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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Panel Furniture Shelves

There are two basic types of wood panel furniture shelves, double-faced or single-faced. Which of these you choose of either one whether you chose one style or a mixture of both will depend on both your room layout and exactly what you plan to store on the shelves. Single-faced or wall-type shelving units cannot stand alone. They must be anchored to a wall for proper support. Double-faced or aisle-type shelving can stand alone so that the amount of shelving your project needs can be placed anywhere in your room

Hardwood shelving is available in four different heights, 42, 48, 60.5 and 82 inches in height. 42 and 48 inch high shelves are easy to reach shelves are ideal for almost any shelving need. 60.5 inch shelves are also ideal for areas where visibility is a must for your free standing units. Finally, 82 inch high shelves are ideal for any area where floor space is limited and a higher storage density is required.

Panel furniture shelves made of hardwood are available in depths of 10 and 12 inches. The biggest factor in choosing one over the other is the type of books or others objects you will be shelving. Wider books and other kinds of objects will probably require a deeper shelf. Custom sized shelf widths are available but are usually two to three times the cost.

Most panel furniture are available with an optional back to prevent your books, trophies and other media from being pushed out the back. Backs are finished on one side and are available in an economy version board that is painted light or dark or in a plywood matching wood grain version.

Optional partitions to separate each side of the shelving unit are available. Partitions are finished on both sides and are available in an economy version board that is painted light or dark or a plywood matching wood grain.

Most panel furniture shelves under 65 inches in height can be ordered with optional high-pressure laminate tops to prevent scratches and wear from visitors and family members. Shelving is the easiest way to conveniently store frequently used items or to show off treasured items.

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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Outdoor Furniture Cushion Replacement

How often should you do outdoor furniture cushion replacement? How often cleaning is necessary will depend on both the original quality of the outdoor furniture cushions and how well they have been maintained.

A good quality outdoor furniture cushion should last for several years if it is cleaned according to the manufacturer�s recommendations regularly and stored indoors in a dust and mildew free environment during the winter. Cleaning methods and frequency depend on the fabric used for the outdoor furniture cushion replacement and the kind of wear and tear that the cushions have received.

Most manufacturers recommend hosing outdoor furniture cushions off regularly and washing them with a mild soap and soft brush monthly but more frequently if heavily used or they just dirty. There are several very good commercial products available to remove stains. Always check the manufacture�s instructions for stain removal and follow them before turning to some other commercial product. They know their own products better than anyone else.

There are several different types of materials used to cover outdoor furniture cushions. Some cushions covering materials are waterproof, others are water resistant, and still others are designed to allow the rain to flow through the cushion.

Waterproof cushions must be inspected for all tears. If you find a tear it must be repaired immediately to prevent moisture from getting inside the cushion. If moisture gets inside this type of outdoor furniture cushion replacement cushion, it can mold and mildew. If that does happen, it must be replaced.

Water resistant cushions are filled with materials that resist mold and mildew and have some degree of breath ability to allow the moisture that does enter the cushion fill to dry fairly quickly. But all tears should be quickly repaired because these cushions cannot tolerate large amounts of water getting inside. If that does happen, you will need to replace the cushions.

Rain through outdoor furniture cushion replacement cushions are designed to let the water flow through the cushion. Water cannot adhere or penetrate the fill and they are porous so that they will dry quickly. Tears should be immediately repaired and the cushions should be replaced if they develop an unpleasant odor or start losing fill material.

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Monday, December 28, 2009

Oak And Hickory Furniture

Oak and hickory furniture is usually made from solid oak or hickory. Although many manufactures will use oak and hickory veneer on top of the solid wood to get a more uniform appearance for all of the pieces.

Wood finishing for oak and hickory furniture is probably the most neglected part in any furniture purchase. Most people just want the finished pieces to look good. So they are usually more concerned with how the furniture is constructed. However, wood finishing should be given as much attention as all of the initial stages in building a piece of oak and hickory furniture. After all, you wouldn't want your furniture to deteriorate with time because it wasn�t finished properly. Not to mention, the additional expense incurred to have it refinished.

The purpose of finishing the wood is to protect the surface of the wood from wear and tear from normal use and from general weathering. Surface finishes like varnish, polyurethane and lacquer do this by providing a protective coating on the surface of the wood. While oil finishes tend to penetrate into the grain of the wood and protect by hardening the wood fibers themselves.

Surface wood finishing for your oak and hickory furniture gives you better protection against stain and abrasion than oil finishes but tends to be more difficult to repair. Many surface finishes have that shiny luster that some prefer but to the wood purist, they have an artificial look and feel. On the other hand, oil based finishes have a more matt finish that brings out the natural grain of the wood.

The most common types of oaks used for oak and hickory furniture is either red oak or white oak. Both grow allover the North America and are most prevalent along the eastern seaboard. Red oak, as it�s name implies, has a red color to the wood and is the preferred wood for most non-veneered furniture use. White oak has a white wood that is more commonly used for structural building materials but is frequently used when a veneer is being applied over the solid wood.

The most common types of hickory used for oak and hickory furniture are pecan hickory and shagbark hickory.

Pecan Hickory Grows in United States and Mexico. It is pale to reddish and is a very heavy, hard and strong wood that is stiff and shock resistant. Shagbark Hickory grows in United States and Canada. It is brown to reddish brown and is one of the hardest, heaviest and strongest woods in the United States and is used to make musical instruments as well ad oak and hickory furniture.

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Sunday, December 27, 2009

Northern Michigan Rustic Furniture

Northern Michigan rustic furniture uses whatever raw materials nature provides free for the taking. The craftsmen use hand or hand power tools and designs straight out of their imagination to create unusual but functional furniture that is as at home in a backwoods cabin but can also be an interesting conversation piece in a contemporary home or office.

Using recycled barn wood and standing dead trees or twisted juniper roots and willow weavings the makers of rustic furniture seen to be trying to make a personal connection with nature. These folks have borrowed the philosophy of the great grandparents. Back in the past people had to build their furniture from whatever nature supplied to serve their needs. A distressed appearance, you know the rough finish with obvious signs of hand working found on some of the rustic pieces adds a character and an individuality not found in other furniture styles. Rustic furniture is warm, creative, and practical and it speaks to our appreciation of human genius and resourcefulness.

The first step in creating northern Michigan rustic furniture is decided how to peel the wood. Peeling is the process of removing the3 pouter bark. A peeled log has had all the outer and inner bark removed. What remains is a cleanly shaved piece with traces of the drawknife's flat trail. A perfectly round log indicates that the piece was machined on a lathe. Hand peeling leaves traces of the inner bark producing a mottled (more rustic looking) effect.

Wood choices are usually influenced by geography because the furniture makers tend to use the woods that are native to their area. Most of the furniture is made form members of the pine the family but you will find rustic furniture made from hickory, oak and other woods. Cracks or other imperfections that appear in dry wood are a natural occurrence and do not impact the strength or durability of the furniture piece. Oftentimes these "imperfections", along with diseased areas and burl are used to create uniqueness for the piece.

Most northern Michigan rustic furniture makers pride themselves on using old-world methods of joinery. They use dowels and biscuits embedded in the boards to add strength to the glue joint and help keep the boards aligned. Some of the more painstaking have even used tongue and groove for table tops. If done properly, a glued joint is usually stronger than the rest of the board.

The most common visible joint in furniture is the mortise and tenon, basically an opening (mortise) that accommodates a shaft (tenon). The joint needs to be a snug fit, if it is too tight, it can split the wood and if too loose the joint will be weak and wear over time. We have all sat on wobbly chairs with weakening joints.

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Saturday, December 26, 2009

Living Room Furniture Closeout Specials

Everybody is always looking for living room furniture closeout specials. Why pay full price for the latest and greatest furniture when you can get brand new discontinued styles for a fraction of the cost and no one but ever need know how great a bargain you got.

While there are a variety of pieces available for the living room, sofas, loveseats side chairs and recliners are the most common type of upholstered furniture. Coffee and end tables, entertainment centers and lamps are the most common accessories purchased. Most of the retailers offer �sets� at bulk purchase prices.

In living room furniture closeout specials beauty and comfort are the best criteria for choosing a sofa, loveseat or chair. While appearance is essential to creating the atmosphere of your home, comfort makes the furniture a pleasure to live with. Most upholstered furniture consists of three basic parts beneath the outer fabric cover. They are the frame, the supporting foundation, and the cushioning or padding.

The frame and supporting foundation are critical to comfort because they provide the structural support for the other components. Traditionally the best frames have been made of kiln-dried hardwood that resists warping. Today, quality frames may also be made of steel, plastic, laminated boards or a combination of these materials.

Next, there must be support above the frame. Manufacturers use webbing, sling straps, slats or springs of various types to provide the needed support structure. The design, size and amount of support or softness desired by the designer will determine which type of support materials the designer uses.
Springs can be single coil, double cone coil or zigzag (sinuous S-type) and can be connected with twine, wire ties or clips.

Eight-way hand-tied coil springing has been considered a mark of quality living room furniture closeout specials for decades. Each coil spring is placed in the seat by hand and a skilled craftsman ties the coil into place with twine and interlocks it with the other coils using an intricate set of knots. Each coil is set so it responds to body weight with the proper degree of support.

Although eight-way, hand-tied remains the standard of excellence for those who can afford the very best they also require ample space and can make the furniture bulky. The S-type spring is slim and strong and makes it possible to have good looking, light-weight, �slim�, comfortable, serviceable upholstered furniture at affordable prices.

Finally, the cushioning forms the comfort layer. Cushioning materials include cotton or polyester, polyurethane foam and, of course, down. Foam and polyester fiberfill wrap are commonly used padding materials. These man-made materials are durable, resilient, mothproof and mildew and fungus resistant. Foam can be used as a solid unit, wrapped with a softer polyester material or chopped up and blown into new shapes for arms and backs that would otherwise be hard to pad.

Now all you need to do is cover the furniture in your choice of fabric designs or leather. Of course, the ultimate test for living room furniture closeout specials is to sit down. How else can you tell if this sofa or chair is right for you?

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Friday, December 25, 2009

Ivory French Provincial Dining Room Furniture

ivory french provincial dining room furniture is one of the most popular furniture styles in history style that is frequently copied and provides a warm enduring look.
Picture romantic images of long, lazy lunches in the hillsides of rural France. Many people use this decorating theme to create a relaxed European look in their homes. All over the world, meals are being served on a waxed French farmhouse table surrounded by ladder-back chairs with rush seats.

French provincial furniture was first made in the mid-1700s and continued to be widely manufactured throughout France during the 19th century. Many of these pieces were smaller, less-ornate and therefore less expensive versions of furniture that was popular in Paris and Lyon during the reign of Louis XV.

Since the furniture was designed to be used by the farmers and craftsman of the small towns and the country side, it was made by cabinetmakers from the less expensive from local timbers such as oak, beech and walnut and fruit-tree woods. These woods provide a simple strength and beauty to his style of furniture.

For many enthusiasts of ivory french provincial dining room furniture, the raw Signature pieces such as armoires, buffets, sideboards, chair rails and china cabinets or even the simple farmhouse tables radiate a "sunny personality" in any room.
And unlike highly polished furniture, French provincial pieces are user-friendly and forgiving. This is furniture that is not fragile, even though it is elegant and beautiful.

In more modern times, many manufacturers added formica table tops to their ivory french provincial dining room furniture. This created an extremely durable piece of furniture that could all of the punishment a large busy family can give a dining room table.
I�ve also seen many of these sets painted ivory or white with ornate gold flours de leaf hardware on the cabinet doors and drawer pulls which nicely off set the plain white or ivory paint. Put this ivory french provincial dining room furniture in a room with darker colored walls and a dark hardwood floor and you get a sparkling, clean yet elegant look that will make any homeowner proud.

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Thursday, December 24, 2009

Molded Resin Outdoor Furniture

molded resin outdoor furniture has become extremely popular over the past decade because resin furniture requires little or no maintenance and will last a long time. But, like all outdoor furniture, molded resin outdoor furniture needs to be cleaned regularly to maintain its original appearance.

molded resin outdoor furniture is tough and holds up to years of wear and tear due to the exclusive manufacturing process that uses K2 double-injection molding. This process creates a superior heavy-duty construction and uses up to three times more resin than the other more traditional single-injection molding techniques. When you compare this process to other more traditional methods, double-injection molding is a much slower process, which makes the resin more durable and long lasting. Also, this double injection molding technique allows the manufacturer to create complex contours at the front and back of each piece for enhanced beauty and ergonomic comfort.

The classic style of the molded resin outdoor furniture is more than a beautiful addition to your backyard, patio, poolside, or deck. These pieces possess a mark of quality, comfort, convenience, and a sense of style. The molded resin outdoor furniture is weatherproof because it is made of special mineral-reinforced polypropylene resin that is a superior synthetic product that absorbs heat from the sun. I will also resist colors fading or white yellowing. Since the material has a soft almost pliable texture, it does not crack.

All of these features of the material make it impervious to weather conditions because quality resin expands and contracts with the temperature so it can be left outside year-round without rusting, rotting, and there is no need to paint it. But like all outdoor furniture, it does need regular cleaning to maintain it good looks. Below are some cleaning tips.

Plain Molded Resin - Hose off often and dry with a soft towel. About once a month or more frequently if needed, use a mild soapy solution or a commercial cleaner made specifically for resin furniture to remove pollution and dirt as needed. Rinse and dry with a soft towel. DO NOT use abrasive cleaners or those containing bleach. But you can use car wax can add extra protection and luster.

Resin Weave - Hose off often frequently. About once a month or more frequently if needed, use a mild soapy solution or a commercial cleaner made specifically for resin furniture to remove pollution and dirt as needed. Rinse and leave in the sun to dry. Check frequently for any unraveling strands. In most cases a broken strand can be rewoven or tied to the frame or to another strand

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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Michigan Rustic Furniture

According to the dictionary, the term "rusticating" means �to live or go to live in the country; or to make something rustic or rural in style�. This expression became a popular in the mid to late eighteen hundreds. Rich city dwellers built elaborate country retreats and cabins and "rusticated" during the summer. Many of these "rustic homes" became America's castles.

Michigan rustic furniture had it beginnings was the American rustic furniture movement was born in the Adirondacks Mountains in upper New York State. The winter staff of these rustic manors frequently made furniture during the winter when the property owners were away in the city. The idea behind the rustic furniture movement was to create interesting pieces of furniture using natural materials such as twigs and logs. Many of these creations were often decorated with deer and moose antlers. Twigs (or willow) have been used to make furniture since people began making furniture. Many early twig furniture makers were migrants who traveled the country making willow furniture to sell to the local residents.

Today Michigan rustic furniture makers still follow the original tradition of using whatever natural materials are available to fashion spectacular unique furniture and accessory items. The vast majority of rustic furniture makers consist of small mom and pop businesses. Most of these manufactures got started selling their hand-made furniture items out of the back of their trucks or from their garages. With the wide spread access to the Internet almost universal, even the smallest, most remote furniture makers have a way to reach customers worldwide.

michigan rustic furniture is not like other styles of furniture such as traditional or contemporary. It rarely has ornate gilding. It can be made of almost any material found in the area. There are no predictable lines or patterns. Sometimes it can be difficult to decide exactly what the items function might be. A rustic saddle rack looks an awful lot like a vary fancy saw horse except that is has a pedestal instead of separate legs.

michigan rustic furniture frequently lacks the predictable lines or patterns we've come to expect in "conventional" furniture. A rustic chair might appear to have grown out of the floor with twisted legs and unparallel stretchers and back braces. Rustic furniture frequently recycles itself. Old barns are scavenged for wood, which is fashioned into tables, chests and anything the craftsman can envision.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Kettler Pool Furniture

kettler pool furniture is one of the many very good brands of outdoor pool furniture that available for purchase. This is a high quality outstanding line of products and will definitely provide more than just a beautiful addition to your outdoor seating area. Manufactured with special mineral-reinforced polypropylene resin, each piece absorbs heat from the sun prevents those uncomfortable minor burns on the back of bare legs on a hot summer day.

All kettler pool furniture resists fading from being in direct sunlight. The white resin will not yellow nor will the colors fade. The Kettler pool furniture is also available in high-quality wrought iron and reliable teak as well as resin. Perfect for every season, mineral-reinforced polypropylene resin is the ultimate in casual resin outdoor furniture offering true craftsmanship, superb comfort and timeless design.

When summer finally comes and the warm sun finally decides to put in an appearance you want to be able to enjoy it right away. The last thing you want is to have to spend hours and possibly even days preparing or renovating your garden furniture. With mineral-reinforced polypropylene resin KETTLER pool furniture you don't have to.

Each piece is guaranteed to be maintenance free. Regardless of whether you put in indoors or leave it outside all winter. The nature of the special materials and the patented manufacturing processes ensure lasting good looks and serviceability year after year. So, after the all of the long dreary winter days, there really is a silver lining.

The kettler pool furniture chaise lounge and folding chair are made of mineral-reinforced polypropylene resin with special additives to protect against the sun and increase strength. It�s easy to clean all you need to do is use warm water, a mild soap and a soft brush and then hose it off. The mineral-reinforced polypropylene resin stays cool to the touch. The chair and the chaise are designed with four reclining positions and the ability to fold for storage. The chaise lounge includes built-in wheels for easy moving.

Matching decorator cushions are also available. All of the styles of kettler pool furniture are also available in cast aluminum and teak.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Kitchen Furniture Components

Available kitchen furniture components are very numerous and available in almost every size imaginable designed to fit everything from the smallest apartment kitchen to the largest home cooking area.

A small apartment kitchen will have only the basic items such as a stove, refrigerator, sink, counter top, storage cabinets and possibly a dish washer. Eat in kitchens are rare in apartments but some do have small breakfast nooks with a small table and two to four chairs.

Slightly larger kitchens will have additional work space with the addition of more counter tops and their accompanying base storage cabinets. Again there may be a breakfast nook, but there is rarly enough room for a full sized table.

What I would consider the average sized kitchen will have many more kitchen furniture components. There will now be room for a full sized table with six chairs. Perhaps a second oven and built in microwave. There may even be a serving cart and sometimes a computer or TV stands.

Of course there are the larger more technical kitchens that seem to be rapidly gaining in popularity. These are usually much more open spaces with all the latest and greatest kitchen furniture components. No longer is the stove top part of the stove. The burners are placed in a center island with a small vegetable washing sink and enough counter space for cooking tools and serving bowls waiting to be filled. On the outer walls are the usual kitchen furniture components, refrigerator complete with ice maker and cold water dispenser, counter top working space, base storage cabinets, over head storage cabinets, wall oven at eye level, built in microwave oven (s) and occasionally an upright freezer.

Sometimes there will be built in barbeque grills (available in either gas or charcoal), convection ovens, pizza ovens, slow roasters and any other kitchen or food preparation imaginable.
So when it comes to kitchen furniture components, you can find almost anything you ever thought you might want or need plus a whole of gadgets you didn�t even know existed available to install in your residential kitchen.

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