Blog Tips for Restoration and Painting

When hanging pictures, it always helps to have a level, whether it is the old fashioned kind or the new laser type.  Regardless of which, I always need to mark the spot and I have found that watercolor pencils do a good job of this and what I like best is that after you mark the spot, you can remove the mark made by the watercolor pencil with a damp towel.  Most art stores as well as Michaels Arts and Crafts stores sell these pencils and often you can purchase them individually.  I suggest buying a color slightly darker than your wall color so you can easily see the mark.

Let’s say you are having company and your furniture is a bit chipped and you want to spruce it up.  Go to the grocery store and purchase some brown (or black) paste shoe polish (it’s tinted paste wax).  Rub a bit into your chips, buff it, and fa la, it will look pretty good.  Just make sure you wipe all the tint from the wax from any surface where people can rest their clothing (or hands).

Yes, those nasty little water rings that appear on furniture:  What are they?  How can you get rid of them?  First, let me tell you what those little rings are:  They are moisture drops trapped in your finish and what needs to be done to get rid of the moisture is to iron your table.  Yes, that’s right and it can be a little tricky.   You’re going to need to get some good quality paste wax and apply it generously above the spot, then take a piece of old fashioned wax paper and place it over the paste wax.  Next place a cotton towel over the wax paper and on a low setting iron your table checking often to see when your white spot disappears.  Take your time.  The heat will force out the moisture.  Patience and caution is what you will need most, you don’t want to scorch the table or melt the finish.  I’ve had the spots leave in as little as five minutes.   Once the spots are gone, wax your entire table with paste wax and buff it out.  As with all tips, I take no responsibility for the work of others and make sure you always test an inconspicuous area first. Good luck.

Written by:  Mary Mayhew