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Handling Furniture Imperfections
by Pamela Cole Harris
Any of us that have children or who live with those who received
an extra helping of the awkward gene, know what it is to discover furniture
nicks, dings and other marks on a daily basis. Since banning the offenders from
the room is impractical (and besides, you love the offenders more than the
furniture anyway, don't you?), you need a few tips to help you deal with those
little imperfections. No! I'm not talking about the kids, because you know down
deep - wayyyyy down deep - they are perfect! I'm talking about the furniture!
1. Disguise scratches in your wood furniture with shoe polish,
crayon or felt tip markers. A tan crayon or marker is perfect for light woods,
while a red-brown is great for cherry. You may have to experiment a bit to find
a perfect match, but the right color will make that scratch disappear! (But if
your table is so scratched that you are considering setting the kids down with a
big box of crayons and telling them to color all the pretty white patterns, you
might consider getting a new one!)
2. If your kids have chewed up all the crayons, you might
consider using a tea bag or rubbing a piece of walnut or pecan on the marred
surface.
3. If your darling child has left his/her glass of kool-aid on
the table (even though you have TOLD them 1,000 times to never do that!), you
can make a paste of salt and mineral oil to take out the white rings or water
marks. Be sure to rub in the direction of the grain and dry immediately! Then
apply your favorite polish.
4. For cigarette burns (this had BETTER NOT be from the
children!), rub the offending spot with a paste made from fireplace ash and
lemon juice! (I had a low-fat salad dressing one time that tasted just like
this!)
And if all this fails, consider telling everyone that the piece
just has "character!" Collectors pay thousands of dollars for old furniture with
lots of imperfections - in fact, the more the better! Just think of your home as
a Furniture Distressing Factory!
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Pamela Cole Harris has been a writer and decorator for thirty-five years
(YIKES! Has it been that long?). She is the author of "Home and Garden
Design Tips", a free weekly syndicated home and garden content service
for your website. Get the code at
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com/ And while you are there, sign
up for her monthly newsletter! And visit her other sites at
http://www.pajamabusinesses.com
and
http://www.thewellfedtraveler.com
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