apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Does anyone know a good (and reasonably priced) furniture refinisher in LA? I bought an old wood-veneer vanity that I'd like to have painted with white a satin-ish lacquer finish. If you have any advice for me doing it myself, I'd love to hear that too (ie. what kind of primer to use, what kind of paint would give a lacquer effect, etc.).

Thanks guys!

Aria

Can anyone recommend a storage company that will pick up my things (the contents of a studio apartment), pack them up, and take them away? I'm hoping to keep my things in storage for a year or two and then have them delivered to the east coast ... ideally without my having to return to LA to pack them up and ship them. Thanks!

Hi Aria,
I have the same question! I have a black wood veneer display case, and I really want a shiny white lacquer finish.

I painted a set of black wood veneer bookcases a shiny white, but used regular brush-on primer and shiny high gloss white paint from Home Depot. They do look bright, (and much better), but have some texture and don't have the lacquer finish I'd ideally like to see.

I found a tip on the internet to go to an auto paint shop and use spray paint. First primer, then high gloss shiny white, then the clear lacquer finish. I'm a little worried because this stuff is very toxic, and I'll have to coat my entire deck in plastic to actually do this project, but that's my plan for Labor Day weekend.

AngieT, I think the tip you read was to take the piece TO the autobody shop. You need the right paint and spray equipment to achieve that finish.

angiet,

i had my autobody shop finish a white credenza by my front door (click my name to go to my flickr page to see it) and it's amazing, easy to clean and everyone's favorite piece (mine too)

to do it yourself i'd suggest a high gloss black paint and a high gloss polyurethane but the finish won't be as clean and smooth.

i think there are instructions posted on domino on how to do it yourself.

Viola, you want PODS: http://www.pods.com/ I think there is another company that does this, but their name isn't as catchy so I can't remember it.

Abby,

The credenza looks terrific! I'm really jealous. I know your car guys did you a favor, but could you tell us approximately how much it costs to do that?

Also, what kind of shape was your credenza in before you had it painted? The vanity I'd like to paint has a few scratches and a dent in one place. I wonder if I would need to spackle before I gave it to the car guys...

Thanks for the tips!

Aria

Abby, your DIY moxy is amazing! All I ask is you get a better digital camera so we can see everything in better detail. You've got plenty of fans (including myself) who want to see everything you've done with higher clarity :)

I'm looking for a great, but reasonably priced, gardener in the Silverlake area. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance!

this month's Domino--anyone else enjoying it as much as me?
i always like a clothing designer/decorators tie-in theme, or this "haute-happy" tag, but have grown increasingly impressed with the magazine in general, its richer content....

Has anyone used sydney harbor paints in silver or gold?
I am thinking of doing one wall in my bedroom in their paint.

Would love to know if anyone has used them....

Thanks,

stacey

Thinking of getting a couch at Blueprint. I'm sure this has been asked before....but does has anybody had any problems with sofas purchased from there? The sofa in question is $900 vs the Crate and Barrel version for $1600. I'm just afraid of the horror stories (not necessarily blueprint sofas)- about 2 year old couches sagging due to weak bones/wood.

Is MDF "green"?

In a thread about the new BluDot desk yesterday, I was asking about whether the design, labor and materials justified the price. Wasn't trying to be critical--I was actually trying to understand. Anyways, someone raised an excellent point about companies like BluDot not being able to produce w/ same economies of scale than PB or Crate & Barrel, for example, which actually made a lot of sense to me. However, someone else suggested that this designer (or others at similar price points I gather) might be doing things in a more "green" fashion than other companies.

This leads me to my question--the desk is made of powder-coated steel and MDF. Is MDF considered a green material? Apologies if this has already been discussed on teh boards before, I can't find it.

MDF is made from wood waste, which is somewhat green by virtue of using waste.
http://www.merbok.com/mdfoverview/whatis.htm

If the maker uses conventional MDF, which involves resins that off-gas formaldehyde, that's less green, though concerns in that area may be exaggerated.
http://www.childrensfurniture.co.uk/mdf.html

It's possible that they use one of the non-formaldehyde MDFs, which would be more green. You'd need to ask them or look at their literature.
http://www.advancedbuildings.org/main_t_finishes_formaldehyde.htm

Here's an entire debate about the green-ness of MDF:
http://www.contractortalk.com/showthread.php?t=19079

Furniture manufacturers use MDF because it's cheap, it doesn't warp, and it's incredibly easy to mill to whatever shape you want. Pottery Barn and C&B both use it -- most mall-level furniture manufacturers do -- so it's not a unique competitive advantage to justify BluDot's pricing.

jp555101,

I have purchased a few items from Blueprint but ultimately wasn't that happy with them. The price was a big selling point but I found those Blueprint pieces to be the weak link in my decorating efforts and they were ultimately replaced. I think that the quality of the pieces probably varies a lot. Your sofa may be just fine. One thing to keep in mind is that a sofa will probably sit in your home for 10 years or more. Its not like electronics purchases which get swapped out every few years. Its a long term purchase. The price difference between Blueprint and Crate and Barrel comes out to about $6 a month over the (intended) life of the sofa. If you sense a quality difference in the two, its probably smarter to spend the extra. One other thing to keep in mind is that you will probably get a little more on the resale market (like craigslist) when it comes time to sell it because the Crate and Barrel sofa is from a popular national brand that people search. Thats my two cents.

Abby -

Looks great! I have been looking to get some wood pieces painted. Which autobody place did you use? How do they price something like this? Were the color choices limited or custom? Any info would be appreciated.

jp555101-

One other thing - it may pay to wait for the next big C&B sale which is usually right around the holidays and runs into early january. If you are not in a hurry, you might be able to save some bucks and get the sofa you want.