Technorati Tags: easy woodworking projects

You often find treasures where you least expect them. This can also be true of your home. An easy woodworking project is repairing old wood furniture and floors. By finding vintage furniture, refinishing it, and caring for hardwood floors you can bring out the beauty of wood in your home.

Vintage furniture can be found in a variety of places, including in your home or outside of it. You may already have great old furniture in your basement, attic, or living room that just needs some fixing up. Or you may find it at garage or estate sales or thrift shops. This may include wooden chairs, benches, stools, armoires, or other items. But to help identify a piece of furniture as vintage, look for details such as hand-carved elements or intricately shaped legs. You should also look for signs of damage, such as cracks or warped surfaces that will need to be repaired before any refinishing is done.

If refinishing is necessary, it involves stripping the original finish, applying wood conditioner, staining, and applying a clear topcoat. Sometimes all you need to do is remove years of dirt and grime from the original finish. There are products that will do this without damaging it. But, if you need to refinish, the first step is stripping to the bare wood. You may do this yourself or have it done by a professional. Next, you will want to apply a wood conditioner. This ensures an even stain. Then, read the directions on the can of stain and apply it with a rag or brush by wiping in the direction of the wood grain. Then, after the recommended amount of time, wipe the excess stain off with a rag, again in the direction of the grain. The final step is to apply the clear topcoat to give the wood a protective finish that will preserve it for years to come.

 Another hidden wood treasure that may be in your home is a hardwood floor. You may need to remove carpet to expose it in some homes. If the floor is not badly damaged with gouges or excessive wear, you may easily revive the floor with a reviver product every three to six months. Once the floor is revived, you need to maintain it by sweeping or vacuuming once a week, dust mopping in between the weekly cleanings, immediately cleaning up spills or mud, keeping mats or rugs by door entries, using gliders on furniture to avoid scraping, and keeping the humidity in your home to between forty-five and fifty-five percent.

You can use the beauty and elegance of wood to enhance your home by cleaning or refinishing old wood furniture and repairing and maintaining hardwood floors. This is a doable woodwork project that brings out the potential of items you may already have.

Technorati Tags: easy woodworking projects

Anyone can work with wood. Not everyone can be an expert, but there is some woodwork that can be done by everybody, for their own satisfaction and in service of others. One man in Covington, Washington, does easy woodworking projects which have benefited him greatly. This developmentally disabled man’s love for working with wood has helped him to function better and more independently.

Mike strong is a 54 year-old blind and mentally disabled man from Covington, Washington. He has a limited ability to speak and receives support from a group that provides help to people living with disabilities called Total Living Care (TLC), based in Kent, Washington. His late father was a carpenter and this gave him a love of wood. He used to handle wood scraps from his father’s workshop and perform easy woodworking tasks such as gluing wood together. Unable to see, he developed a love for the smell of wood.

Before becoming involved with Total Living Care, Strong was not doing so well. He was doing work tasks that he did not enjoy and could barely tolerate. He would get angry and verbalize loudly and often. He was not happy and did not interact well with other people.

However, since getting involved with TLC, Strong has changed because of his work with wood. He now attends a Saturday morning gathering of retired woodworkers where he takes part in small woodworking projects. He is welcomed by the group, which works on small projects and talks about woodworking. One of his favorite specialty woods is Alaska Yellow Cedar because of its pleasant aroma. He also has a volunteer job dusting church pews which he finds satisfying because of its connection to wood. These experiences and working with TLC have made Mike better at expressing his emotions and working efficiently. He now has his own condominium and travels by private car and public transportation.

Mike Strong’s lifelong love of woodworking is helping him overcome his disability. I think we can all find benefit from easy woodworking projects.

Technorati Tags: easy woodworking projects, small woodworking