaps the most important aspect from the point of view of the majority when it comes to contemporary furniture. Modular office supplies and contemporary office furniture pieces are amongst the two most mass produced furniture items on the planet, so there is a good chance that you will be able to find contemporary office furniture at very reasonable prices from the major retailers. Anytime you are dealing with an equation that includes contemporary + office + furniture, you can rest easy knowing that cost is not going to be a big problem.
Contemporary Bedroom FurnitureContemporary bedroom furniture can revitalize a drab bedroom. Contemporary bedroom furniture will lift the spirits of the room that you probably spend more time in than any other room in the house. Modern bedroom furniture combines sleek sexy lines with the best materials on the market. There are great European designs coming out and we decided to go with an Italian furniture modern furniture chic look. Your husband may take some convincing, but once he sees the set assembled together in your bedroom, even he will admit that it looks great.
Italian Contemporary Bedroom Furniture
You could almost be swayed towards modern Italian bedroom furniture, as the affordable modern bedroom furniture inspired by the designs of Milan's top designers are really striking. These are really colorful and fun, with a clean look that is a far cry from the cluttered hodgepodge of furniture that you used to have.
Danish Contemporary Bedroom Furniture
You'll really like the Italian contemporary furniture, but when you walk into a discount contemporary furniture store, and see the elegant wood inspired Danish contemporary furniture you'll be swayed; and the prices, you won't believe how little you'll pay to completely redo the whole room. Every visitor who ever stays the night, although they will be now stuck with all your old hand me downs in the guest bedroom will admire the bedroom furniture contemporary style!
Contemporary black bedroom furniture surprises with its edgy and exciting look. It might not be right for two middle aged folks from Kansas, but you can just imagine a New York loft looking magnificent with that look
Wake Up To Contemporary Bedroom Furniture
Contemporary Danish modern bedroom furniture is a delight to wake up to each morning. The bedroom furniture modern styling will get you smiling as you awake, even if you're known for a lot of smiles before your morning coffee!
Cheap contemporary bedroom furniture is really affordable, and you should consider pleas from your daughter to do her room as well. Modern children's bedroom furniture is both playful and stylish and the prices are also great. Bedroom discounts modern furniture styling are far more reasonably priced than the antique look you may have previously went for. Furniture modern contemporary bedroom styling and modern contemporary bedroom furniture will fit your budget and appeal to your sensibilities. Why not add a little contemporary bedroom furniture to your life. You won't be sorry that you did!

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Mission Furniture

2008-11-16T12:25:00.000-08:00

Mission Furniture

You've always been a history buff, and you'll be seen watching an old black and white movie on PBS instead of a new blockbuster on HBO. You are attracted to the grace, craftsmanship, and simplistic beauty of eras past. That's why you love mission furniture. Mission furniture, with its beautiful finished, linear design, and hand crafted wooden look has always struck you as the most beautiful of all the furniture styles.
You've loved it since you were a kid, and started buying your collection straight out of university, foregoing reason which would have had you buy a full set of cheaper furniture; you bought just one piece of beautiful mission style furniture, and enjoyed it in your pretty empty apartment.
Times have changed, and you are now a successful and respected professional (not what you expected as a young graduate fifteen years ago!) and you have the means to now really express your love for mission furniture plans.
Mission Furniture In The Office
You spend a lot of time on the phone with your agents and other clients in your home office, so it is natural that you incorporate mission style home office furniture. This handmade mission furniture grounds and soothes you from the excitement of your day job. And your mission bedroom is a natural extension of your mission style office furniture.
You love all of the pieces that you have collected over the years, but it is very hard to top an antique chair furniture mission Morris. This is the centerpiece of your bedroom furniture mission styling. It isn't cheap, but you will admire its beauty everyday, and it the first thing that you will see when you awake and the last thing that you will look at when you drift off to sleep.
Reproduction Mission Furniture
Mission home office furniture and mission living room furniture in your home, may look like antique mission furniture, but for the most part this mission office furniture is all reproduction.
You might have one authentic antique piece though; your mission cherry living room furniture settee may be over 90 years old, and probably still looks as good today as it did when it was made almost a century earlier. You can really feel the quality and substance of mission furniture.
Decorating with furniture living mission room style will delight and surprise any visitors to your home, and you'll get asked a lot of questions about your unique and timeless decor. You will love mission furniture, and hope to collect a lot more mission furniture before you are through!

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Bathroom Furniture

2008-11-14T12:14:00.000-08:00

Bathroom Furniture

Bathroom furniture is a completely different demon than most other places in the house simply because it is going to get dirtier and be worn down quite a bit quicker than furniture in any other room in the house. Be it bathroom vanity furniture or else brass bathroom furniture there is a lot of wear and tear that happens through the normal usage of the bathroom. Therefore, the immediate primary focus is always going to be on providing long-term sturdiness with a secondary objective of a visually pleasing design. This is not to say that both aren’t possible, just that companies work first to make bathroom furniture sturdy and then second to make it look good.
About It
There are many different kinds of furniture available on the market today; especially in the bathroom. Modern bathroom furniture tends to be less frilly in terms of the design and rather than serifs on everything most of the furniture will have geometrical designs. This type of furniture goes well with master bathroom furniture since the design is functional and allows you to do what you want to do in the morning. Modern designs can be put into oak bathroom furniture, unfinished bathroom furniture and any other bathroom furniture types you can think of.
People do not always prefer the modern design however and for these people there are still a lot of contemporary bathroom furniture pieces being developed and constructed on a regular basis. Modern designs are seen more as an alternative to contemporary designs rather than the other way around and bathroom furniture importers still clear more contemporary inventory than modern. Even modern designs tend to have contemporary elements to them such as the bathroom furniture-shelving units and therefore it is very easy to combine styles within your bathroom design.
Cost
This varies more with bathroom furniture arguably than with any other room in the house. Bathroom furniture vanity units for example are going to be very expensive usually, but not every bathroom design needs them. Bathroom storage furniture in the form of shelves and cabinets on the other hand are not as expensive and quite necessary in most designs. A lot of the price comes from the furniture style. Bathroom vanities and other forms of bathroom furniture are readily available at all hardware stores so you can easily do a bit of comparative shopping to get the information you want.
Some stores will give you wholesale bathroom furniture prices, which is one reason why comparative shopping is a good idea; it allows you to do a little price paving. Bathroom furniture should also come with a good guarantee; just one more thing to keep in mind.

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Computer Furniture

2008-11-13T12:12:00.000-08:00

Computer Furniture

Whether you want home computer furniture for your office or for your kids room, there are tons of ways to get the computer furniture you want. With computer furniture, home offices become a nice place to work. You can also redecorate any room in your house with corner computer furniture to save space, and to add an accent. Kids bedroom computer furniture also offers a great way to make your child room look nice and organized, and it is often less expensive than formal computer furniture.
There are tons of manufacturers of computer furniture to go along with the many styles available. Places like Rockville computer furniture and Tyson corner computer furniture have a lot to offer and good reputations as well. In some areas, such as Washington DC, computer furniture is a specialty that can be very expensive if you don’t know where to look. In fancy business districts like that, it will be difficult to find reasonably priced computer furniture no matter what you do. That is why you can look for some alternatives to regular furniture for your office.
Contemporary home computer furniture can cost a pretty penny these days, but buying unfinished computer furniture can have a huge advantage. Real wood home computer furniture generally comes pre-finished and costs a lot more, but you can find great discount computer furniture just by shopping for unfinished desks. This way you can get your computer furniture as fancy as you like and not have to pay such a high price tag.
Computer workstation furniture is the key to making your home office or computer station look nice and feel nice. With computer furniture, wood is the most common material, and it looks very nice, but you can also find inexpensive metal and composite desks. If you want to get really fancy, such as computer armoire furniture, you can save a ton of money by buying unfinished furniture and finishing it on your own. This way, you won’t be limited by the price of the furniture that you would otherwise buy. If you are decorating a kid room and you don’t want to spend so much money on professional looking computer furniture, you can usually find less expensive alternatives that are made especially for decorating these rooms. This will save you money, and it will allow your child to have a more colorful and exciting workstation. Shop around to see where you can find the best deals on all kinds of furniture and always look for unfinished furniture to get the big discounts.
Office Computer FurnitureThere are so many places where you can purchase office computer furniture nowadays that it sometimes becomes difficult to choose. Whether you are looking for computer office furniture that is of the very highest in quality or alternatively are scoping around some of the cheaper stores in order to find some discount home office computer furniture, there is definitely a lot of research that needs to be put in before you finally make your choice. Even if you manage to get free home office computer furniture, you are still going to have to do some legwork to find it, so the sooner you start reading and learning, the easier it will be for you to find your dream office computer furniture.
Comfort
A big part of finding the proper work or home office furniture computer wise is finding work or home office and computer furniture that is actually comfortable for you to be in. A lot of traditional home office computer furniture was not built to be comfortable and if you are not comfortable then the time you spend working in your office is not going to be as pleasant as it otherwise might be. Ergonomic office computer furniture is very important in today world where people are using their computers so much and unless you make sure that the office computer furniture you purchase is ergonomically designed, you might pay for it in the future with repetitive strain injury problems.
Functionality
This section is perhaps best illustrated by discussing an example of a country that sells a lot of computer office furniture. UK retailers are really big into selling home office computer furniture because there is a lot of people that work in the computer industry in that country. Because of the popularity, there is competition and when there is competition there is pressure to make the product good. A country like the United Kingdom has a number of manufacturers that produce top notch computer office furniture. Home UK businesses benefit from the added functionality and everyone ends up winning. Functionality is a big part of purchasing the proper home office computer furniture. Designer models matter little when compared with functionality.
The Issue Of Cost
There is a gamut for cost; just ask the makers of armoire computer furniture. Home office users might want to stay away from the more expensive stuff such as the armoire computer furniture office products and focus more on office computer furniture that will not put a big dent in their pocketbook. An office furniture computer workstation does best when the person working there is not constantly thinking about the large amount of money they had to spend, so make sure that when you purchase your office computer furniture, you stay within your financial limits.
Computer Desk ComputerNo matter what you want in your computer desk, there is certainly a style to fit your needs. The ultimate goal of computer desk furniture is to make it easy for you to do your job and still keep you comfortable. Computer desks are designed in all different shapes and styles so you can find something that will work for you. Everything from antique looking computer desks to modern computer desks, or small computer desks to huge computer desks can be found at your local furniture store or office supply store.
Depending on where you need your computer desk furniture, you may want to look for different styles. A roll top computer desk is more suited to a home office, while a large corner computer desk is better for an office. Corner computer desks can save a lot of wasted space at some times, but they are generally larger than other styles, so they take up more space overall. The style of computer desk furniture may also depend on a budget. There are a few things you can look into to save you money.
In general, modern computer desks are a little less expensive than those that would be considered antique. If you just want simple computer desk furniture, you can find very lightweight and simple designs that will save you a ton of money. If you are looking for a home computer desk specifically, you can look into buying computer desk plans to build your own. This can save you money because you won’t be buying name brand products, but if you aren’t sure that you can do the work on your own, it may end up costing you more. Either way, there are ways to find discounts to furnish your office.
For the best computer desk furniture, office supply stores usually have a huge selection made specifically for that purpose. Along with your other home office furniture, computer desk pieces are essential to completing your office. Computer desks office furniture is designed to serve you, so make sure you are getting exactly what you want before you make your purchase. You can save a lot of time and money by doing some shopping and considering the room and size of the computer desk furniture you are looking at. In the end, your computer desk furniture will make up not only the functionality of your office, but also the amount of comfort you feel while you are in there.

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Home Furniture

2008-11-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

Home Furniture

Furniture is definitely a big business and home furniture companies have turnovers that measure in the billions every single year. The reason for this is that people are always moving and always buying new property, so people are always going to be in need of home decor and furniture. Either they buy some used home furniture or alternatively go to a store and buy some of the new variety. Either way they are investing some of their money into home furniture and that in turn adds up over the year to the large turnover these furniture companies experience.
Types Of Home Furniture
There are many rooms in a typical home and for that reason it is necessary to differentiate when discussing furniture for your entire home. There are obvious clear categories drawn between things like home and office furniture for example. American home furniture tends to be divided into categories based both on the room they are most likely to be used in as well as the type of furniture the piece is. Home entertainment furniture, for example, might be found in both the living room and the home entertainment sections of a furniture dealer.
Once the room distinctions have been placed, then there are also distinctions based on the construction and design. A lot of times these have geographical influences. Fort Myers home office furniture for example tends to be manufactured in a very modernistic style in comparison to other types of home office furniture. Naples is a good example of a place where most of the manufacturers and independent creators make furniture that is a lot more stylistic. This just refers to the creations however; all major retailers will carry home furniture from a number of different manufacturers.
Aspen home office furniture and other kinds of home furniture are varied in the functionality and style they provide. Many of them are just simple and functional, kind of like the doll house furniture many people played with as kids. Another good example would be to nursing home furniture, which is not stylistic but at the same time is very functional. Some people prefer that style for their home decor furniture, but whatever your tastes are, there will definitely be something for you at a major furniture retailer.
Price Of Home Furniture
Home furniture prices will vary depending on the style, the location and what exactly it is you want to buy. Discount home furniture retailers will sell a lot of furniture cheaply, but the catch is that furniture might be used. This doesn’t bother many people, but some do want new stuff for both their home and office furniture. Home decoration is completely your prerogative, but it is good to understand that if you want everything new, it will take a bit more money out of your pocket. Home Theater FurnitureNowadays, people are more and more putting large entertainment centers in their house. This has become such a common practice that when real estate agents sell houses nowadays they refer to a recreation room as a theater room in some places of the world. Of course, no theater experience is worth anything without the proper home theater furniture. The idea is that you want to create an experience that will rival that one you could get in a movie theater and that warrants a number of different pieces of furniture. Home theater packages will include chairs, tables, a large television and more but the major thing to keep in mind is that home theatre furniture needs to rival the movie theater experience.
Chairs
Home Theater seating furniture is obviously going to be the first part of the home theater you want to get right. Bello home theater furniture sells a number of great chairs that really set the standard as far as micro fiber home theater furniture go. Chairs should be large and comfy in a way that mimics what happens in a theater because studies have shown that even more so than the television, comfortable chairs and subdued lighting are what really help re-create the movie going experience. High-end home theatre furniture does this the best, but most discount home theater furniture pieces will do so as well.
Material is a big concern; many people nowadays enjoy leather furniture. Home theater chairs are constructed with leather, so these should be easy to find. And of course, if you don’t like what is currently available you can always pay a bit more to get custom home theater furniture designed.
Storage And Accessories
Home theater storage furniture is another important part of the equation and one that is often overlooked. S home theater furniture manufactures a number of different cabinets and shelves that can be used to house refreshments and other movie going accessories. These types of accessories will not do a lot towards re-creating the movie going experience (the ultimate goal), but they will serve to compliment the other forms of home theater furniture in making your experience more convenient. Coaster home theater furniture is also a good manufacturer of accessories and tends to have cheaper prices than most others.
The Cost
You can purchase the whole set at wholesale home theater furniture prices from some retailers, causing you to save a lot of money. Shopping and making purchases during a sale will also allow you to get a home theater furniture discount and save some money in the process. So there are a lot of ways to get home theater furniture at cheaper prices; a little planning and a little common sense will go a long way towards allowing you to save a lot of money when you purchase your home theater furniture.
Home Office FurnitureWhen people build offices right in their houses, they need to furnish them properly. Finding quality home office furniture is not difficult to do in today’s world, but finding the right home office furniture for your specific home office is something that is distinctly more difficult to do. The desks, chairs, sofas and anything else that you would include in your home office furniture package must all be purchased with a specific goal in mind. This is not a leisure room in your house; it is where you expect to accomplish a lot of work. Therefore, the fine home office furniture you include should accomplish the goal of assisting you in accomplishing that work.
Types Of Home Office Furniture
The first way that different pieces of home office furniture can be categorized is by the materials that are used to construct them. Cherry home office furniture for example is made of cherry wood and can be a very good addition to one’s home office. Other materials used to construct traditional home office furniture include pine, oak and other types of constructive woods.
Aside from the actual materials used to construct the different home office products, there are also the styles in which those products are constructed. Elegant home office furniture is created more with style than with functionality in mind, although all executive home office furniture will have functionality built in to a certain degree. Modular home office furniture is another example of a specific style of construction.
The country that created the home office furniture frequently determines the predominant style that is used. UK pieces, for example, tend to be very subdued and functional in the appearance of the home office furniture. Houston and other Texan manufacturers tend to create larger and more assuming pieces of furniture. Home office styles change geographically, but if you order online or go to a larger broker, you can find all the different styles you want.
Costs
Naples home office furniture is a good example of looking at cost. Naples, Florida, home office furniture is a combination of home office furniture that has actually been constructed in the state as well as stuff that has been imported in. The major retailers have their standard markups on furniture and if you are looking to purchase new home office furniture, then the prices at the major retailers are going to be tough to beat. Custom home office furniture that you want built specifically for you will be even more expensive. There are stores around that offer discount home office furniture, but it is either used or refurbished. So your choices in Naples are between paying more money and accepting used or refurbished merchandise that is otherwise perfectly good. This is a good microcosm for the home office furniture cost question everywhere else in the world.

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CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF FOUR JAPANNED CHAIRS c.1815

2008-11-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF FOUR JAPANNED CHAIRS c.1815
By Peter Hatchett with a Foreword by Michael Barrington
Foreword
These four chairs, of which the image left is a picture of the best, were given to me as a present by a long-standing client who bought them at Christies knowing my passion for Regencv furniture. I asked Peter to use three of the chairs at BAFRA's second Wood-finishing workshop at the Geffrye Museum at which he was a consultant during the after-lunch session. The fourth and least damaged chair I gave to Margaret Ballardie who, as so many readers will know, is certainly the acknowledged authority on japanwork conservation and restoration in Britain and probably in Europe. I think that, having talked to both Margaret and Peter, there was no divergence of opinion on how the chairs should ultimately be treated.
I am under no illusion that the chairs will henceforth be primarily for decorative purposes since the damage to them overall is little short of catastrophic but well within the bounds of totally successful treatment. Being of beech they are very vulnerable to wood worm, which in parts of the frames has been rife but leaves them structurally weak in spite of any treatment we may use to consolidate the wood. I have since had the chairs treated by Thermo Lignum so we can be certain that there is no active insect attack present.
When the chairs are treated, both conservation and restoration routes will be considered. However, since they are for my family's use and are not museum items, I will take a primarily restoration path to effect the necessary transformation with which we can live and which will involve distressing of what would otherwise be quite garish newly restored surfaces and paintwork. The chairs are to me seriously beautiful objects which I want to be able to admire. They will be fitted with shallow, probably light blue, silk covered pad cushions with ruched vertical panels attached to the seat backs with sewn silk ties. I shall put into the base of each cushion a panel of heavyweight buckram to act as a weight spreader, ie. to ease the ground or sitting pressure should any overweight visitor decide to park themselves there!
A Report with Suggested Treatment
by Peter Hatchett
Description.
The chairs are constructed in beech with simple parallel crest rails, caned seats and rectangular slightly curved legs. The general construction is of sound workmanship, with mortice and tenon joints connecting all members. The overall finish is spirit varnish of so far unknown type, coloured a dark brown similar to Vandyke brown. The crest rail, general frame and the upper portions of the turned front legs are relieved by painted simulation of vertically grained satinwood panels with painted boxwood and ebony stringing forming a borders to the panels, executed in flat oil paint or egg tempera.
Condition.
All four chairs are heavily attacked by woodworm, leaving much of the timber so badly damaged as to be a mere non-structural honeycomb. Treatment for the woodworm infestation and a means of returning some structural strength to the timber will be dealt with under "Restoration".
One chair has a rear leg broken off at the juncture of rear and side seat rails (image left), due to its 'honeycombed' condition This detached leg has been preserved without further damage and fits well and cleanly to the remainder of the shattered joint.
The second chair (picture below) has approximately one third of its rear seat rail missing for the full seat width and along a diagonal line following the run of the caning holes. The whole area is additionally weakened by its honeycombed condition while the cane panel is adrift from the back seat rail but still attached to the other three.
The third chair has had a replacement front seat rail probably within the last 20 years of slightly smaller cross section than it should be but properly fitted and otherwise sound. The painted satinwood panel decoration is very crudely executed and needs repainting.
The fourth chair, the best of the set (pictured at the top of the article) is in reasonably good condition, apart from woodworm. There are some minor chips to the paintwork in the grained panels.
Throughout the brown coloured varnish is wrinkled, probably due to wood shrinkage. Adhesion of the varnish is consequently in doubt. It is probable that the existing finish can be satisfactorily smoothed and the varnish re-bonded with further very thin coats. From the conservation angle, only minimal retouching should be done, but the ultimate appearance required must play a strong part in this decision. (see the four images below)

The caned seats may well not be original and they are in good shape apart from the one detached from the back seat rail which will have to be replaced in No 2 cane suitably coloured and distressed.
Restoration.
Obviously the first step is to treat the woodworm and as you will have read above, this has been done.
Although it may seem that the first priority should be the stabilisation of the honeycombed timber to provide a sufficient replacement of structural strength to allow a measure of functional use, I would not advise this until all the loose joints are re-glued, the broken rear leg refitted and the missing one third of the rear seat rail replaced. The reason behind my thinking is simply that the treatment of worm damaged timber consists simply of the injection of a liquid resin which is absorbed by the porous timber. When the timber dries out after resin treatment it does not allow for full strength jointing when the usual animal glue is used, which in my view is the correct and most appropriate adhesive and one which will certainly be likely to bond with the existing glue in the joints.
In summary therefore, I suggest all joints be made sound and all timber repairs made before injecting the resin consolidant. Remember that until consolidation is done, the honeycombed wood will be fragile and that all cramping involved during restoration must be very carefully done using large softening blocks to spread the compression loads and gentle touch when tightening. I will now consider the repairs before returning to the consolidation treatment.
Repair Work. Carefully check each joint for slackness and any movement, adhesive paper-tabbing defective joints so that all can easily be identified as work progresses and none forgotten. Gently cramp up any joint which is loose or shows a failure to close up tightly. Warm each joint with a heat gun, drill 2-4 holes of approx 2mm dia into each side of the joint for just over 2/3rds of the rail depth, ensuring that holes are not drilled opposite each other. Inject hot glue with firm pressure into each hole, warming the joints as you go to ensure penetration of the glue. Leave in cramps for several hours and then let the chairs stand for 18 hours minimum.
The leg repair is the one requiring most work but is quite straightforward. Firstly make a simple jig so that adjacent seat rails can be aligned accurately. Glue and lightly cramp the rails into the correctly aligned position. Cut a rectangular beech vertical infill to fit easily into the empty space between the tenons and glue all together leaving lightly cramped for a minimum of 18 hours. Turn a 10-15 mm dowel from a piece of sound cleft oak, approximately 5 ins long. Drill the seat rail junction through the new beech infill and also the broken rear leg end to receive the dowel. Ensure that the dowel is an easy fit for a too tight fit will be likely to stress the existing work unnecessarily. If a short length of dowel is tuned with a 45° point is inserted in the seat rail drilling and the leg is offered up, guided by the broken ends to effect perfect alignment of leg to the seat rail junction, the drill centre in the leg end can be perfectly marked. Note that the 45º point should obviate a woodworm hole being fused with the proper intended drilling site ! Also a longer piece of dowel placed in the seat rail drilling will indicate the appropriate drilling angle into the leg. Before gluing up with a dowel of the right length, make sure alignment is perfect, groove the dowel to make an air/glue passage to obviate overpressure and consequent splitting, which can so easily happen. Then apply glue to all meeting surfaces and lightly cramp up to set the joint tight for several hours, checking alignment as you go together with any necessary adjustment,
Remove the cramps and leave for 18 hours. Remember that adjustment of misalignment will be difficult and potentially hazardous to the chair once the glue has set, however well you set about reversing the glue.
This leg repair will be strong enough for gentle use. The 10mm oak dowel may seem light for the job, but so is the structure above and below the fracture line. In my experience, failure in such repairs is much less likely when similar strength follows the line of stress. The use of a material stronger than wood is very likely to result in later fracture adjacent to the dowel ends.
The rear seat rail repair is straightforward. The diagonal split was caused by the caned seat tension acting on the rear seat rail weakened by pest attack and of course by the presence of the caning holes themselves. Cut back the angled face on the rail to remove all signs of the caning holes and true-up ready to receive a replacement piece of beech shaped to bring the rail to nominal and original cross section. I suggest making it slightly oversize leaving final shaping in situ after gluing. Two or three veneer pins partly inserted to discourage slipping will be helpful. Leave cramped up for at least 18 hours and then remove both cramps and veneer pins. Run a piece of masking tape over the caning holes of another chair and mark off before transferring to the repaired rail. I suggest that caning holes be blind drilled vertically into the repaired seat rail to a depth of 3/4 of the rail, rather than through holes at 45º as on the original. I believe that matching the 45º through holes will place too much stress on the repaired rail and that 'blind, caning should be done on this rear rail thereafter; that is putting the ends of cane into the blind holes and securing with pegs.
To reinforce the full width glued joint, which will be subject to considerable stress, I suggest the use of at least six split bamboo dowels of 2.5mm diameter put into drillings between the cane holes and at right-angles to the diagonal glued joint. These very small dowels are tremendously strong and rigid in short lengths. I find it advisable to provide a key to the smooth bamboo surface by making very light horizontal cuts which provide a perfect bond with hot animal glue. Initially I used to make these from split bamboo, but now purchase them very cheaply from the 'Outdoor Department' of John Lewis in Oxford Street, where they go by the name of barbecue skewers!
There are no corner blocks to any of the chair seat frames. I think it would be a useful reinforcement to the joints if small inconspicuous glued beech blocks were fitted. It is open to question whether this course should be followed since originally no corner blocks were fitted. If the chairs were mine I would fit these blocks.
At present the four chairs stand at different heights. I believe that consideration should be given to making the four the same height. It is simple enough to achieve but the ethical aspect needs to be considered. Since there is no evidence that the chairs were originally made with unequal seat heights, I would favour the adjustment, even if it is only to achieve at least visible or apparent equal heights.
The chair requiring a new caned seat can then be passed to a caner who will copy the style of six-way caning, or you may be able to do this yourself. The nearly complete remnant of the original or last caning can be copied in both colour and texture. Naturally this work should be done after all paint and varnish surfaces have been made good.
Now that the chairs are together it is appropriate to consider how we should deal with the honeycombed frames which are weak and unstable in their present condition. The only practical way of doing this is to introduce into the timber a low viscosity epoxy resin such as BENCON 20. This is a two part consolidant, almost colourless aand with an approx 5 hour working period to gel, then curing at room temperature to full strength in 3 days. The usual method of application is to inject the consolidant into all the worm holes, taking special care to treat holes adjacent to joints. This is a rather laborious procedure but the result is most effective. Allow the low viscosity consolidant an hour to be absorbed into the timber, then allow any excess consolidant to drain out of the flight holes. This is to prevent any heat generated by the curing action stressing the damaged internal structure of the timber. The consolidant will not damage the varnish and paint decoration, but I would advise wiping any spillage or excess from the surfaces with a damp rag, before gelling starts., some 5 hours after mixing the components, or less if very warm.
When injecting the flight holes, I suggest that the run of new caning holes are similarly treated to ensure sound blind-pegging of the new canework. Also the glue injection holes would benefit from the same treatment.
Once the epoxy-resin treatment has fully cured, the flight holes and glue injection holes can be filled before preparing the surface for final finishing. I suggest the use of BENCON 22 epoxy wood. This is again a two part resin paste with hardener producing a dark brown friable wood-like material, providing 50-60 minutes to gel, tool workable after 24 hours and achieving full strength and adhesion after 36-48 hours depending on room temperature. It should be applied with a spatula or artist's palette knife to a clean, dry, non-greasy surface in layers not exceeding 5mm. I suggest the paste be pressed into the flight holes and any other areas to be filled, the surface wiped clean with a rag moistened with white spirit or water, and then, after an hour, any sunken areas can be re-treated. Make sure you look carefully for any areas missed the first time round, for this is so easy to do ! The bond to the surface will be excellent once fully cured.
BENCON 20 and 22 can be obtained from Benring Ltd, Gleadtail, Quarrfold, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 0TG. Tel: 01298/74026 who developed these products, are specialists in epoxy-resin timber treatment and run an advisory service for restorers. Needless to say it is important to follow the instructions for mixing very carefully.
The Finish.
The poor condition of the spirit varnish, which forms the general finish, raises problems as to the correct remedial treatment. Timber shrinkage has caused wrinkling and loss of adhesion with areas of fine hair cracking. Also there will now be hundreds of filled flight holes to be concealed.
Considering that these chairs will be used in a private home and not in a museum, and must be reasonably functional, I believe that the finishing restoration should be sympathetically aimed at an appearance not too different from that when the chairs were formally in use, relatively undamaged and free from wood worm. With this is mind I will suggest appropriate finishing methods.
Firstly the complete surface of each chair should be very gently rubbed down using 600 grade Lubrisil paper or similar, followed by 1200 grade wet and dry paper, used with soap and warm water to reduce the abrasive bite. The first stage should be confined to the varnished areas, the fine cut abrasive can very lightly touch the painted panels. All abrasion must be very carefully carried out. Wipe down with a damp cloth, frequently washed out, dry thoroughly and leave to dry completely for several hours in a warm atmosphere.
The next stage is to apply two coats of either coloured spirit varnish or coloured shellac to bring back an even colour. Take care to mask off the painted panels with masking tape. Personally I would prefer to use button polish tinted with vandyke brown spirit dye, applied carefully with a rubber in the usual way. Building up very thin coats of diluted shellac, until an even colour is obtained. The thin coats of shellac will fill all cracks and consolidate the original varnish finish.
If a traditional spirit varnish is required in lieu, I would suggest an old recipe, which Inhave used many times. Take 1 oz of Manila copal crystals and 1/2 oz of orange shellac flakes and grind to a fine powder. Add this to a glass bottle containing 2 pints of alcohol, cap-off and shake gently. When the solids have dissolved, leave to stand for 2-3 days of any impurities to settle out. Then carefully decant slowly, through filter papers into a clean glass bottle. Cap-off and leave in a warm room for a couple of days. The varnish is ready to be coloured. A specialist firm such as A P Fitzpatrick Tel: 0207 790 0884 will supply copal crystals and shellac flakes. Apply the varnish with a soft brush. It might be advisable to thin the stock varnish slightly to facilitate brush application; it will also improve hair crack penetration. Once the finish is quite dry (min 2 days in a warm dry atmosphere after feeling touch-dry), de-nib with fine grade nylon pad or 0000 grade wire wool and then remove the masking tape. Use lighter fuel petrol to ease off the tape if the adhesive does not peal away easily. Soften any shellac/varnish edges adjacent the painted panels with gentle abrasion.
Before restoration of the painted panels is started, it would be wise to check if there are any flight holes in these areas. If so the brown epoxy filler needs to be spotted in with a touch of shellac polish mixed with titanium white powder colour to prevent the filler from showing through the semi translucent painted finish. The original panels were probably done in egg tempera and since such finish is stable and allows for blending with most other finishes, I suggest that restoration be carried out in this medium.
Essentially egg tempera is the yolk of an egg mixed with any very finely powdered colour and diluted with water. The easiest method of preparing the paint is to use artists' quality water colours tempered with Chinese or Titanium white. Mix the colour with equal quantities of egg yolk and thin with a little water to an easy brushing consistency. It used to be said the water added should be between 1/6 and 1/8 of the volume of colour plus the egg yolk, but I have never found it necessary to be so exact. To test the paint film, it should be brushed out and allowed to dry on a sheet of glass. It can be peeled off in a continuous, tough, leathery film with a knife; there is enough egg yolk to bind it. If it powders or flakes off there is not enough egg yolk.
It is important to separate the egg yolk completely from the white. The latter is practically pure albumen and water and there is sufficient albumen in the yolk alone for a well balanced tempera emulsion. It may be helpful to describe the easiest way to separate out the yolk. It should be gently poured back and forth in the half-egg shells and then rolled briefly on a paper towel to dry off the layer of clinging egg-white. Then carefully pick up the yolk sac by the thumb and forefinger, so as not to break the skin, and suspend it over a small glass container. The skin should then be punctured at the bottom with a sharp point to allow the yolk to flow out. If the glass container is covered with cling-film, the yolk will be safe to keep and use for 3-4 days, if stored in a cool place. Usually the yolk is separated into several portions, each for a different colour in its own glass jar, thus forming a palette of sorts.
It will be necessary to have a good quality pointed sable watercolour brush, capable of making a parallel stroke 3/16"—1/4" wide min., a nigger or lining brush with 1 1/2" length and a small sable watercolour brush for spotting in small damaged or badly worn areas.
The actual tempera application should present no difficulties after mixing the egg tempera to the right consistency and to the required shades. Dip the brush in to load it fully, then squeeze out half the charge. The object is to produce a uniform, slightly translucent stroke without any build-up at the end. Experiment with a length of Magic Tape (masking tape is far too thick) to delineate the bottom of the stroke and produce a clean cut-off. If the brush is over-loaded, the tempera becomes difficult to control properly. Apply the tempera in single-width strokes, of varying width, vertically to simulate the grain direction. Constantly refer to other panels when over-painting to keep the effect and colours uniform. Always wait about 5 seconds between strokes, especially when superimposing to prevent edge drag and to avoid smearing. Spotting-in areas of damaged original paint present no problems, match colour and shade as well as possible and aim to keep the same stroke direction as original.
In the case of the existing front seat rail panel to be completely repainted to correct size and effect, I suggest re-making the border lines and any obvious smears and blotches of the original paint by gentle scraping and sanding with fine abrasive paper. Since egg tempera is translucent, such cleaning-off of blemishes will reduce the amount of under-painting required. Set out the overall size and borders to match the other panels; a thin paper pattern will help. Mask off the border area with magic tape and paint in the satinwood grain simulation to match other panels, all as previously described. When satisfactory and completely dry (4 hours in warm room min.). remove the tape and using a small opaque tempera mix, draw in the simulated boxwood and ebony lines with a 'rugger'. Use a scrap of timber ,planed straight, as a guide and steady for the hand. Mistakes must be wiped off with a damp cloth within 2-3 seconds to get a clean removal.
When all the painting restoration is complete, check carefully to ensure there are no missed areas. The final task is to seal and protect the surfaces from wear and spillage. I would suggest a minimum of four coats pf clear shellac applied with a rubber, or in the case of varnish, two coats applied with a brush. The varnish should be mixed as before, but clear shellac flakes used in lieu of the orange shellac, to preserve the colours of the painted panels.
I have suggested the minimum number of sealing coats, build up a good finish even if that number ahs to be increased. When satisfied, leave in a warm atmosphere for at least three days, then de-nib and flat-off the complete surface with medium then fine abrasive nylon pads or gentle abrasion with 0000 grade wire wool, used in a large pad to avoid local over-abrasion. Dust down and wipe off with tack cloth.
Finish either with gentle burnishing with a soft cotton cloth, or if a higher gloss is preferred, wax polish applied with 0000 grade wire wool and then buffed with a cotton cloth pad.

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Living Room Furniture

2008-11-12T12:08:00.000-08:00

Living Room Furniture

There are a number of rooms in the house that need decorating, but few have the same need for decorating that the living room does. It is the room that your family uses to unwind from their day as well as the room that guests see first when they come over, so buying proper living room furniture to make your living room look fantastic is definitely something you want to do. There are all kinds of livingroom furniture outlets around that sell great pieces of furniture, but most people not only need quality, but they also need affordable living room furniture. Not only do you need around ten to fifteen pieces to make good living room furniture arrangements, but many of the pieces are elaborately designed and with that combination, price definitely becomes a concern.
Sitting
Naturally, sitting is a big part of living room furniture’s and it is the part of the room you will likely pay the most for. Sitting living room furniture consists of sofa chairs, sofa loveseats and sofa couches (seating 1, 2 and 3 people respectively). They can also consist of other chairs, but the sofas are going to be the most expensive item. If you are looking for formal living room furniture, then the price of a sofa goes up considerably whereas other forms of fine living room furniture that are not overly formal in their design can be purchased at a much cheaper price.
Accessories
Accessories are definitely high on the list of furniture. Living room accessories consist of things like coffee tables and without them a large part of the living room purpose will not be fulfilled. Coffee tables are for people to put their drinks on so they don’t have to hold them in their hands. Tables tend to be amongst the cheap living room furniture, especially when compared to the prices for purchasing sofas. Even tables that are considered as designer living room furniture and are more expensive are still going to be reasonably priced most of the time and if you compare them to other types of living room furniture, the price difference becomes all the more obvious.
Price
The cost of living room furniture depends mostly on the type of furniture it is. Things like oak and maple are going to be more expensive because they require highly skilled woodworking. Living room furniture along the lines of Kushwood living room furniture will be in a similar price range. Depending on where in the world you purchase it, bamboo living room furniture will be expensive (North America, low availability) or cheap (the Orient, high availability).
It is not that difficult to find a living room furniture sale; people are always redecorating that specific room, so there is always a market for making sales of living room furniture. Discount living room furniture purchased at one of these sales will be the exact same as normal living room furniture, so take advantage of the popularity and make your purchases during a sale.

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Out Door Furniture

2008-11-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

Out Door Furniture

When you are looking to purchase some outdoor furniture to make the outdoor area of your house look good, there are some considerations you need to take into account. The most common case of outdoor patio furniture blues occurs when a person goes ahead and purchases all of the discount outdoor furniture they can get their hands on. They even get some beautiful custom outdoor furniture made in exactly the way they want it and pretty soon they have a very impressive collection of patio outdoor furniture. Imagine their surprise then, when they find out that they have no idea how to arrange it in the area that they have! This is a very common story and you can avoid it by making sure that you have sufficient outdoor furniture plans for the arrangement before you go out and buy any outdoor furniture.
The Furniture Units
Depending on what you want to use your outdoors for, there are a number of different outdoor furniture units that you could invest in. Regardless of what you use it for, you definitely want to make sure you have the appropriate outdoor furniture covers to make sure that when it rains, your furniture does not get needlessly wet. Even something like wrought iron outdoor furniture can rust and cedar outdoor furniture can crack. It just makes more sense to have covers as well as replacement cushions for outdoor furniture pieces that use them; it is just good planning at work.
Materials
There are a number of great materials that are currently used in the construction of outdoor furniture. Outdoor furniture cushions are usually constructed with good quality cloth materials; a good example of this is sunbrella cushions. For outdoor furniture purposes, there are a number of different materials can be used. Aluminum outdoor furniture is a good example of that and many cheap outdoor furniture models are made from aluminum or similar materials.
When it comes right down to it, cost is probably the most important factor in deciding whether or not you purchase a specific piece of outdoor furniture. This is the natural reaction and there is no reason to be ashamed of it. There are many ways to cut down the cost and make different kinds of furniture affordable. If you are willing to purchase all of your required units at once, then you might be able to get wholesale outdoor furniture prices. Additionally, discount outdoor patio furniture prices could be available during sales, which tend to occur during the Spring and Summer months for outdoor furniture.

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Baby Furniture

2008-11-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

Baby Furniture

Baby FurnitureOf all of the different types of furniture currently available on the market, baby furniture has to be the one type that people obsess over most before purchasing. Whether they are just looking for normal baby bedroom furniture or alternatively are looking for something extremely involved such as antique baby furniture hardware, people just seem to take longer deciding when it comes to infant furniture. Considering the love that parents bear for their children, this is perhaps not that difficult to understand. In any case, there are definitely some things you should know before making your first baby furniture purchase.
Plusses Of Baby Furniture
Many people tend to initially look for simplicity. Baby furniture is supposed to be stable and safe and only after confirming that do people tend to look any deeper. There are many different types of baby furniture; cribs, bedding and various playpen type accessories are usually the three main things that a person needs to purchase for their child. Toddler beds, baby furniture, toddler bedding and their accessories can all be purchased at any major superstore and because of that you definitely have a choice when it comes to choosing your baby furniture.
The larger demand for baby furniture, cribs, bedding linens, accessories and other items has led to a larger competition which ultimately benefits the customer with a lot of high quality, low cost options. Simmons baby furniture is quite excellent and with the Simmons name behind it, you know you can trust that it will be safe and sturdy for your child. Jar dine baby furniture is also of a very high quality and when you look at some of their custom designs in baby furniture woodworking plans you see the absolute care and emphasis that goes into their creations. Kids bedding, baby furniture, linens and accessories are also created and sold by Delta baby furniture, a company that has a sound history just like Jar dine and Simmons.
Cost
There are many great aspects to baby furniture and one of them is definitely the cost. Discount baby furniture of a similar quality is available all over the place. The most obvious discount you can get would be to purchase it second hand from another person and because of that you also know that the furniture you are buying has been safe for a child previous to yours; a very good endorsement. Different kinds of baby furniture, antique baby beds for example, are not going to be very cheap but on the whole you can definitely look for cost effectiveness; especially if you buy it all at once at wholesale baby furniture prices. You definitely have choice with baby furniture, so make sure you use it.

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Bed Room Furniture

2008-11-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

Bed Room Furniture

Decorating your bedroom can be one of the most difficult tasks to do. When you are tired and at your most emotionally vulnerable, you will be in your bedroom and therefore the bedroom furniture and decorations will have a distinct effect on you throughout your life. This means that choosing the right bed room furniture is essential to your existence. Part of that involves understanding who you are and then picking some fine bedroom furniture that accentuates your tastes. While we can not help you with the former, the latter is the topic of this article.
Pieces Of Furniture
The bed is going to be first and foremost in the bedroom furniture that you choose. Once you have chosen the bed, then you need to be cognizant of things like bedside tables, lighting for the room, dressers and other things like bedroom furniture wardrobe units. There is definitely a lot to choose from and a lot to choose, so make sure that you spend an appropriate amount of time planning out exactly what you want to do with this room.
Types Of Furniture
Just as there are many different pieces, there are also many different types of bed room furniture. Youth bedroom furniture is readily available in sizes that will easily fit children and toddler bedroom furniture is available for very young children as well. Child bedroom furniture comes in many different colors and styles, but if you are stuck then have a look at white bedroom furniture as your neutral starting point for your furniture search.
The different types of bedroom furniture are all centered around the bed. Bedroom furniture in general tends to be centered around the bed as that is the functional piece of furniture in the room. Bedroom furniture sets are constructed in styles that match that of the bed and many different innovative looks from bamboo bedroom furniture all the way to stylish looking art deco bedroom furniture is now available.
Cost
The bottom line is that there is a lot of discount bedroom furniture available out there. Whether you get it used from a private owner or alternatively refurbished through a furniture dealer there are many options available to you to purchase cheap bedroom furniture. You can also buy bedroom furniture from most dealers at wholesale bedroom furniture prices if you commit to buying the whole set rather than just one or two pieces of a set. Alternatively, you can also buy bedroom furniture direct from the manufacturers at prices that are lower than what you would see in most stores.

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Dining Room

2008-11-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

Dining Room

The dining room is an integral part of a number of different household designs so naturally you will want to make sure that your dining furniture augments the experience that people get in your dining room. Good dining room furniture is essential to having an overall good dining room experience and whether you are after antique furniture dining room sets or simply something along the lines of modern dining room furniture, the quality needs to be there. Keep in mind that guests will eat in your dining room as well, so while you can purchase discount dining room furniture from a lot of places, it is still in your best interest to attempt to make sure that the dining room furniture you buy is still of a high quality.
Materials
There are a number of different forms of dining room furniture that you can purchase. In addition to the antique and modern styles, there is also art deco dining room furniture that definitely promises to spice things up from a visual perspective. Mahogany dining room furniture has a very dignified look about it and oak dining room furniture is somewhere in between in terms of appearance. If you are looking to entertain outside, then you can also purchase outdoor dining furniture made with similar materials to the indoor types of furniture. Living dining room furniture dreams is a great thing and knowledge of the different materials can really help you along the way.
Components
Take a look at bell furniture. Mollai dining room tables and chairs are amongst the most popular items around today because they offer all the components of a successful dining room. And bedroom furniture sets are also sold by bell with the same success. Components make success; especially when dealing with dining furniture. Room plans for a good dining room might include a table and chairs, but would also include accessory decorations and maybe even a hutch. The main point for furniture, dining table and chairs, is the bare minimum of what you need to buy; everything else is just gravy.
Cost
This is another meaning of the term cost of living. Dining room furniture is a necessary expense and if you want quality, most of the time you are going to have to pay for it. Dining room furniture is not as expensive as furniture for other rooms, but buying a good set of table and chairs is not going to be cheap. Your best bet is to wait for a sale and then make your dining room furniture purchase then.

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Kids Furniture

2008-11-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

Kids Furniture
The Wide World Of Kid’s Furniture
When dealing with children, it is always important to put quality first. Especially when they are at a very young age, it is very important that you think in terms of safety when purchasing kid’s furniture. This does not automatically mean buying the set of children’s furniture that costs the most money; far from it in fact. What it instead means is that you should plan ahead and research in order to make an informed decision. Kid furniture plans can sometimes get lost in the shuffle when parents are looking to re-work multiple rooms in a house, but because the life of your child (especially if they are very young) might depend on purchasing safe furniture for kids, you owe it to yourself to do the necessary research.
Sleeping
Kid’s bed furniture is probably the single most important piece of kid furniture that you are going to want to purchase. Whether you are talking about a full-fledged bed for a small child or alternatively a crib for a very young baby, a sturdy design that is sleek and free of any frills that might injure your children is essential. If you don’t like the designs that are available in your area, do not hesitate to ask for custom kid’s furniture; safety should be your first concern.
Sitting
Part of a kid’s room furniture is a desk and chair. This is for when they are going to school regularly as this particular set of children furniture gives them a place where they can do their homework as well as a place where they can read without having to lie down. There is a lot to be said for getting this early for a child, as many child psychologists believe that it can help the learning process if the child has the proper facilities.
Storage
When you are buying a kid’s furniture, there are also storage spaces that you need to purchase. Part of a full set of kid’s furniture is having something like a dresser or a number of drawers that allow them to store their stuff. A kid’s storage furniture is what they will use the most after their bed (and some kids might use it more) so it is definitely to your advantage to purchase this early in your child’s development.
Prices
If you are looking for custom designs then you will need woodworking plans. Kids furniture that is custom designed is going to cost more money, but you can also purchase discount kids furniture that is not custom designed relatively cheap. It is important to remember however, that anything that is out of the line of mass production, such as children hand painted furniture, is going to be more expensive.
When you are buying your children furniture, you might want to consult specialty furniture stores for kids as these stores will have a better selection of kids furniture for you. Whatever you end up doing, just remember that safety should be your top consideration when purchasing your kids furniture.
Kids Bedroom FurnitureDecorating a child’s room is perhaps one of the most joyous things parents or expectant parents can do. Because parents love to take a lot of time and money in doing it, Children’s bedroom furniture retailers make a lot of money each year through the marketing and selling of bedroom furniture for kids. Whether you are interested in purchasing cheap kid’s bedroom furniture or alternatively want to go all out with some high quality expensive Kid’s bedroom furniture, here are some things you should know.
Manufacturers
When dealing with Kid’s bedroom furniture, manufacturers are very important. This is not usually the case, but quality is of the utmost importance even for discount bedroom furniture. Kids need to have completely safe furniture and for this reason researching the manufacturer before making a purchase is a very good idea.
Style
Style is a big thing when considering Children’s bedroom furniture. This is true whether you are after North Carolina kid’s bedroom furniture or any other kid bedroom furniture; Canada included! Color is a big consideration when talking about kid’s bedroom furniture; blue, red and pink tend to be the most popular colors, but there is furniture available in almost any color you can think of. Styles are also important for kid’s bedroom furniture; contemporary and traditional styles tend to be the most popular, but there is also furniture pieces constructed in other styles for you to peruse.
Types
There are many different furniture pieces that could find their way into a child’s bedroom. Kid bedroom furniture pieces such as night-lights are popular pieces that are usually purchased as part of a new decoration scheme and a kid bedroom furniture bunk bed unit tends to be popular too. Bunk beds are popular items, especially for parents that have more than one child and a kid bedroom furniture bunk bed unit is great for rooms that will be shared by two or more children. Careful selection of different pieces will allow you to quickly have their bedroom full. Furniture kid sized is not difficult to find, so once your initial planning is complete, the purchasing should be very rapid.
Cost
Cheap kid bedroom furniture is not at all difficult to find. Firstly, a number of the stores will offer you discounts during sale periods, which occur frequently for children bedroom furniture. Secondly, you can also go ahead and purchase the furniture second hand from other people whose children have outgrown that furniture. A little digging will allow you find some great deals on kid’s bedroom furniture and allow you to save a lot of money in the process.

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Nursery Furniture

2008-11-06T11:48:00.000-08:00

Nursery Furniture

There are many different times when planning is an important thing to do, but none of them are as important as when you are purchasing nursery furniture. Nursery furniture sets and in particular baby nursery furniture varies greatly in quality and when you are talking about a place where a newborn or an infant is sleeping, you want to make sure that they are completely safe from any kind of harm. Cheap nursery furniture might save you some money now, but the safety might not be there. You are much better off purchasing used nursery furniture than anything cheap and new. In any case, planning your purchases of baby nursery furniture and bedding right now will allow you to make sure that the purchases you eventually make are intelligent ones.
Sleeping
The bed is the most important part of your nursery furniture purchases. It is the central item in every nursery furniture set because it is by far the item that is going to get the most use. When babies are very young, they sleep a lot and only when they have aged considerably does that amount go down. When you are considering the bed to buy, make sure that it is from a company that has a very high safety rating in the creation of nursery furniture. Safe baby room furniture and in particular a safe bed is what allows not only your child, but also you to sleep easier at night.
The Companies
As previously mentioned, the company name does mean a lot when you are considering nursery furniture. Bonavita nursery furniture, for example, is a trusted name because of their amazing safety record. Another good example is Jardine nursery furniture. Companies that have a good reputation in the general sleep area will also have good products and a good example of this is the wide range of Simmons nursery furniture products currently available on the market.
The Cost
Nursery furniture really should not be purchased cheaply, simply because cheap furniture tends to break down a lot quicker and this is not a good thing when you are dealing with nursery furniture that your baby might use. The only time you should consider discount baby nursery furniture is when you can actually get the exact same model on sale. Discount nursery furniture sales do not happen a lot; maybe once or twice a year from a specific company. The advantage is that because the sales are rarer, more tends to get sold during them, so even unique nursery furniture products end up on sale. In any case, remember to always plan ahead. Also remember that nursery furniture + discount packages should be investigated to make sure the safety level is the same.

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Patio Furniture

2008-11-05T11:46:00.000-08:00

Patio Furniture

Patio furniture is an important addition to your deck, veranda, or garden. The right patio furniture will determine both how good your outside environment looks, and how much you'll use it. Good looking comfortable patio furniture will draw you out, and you'll love spending time outside when you add the right patio furniture to your home's exterior.
Discount patio furniture sales mean that you need not pay a fortune on patio furniture and the range of patio furniture cushions available mean that you can decorate in any color scheme that strikes your fancy.
Metal Patio Furniture
There are many different attractive metallic patio furniture options available. Aluminum patio furniture is lightweight and extremely weather resistant, and wrought iron patio furniture brings a substantial elegance to your back yard. Iron patio furniture always reminds of a European park, and will add that kind of elegance to anyone's home.
Whatever metal you chose, you can decorate within the color scheme of your choice with the wide variety of patio furniture covers available, and the wholesale patio furniture available at outlet stores means that you can redecorate your entire exterior for very little money.
Cast aluminum patio furniture is cheap patio furniture ¦but it doesn't look cheap! It looks great, and it features highly in the latest Martha Stewart patio furniture catalogue. Martha Stewart also features resin patio furniture, which I think adds a great Eastern feel to any home. You'll love the feel and lustrous look of resin, and think that its natural construction looks great in the natural environment.
Patio Sets
Take a look at the home crest patio furniture and their striking patio furniture sets. These sets provide a coordinated look, and are really affordable too. Too may of us spend a lot of time and money decorating the interiors, only to completely neglect the exteriors of our homes? A great and affordable way to an attractive exterior look is through the purchase of patio furniture set.
Winston patio furniture or Hampton bay patio furniture bring an eastern seaboard feel to anyone's home. Choose either of these for furniture set and your exterior will look Cape Cod chic. This look works great, especially if you decorate your interior in the country farmhouse or colonial style.
Plastic patio furniture can also be a great solution. Plastic is inexpensive and durable, and today's plastic furniture looks a lot better than it used too.
Whatever you decide; get the right patio furniture for you, and get outside and enjoy it!

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Bar Furniture

2008-11-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

Bar Furniture

Bar building has become very popular nowadays and more and more people of all classes that are homeowners are choosing to build bars. Not only do they allow you to entertain well, but they also increase the value of your house; especially when you choose the right bar furniture for the job. Whether you are looking for bar furniture for the home or alternatively are looking for bar furniture for sale for an office you have just rented or purchased, there are definitely some things you need to keep in mind.
Location
Location is the first one and it more or less determines what you need to purchase. Outdoor bar furniture is going to be more expensive than indoor home bar furniture of the same type. Outdoor furniture bar stools for example have to be weather proofed, hence the need for the increased price. Outdoor patio bar furniture is getting very popular nowadays and if you are interested in purchasing some patio furniture (bar stools, cabinets etc.) you definitely have a lot of bar furniture to choose from.
Type
After location, the type of bar needs to be decided on (albeit location will go a long way towards also determining the type). Antique bar furniture is going to cost you a pretty penny but will also be much nicer to look at than other types of bar furniture (and much more impressive for friends to see). Wine bar furniture does not need to contain as many different pieces of furniture as other types and therefore will end up costing less overall. Finally, cocktail bars home furniture is going to be somewhere in the middle but since cocktail bars are the most popular kind of bar this is likely the option you’re going to end up going with when all is said and done.
Materials
The materials will also go a long way towards deciding exactly what your final product will be. Contemporary bar furniture tends to be what most people go for and the end product of that is going to be a bar counter and stools very similar to what you would expect to see in any random pub you walked into. There are other styles available however and things such as bamboo bar furniture (for stools and counter tops) are starting to become more popular.
Availability And Cost
There are many places where you can get home bar furniture. UK residents will have an easier time because bar building is most popular in that country. Bar furniture is available all around the world however and because of that nobody should have any difficulty finding commercial bar furniture where they live. Bar furniture is cost effective not only because of the use you will get out of it, but also because of the resale value it will add to your property.

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Cat Furniture

2008-11-03T11:40:00.000-08:00

Cat Furniture

Cat furniture is what really makes your cat happy in your home, and it protects all of your furniture from your cat. Instead of sleeping on your bed, cat furniture and a few little toys will keep your cat in their own bed. If you don’t want your cat on leather furniture, you can get a cat furniture condo instead. These are just a few examples of how cat furniture can really help you protect your own furniture and keep your cat happy.

Whisker City cat furniture, as well as many other pet supply stores, offers everything from luxury cat beds furniture, as well as discount cat furniture. Cozy cat furniture doesn’t have to cost you a lot, so it makes sense to shop around and find the cat furniture that works best for you. Aside from just cat beds, you can also find cat litter box furniture covers to make your cat’s litter box appear as if it is something else. Cat litter box furniture is designed to hide the litter box and give your cat a comfy place to go. Plus, you can get outdoor cat furniture for those cats that enjoy being outside. This way, if it starts to rain or snow, your cat will have a nice place to hide.

Another alternative to purchasing cat furniture is to build your own cat furniture. You can create your own cat condo furniture, or you can get ideas from other furniture that’s already out there. This may be the least expensive way to get your cat furniture. As far as bed cat furniture, pet stores tend to charge huge amounts of money for nice plush beds, but really you can make your own cat beds with some nice blankets or pillows and your cat will never know the difference.

There is a ton of cat furniture out there, and you can even make your own. Depending on what kind of furniture you want for your cat, and what you think your cat will like, there are all kinds of things to be found. Try searching for discounted furniture first, or finding out how much it will cost to build your own in comparison to already assembled furniture. This will give you an idea of what you can get with your money. If you want a cats and leather furniture recommendation this is it. Buy something that your cat can sit on and play on, so you won’t be worried about holes in your new leather sofas.

Garden Furniture

2008-11-02T11:33:00.000-08:00

Garden Furniture

A garden is a very big part of a person’s house because not only is it the first look that a passerby gets but it is also a place where they might entertain. Having the proper lawn and garden furniture is critical in the case of the latter and whether you are looking for cheap garden furniture or else some really high quality home and garden furniture, you need to be able to buy garden furniture that is suitable for you. The rest of this article is dedicated to bringing you a lot of very good information about garden furniture in general and by the end of it you should definitely know a lot more than when you started.
Knowing What You Want
When you are thinking about garden furniture, it is important to understand that it is a very broad category of furniture items. Depending on what you want it for, you might want different furniture. Garden, home, living room and dining room items are all synonymous in terms of the way they are created, so it is very important that you understand what you want the garden furniture for. If you are after garden furniture covers, garden treasures patio furniture or even garden oasis patio furniture, it pays you to know well in advance so that you can plan your purchases accordingly.
Materials
Once you have decided on the specific furniture that you want, it is time to decide on the materials you want it to be made with. Aluminium garden furniture tends to be cheaper and it does very well outside because it doesn’t rust as easily as other types like cast iron garden furniture. Metal garden furniture in general is a good investment because it tends to be durable and long lasting, although if you want something that is a bit more showy, you might want to look into antique garden furniture instead. All of these types of materials can be used to craft furniture and if you visit a store and view something like TER home and patio garden furniture, you will see wood variants as well. Oak garden furniture tends to be quite popular, but maple, ash and mahogany are all viable alternatives as well.
Cutting Costs
When you are dealing with garden furniture, the cost is sometimes easier to subvert. The reason for this is that almost every single store in every single country has regular sales of garden furniture. UK, the United States, Canada and all other countries have big clearance sales for outdoor furniture once the weather starts getting warmer so if you are patient enough, you can potentially score some really great deals.

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Victorian Furniture

2008-10-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

Victorian Furniture

Types of Furniture

2008-10-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

Types of Furniture

There are many different types of furniture in the world today. From the one of kind baby furniture that you find in custom dealerships to the mass-produced sunroom or wicker type furniture you can find in every major furniture store there are a great number of furniture types. It is important to be able to differentiate between the different types of furniture so that you know exactly what you need to buy when the time comes for you to update your furniture repertoire.
Kitchen
The kitchen is one place where you will find different styles and types of furniture; just like you would in any other room in the house. Different types of furniture such as cabinets and tiling tend to be the major decisions made in the kitchen and based on those decisions then the different appliances (fridge, stove etc.) are purchased. A table is also usually a big part of the kitchen design and different types of furniture wood should be looked at before a final decision is made.
Living Room
The living room tends to be the major decorative part of the house as it is the room that people use most often to entertain. This also makes it the most varied in terms of types of furniture used. Different types of leather furniture can be popular in the living room depending on the mood the person wants to set. Leather furniture can be difficult to maintain however so look into the different types of furniture stripper in order to help properly maintain and strip down leather furniture when necessary. Many types of leather furniture can be used in the living room or in other areas and this versatility tends to make them quite popular.
Bedroom
A lot of one of a kind furniture is available for the bedroom and people tend to show their softer and more artistic side with bedroom design. One of a kind children furniture is a place where this artistic outlet can quite often manifest itself as parents go all out to design the room of their child before that child is born. Many different types of furniture can be utilized in the bedroom and if you are interested in redecorating there is definitely a lot out there for you to look at.
Den
Depending on what the den is used for, many major furniture types can be used here including a lot of leather types. Furniture stores tend to sell a wide variety of items for the den because different families will use it in different ways. People that want to use it in a contemporary way will look for the old type of furniture whilst others might look for super comfort in different types of hotel furniture that are now on sale at many stores.

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Kitchen Furniture

2008-10-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

Kitchen Furniture

Many people that purchase kitchen furniture nowadays seem to be in a bit of a conundrum. They are looking for discount kitchen furniture prices in order to save money on the furniture they buy but at the same time are looking for some cozy kitchen and dining room furniture in order to really make their kitchen look nice. Many people think that it is impossible for find cheap kitchen furniture that is at the same time high quality along the lines of nice contemporary kitchen furniture. It is not impossible and those are not mutually exclusive ideas. You just need to understand where to look and how to look. The idea is to find furniture kitchen renovators would like at prices you can afford.
Knowing Where To Look
The search for good kitchen furniture at decent prices starts at specialty stores. The reason for this is two-fold. Firstly, the average kitchen pantry furniture item at a specialty store will be of a higher quality than a similar piece of kitchen storage furniture at a big retailer and this in turn allows you to get better quality. Secondly, you are more likely to get wholesale kitchen furniture prices if you purchase whole sets at a specialty store than at a mainstream store. So always start your search at a specialty retailer and then work your way out from there.
Knowing What To Look For
Part of getting good deals knows what you want. Whether you are looking for some cozy country kitchen furniture or are looking for something with more of a foreign influence like Amish kitchen furniture, you need to understand exactly what it is you are looking for. There is nothing wrong with browsing, but browsing with no idea whatsoever is a waste of time at best and might force you into an impulse buy at worst. Browsing might result in you making the wrong choice between modern kitchen furniture and retro 50â€™s kitchen furniture or might force you into buying wrought iron kitchen furniture on impulse that you don’t really want. There is nothing wrong with antique kitchen furniture, but if that is what you want, you need to know so beforehand so that you can save yourself a lot of time and money.
Knowing What To Pay
Market research is the only way to know for sure. When you purchase kitchen island furniture (for the island counters many kitchens have), the price should fall in a certain range depending on the style and the quality of construction. Knowing that price will allow you to know whether you are getting a bargain or not. Kitchen furniture is made by different companies and those different companies have different standards and prices. Knowing the standards and prices of different kitchen furniture companies will quickly turn you from a rookie into a savvy consumer.

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Office Furniture

2008-10-24T23:31:00.001-07:00

Office Furniture

Whether you have an office at work or an office at home, it is important that the office furniture that you purchase for your office serve two functions. First and foremost, you want the office furniture to be functional in a way that allows you to accomplish your work with ease. This means that you should not have any distracting commercial office furniture, but rather styles like modular office furniture that offer a high level of functionality. In addition to functionality, you also want your executive office furniture to be comfortable. You are going to be working in your office for eight hours a day on average and whether you choose OFS office furniture or any other kind, you want it to be comfortable for you.
Units
There are many different things you need in an office; this is true whether you are after medical office furniture or else New York office furniture that would go well in an executive broker’s office. Furniture layout plans usually call for a desk, three or four chairs to go around that desk and a number of accessories like trash cans and storage spaces. There are companies that do office furniture installations that can actually build the desk right into the office, and you can also search office furniture online to find the styles and types that are good for you.
Types
Office furniture companies tend to be similar in the prices and quality they offer, but there are a few that are worth checking out specifically. Hon office furniture is known for being very cost effective, as well as very functional. Functionality is very important in office furniture, and Hon definitely delivers. ABCO office furniture also has a good reputation in providing good service for a long time and also offers frequent discount office furniture prices. These are not the only companies, but they are definitely two to check out.
When making your purchases, consider the types of office furniture you want and then go out to buy it as cheaply as possible. There is a big market for used office furniture. Houston, Texas, to Detroit, Michigan and everywhere else around the country has a number of stores that sell used office furniture. If you do your due diligence and make sure you shop around a number of office furniture outlets, you will be able to find cheap office furniture that at the same time is also good quality office furniture.

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Salon Furniture

2008-10-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

Salon Furniture

You can either open a salon giving eight-dollar haircuts, or you can open a salon and charge a hundred dollars or more per cut. The difference may be a little bit about the products that you use, and you need to have the skills to make people look great, but the rest is all image, and the right salon furniture is what you need to start selling your salon profitably.
How Much?
Saloon furniture or beauty salon furniture can be very expensive. You can easily spend 50 000 dollars or more just outfitting a small salon. But the money you spend now is an investment in the future of your business, and it doesn’t make sense to limit your profit potential by buying substandard hair salon furniture.
When people walk into a salon, they notice things like the nail salon furniture and the salon furniture and equipment. Visiting the beauty salon is more than just about getting your hair cut or your nails done; at its best it's a relaxing experience that can transport your clients away from the cares of their busy lives for a few hours each month. If you can offer them that, they'll pay a high price to continue using your services.
It Needs To Feel As Good As It Looks
Salon equipment and furniture need to more than look good, it should also be very comfortable, salon spa furniture should leave your clients reluctant to leave the comfortable sanctuary of your salon. You need to achieve a delicate balance. Your salon furniture should be beautiful, and it should also offer unparalleled comfort. Get those two things right and you're well on your way to a successful salon business venture
If you’re opening on a budget, be on the lookout for salon furniture discount opportunities or used salon furniture. Get the help of a decorator to help you mange the disparate look of used salon furniture.
Pink salon furniture's and furniture and equipment for salons in other feminine colors can look great, but be careful as you don't want the cheap look of a bubble gum cute salon.
Used nail salon furniture is really French parlor transformed into home salon furniture. This is a classic look and can be quite elegant and stylish if put together well. If you don't have a strong design sense it is well worth the investment to seek the advice of a professional, after all, your look will make or break you in this competitive business.

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CRAMPING OF RISEN TABLE TOP VENEER

2008-10-12T20:58:00.001-07:00

CRAMPING OF RISEN TABLE TOP VENEER
By Michael Barrington

We were asked to deal with very large 30ft dining table on five four-legged platform pedestals with a top of seven leaves 6ft wide, the centre leaf measured 6ft square, two were 5ft, two 4ft and two 3ft. The leaves were veneered in rosewood on 1 inch ply and the rosewood had patinated to an attractive pale colour. A wide crossbanded kingwood, ebony, box border surrounded the table top and a vertically banded frieze with gilt 2 dee moulding hind below the leaves. The table surface had suffered considerable light damage in that the so far unidentified finish had crazed along the grain over its entire surface area and there were something like 60 places where the veneer had risen in small areas of not more than 1inch in diameter.
The table appeared to have been made in the 1930s and bore the maker's brass name plates under the leaves and on the pedestals. We had between 4 and 5 weeks to complete the project.
I needed to know what adhesive had been used to put down the veneers so phoned the maker who said they did not hold records of their furniture over three years old but that if I was right about the date, and there was no way that I could be certain, the veneer would have been put down with hide glue. I went ahead on that basis which turned out to be right or at least compatible.
Putting down the bubbles was the first job and had to be done without altering the consistently pale colour of the rosewood. The first thing we did was a trial run on bubbles close enough to the edge to enable us to use standard bar cramps. MDF 22mm cauls of various sizes, faced with melamine were made. These will not stick to the surface and MDF and melamine are good heat sinks. Some of the bubbles went straight down after a cramping time of about three hours, while others were obstinate and took two ‘goes'. More obstinate ones had to have the bubbles split with a very sharp craft knife, hot glue was puddled on and a hot caul cramped to drive in the glue. We also encouraged the molten glue to penetrate by bouncing a plastic car window squeegee on the surface like a drain plunger. The squeegees can be bought in motor accessory shops in packets of four; they were popular at the time of England's disastrous efforts in the World football for supporting St George flags on vehicles. The whole operation of putting down the bubbled veneers lasted two weeks with cutting back and re-polishing being done in tandem as each leaf was finished.
Because of the hard use this table experiences, table-top polish and its solvent, applied conventionally with a rubber was used and this was compatible with the former/original layers. The owners were warned of this in advance but had no concerns and were enthusiastic that a hard and more ring resistant type of finish was to be used. The centre areas of the five inner leaves showed signs about 2ft wide of having carried heavy silver centre pieces and candelabra, in that they bore a multitude of score marks and indentations. But such is the quality of the plywood substrate, this damage, except for one small area was veneer deep only and was easily concealed during polishing.
The majority of the bubbled areas were outside the reach of even the deepest throated cramps, so we had to make special bridges. In any case whatever cramping method we used had to cater for multiple areas of simultaneous cramping because time was not on our side. I bought a mixture of a dozen single and double cramp heads and made up two steel bridges of 6ft and 8ft. These could be cramped to the edges of the leaves at almost any angle to carry cramp heads. The cramps themselves were almost certainly of Far Eastern origin, strong but badly made in that their slots were not machined but cast with rounded throats, which prevented the cramps from standing vertically under the bridge bars. All the cramp slots had to be machined accurately in a milling machine which took some hours but was successful.

The steel bridge bars were of 40mm x 10mm black mild steel with double angle-iron "T" stands bolted to each end. One stand on each bar could be repositioned wherever it was needed. The stands were riveted together and the undersides were faced with cork and goat skin to protect the table. They were cramped to the table edges with a pair of G cramps with the bars at angles convenient to position cramps over the damaged areas. We used up to four cramps on a bridge bar at a time.

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CRAMPING OF RISEN TABLE TOP VENEER

2008-10-12T20:58:00.000-07:00

CRAMPING OF RISEN TABLE TOP VENEER
By Michael Barrington

http://www.bafra.org.uk/html_pages/articles_casters.html

2008-09-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

RESTORING LEATHER CASTORS
By Michael Barrington

The origin of the castor goes back to certainly the early 16th Century when, 'baby cages' and invalid chairs are known to have been equipped with wheels. They were used in England certainly towards the end of 17th Century and by 1690 there was an established castor-making trade in London. Castors, to begin with, were simple hardwood wheels mounted on horizontal axles but by 1700 vertical spindles mounting jaws in which horizontal axles and wheels were carried were in use. The wheels were of wood, probably boxwood which, by the 1730s, tended to be replaced by leather wheels and then brass wheels.1
Leather wheels are quieter than both wood and metal and are kinder to wooden flooring. They are generally fitted between brass jaws either in the hidden plate form or the more usually seen vertical spindle cup castor. As frequently happens, the spindles, rust or the holes in which they are mounted, wear and the wheels seize. Consequently the castor wheel will not follow the direction of push of the piece of furniture and it suffers serious wear against the floor. This happens with brass wheels as well as leather ones and if not remedied in time, flats wear on the wheels when they cannot rotate anyway. The wheels have to be replaced, probably as well as their spindles.
The leather castor is made up of a number of hard leather washers. I say 'hard' in that the leather is 'bridle leather' which is taken from areas either side of and close to the animal's spine and is indeed the leather from which most saddlery is made. Leather from the flanks and belly, used more in upholstery, is too soft.
The image left shows a set of six socket castors from a mahogany framed settee in which the top three are in an acceptable state while the lower three have all been seized and consequently flattened.
The image on the right shows three spindles, the two left-hand having square bodies.
The photograph below shows the original washers after they have been disassembled.

The photograph below right shows some replacement leather washers which have been stamped concentrically with two sizes of hole punch one 7/8" for the OD and one 1/4" for the axle.
The new spindle (shown below left) is either turned or, and probably better, is of square section and is drilled to accept its axle. At one end a fixed and rounded shoulder is turned. A complimentary end washer with the same profile is turned ready for closure of the wheel.
Enough leather washers are mounted on the spindle to achieve the correct wheel width. When the required length of washers has been assembled on the spindle, the brass closing end washer of the same profile as the fixed shoulder is either screwed or riveted in place. It is necessary to make a jig to compress the washers in a vice before fitting the brass end-washer. As the washers are assembled on the spindle, they can be glued which will make for a more solid construction. I would favour a PVA adhesive for this, largely because it will stick to the metal rather better than animal glue which would undoubtedly be more correct although reversibility is not really an issue in this case. Longevity of the wheel is however a serious consideration.
The three assembled wheels ready to mount in the forks. These have been skimmed lightly in the lathe with each wheel mounted on a tapered arbour. Skimming brought the wheel diameter down to 3/4". The finished wheels are oval in shape which makes the castor more efficient. Straight cylindrical wheels are similar to running on flat tyres. The skimming tool has to be extremely sharp with good front rake or slope under the cutting edge and skimming should be done at not less than 1000 rpm. The wheels pictured have yet to be oil stained before finally being spun in the lathe and wax-burnished with carnauba ready for mounting on steel axles riveted into the original brass forks, some of which had to be bushed, silver-soldered and re-drilled because of the excessive wear by former seized axles and also split or fractured fork arms.
You may find that the original castor bobbin can be re-used; in which case you should do so. In the example used here however, the end washers had been flatted along the chords of the worn leather. You do need to have the full metal end washers to make a reliable wheel.

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THE RE-UPHOLSTERY OF A PAIR OF BERGERES

2008-08-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

THE RE-UPHOLSTERY OF A PAIR OF BERGERES
By Bert Chapman MBE and Michael Barrington

This pair of English made bergère chairs, made in the late 18th Century or possibly early 19th, had been substantially altered, the gilded frames damaged and the upholstery poorly executed. The standard of the frame construction is good but they had been re-gilded without interlagio over the frame joints and there was much consequent cracking in those areas with deterioration of the gilded surfaces which were fairly knocked about overall, down to the bare wood and, in places, beyond . Unlike the right-hand picture these chairs were built to show the two vertical members and horizontal rail of the back which were gilded on their rear surfaces and sides. This was not apparent until the upholstery was removed. The previous gilder had taken the vertical members through the gesso stage followed by the upholsterer who covered them up. Research found pictures of the correctly exposed and gilded back frames and this is the route we suggested and which was approved. The frame pictured below has been re-gilded, this time with interlagio support and the two vertical members and one horizontal member are gilded on the rear and sides. This is plainly to be seen in the first sketch below.
Interlagio is a thin fabric covering applied to sound joints during the application of gesso. Traditionally silk is used but a fine lawn or sea-island cotton is just as good. Beware of using a material past its best which will be weak and liable to part as the joint flexes. The interlagio is pasted over the joints with a first coat of thin gesso and subsequently covered with thicker gesso as work proceeds.
The interlagio material must not be too heavy, or it will be difficult to cover in the gesso coatings. Above all the interlagio must not be so near to the surface that when the gesso is cut back or carved (also known as cutting) that it suddenly appears—so go for a really fine material. The chairs were water gilded and the highlights burnished.
A surprise was the discovery that the cushion covers are of hand-stitched kid leather and presumably original. Bert, had come across five or six examples of white kid being used for cushion cases and quoted that King George II had a travelling bed with a ticking of kid leather. Next comes the upholstery which, in view of the restoration of the back panels, required a new approach. and I asked Bert to write a piece on the proper way to do this which now follows :
Upholstery of Bergère Chairs
Below are two sketches showing how the outside back panel, framed between the two gilded vertical members, is placed and the method of fixing a length of cane 10mm above the seat platform to allow the various stuffing covers to pass underneath before tacking to the top of the seat rail.
The top sketch shows how the back of the chairs will look with the seat cover coming through under the horizontal rail. The centre panel upholstery meets the seat upholstery snugly showing no light.
Many thanks to Bert for these two very clear sketches which should be useful references to any reader faced with the same problem.

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2008-07-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

THE CARE AND CONSERVATION OF LONG CASE CLOCKS
By Michael Barrington

With the exception of the very finest and rarest, the longcase clock is, in comparison with other types of furniture, grossly undervalued. This seems especially relevant when one considers how advanced the design and making of clock movements was in an era which began some 200 and more years before the invention of the steam engine, electricity, steelmaking and, particularly, reliable means of accurate measurement and standardization in such areas as screw threads. Add to this phenomenon the fact that clocks made 200 years ago are still going and keeping time at standards acceptable for most domestic purposes and the undervaluation of old clocks becomes more obvious. It seems reasonable therefore to say that at least we should treat the clock with respect, maintaining its working through care and maintaining its integrity of design.
The Victorians were notable for their desecration of both clock movements and cases, sometimes in pursuit of "improved" design and performance, sometimes to meet changes in fashion but also through sheer ignorance and poor craftsmanship. Unfortunately these problems persist and a great deal of damage is still done to both cases and movements. It was in the latter part of the 19th century when "antique collecting" became a serious hobby and business, that the trade of "antique furniture restorer" was born. The trade has burgeoned ever since, particularly in times of inflated valuations of antiques, with an accompanying proliferation of unsympathetic and downright bad restoration work and little or no regard for conservation which is a comparatively modern post World War 2 development. Clockcases, and particularly country clockcases, seem to have borne the brunt of bad workmanship and it is principally in such clocks that we find the worst evidence. Finer quality clocks too have not been exempt from poor treatment but their usually obvious superior quality has perhaps afforded them some degree of protection.
Many clock repairers/restorers do not profess to cater for clockcase conservation and restoration, much in the same way as not every clockmaker made their own cases. Casework has always tended to be a separate trade and is nowadays definitely the preserve of the furniture conservator/restorer. It is imperative that the case restorer has a thorough working knowledge of how clocks work for it is he who is responsible for ensuring their correct environment for correct and long lived working.

Major Alterations to Clock Cases
Before embarking on examples of typical damage found in longcase locks, it is worth looking briefly at some history. The revolutionary pendulum clock pioneered in Britain by Ashasuerus Fromanteel in about 1650, with technology imported from Holland, was a breakthrough in time keeping which certainly in the lantern clocks of earlier years was more an approximation than a science! Only very wealthy people could afford to commission clocks and this was often clearly done as a statement of status. Consequently clocks were highly valued and the owners, or chosen henchmen, were the only ones allowed to wind or otherwise attend the clock. To make this a reality, great lengths were pursued to ensure security of the clock. Hoods were generally of the rising type, sliding vertically on the backboard engaging in grooves in the hood carcase sides (Fig 1).
A spoon catch (A) enabled the hood to be secured by shutting the trunk door, which was locked and presumably openable only by the keyholder.

The hinged opening hood door came later, probably as a result of generally lower house ceiling heights demanded by economics and perhaps fashion. In houses with lowered ceilings, hoods could not be lifted, since they required at least 2 feet of free air above the clock. The answer for these clocks was therefore to cut off the front of the hood, making an instant door which might be secured either by a separate door lock (a cut-cupboard or staple lock), no lock at all or a neat spring-loaded catch (Fig 1B) operated by a cord hanging down inside the trunk, thus maintaining the single point access of the rising hood clock. Often the saw marks of the hood cutting were left untrimmed and the grooves in the hood sides left unfilled and, hopefully the mechanism for holding the hood both up and open (Fig 1C) and lastly the spoon catch have not been removed. Few fully complete examples remain but certainly some evidence of the rising hood usually remains intact. Those interested in the history of such clocks can usually find the evidence, or parts of it, and may detect such desecrations as filling in or otherwise disguising the sliding grooves and covering up the saw marks of hood-cutting with veneer, since planing would probably render the door frame too thin.
The next and probably the most horrible alteration to longcases of all vintages and origins is that of shortening them to fit into a particular room. However, because of the status of the clock as a piece of family furniture which may have passed through several generations, it is easy to see why some people will go to such lengths to get their heirloom clock into a room with low ceilings. The advice that they might either sell the clock and buy a shorter one or even move house will generally not be appreciated! A tall city-made clock will stand between about 7ft and 8ft 6ins which can be some 12 to 18 inches more than cottage or modern ceiling heights of little over 6 to 7 feet respectively. This is a lot to lose and will certainly not be achieved by just removing the brass finials, balls etc from the hood top or even lopping off the bottom of the plinth. It is not uncommon to see holes cut in ceilings and floors to accomodate a particularly precious clock but it is an option which will not appeal to everyone, although it does preserve the clock's integrity and incidentally its monetary value.
Unfortunately, sinking a clock into the floor, which may be damp, can have serious effects on the welfare of the plinth. Lowering the plinth height will almost certainly destroy the proportions of the clock and make it look stunted, and if it is a marquetry case, much of the picture on the plinth will be lost. However, shortened plinths are relatively easy to restore to their proper height but will be expensive if new marquetry has to be designed and cut. It is essential that the restorer knows enough about clockcase design and does not embark on what may be a serious alteration quite unrelated to the original design of the clock and there are many such examples.
Another shortening option, in which the trunk length is altered, is worse still and usually signals the end of the clock case as a collectable item.
The result is that the proportions of the whole case are ruined, necessitating a complete re-build of the trunk which, however well executed, destroys the integrity of the clock. Examples of both trunk shortening and the ravages of damp and woodworm are shown in Figs 2 and 3. which depict the lower backboard and one plinth side respectively. This marquetry fronted clock had suffered numerous abuses through both alterations in height and attempts to repair wet rot and furniture beetle damage.
To continue, evidently the amputation of the trunk was not enough and the hood (4) was attacked. It is likely that the original hood was little if any higher than the ballustraded hat that has been attached, probably in the 19th Century, so one wonders whether this was done either out of ignorance of the most likely design of a normal moulded (cross grain) and perhaps missing original pediment or in an attempt to "improve" the look of the clock. Anyway the result is dreadful and would require a complete rebuild to restore the hood to anything like its original form and the ebonised pillars would need to be replaced with spiral twists (note the quarter section twists at the back which are original). Again this would be unlikely to a cost-effective exercise.
The last point about this poor clock is the shape and position of the lenticle. The lenticle (Fig 5) is filled with either plain or pot glass and the pendulum bob should be directly behind it, flashing through the glass as it swings. Since the pendulum is of set length, so must the lenticle be in a set position.
This one is in line with the pendulum bob but it is decidedly off-centre in the layout of the door's marquetry which suggests that either the door started its life without a lenticle or that the cutting of the trunk was done with little regard for the final position of the pendulum bob in relation to the trunk door.
Lastly, the quality of the lenticle frame is absurdly amateur, so perhaps the whole sequence of operations was done by an enthusiastic amateur or, possibly, the door came from another clock, because there is no evidence of either hinges or lock having been moved, but there is very little space between the top and bottom edges of the marquetry and the door moulding, so perhaps the door has been cut both ends.
Typical Damage to Clock Cases and Some Ideas on Conservation and Restoration
Backboards
The backboard is the clock case's spine and everything in the case is attached to it in some way. It is therefore important for the stability and longevity of the clock that the backboard does its job properly. Where the backboard bottom is rotten or worm-eaten, it needs to be treated by either consolidating the unsound timber or cutting it out and replacing it. Consolidation of degraded wood is generally practical either with the use of injected resin based or other consolident material or by steeping it in hot glue which means submerging it in thin glue size and letting it simmer until all air has been driven out of the flight holes. This latter method of glue consolidation is impractical because of the size of the backboard. However, backboards are thin, at the most say half an inch in thickness, consequently often much material is missing, either because rotten wood has fallen away or wood has disappeared as "frass" which is the wood dust or regurgitations of the woodworm larva. In such very common cases the best way forward generally is to replace the degraded areas of wood. This can be done crudely with a straight butt joint and a wood strap, usually on the inside, which is in danger of interfering with the drop of the weights.
A better method and certainly neater, is to half-lap the boards new with old, using old wood.
However, a better method in my view, is to use what is known as a coppersmith's or 'shark's tooth' joint (Fig 7). This has the advantage of a larger gluing area, albeit on slanting end-grain (which is better than pure end-grain) and because it is less noticeable than the horizontal lap joint. It is in fact very strong if well executed. There is no point in going overboard in concealing the joint which becomes very much a part of the clock's history and is a perfectly legitimate and sympathetic piece of restoration. The picture at Fig 8. illustrates the 'sharks Teeth' method of repair of backboards together with appropriate new side pieces behind the plinth.
Plinths and Feet
While many clocks stand on plinths of some kind, an equal number stand on feet and the 17th century cases are often on four bun feet. Clock design is as regional as that of country chairs and dressers. It behoves both owner and restorer to research what is correct for a particular clock. This work is both interesting and rewarding. Sadly far too much of "this will look nice" goes on in clock case restoration. This is one of many examples which demand that a restorer must know the history of the pieces he/she works on.
Doors
The shape of the trunk door varies hugely in clock design. The earlier clocks were somewhat austere and had oblong doors with square corners and often applied decoration either of veneer or marquetry or, of course, lacquer. Invariably the walnut cases had cross grained mouldings or banding to the door edges or surrounds. The cross-grain moulding warps delightfully with age and is, as on all walnut furniture of the 17th and early 18th Centuries, generally a tell-tale mark of authenticity. I say "generally" because walnut is one of the easiest woods to "fake" and much excellent "reproduction work" was done by skilled cabinetmakers in the 19th century and one can be easily fooled! In passing, this is a factor which deters many Antique Dealers from stocking walnut pieces.
What does not fool anyone is the replacement of cross grain with long grain and you can easily find examples of this. Few clock cases had handles on the doors, this was to come in the 20th Century. Most doors are opened by their keys and there will be either a flush brass escutcheon lining the keyhole or a brass plate escutcheon nailed (not screwed) on the surface. Doors usually have applied edge-mouldings or lip mouldings and have to have special cranked hinges to allow the moulding to 'clear' the carcase when the door is opened. Such hinges may be of iron or brass and the former is usual in 17th and early 18th Century and country cases. The iron hinges of the 17th century were nailed and later brass hinges were more usually secured with iron screws. It should be said here that this is about the only place in which screws would have been used in a clock case. Nails were of the forged flathead clout variety for securing hinges etc. Elsewhere iron 'cut' nails and sprigs would have been used, especially in securing the backboard.
Single board doors, which are common to country clocks, may be cleated top and bottom as in Fig 4. to counteract warping but it is as common to see uncleated doors which are often warped. The heart side of the one-piece door is generally to the outside so that the door warps towards the inside of the clock trunk (away from the heart). This fault is better than having the door sides warp outwards, known as "Smiling"). Veneered and marquetry doors and especially lacquered doors, were generally cleated and quite often this shows through the applied surface where the substrates have moved. Warping is a difficult fault to restore and indeed, because it has happened through the natural movement of the wood, there is a strong argument for doing nothing. Racking, that is warping accross the diagonal, is quite common and largely incurable, The repositioning of one hinge may compensate but is unattractive. Whilst on this subject, the principle of minimum intervention is a basic rule of conservation which all good conservator-restorers should observe quite religiously. Before we leave "Doors", the 20th century flat-head key looks inappropriate on all antique furniture and particularly in clock doors where it is very obvious. A flat-head key can easily be filed into a nice replica old fashioned key bow and I believe it worth doing; it certainly does not degrade the clockcase or its integrity. Alternatively a new key can be made or a traditional bow silver soldered to the existing shaft.
Hoods
Hood door frames are either half-lap jointed or, in the best work, are tenoned. Often veneer or marquetry covers the joints. The hingeing of the hood door is either on iron pins top and bottom, often located in the ends of a door pillar or, because a door with pillars attached must swing well clear of the hood carcase, special swan neck hinge plates are used to enable the door to move well out of the way of the hood sides and avoid a collision. The twists of the pillars, if fitted, may be handed (right and left) on some hoods and it is a nice feature which is surprisingly obvious to the viewer. More commonly the twists are both of one hand, usually right-handed. The pillars, of whatever design are usually repeated at the back of the hood with quarter-sections of the same design and hand as those at the front.
The glass in the door must not be modern float glass and certainly not the non-reflective picture glass! Old handmade cylinder glass is becoming more difficult to find and, to my mind, the replica material of today is not that convincing and neither is it thin enough. The restorer must go out and buy some old 19th or early 20th Century pictures in the local market to build up a stock of old glass. Modern float glass shouts at you and, I believe ruins the look of an old clock. The glass is almost always puttied into the rebates of the door-frame and given a coat of varnish or shellac. Lastly, the construction of hood sides is interesting but not obvious to everyone. In hoods with rectangular side windows, the sides are generally made of three pieces which quite neatly provides the window. In oak and mahogany clocks the grain of the three pieces of wood is usually vertical, whilst in walnut examples the centre section is turned on its side with the grain running horizontally, sandwiched between two vertical neighbours. This latter construction facilitates the making of the small integral mouldings round the window which will all be cut along the grain, which in turn defies the general practice in walnut furniture of producing mouldings across the grain! The best examples however, will probably have small cross-grain mouldings applied to each of the four sides of the windows.
Seat Board
This is the horizontal board which carries the movement and to which the movement is usually secured by two hooks with screwed shanks which either hook over the two bottom movement pillars or long screws. It is always very obvious when a seat board has been renewed - a practice which should be avoided where possible. The seat board usually rests on the tops of the two side members of the trunk which extend into the hood space above the collar. These side members are often of thin section and become damaged to an extent when the seat board and hence the movement are neither safe nor stable. It is important for the running of the clock that the seatboard should be firm and carry the weight of the movement with the weights and pendulum as well as supporting the extra stress caused during winding, however carefully done. The seat-board needs to be level and parallel with the ground.
The most sympathetic way to restore badly damaged side members is to make replacement extensions which are jointed in such a way that there is no interference with the clock lines and the fitting of the hood which slides horizontally above the collar. The seat-board normally rests on the side pieces and is held there by the weight of the whole movement or it may be screwed. Its positioning is entirely dependent on the correct, level and central presentation of the clock face/dial through the hood front. The side members of the case in Fig 9. have been extended upwards using half-lapped jointing from just above the inside of the collar. It is most important to try to retain the original seat-board and the only usual reason for not being able to is if the board is severely twisted or 'racked' and cannot be made to sit flat.
Finishes and Decoration
Cracked marquetry on an unstable substrate is common. Part of the joy of old marquetry is the roughness of surface which develops naturally as veneers move and begin to curl very slightly at the edges. Loose and missing marquetry must be restored, but beware of those who would try to resurface it and damage or even entirely remove that special "unflat patination" so typical of old marquetry work.
Damaged lacquerwork or japanning is not as easily ignored because it is often very unattractive, showing the white gesso coat underneath. Restoration and conservation of these finishes is achievable without seriously altering the object's integrity and it is arguable that a properly restored lacquer or japanned finish, albeit involving major work, achieves more in the preservation of integrity than leaving it merely stabilized but seriously degraded in its appearance. This is an area in which the conservation and restoration arguments are fiercest! Restoration of lacquerwork is a very specialist area and involves serious artistic skill. Urushi, the basic material of lacquer is 'unfriendly' to work with and requires much skill and experience. It should not be confused with western japanned work. Good lacquerwork is valuable and should be treated really carefully by a person who specializes in the skill - not many do! Finally, not all furniture conservator-restorers will necessarily have detailed knowledge of clock case design and history. It is as well to satisfy yourself that the person you choose to look after your clock case has the necessary experience. It is usual, anyway in BAFRA, for members with particular experience and skills, to advertise the fact.

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MY BAFRA ASSESSMENT

2008-06-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

MY BAFRA ASSESSMENT
By Michael Goater

I subjected myself to "The Assessment" for full BAFRA membership three years ago, so I have had time now to assess my “Assessment”. Inevitably this is, therefore a personal account, but everybody comes to it in a different way and I am especially envious of those who have completed one of the courses available in restoration and conservation. They have a positive advantage.
Why did I want to join BAFRA? Well at that time I had run my furniture restoration business for fifteen years full time. Before that I had been a schoolmaster, musical instrument maker and lecturer at the Welsh School of Musical Instrument Making and Repair and the London College of Furniture. I have always had a passion for furniture and furniture design, and I suspect that one of the attractions of marriage was the opportunity to design and make all my own pieces! Having established the business - a very steep learning curve and one in which we should help students far more – the inevitable question arose: “Ok, but how good am I?” I always made a point of trying to see other restorer’s work, always went to antiques fairs to have a close look at the furniture. Seeing that I was paying such enthusiastic attention was a great disappointment to a lot of dealers! Needless to say I brought every book I could find on furniture history or restoration, so I seemed to know a bit about the subject and was getting some nice pieces to work on. I particularly enjoyed talking to other restorers but they seemed few and far between, and the demands of business don’t make this easy. I looked around to find some association of like-minded people, and very soon made my first phone call to BAFRA.
Apologising to your bank manager for the slight overdraft was nothing to how I felt when making that first call, but I was soon reassured by the friendly response – more about work than BAFRA. The forms were quickly on their way from which I could judge if my business and me might be up to it. That was the first lesson. BAFRA was as concerned about the standard of service you give to your customer as it was about your personal skills as a restorer. The forms stated the aims of the association as well as the requirements for different levels of membership. Feeling slightly chastened I phoned my contact again and spent some time discussing the criteria. Again there was encouragement and I decided to go for a full membership assessment, knowing that if I wasn’t quite up to it I could get a student membership, benefiting from all that BAFRA offers. While I knew that BAFRA was exactly what I wanted to join I wasn’t over confidant of getting in. However I filled in the forms, arranged for references and was delighted when I learned that I was to be assessed for possible full membership.
Very quickly I looked again at the criteria for assessment and felt the nearest I have ever got to having withdrawal symptoms. However, my cheque had been sent off and I was committed. I looked around the workshop and ticked off what I had in the way of equipment, insurance and security etc., etc. It wasn’t too bad and I further realised that because I was trying to run the business reasonably professionally the demands of BAFRA were not a foreign language; because they are a professional body run for the benefit of me and my customers. That was quite reassuring because seeing all the criteria written out is pretty formidable at first. Strangely, having it all in black and white almost immediately had an impact on the way I did things in the workshop.
Notification eventually came with the promise of a mid-week visit from the assessor. There may have been a certain amount of sweeping up and dusting off, but I thought that seeing the workshop in something like its normal state would give a better idea of the way I work and make me feel more comfortable. From what BAFRA had sent, I knew that the day would be divided between looking at my business and assessing my skills as a restorer. I had collected finished pieces and work in progress and more or less put chisels and planes where they ought to be. The paperwork from my business seemed to cover an extraordinary amount of bench space and this gave the assessor some documentary evidence regarding the way I conduct my business. It consisted of insurance documents, security certificates, copy invoices and other bits of paper that hadn’t seen the light of day for some time.
The assessor arrived, and if I could ever imagine what an assessor should look like, he was it – he was friendly but certainly knew exactly what he was talking about. I knew roughly what questions I was going to be asked, and I suppose I had mentally prepared my replies, but meeting someone so experienced in the field put one on one’s metal because he seemed to sniff out any area where I might have a weakness. Admittedly, this was the first time that I had spoken at length and in depth to anyone at the very top of our profession. However, the fact that we were dealing with a mutual interest saved the day from being too uncomfortable. I won’t run through every detail of an assessment, because these are easily available to all, but there was an interesting moment while we were talking about various historic topics. You can imagine that I had spent the previous weeks with my head stuck even deeper in any book which even hinted at the history of English furniture. In doing so I realised that perhaps I had neglected certain continental influences when the assessor asked me what I knew of the work of Daniel Marot. Even the lifelines he was throwing me couldn’t quite get out what I knew I should know, in fact the only thing I could remember about this fabulous maker/designer was the excessive ornament which I didn’t find particularly appealing. This is the trouble with DIY self-education – you tend to concentrate on what you like instead of gaining a comprehensive background, which you can get at college.
The day was quite unique and one I shall never forget, and I knew from having met the assessor was that I certainly did want to be a member of BAFRA. After what seemed an age, the dreaded letter arrived and offered another lifeline. It appeared that in general things weren’t too bad, but that my knowledge and standard of wood finishing was not all that it should be. The committee felt that should I agree to attend a course on the topic with one of BAFRA’s accredited members, and my work found satisfactory, they would consider my suitability to become a full member. I have not named those that I met in my first encounters with BAFRA, but can’t resist saying that the course most suitable for me was one of those run by Gerald Langley. I would hardly dare to suggest it, but I think anyone entering BAFRA would benefit enormously by spending some working time with one of the accredited members. The way that Gerald shared his skills in polishing and finishing plus the unending conversations on all topics dealing with furniture made for a most memorable week. He kindly informed me and BAFRA that I had performed reasonably well so I was in – and I didn’t even buy him a pint!
Life after the assessment has been pretty good. The fund of experience and knowledge which becomes available is unimaginable, and if you have a problem you just have to pick up the phone. Consolidation – the method of conserving poor but original timber and a technique for bleaching new rosewood are just a couple of things I have learned. BAFRA is a very supportive organisation. The comprehensive suppliers list is a revelation and I have picked up work through being an accredited member – not from Head Office but through another Suffolk member and potential clients asking Bonhams, the V&A and Ipswich Library for a restorer and being referred to our annual Guide. So now I can’t even complain about the BAFRA subscription. It costs nothing to find out about assessment and for me it has been a very positive move.

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ANALYSIS AND RESTORATION OF AN ITALIAN CASSONE C. 1400

2008-05-12T20:41:00.001-07:00

ANALYSIS AND RESTORATION OF AN ITALIAN CASSONE C. 1400
By Richard Higgins

The Renaissance was the great period of the Italian Cassone but the form continued to be made even into the 19th Century. Many examples exist of elaborately carved wood, sometimes inlaid with painted panels. Others, like this piece from Sienna and probably dating from around 1400, were constructed in fruitwood and overlaid with raised gesso patterns, some of which were highlighted with polychromed and occasionally gilded decoration. Depictions of military heroes or religious themes were prevalent.
The quality of craftsmanship evident in this piece has obviously contributed to its remarkable state of preservation and, with the exception of the lid, there is only superficial degradation of the gesso rather than large areas of loss and delamination. Gesso made from calcium sulphate was the standard preparation for Italian panels during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and the method of applying it is famously described by Cennino Cennini in his fourteenth century handbook for painters. According to his instructions, the first coat should be ‘gesso grosso’ made from unprocessed calcium sulphate, but the final coats should be ‘gesso sottile’ i.e. using calcium sulphate that was first heated to produce the hemi-hydrate from, then slaked in copious water to form a precipitate of fine particled dihydrate.
The cassone is structurally fairly sound. The back left hand foot is loose and should be secured. Much of the timber around the base is worm damaged but none of the infestation is active. The convex lid has obviously split badly in the past and been filled with an unknown resin. Although somewhat unsightly, this is sound and serves to stabilise effectively the timbers of the lid. The convex surface has at some point started to flatten out and as such is coming away from its side members, particularly at the front. Unless environmental conditions alter radically, then further movement is improbable. Trying to reverse this condition is very likely to cause other damage to the lid and I would therefore recommend that the existing gaps that are evident be accepted as part of the overall character of the piece. It is unfortunate that, because of this movement and extensive worm attack, the vast majority of applied decoration to the lid has been lost.
The cassone is decorated with raised geometric patterns surrounding shields, guarded by winged beasts and the whole is enclosed by a Latin inscription of The Lords Prayer. The background has been textured and patterned using tools to produce tiny crosses and small circles. Unfortunately, the original gilded and coloured decoration has been lost and the cassone over-painted at a much later date with a thin layer of red brown pigment. There is an extensive fungal growth of a cloudy white appearance over the surface of the gesso which has arisen from adverse environmental conditions. Whilst this is fairly firmly attached to the brown paint, it has not yet penetrated deeply into the composition of the gesso.
ANALYSIS
Five tiny samples of the surface were taken, mounted in resin and cut and polished as a cross-section. Paint from the upper layers and ground layers was dispersed on glass slides and the pigments identified by polarised light microscopy at magnification x 1000. The identity of the metal leaf of sample 1 and the ground layers of sample 3 was confirmed by X-ray analysis using a scanning electron microscope. A chemical test for lead was carried out on sample 3.
Ground
This is calcium sulphate laid on in two or three thick applications of ‘gesso’ and the craftsmen appear to have followed Cennini’s general rule, as the first gesso layer is coarse and made up of large fibrous crystals of dihydrate, while the upper gesso layers are compact and the crystals are very fine. The ground layers are compact and appear to be richly bound with animal glue. The high ratio of glue to calcium sulphate may be partly responsible for the cupping and cracking.
Paint Layers
Two of the five samples are missing the original paint layer, samples 1, 2 and 3 on the other hand, have the remains of seriously degraded decoration which is probably original.
Sample 1 shows the remains of silver leaf over a preparatory layer of reddish clay. The silver probably once had a coloured glaze over the top. The glaze is now dark brown and the metallic leaf has oxidised to black silver oxide.
Sample 2 has the same red clay as in sample 1, however there is no metal leaf visible.
Sample 3 contains particles of a lead pigment - either lead white or lead tin yellow - suspended in a translucent brown oil layer which may once have been coloured. The lead pigment has degraded, forming a grey layer on the outer surface; it has probably been reduced to lead sulphide.
Samples 4 and 5 retain no trace of the early decorative finish, but the gesso layers are the same.
Restoration
Over the top of sample 1 is a coat of red/brown paint. This is resting over degraded varnish and therefore cannot be original. The pigment is an iron oxide of natural origin, of which we are unable to determine the date..
Conclusion
The ground, and the surviving decoration in three of the samples have all the characteristics of genuinely old paint that has suffered badly over time.
CONSERVATION
It was decided that the three main aims of conservation treatment were:
To remove fungal growth from the surface and to treat the piece throughout with a fungicidal agent in order to kill any spores and prevent re-infestation.
To introduce a consolidant into the network of cracks and fissures in order to ‘shore up’ the more fragile gesso beneath to prevent future losses.
To monitor its environment in order to establish whether conditions are suitable to reintroduce the piece without danger of damage and to advise on any changes necessary.
Treatment
The only structural work undertaken was to secure the back left hand foot which was loose using traditional scotch animal glue. Surfaces were cleaned prior to gluing using a water based gel.It was necessary to use a fungicidal agent which was not water based as this would cause extensive damage to both the overpaint and the gesso and animal glue. The treatment, however, would need to have a low viscosity in order to penetrate below the surface. We applied IMS (95% ethanol: 5% methanol) with cotton wool swabs which would instantly kill mould spores, flow into surface cracks and evaporate quickly without leaving harmful chemical residues. The entire surface and interior was treated and the growth removed. A surprisingly small amount of surface dirt came away.
Subsequently a dilute mixture of paraloid B72 crystals, (B72 20%: Propanone 70%: IMS 10%) was prepared for consolidation of the gesso. Using the same method of application, the brown surface was then wiped down with Propanone/IMS during the process to leave it free of consolidant. Paraloid was chosen because it is easily removable using its carrying agent so that, should future conservators wish to carry out further excavations of the painted surface, they can do so easily and without damage.
Finally, a light coating of microcrystalline wax was applied in order to further protect the surface and revive the red/brown pigment.
We have not been instructed at this stage to remove the later red/brown paint, of which we are unable to establish the date, but on consideration of the analysis results we would not recommend that this be done. Areas where the colour is worn away reveal medieval material, although any remaining original pigments and metal leaf are so degraded that no discernible colours or design would be apparent were it to be totally removed. Although quite contrary to the original gilded and polychromed surface, the water soluble red/brown paint is deemed aesthetically acceptable.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING
The environment of the Chapel at Wenlock Priory was monitored for a three month period between 17th March 1999 and 16th May 1999. Light levels are always low and as such it was not deemed necessary to measure these over an extended period. Sensors for both temperature and relative humidity (RH) were located on the floor immediately beneath, inside and on top of the cassone.
Readings from all three sets of monitors were remarkably similar, which would indicate that the variations in temperature and particularly RH were most dependent upon prevailing atmospheric conditions rather than problems such as damp rising through the floor. If the graphs displaying the readings, which were taken and recorded every 44 minutes, are examined closely, it will be evident also that temperature and RH are fluctuating in line with each other, rather than a change in temperature having an opposite effect upon the RH as one might expect if there were temperature fluctuations caused by the switching on or off of central heating. This would further suggest that the local environmental changes are due to the ambient climactic variation. That being said, we do at times see the RH rising to the 75% region which, if held there for any prolonged length of time, is likely to promote fungal growths.
Given that the Chapel contains other gessoed items, I would recommend that an attempt is made to prevent the RH rising above 65%, (60% would be an ideal upper limit but pragmatism being taken into account would make 65% an acceptable and more realistic limit to achieve). The lower RH recorded of approximately 50% will not cause any problems at all. I would recommend that the simplest and most likely way to achieve the limiting of the highest point in RH is to introduce into the chapel an electrically powered oil filled radiator, controlled with a hydrostat set to operate at 65% RH. Running costs would be relatively low as it would only come into operation for the short periods when the RH rises.

ANALYSIS AND RESTORATION OF AN ITALIAN CASSONE C. 1400

2008-05-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

ANALYSIS AND RESTORATION OF AN ITALIAN CASSONE C. 1400
By Richard Higgins

RESTORATION OF A SEVENTEENTH CENTURY INDIAN IVORY INLAID CABINET TABLE

2008-03-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

RESTORATION OF A SEVENTEENTH CENTURY INDIAN

IVORY INLAID CABINET TABLE

y Peter Brazier

"This 5mm square of pattern was a mix of no less than 15 pieces of different sized ivory and wood arranged in a specific manner. It was barely discernible to the human eye."
This cabinet, which was approximately 30" x 20" x 20" with a fall and small drawers inside, came to us for restoration.
Inspection showed the carcass was split in several places and the end joints had significantly moved. Not surprisingly it was apparent that over the years it had been repaired, sometimes well but frequently indifferently. The lock on the fall was a replacement, a smaller till lock, and the carrying handles were cheap modern wrought iron ones. Unusually in a cabinet of this origin, all the inlaid surfaces except for part of the back were covered in a relatively thick veneer. There was an immense amount of inlay missing and much of what remained was not secure and was curling up. A great amount of the banding was missing and the outer row had been completely removed and replaced by veneer.
Banding
The extent of the restoration needed made this a challenge in itself but the repair and replacement of the banding in a cost-effective manner was daunting. The banding was of a Tonbridge Ware type pattern enclosed between ivory and ebony stringing. No less than 7Oft of this banding needed making up in two different patterns! The internal pattern was only 5mm wide and the pattern repeated itself every 5mm. This 5mm square of pattern was a mix of no less than 15 pieces of different sized ivory and wood arranged in a specific manner. It was barely discernible to the human eye.
It was photographed with a digital camera and greatly enlarged. This enabled us to see that down the length of the banding the pieces were all of uniform width however across the banding they were alternately single and double sized.
Before starting the work we turned to the engineering trade and bought two 6" slitting saw blades which were about 1 1/2 mm thick. These we had ground down to 0.4mm thick. As so much banding was needed it was essential to reduce the waste of ivory to a minimum by using the finest saw blade. We also had a mild steel gluing jig made up. The side and top were tightened on threads and came up on steel stops. Each 5mm x 5mm "pattern" was made up in 12-inch lengths. After the jig was tightened the whole was placed in a low oven (70 deg.) so the excess glue could flow freely out of the perforated drain holes at the top and bottom of the jig.
When several lengths had been made they were side glued together and then "bacon sliced" off and the slivers glued up between the outer stringing. The jig proved of enormous value as everything came out precisely to size and the banding was relatively quickly assembled.
Carcass
Before work could be started on repairing and replacing the ivory inlay, the carcass had to be repaired.
The corner joints were injected with glue and many of the wooden pegs which had failed in shear, were replaced. Then splines were carefully shaped precisely to fill the splits in the carcass. Several areas where the veneer cladding was completely missing were made good as well as those edges of the cabinet, which had been split away.
Ivory Inlay
All the ivory was calibrated for thickness by gluing temporarily onto boards and passing through a thickness sander. Before any new inlay was applied much of the existing inlay had to be removed, flattened where necessary and the cavity cleaned out before re-laying. All the missing motifs were cut out to size in packs of three with a Hegner saw, then fitted; using the finest blades, three were found to be all it could handle. Motifs, which were incomplete, were repaired. Just under 900 pieces of ivory alone had to be cut out, fitted and applied! When completed the missing banding already made up to length was similarly applied. All the replacement ivory and wood had then to be scrapped down to a true surface avoiding the old ivory motifs, which were engraved. Only then were the replacements engraved themselves. The outer moulding was then re-worked around the edge of the cabinet. Finally the whole piece was given a rubber of shellac and waxed up.
Hardware
A new lock was fabricated to fit the original pin position and back plate. We cast suitable contemporary handles and had them and the lock plate silver-plated. The fixing of the handles presented us with a particular difficulty. Originally the pommels would have been either of the strap variety, bent over and nailed inside or more likely made from half round bar and squeezed together inside the cabinet, having previously been threaded and then hove up on a nut and the surplus cut off. We could not do this without removing the whole inside of the cabinet. How we overcame the problem was to make up solid pommels, cut exactly to length and bolted inside; even this was not easy. The handles we cast without the conical pieces on the end, thus allowing the handle ends to pass through the pommels.
The end pieces were then hove up on threads which had already been drilled and tapped as we could not silver solder them without destroying the silver plating.

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CARE OF ANTIQUE FURNITURE - ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

2008-02-12T20:19:00.000-08:00

CARE OF ANTIQUE FURNITURE - ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
By Valerie Taplin, Air Improvement Centre

The following text is reprinted from the Air Improvement Centre antique care leaflet. Copies are available, free of charge.
Much of the damage to furniture has been caused by central heating dryness, and it makes sense to suggest that the client installs a humidifier, preferably before the restored piece is returned home. Occasionally, there is the opposite problem of excessive dampness, especially in unheated premises, or storage areas.

HOW TO PROTECT IT FROM THE RAVAGES OF CENTRAL HEATING SITING
Furniture should never be placed directly in front of a radiator. It should ideally be at least two feet from any heat source. If a piece of furniture really has to be placed near a radiator, a possible compromise would be to devise an insulating protective ‘barrier’. This could take the form of a decorative fire screen with an insulated/reflective backing.
A humidifier can be sited anywhere in the room near an electric socket, but not under a piece of furniture or in front of a fireplace or open chimney. A good position would be behind a sofa, and in front of a radiator, so it is hidden from view but the rising heat helps circulate moisture in the convection currents. Most house plants relish additional humidity, and can be used to hide the humidifier. Some interior designers have come up with ingenious ways of concealing a very functional humidifier within an aesthetically-pleasing cabinet.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
Antique furniture needs protection from low levels of relative humidity caused by central heating. Without humidification the relative humidity may well fall to dangerously low levels of 25-30% rH which is close to that in the Sahara Desert.
USE A HUMIDIFIER IF YOU HAVE CENTRAL HEATING
Prevention is always better than cure. It is possible to safeguard antique furniture from dry air damage by investing in a good humidifier which will help maintain a constant level of relative humidity in the air during winter heating. Simply placing a bowl of water or a pot plant near a piece of antique furniture is of little value in protecting it from the effects of central heating. For a normal comfortable indoor temperature of 70ºF, aim to maintain 50-55% relative humidity.
Electric Humidifiers
The choice of humidifier depends on room size and purpose. It is important to get specialist advice on the most suitable model.
Humidifiers incorporate a safety cut-out to switch off automatically should you forget to refill. They are also silent, completely hygienic, and simple to use. They are suitable for use with hard water, and need only to be descaled periodically as for a kettle.
Different Features and Types of Humidifiers
Electric humidifiers operate by various different principles, each with different features:-
Steam evaporation - Produces gentle, warm, visible steam. Silent (no moving parts). Hygienic (sterile in operation), good moisture distribution. Easy to clean. No filters to change. Suitable for hard or soft water.
Fan-assisted evaporation - Produces cool, invisible moisture. Motor noise. Regular cleaning essential to avoid stagnation. Need filters changed regularly.
Ultrasonic/atomisation - Produces jet of visible cold mist. Humming noise. White chalk dust deposits on surrounding surfaces. Localised effect. Needs water softening cartridges changed regularly. Use distilled or very soft water.
N.B. For Health/Medical Use:
Steam evaporation humidifiers (such as Turmix) are the only ones which are completely silent and suitable for use in nurseries, bedrooms and sitting rooms (no moving parts, no ultrasonic humming). The Turmix also holds enough water to last right through the night (safety cut-out).
They are also suitable for use in hard water areas. Any minerals in the water are left behind in the water tank, which needs to be descaled periodically (as with a kettle). Only pure water vapour is produced into the room (unlike with ultrasonic and atomisation humidifiers which spray a fine film of white chalk dust onto surrounding surfaces).
Similarly, because the steam has been heated, it is completely hygienic - the gentle warm steam from the Turmix 200 is frequently used for inhalation to ease congestion (with eucalyptus or tea tree) or aromatherapy (with lavender or camomile etc. which are calming and soothing).
Non-Electric Humidifiers
If you prefer non-electric humidifiers, use a large capacity hang-on radiator humidifier. These should be used on all radiators in the rooms concerned.
Such humidifiers can be hidden within radiator housings. The front of the housing needs to be hinged to allow easy access for daily filling.
You cannot over-humidify with these non-electric humidifiers. To get the best output, use the largest size that your radiator can accommodate and remember to fill daily. Essential oils can be added if desired.
Hygrometers
Be sure to use a hygrometer to check that the relative humidity stays in the region of 50-55%.

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REUPHOLSTERY OF ANTIQUE SEAT FURNITURE

2008-01-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

REUPHOLSTERY OF ANTIQUE SEAT FURNITURE
By Bert Chapman MBE

...and the tacks or staples controversy!
"What on earth am I going to do with this?" is often the cry of an upholsterer confronted with a rather down-at-heel looking piece of seat furniture, obviously of some age, and a client whose wishes are that the item is to be used regularly.
It is assumed that the upholsterer, in addition to his upholstery skills, has an understanding of the upholstery techniques and profiles of the varying styles of upholstered furniture from the 16th century to the present day.
The purpose of this article is to set out the methods we do use. I do not claim they are the only method, or the best method, but they do fulfil the following criteria.
The wishes of the client.
Pictorial record of the treatment.
The reinstatement of the piece with any original stuffing preserved.
The profiles of the upholstery accord with the style of the piece.
The least damage to the frame.
Chair circa 1827 with collapsed upholstery.
Having recorded instructions from the client and before commencement of any work, it is of the utmost importance that the chair is photographed from all angles, for future reference if required, and as part of the before and after record. The removal of each layer of cover is photographed and the sequence of the covers (this could be two or three) carefully recorded and retained. Each layer of upholstery must also be photographed with particular attention to the manner of the stitching.
The type of webbing and colour can also be significant and must be photographed. At this stage it is easy to discern whether or not the upholstery is the original by the number of tack holes in the frame. More often than not the tacking section of the rails are full of tack holes and are dry and brittle, but nevertheless there still may be parts of the stuffing that are original and are worth preserving in the restored piece.
The frame is the most important part of the chair and as aforementioned, the tacking sections of the rails are generally in poor condition and need treatment before re-upholstery can commence. Whether the tacking section of the rail is replaced or built up with sawdust and glue is a decision that needs to be taken in consultation with, or undertaken by, a competent furniture restorer.
The upholsterer at this stage must have a complete picture in his mind of how the finished piece should look, taking into account the age and style of the frame and the profile of the upholstery that conforms to that style.
Tacks or staples?
To many people the use of staples in antique furniture is unthinkable; I will confess at once that I am not of this school of thought and providing I can gain the acquiescence of the client, I advocate their use at very stage for the following reasons.
They cause much less damage to the frame:
two tiny pinholes
one hit and they are home
because the staple gun is placed in position before firing, there can be no damage to the gilded or polished show wood.
Staples can be easily removed
By hand, using a staple remover and pliers. No jarring of the frame by the use of mallet and chisel.
Placing well-spaced staples at an angle, the staple remover can be inserted without damaging the show wood.
We are not trying to prove that the upholstery is anything other than a 21st century reconstruction.

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