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Lills Quilt Rack Part III Lumber Selection and Re Selection

With the design finalized and the templates made it was time to choose the lumber I would use.

Paduk in my lumber rack.

Intending to use them on this project, I had picked up two (2) large pieces of 6/4 lumber at the Woodworking Shows when they visited New Jersey in February. One (1) piece of walnut and another of paduk. Yet, when I looked at the boards next to each other in my lumber rack, I couldn’t see the Walnut and paduk playing well together. I decided to reconsider my lumber selection.

Which to choose?

In order to work out the wood types I would use I took a photo of the full sized drawing and made some black and white copies of it. Then I used crayons matching the basic shades to play with different woods and different wood-to-leg combinations. I settled on using walnut for the back and middle legs and a blond wood I believe to be apple for the front legs and the shelf.

With wood selected it was now time to finally start milling. I began with the blond wood. I have a stack of beautiful rough sawn blond wood about 5/4 thick and between 6” and 10” wide which was in the pile Kari Hultman generously gave me a few years ago. I believe it’s apple. I’m no arborist though and to be honest, I really have no idea. I’ve used in the past and found small insect holes in it. I found them to add character and in previous pieces they were always small holes.

These large voids were what I uncovered.

When I began milling this batch, I found the inset holes were much bigger in the pieces I’d selected. Large recess were revealed in a few pieces as I jointed them. I considered these pieces and was disappointed by the size of the insect holes. I was also unsure how the gaps would impact later construction when I needed reference surfaces that might have large voids in them.

I slept on it and ultimately decided to abandon the blond wood. After taking inventory of my lumber rack I settled on tiger maple as a replacement. I had enough of it and it would provide a beautiful contrast to the walnut.

Square and ready to go.

At this point I milled all the tiger maple square using my jointer and planer. The single walnut board I was using for the four (4) walnut legs had been surfaced S2S before I bought it. I hastily examined it, considered that it was wider than my 8” jointer and decided that it was flat enough.

Its almost flat and square.

It was flat “enough” . . . but it should have been flatter.

You can the previous Lills Quilt Rack posts here.

Dont forget about the +Modern Woodworkers Association Podcast. We talk woodworking with Guests from around the world of woodworking every other week. Subscribe to the RSS feed or iTunes today.

Lills Quilt Rack Part III Lumber Selection and Re Selection

Q A about Furniture RE Agents and Who Stages

Painting old furniture is one way to bring a home up to date.

Q: My husband wants to list our house with an old college buddy of his who is a real estate agent. I think there are other real estate agents who are more experienced. Also, I don’t like to mix friendship with business. Any advice?

A: I’m in agreement with you. Unless there are other reasons you would choose this agent above all others, I’d use all the persuasion you can to convince your husband to choose a real estate agent based on some of the conditions and qualities I’ve blogged about in the linked post.

If your husband is convinced his friend is The One, I’d still interview the guy – in an informal way – to give him the message that business is business, to express your expectations, and to ask questions about how he plans to market your home.

Q: We are moving out of our home before it sells and I will be staging it with furniture we can live without temporarily in our new home. We have a baby grand piano that I could have moved now or later. Do you think a piano is a good piece of furniture for staging, or is it too specialized and personal?

A: A piano sounds like a terrific item for staging, especially if it is as attractive as a baby grand. Since you’re moving some of your furniture, I assume there’s space for it. If a piano were old and beat up, or if it crowded the rest of the room, I would have second thoughts about staging with it. Good luck with your move!

A big room especially calls for big furniture. Like a piano! Photo by Jolin Collins.

Q: Most of my furniture is old. Not antique old, just inherited pieces that are middle-of-the-road quality. Some match and some don’t. Do you have ideas for making my home look more (how else can I say this?) expensive?

A: It’s a common situation. Here’s what I suggest.

Separate any matching sets of furniture. If you have pairs of matching nightstands or end tables or chairs, use the pairs in the same room, but break up anything like a 5-piece bedroom set.

Can some of your older pieces be painted to give them a more casual look? People used to live more formally, but today, people’s homes reflect a more fun approach to decorating, so painted pieces don’t carry the stigma they once did.

Third, I would find some noticeably contemporary accessories, like a sleek new lighting fixture, a Lucite tray, pillows showing off a trendy design, an abstract painting, or a fashionably padded headboard. These touches add a fresh, new feeling to the décor.

Finally, I would make sure that any nonessentials that look old-fashioned be kept out of sight. If your home is historic or a traditional Craftsman style or mid century modern ranch, and can support some retro touches, that’s one thing. But otherwise, old window treatments, obsolete electronics and dated small appliances make a home look stuck in time, or the property of people who don’t have money to spend on their home. People want to buy a pampered house.

What not to do: create a bedroom that looks like a furniture store ad. Boring!

Q: Where I live, people don’t stage their homes when it’s time to sell. It seems to be a practice more for cities and suburbs, not rural areas like where we are. Now that we’re getting ready to sell, I wanted to ask your opinion on staging my house. Won’t I look silly?

A: Let’s clarify one thing. A well-staged home does not look like it’s been fussed with. It looks like the home of people who are clean, organized, and financially comfortable.

I say, go ahead and stage your home to make it more attractive than the other homes that are for sale in your area. Make any repairs, clean and declutter everything, create a feeling of spaciousness, and you’re golden.

My opinion is that every home is staged, whether it’s intentional or not, on the market or not.

Youll find more answers to staging questions in my three $4.99 eBooks on DIY Home Staging, No-Sew Window Treatments, and Furniture Arranging.

Q A about Furniture RE Agents and Who Stages

DIY Project Overhead Garage Door Re Paint

Whether you like it or not, a street-facing, overhead garage door takes over a homes facade, forcing itself into the role of focal point.

The front of a typical double garage often takes up a third of the typical ranch homes face.

For this reason, if you have a garage door that needs attention it shouts that your whole home needs attention.

You may not be able to paint your homes siding yourself, but anyone can paint a garage door. And a new-looking garage door goes a long way to boost your curb appeal.

Ive painted many garage doors. This time I stood back and took photos while my dear Mr. Lucky painted a clients. Here is the step by step to help you do it yourself.

Theres a right way and a wrong way to DIY a garage door repaint.

The wrong way takes hours, makes a mess of splatters on the concrete, and leaves gaps of old paint color at the ends of the panels when the door is opened. Here is the right way.

As with all DIY projects, having the right tools and supplies is the first step to getting good results with the least effort. So, gather these materials.

Exterior paint
A clean 1-gallon work bucket.
3-inch latex brush
Stir stick
Sanding sponge
Old brush for dusting
Rags
Dropcloth
Step stool
5-in-1 tool or paint can opener

How Much Paint?

The amount of paint youll need depends on a few factors. An aluminum door (most today are aluminum) will need less paint than a wooden door. If you are repainting the same color, youll need less paint than if you are drastically changing the color. And, of course, if the garage is a single, youll need less paint than a two car garage door needs. Whether you have glass panels in the door, or not, isnt really a factor.

So, unless you are painting a single car garage door the same color, I would suggest that you buy a gallon of paint rather than a quart. When you buy a gallon, its like getting a quart free because of the price break. Youre likely to find other uses for the paint. You might want to freshen your exterior trim if it is the same color, some shutters, a planter or window box, or some outdoor furniture.

Painting an overhead garage door is a whole lot easier than painting a front door. But some of the same cautions apply: Choose a windless day thats not too hot or too cold, and when you can work without distractions and interruptions. (Moms of young ones, take heart. In the time it takes a toddler to have his afternoon nap, you should be able to start and finish.)

Ever notice that hanging pull on your garage ceiling? If you tug the red handle,
youll disengage the electric opener. Thats what you want. Now youre ready to
move the garage door up and down manually from outside.

Inevitably, the garage door will have dust, dirt, cobwebs, and oxidized paint , so youll want to
clean it. Easiest way is to take a sanding block to the entire door.
Push the door up and down manually to quickly go over the whole surface.
Pay attention to the gasket on the bottom edge so no dirt gets in your paint.
Remember that youre not painting an interior piece of fine furniture,
so the surface doesnt have to be perfect.

Use an old paintbrush or a rag to get rid of dust and dirt stirred up my your sanding.

Then place a large dropcloth under the partly raised the door
to protect both the driveway and garage floor.

Use your stir stick to stir the paint, even if it was shaken at the paint store.
Pour only a quart into a clean work bucket, like an empty paint can.
Wipe the lip of the original can, replace the lid tightly, and set it out of the way.

Begin brushing the door at the bottom. Move the door up manually
so you are not stooping over to paint. Do not paint the gasket on the bottom edge
unless it was painted previously and needs a repaint.

Paint just one lengthwise hinged panel at time. Paint the extreme ends of the panels
as best you can. If you plan to paint the trim surrounding the door,
you dont have to be fussy about keeping paint off the trim.

Its easier to paint the extreme ends of the panels when they are at the very top

of the door opening, as above. Youll have to reach up or use the step stool to paint the them.

When the panel youve finished is at the top of the opening, paint the edges of

both the upper and lower panels, the "lips" where they meet.
Since this area does not receive much direct sun or weather,
its not necessary to go heavy with the paint, so do not load your brush.

When you get to the top panel, make sure the drop cloth covers the ground
before lowering the door. Use a step stool to stand on rather than stretching to
reach the top panel. Check the entire door for runs, drips, and misses.

Nows the time to paint the trim around the door. This homeowner chose to have the
siding, the trim and the overhead door all the same color. Its a contemporary, no-nonsense look
that is fine for modern homes.
Next week well spray her brick foundation white, and brush the siding grey.

The finished door looks like new. Painting the door took about an hour.
If your door needs two coats for good covereage,
you could put on a second coat the same day if the first coat is
thoroughly dry. Or just wait until the next good painting day.

Would you refresh your own overhead garage door with paint? There are plenty of simple staging tricks and secrets that are even simpler than this in my home staging pdf. Put your home to work for you! For just $4.99 you can download my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar right now and begin making your home the one that real estate buyers want!

DIY Project Overhead Garage Door Re Paint

Front Door Re Paint Six Steps to Choose a Color

Thinking of changing your front door color? Confused about the choices? There’s only a bazillion possibilities! Let’s take it one step at a time.

Look at Your Siding Color

Typically, your house siding is the resting spot for eyes, whether it is wood, vinyl, brick, stucco, cement board, stone, or some combination. Your front door should punctuate that space and be the focal point of your home, inviting people to approach. For a cohesive look that still attracts attention, choose a door color that has the same undertones as your siding. The undertones can be muddy, or clear or tints of yellow, grey, blue, red, or green.

If youre having trouble coordinating colors, talk to an experienced salesperson at a paint store (not a big box store). He can help harmonize colors for you based on what is recommended by the color experts at the companys corporate headquarters. A trained sales clerk can tell you the undertones because stores have the pigment formulas.

Match the Style of Your Home

If your home is a charming cottage, go with a cheerful color like pale yellow or a mid-tone blue. If you own a brick home, stay with colors that don’t emphasize the orange tones, such as muted a green like the one shown above, or a warm grey. If you have a classically restored ranch, a Victorian, a Williamsburg-style, or a Craftsman home, stay true to the palettes that are historically correct.

Pick up one of bricks cool tones for a door. This Old House photo.

Go Bold, Not Crazy

Picture a realtor bringing her clients to your front door. There are those few seconds as the door is being unlocked. Expectations are high. This is your chance to set the tone.

The most popular colors for doors are dark greens and olive greens, classic black, burgundy reds, all shades of grey, navy blues or aubergine, along with yellows and creamy whites.

When you move to your next home, you can go nuts with that taxi cab yellow or neon pink, but I advise sticking to front door colors anyone could love, just the way you do with interior colors when you are staging.

Check Your Entryway

When guests (and prospective home buyers) enter your home through the front door, the first room they see is the entry. Whether it’s a tiny foyer, a grand staircase, or your whole studio apartment, the interior color should talk to the exterior color. They shouldn’t match, but they shouldn’t clash.

Your home will seem bigger and more intentionally put together when there is a sense of flow. Big is good in the eyes of buyers.

This blue is in the same family as the siding. This Old House Photo.

Study Your Neighborhood

I always suggest that people follow local traditions when staging their homes. It’s an opportunity to cash in on the appeal of local flavor, which is especially attractive to people house hunting because they are relocating from another area of the country. Why try to look like a Nantucket cottage if you live in the desert, or imitate an Iowa farmhouse if you live in New Orleans?

Ideally, you’ll strike a happy balance between fitting in and standing out. Pick a color that is not identical to the homes immediately surrounding yours. If your home is not in sight of neighboring houses, you have more leeway. Remember that people are more comfortable buying a home from people they feel simpatico with, people they want to be like.

So, don’t be the crazy lady with the multicolored front door. Sure, show some style, but don’t narrow your market.

Stick to a Simple Palette

Choose a color that is not the same as the siding, trim, shutters, foundation, roof, steps, lattice, or window boxes. Consider your siding as color number one – the largest block of color. Color number two will be your roof, which should harmonize with your siding. Color three is your trim. Color four is your door.

If you have shutters or other details, they should relate to one of these colors, a lighter or darker shade of the door, the trim, the roof, or the siding.

Is a red door for you? See what Maria Killam says.

Let Me Just Add...

Did you know that some new (and even some not-so-new) homes still have just primer on the doors? Builders can, either through frugality or negligence, leave side doors and back doors without anything more than a factory prime. Often these doors are grey, but they can be white. Do any of your doors look like they received only a quick spray at the factory? Are they showing wear around the edges and knob? It’s time for a coat of paint. Side doors and back doors can match siding or trim. They should not be the same color as the front door.

If you have a storm or screen door, painting it to match the front door is one possibility that has worked for some. Others remove the storm or screen door while the home is on the market, for a cleaner look.

If you live where your neighborhood association or HOA dictates or limits your color selection, make the best of it by keeping your door in excellent repair and clean. That includes the area around your doorway. Cobwebs and debris seem to find a way to accumulate there overnight. Make sure you have something seasonal to dress up the area and to make the entrance feel fresh and friendly.

Don’t plant flowers or shrubs that will fight for attention with your front door. Keep it simple and make the door the magnet that draws buyers.


Dont ignore brown, white or grey as possible colors. House and Home Photo.

If you own a home with vinyl siding and you and everyone else hates the color, it can be painted. There are paints formulated just for vinyl. I once knew a spec home that was sided with sky blue vinyl. It sat on the market for two years. Finally the desperate builder had the siding repainted a warm, light yellow. The house sold in a matter of weeks. Along the same lines, I once owned a home with aluminum siding that had dulled over time. I was able to brush on a new coat of paint in a fresh color that brought it back to life. Although most people consider vinyl and aluminum siding a plus because it is low maintenance and painting it will require a repaint in years ahead, you might decide painting is necessary to attract a buyer.

Avoid high gloss paint finishes. A low-luster stain or semi-gloss will wear well and hide any imperfections. If you are sold on a glossy door, your door should be in prime condition.

If you want an inclusive, fun post about paint colors in American history, I recommend reading what Joe Davis writes.

Your front door is the centerpiece of that all-important view from the street. Painting it yourself is an economical and simple improvement. These guidelines should help you decide on the perfect color. For more tips on boosting your homes value for the real estate market, read my $4.99 eBooks.

Top photo: National Builders Supply.

Front Door Re Paint Six Steps to Choose a Color