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furniture offers many rewards SECTION D THE HERALD Wednesday April IT IMS Page The craftsmanship of fine old furniture and the rich glow of aged wood are things that cant be reproduced today But this doesnt have to be a problem for people who want to fill their homes with beautiftil furniture Homer nationally known ex pert on wood care and re finishing says nal beauty More and more people today are re discovering the pleasure that comes from working with your hands says wood gives you that feel ing of accomplishment and as a bonus a piece of furniture that youll use for yean to come When friends compliment on your new dining room table you can tell them I did that myself Now thats a proud feeling One of the most common problems with an old piece a darkened ugly finish This is called and it caused by years of exposure to light says Use accessories for quick change artistry Picture a room thats totally beige carpet wall and sofas Then Imagine a tall black urn In the comer and striking ebony accents scattered about Quick change That same room la now abloom with accessories In romantic pastels A peach tone vase sits on one table Dramatically grouped on another is a bevy of bowls boasting silk pastel bouquets With just a bit of imagination you can visualize the very different sense of each room created by the presence of accessories and the effect of their The first and lasting Impression of a room is most often its color One tends to recall an oasis of calm after leaving a roomscape of neutral tones A cheerful yellow room will be rememberd as bathed m sunlight A few striking accessaries or dramatic groupings will transform the color scheme or mood of a room more easily and inexpensively than any other category of furnishing and you can feel Without having a major investment Start with your basics Then build and change with accessory accents Actually that Is he secret of the best dressed women as well as professional designers The formula for accessory decorating is easy 1 Determine your color choice or choices 3 Then let your personal taste guide your choice In addition to bringing a fresh look into your rooms let your accessories reflect your Interests or personality Be a quick change artist In your home by taking advantage of the wonderful selection of decorative accessories available to you In furniture stores MASTER PAINTING AND HOME REPAIRS 8771387 Dont let that discourage you its the finish not the wood thats discolored Modem technology has made it quicker and easier remove that old finish points out that often old furni ture may be covered by a build up of pollu tion and a thorough cleaning may be all thats required to restore the appearance lb determine if a cleaning will suffice recommends rubbing the dirtiest spot on the piece with furniture cleaner not polish on a cotton cloth Try several applications letting furni ture cleaner dry between applications If you can clean this dirty spot to your satis faction and the wood grain turns out clear dont bother refinishing the piece- However if the finish is badly marred or alligatored from use you probably need to reilnish In the past refinishing furniture in volved stripping and sanding However according to stripping old furni ture takes away the woods patina the beautiful glow brought out with age and may loosen joints Modern furniture re finishers have taken most of the work out of as well as doing away with the mess in volved with stripping he says points out that furniture ishers remove varnish lacquer and shel lac A piece covered with paint or a synthetic resin calls for a paint remover lb tell which product to use moisten a cotton ball with nail polish remover and touch an inconspicuous area of the finish that is still glossy If the cotton bail slicks the finish is var nish lacquer or anda re finisher is needed If the cotton ball does not stick use paint remover one direction only lo maximize effective ness Wait until the bubbling action Stops then lift off the old paint with a wide putty knife Dont scrape or gouge and repeat as needed Furniture can be applied with steel wool Work on small areas about the size of plate overlap ping the areas until youre through Then to remove swirls and streaks rub fresh with steel wool from one end or the piece to the other going with the wood groin Wipe the piece immediately with a clean cotton cloth and let it dry at least 30 minutes Then buff the surface well not hard with dry steel wool An old paintbrush trimmed to a stubby length will help work die refinishcr out of carved and fluted trims Formby says Once- youve exposed the wood you may want to stain it to change the color Whether or not you stain the wood your final step should be to apply a finish to protect the wood says Be certain the finish you oil Its the oldest and best preservative in the world Formby encourages people with ques tions on wood core re finishing staining or other wood projects to write him at PO Box Olive Branch MS Please include a 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