Month: June 2022

The Way to Remove Discoloration After Stripping Furniture

After stripping the old finish off wood furniture you will see a discoloration which remains on it. This is brought on by old wood stain that’s deep inside the grain where the stripping agent was unable to penetrate. Even sanding doesn’t always get rid of this discoloration, since the grooves are occasionally very deep. To remove the discoloration, then bleach the wood using a strong substance that seeps into the grain and also eliminates the color.

Transfer the furniture piece to an outdoor place and set it on top of a plastic sheeting. Don’t put it onto a surface which may be damaged by the whitening liquid.

Wear protective clothing, rubber gloves and safety glasses since the bleaching agent is a mild acid which can injure you.

Fill out a large plastic bucket with 1 gallon of warm water and then add 11 to 16 oz. Of oxalic acid crystals, which are available at home improvement stores. Stir the mixture with a paint stirrer or a different nonmetal object until the crystals dissolve.

Insert a paintbrush into the mix and then paint the whitening agent on the furniture until it’s saturated. It’s nice if the alternative pops in addition to the furniture.

Enable the acid solution to sit for approximately 15 minutes, checking the wood periodically to determine if the appropriate bleaching level has been achieved.

Fill out a clean bucket with 1 gallon of warm water and 3 ounces. Of powdered borax. Mix the solution well and pour it over all surfaces of the furniture to neutralize the acidity.

Rinse the wood thoroughly using a garden hose to eliminate all traces of the acid mix. Blot up most of the moisture with a towel and put the furniture in the sun to finish drying. After the wood has dried completely, smooth the surfaces using a palm sander and fine-grit sandpaper in accordance with your tastes. Use a rotary instrument with sanding fittings for detailed areas or interior corners and edges.

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Why Do Bathroom Mirrors Fog Up?

As you’ve probably noticed when attempting to check your appearance in the mirror the bathroom mirror fogs up so much you can not see yourself. Steam from the atmosphere turns into condensation — tiny water droplets — about the mirror glass, which then distorts light to produce the mirror.

Steamy Science

Maintaining the restroom door completely closed with no fan, especially through a hot shower. Steam is water in a gaseous state, and it finally cools into liquid in the form of water droplets. Light traveling so when lots of water droplets cling to a reflective surface like a mirror, the opinion is distorted, creating a snowy, foggy appearance. This bending phenomenon is also evident in a single body of water like a pool when an object is above water, partly or misshapen under the water.

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How to Revive a Teak Wood Finish

Like many tropical hardwoods, teak includes natural oils that protect it from rust, and that’s an important reason craftspeople use it in order to make boat decks and outdoor furniture. Teak oxidizes and turns grey quickly, and while some people find this attractive, others favor the honey-tan colors of new teak. You can often restore weathered teak just by massaging it, but when the discoloration goes deep, or when there’s a surface layer of mold, it might be easier to scrub it with a cleaner. Begin with a gentle cleaner and progress into more powerful ones.

Wash the walnut with an all-purpose cleaner to remove surface grime and dirt. This step is important for exterior furniture which has turned dark. If the piece is a uniform grey color, or it is an interior piece, you can probably skip this general cleaning.

Scour the timber with a gentle cleaner. Some possibilities are scouring powder and water, a mixture of 1 cup per day of ammonia and laundry detergent in a gallon of warm water or a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar in a gallon of warm water. Scrub lightly through the grain with a scouring pad or scrub brush.

Rinse the timber after scrubbing it and assess its situation. If you are happy with the colour, you can advance to sanding, however when the timber is still grey, you might need to advance to a cleaner.

Utilize a 1-part teak cleaner designed to remove deep stains. A typical product includes an abrasive powder along with a moderate acid, such as phosphoric or malic acid. Follow the directions on the container. If you want even more cleaning power, use a 2-part teak cleaner with more powerful caustics and acids. Wear rubber gloves and goggles when using 1- and 2-part cleaners, follow the directions carefully, and protect nearby furniture.

Rinse the timber after you have finished cleaning it and let it dry. Sand it with an orbital sander and 150-grit sandpaper. You are not sanding to modify the colour except to knock the grain and smooth the timber. After sanding, you might prefer to leave the timber unfinished, but it will soon begin to oxidize and discolor if you do. Prevent this by finishing the timber.

End interior walnut with walnut oil. Spread the oil with a cone, going with the grain of the timber. To maintain the natural wood colour, you might have to repeat this treatment every few months. You might even seal teak with just one coat of varnish diluted with 50 percent skinnier. This therapy provides a surface coating which prevents oxidation, but unlike oil, it may peel or chip .

Apply several coats of spar varnish to protect teak woodwork on boats or other places subject to extreme sun and moisture. Construct the end gradually by minding the initial 3 coats with thinner and applying thin coats with a paintbrush. Following the next coat dries, scuff-sand it with 220-grit sandpaper and coat it with three to four layers of full-strength varnish.

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The Best Way to Polish Cabinets

Cabinets — whether they are metal, laminate, wood or glass — are subject to dirt and buildup, and the consequences of warmth and temperature changes. Kitchen cabinets, in particular, are vulnerable to cooking exhaust and buildup of oil and should be regularly cleaned and polished to restore surface and shine quality. For some substances, buffing it and cleaning the surface is an polishing method that is effective, some should be cleaned regularly and polished annually or so to handle residual damage while.

Cleaning Wood

Wood cabinets come in a variety of finishes and veneers. For the most part, you can clean wood that is finished and painted with mild detergent and a soft cloth. Dust the cabinet surfaces first, then dampen the cloth using a solution of 1 part gentle detergent to 3 parts water. Clean along the grain of the wood; wash with another soft cloth, dampened with water. Take care to not get the wood which can result in water damage and splintering.

Polishing and Waxing Wood

You might find that certain areas look dull or have lost the sheen of the veneer after cleaning wood. Other areas might be chipped or scraped. In cases like this, you can use paste wax or wood polish restore shine and to cover almost any surface inconsistencies. After eliminating any wax buildup use wax with a fabric across the grain of the wood. Buff with a clean, dry cloth when finished.

Metal Cabinets

Fixtures and cabinets made from metals like aluminum and stainless steel have been used in several kitchens. They often have an enamel finish, which makes them simple to polish. Use a soft cloth to wipe out residue and restore glow, followed to buff the surface. If dullness or lasting stains exist, fill a spray bottle with one part vinegar and two parts water, use to the surface, and wash for an sound and easy cleanse and polish. You can use a metal cleaner if the cabinets require a more powerful treatment.

Laminate Cabinets

Laminate cabinets using a cloth dipped in a solution of 3 parts water and wash. If the cabinet surfaces nevertheless show stains and dull spots, they are sometimes spot-treated and glistening. Water to 1 part vinegar and polish; wash with water and buff with a clean cloth. Stains by tinkering using a paste made from baking soda and water, and rinsing with water. Buff with a dry cloth.

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How to Whiten Pillows Which Have Yellowed

Pillowcases guard your cushions from getting stained, but even so, it’s a struggle to keep pillow fabric from turning yellowish. Pillows usually turn yellow due to an accumulation of perspiration. Sweat yellows since it dries, so over time, your cushions start to appear old and depressed. A yellowed pillow isn’t doomed, though. You can whiten most types of cushions in the washing machine with a few bleaching agents. Memory-foam pillows can’t withstand a battering from the washing machine, so you ought to undertake them by hand.

Machine-Washable Pillows

Eliminate the pillowcase and scoop in the pillow, if applicable.

Fill your washing machine about one-third of the way filled with hot water.

Add 1 cup of powdered laundry detergent, 1/2 cup of borax, and 1 cup of chlorine or hydrogen peroxide.

Start the washing machine and let it run for many minutes, then add the pillows. For best results, wash two cushions simultaneously so the device stays balanced during the spin cycle.

Fill out the machine the remainder of the manner with hot water. Let it run for many minutes again.

Turn the cushions over so the other hand gets cleaned. Allow the machine run for a few more minutes, then put it into the rinse cycle.

Set the pillows in the dryer when the washing machine is done. Add a couple of tidy tennis balls — they will fluff the pillows as they dry. If your tennis balls are not clean, wrap socks around them before placing them in the drier.

Place the drier to the low-heat placing for synthetic pillows. Use the air-cycle placing for feather or down pillows.

Pillows That Aren’t Machine Washable

Take off the pillowcase and scoop, if necessary. Put the pillow down on a table or another flat surface.

Fill a dish with cold water, and add a few drops of soap. Dampen a cloth with the soapy water. Wring out the excess water.

Dab the pillow gently with the cloth. If you’re cleaning a stain, start dabbing from the outside of the stain and move inward to the middle.

Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar or enzymatic cleaner. Mist the pillow lightly, and let it set for five minutes. Blot dry with a towel. This works especially well to eliminate pet urine stains and odor.

Put the Cushion out in the sun to dry. Instead, set it in the dryer for 20 minutes on the air or no-heat cycle.

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How to Paint Glow-in-the-Dark Stars to a Ceiling

Many kids would cherish a bedroom or playroom ceiling decorated using glow-in-the-dark stars, and a sizable number of adults haven’t outgrown the wonder of a starry ceiling themselves. The joy of producing such a ceiling is that it unites age-old techniques such as stencil painting using high-tech phosphorescent paint. The effect is most apparent once the ceiling is painted in the color of the night skies, but the glow-in-the-dark effect is apparent with even a light colored ceiling.

Paint the ceiling in the shade of your choice — should you opt to modify its color — then let it to dry fully.

Open the paint container and then gently soften the paint using a plastic paddle or spatula. Pour the paint into the reservoir of the mini-roller tray.

Lay the stencil, back-side up, on a disposable surface such as old paper. Spray the stencil’s rear with the repositionable glue.

Place the loaded mini-roller tray and also the stencil brush to the bucket shelf of the ladder. Climb the ladder with your stencil, sticky-side up.

Position your stencil on the ceiling, then smooth it into place with light pressure until the cut-out portions fit snugly against the surface. Implement painter’s masking tape to the outer perimeter of the stencil to ensure the stencil doesn’t shift while you are painting.

Pull the filament tips of the stencil brush into the paint. The brush shouldn’t be overloaded, because that may cause bleed-through on the stencil’s borders, so eliminate any extra paint by wiping the brush hints on the grid portion of the mini-roller tray or on a disposable paper towel.

Hold the brush like a pencil and gently tap the paint into the stencil holes. Do not tap the brush so tough the bristles become bent. Move the brush in a circular route while tapping it to the surface, until the entire cut-out area was covered using the paint. Reload the brush as required.

Remove the masking tape and then peel the stencil from the ceiling. The paint can easily be cleaned from the stencil and stencil brush with soap and water.

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The Size of a Magnolia Flower

Magnolia flowers (Magnolia spp.) Come in a number of shapes, sizes and colors depending on variety. The magnolia family includes evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs bearing blossoms in colors of pink, pink, red, yellow and purple. The leaf sizes and shapes vary as well. Good maintenance can help make sure the trees blossom generously.

Big Blooms

Several varieties of magnolias have large blooms that vary from 8 to 12 inches round. Southern magnolia (M. grandiflora) bears large, white, fragrant, cup-shaped flowers that are approximately 8 to 10 inches round. This handsome tree is hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 6 and blooms throughout summer and autumn. Fraser magnolia (M. fraseri) is a medium-sized tree having white, fragrant blooms up to 10 inches round and hardy to USDA zone 5. M. sargentiana robusta bears fragrant mauve blooms around 12 inches across and blossoms mid- to late-spring before leaves open and can be hardy to USDA zone 7.

Medium Blooms

Some varieties of magnolias bear medium-sized blooms that vary from 4 to 7 inches round. Kobus magnolia (M. kobus), hardy to USDA zone 5, flowers in early spring before leaves bears and open slightly fragrant, white, 4-inch-wide blooms. Saucer magnolia (M. x soulangeana) is a hybrid that bears pink to purplish flowers up to 6 inches round. It flowers from late winter though spring and is hardy to USDA zone 4. Yulan Magnolia (M. denudata) is a deciduous tree hardy to USDA zone 5 and also bears tulip-shaped blooms around 7 inches across in summertime.

Modest Blooms

Magnolia varieties also have little blossoms that only spread around 3 inches round. Shinyleaf magnolia (M. nititda) is an evergreen shrub hardy to USDA zone 8 that bears fragrant flowers up to 3 inches round and blossoms in spring. The cucumber tree (M. acuminata) makes an excellent shade or lawn tree and bears greenish-yellow blooms up to 3 inches across in late spring through summer; that magnolia is hardy to USDA zone 6.

What Magnolias Need

Magnolias need proper care to thrive and blossom. The plants have fleshy, shallow root systems that take a location where the roots will not be damaged. Magnolias thrive in well-drained soil that’s slightly acidic with deep irrigation, but waterlogged soil can kill the trees and shrubs. Deciduous magnolias need annual pruning after booming, while evergreen varieties are pruned before new growth appears in spring. Prune magnolia trees to shape, cut back broken limbs and also remove lower branches as the tree grows.

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Can Fluorescent Lights Touch Tomato Plants?

Fluorescent lighting permits you to develop tomato plants inside even when sufficient all-natural light is inaccessible. Although the foliage can touch fluorescent bulbs without scorching, damage can still occur due to coverage and mild intensity issues. Learning the proper spacing and usage requirements for fluorescent grow lights helps ensure the continuing health and future growth of the tomato plants.

Light Supply

Incandescent light bulbs create heat, which can burn tomato leaf and make the plants to dry out too fast. Standard fluorescent lighting bulbs are usually cool to the touch, so they won’t overheat plants. If the leaf touches these bulbs for a brief while, damage won’t usually occur. A dual-tube fluorescent fixture featuring a warm white and a cool white fluorescent light tube provides the correct lighting spectrum for growing tomato seedlings. To grow plants to maturity under lights, then you require fluorescent grow lights, which provide the entire lighting spectrum for plant development.

Light Height

It is ideal to keep a space between the tomato plants as well as the light source so they do not touch. If you use incandescent lights, then you must leave a 12-inch space between the tomatoes and the lights, otherwise the heat from the lights scorches the leaf. Fluorescent tubes require only 4 to 6 inches of space between the lighting and the leaf, and if the plants grow quickly and touch the tubes, the leaf is not likely to suffer damage. The primary concern with the tomato plants touching fluorescent lights is the leaves block the light, keeping the plant in being evenly exposed to it.

Coverage

Rumors growing too near the light fixture stop the light from reaching all parts of the plant, which can lead to inferior or leggy development. All sides of this tomato plant needs to receive even lighting to generate complete, bushy foliage and strong, stocky stems. Placing the lights also high above the plants calculates the light reaching the leaves, so the plants may create weak, spindly stems as they reach to the lighting. Reflectors put on either side of the lighting fixture help spread the lighting, providing even coverage into the plants.

Lighting Tips

Proper lighting duration is equally as important as the lighting intensity. Tomatoes need at least eight hours of direct sunlight each day or 16 hours of artificial light daily. If you are growing seedlings inside in spring if they do not get eight hours of sunlight, you can supplement the natural sunlight with artificial light after sunset to equal 16 hours. Sunlight provides a narrower light spectrum, therefore less is necessary unless you are supplementing. Attaching a timer to the lighting fixture ensures that the lights turn on and off at the correct times. A flexible light stand simplifies the job of raising the lights as the plants develop, so the tomato leaf touching the lights doesn’t become a problem.

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Nuts That Grow at High Altitudes

Most trees and plants grow poorly at high altitudes because of the cooler surroundings and adverse growing conditions. Even growers in California’s High Sierra region experience shorter growing seasons and higher winds than those at lower elevations and also the same latitude. Nut trees along with other seed-producing plants frequently fare particularly poorly at high altitudes. If you live at high altitude, you also can get far better results by protecting these plants in the worst environmental influences and choosing types that deal better with higher humidity conditions.

Definition

The definition of “high altitude” fluctuates depending on who you ask. Meanwhile, the University of Wyoming considers gardens located above 6,000 feet and over to be located at high altitude, while the University of Idaho defines high altitude as 4,500 feet or even more. Growers from the Sierra Nevada foothills may deal with elevations just as large as 3,000 feet above sea level. Your garden’s real altitude can greatly impact the types of nut trees that are acceptable for your location.

Altitude Tolerance

The nut trees you pick for your high altitude garden ought to be able to withstand the lower winter temperatures related to higher altitudes. Ideally, you should pick varieties that are hardy to at least United States Department of Agriculture Zone 4. Of typically cultivated nut species, just butternuts (Juglans cinerea) and black walnuts (Juglans nigra) will survive in cooler high-altitude regions. If you live at high elevations within an otherwise warm climate, then you could also be able to grow almonds (Prunus dulcis), Persian walnuts (Juglans regia) and hazelnuts (Corylus spp.) . The single-leaf pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla) is also a good selection, as it produces rich pine nuts and could survive at elevations around 7,500 feet above sea level.

Chilling Hours

When you choose a nut tree for your high altitude garden, you must take more than just its hardiness into account. Many species also have specific chilling requirements. If they don’t receive the right number of cold exposure, then they may not flower or fruit properly. Look for trees that have frightening demands of 1,500 hours or more so you will not lose blossoms to a late frost. This is particularly important if your area has a short growing season.

Pollination Requirements

Most nuts require pollination by insects or wind, which is unreliable at high altitudes. To ensure your hardy nut trees become fertilized and keep a good harvest, start looking for self-pollinating varieties. According to Purdue University, these comprise the hazelnut cultivar “Winkler,” the Persian walnut cultivars “Hansen” along with “Colby,” along with various types of butternut. You can also pick native species that may have nearby wild pollinators, such as pines and black walnuts.

Growing Strategies

High altitude gardeners could have success planting nut trees that aren’t normally suitable for their climates by using the right cultural techniques. These methods involve creating a special microclimate that is more conducive to healthy tree growth. Should you put your trees in full sunlight, you can decrease the amount of needed frightening hours. By planting near a stone formation, wall or grove of evergreens, you can protect young plants in the end and improve their odds of surviving the winter.

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