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Dominion Day

Question

I have an old small bookcase with small molded trim around the sides. The poor thing has been around and shows it. I plan to sand down the finish and do a rustic-y paint thing to it (I use it to hold art supplies so I want a look that will work with the once-in-a-while spills and drips). My question - there is a bite-sized chunk missing here and there in the molding parts (which I can't remove - have tried). I'd like to fill them to make the area look a bit less damaged (doesn't have to be perfect) before painting. What should I use? I've thought about paper clay, polymer clay, ....? The piece isn't precious so I have some room to experiment.

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I think MinWax makes a wood putty that works pretty well for such things. I think that just so it doesn't fall off in one big clump, I would be tempted to put SOME on first, to build up a layer, and once that has dried/cured or whatever, put enough to finish filling it in. Not seeing the piece makes it hard to give you any more specific direction than that.

RE: polymer clay - the kind that I tend to use (Sculpy or Super Sculpy) need to be boiled or baked, so I would really advise using them, because then you have to glue them on afterwards.

Anyway ... once you're done with the wood putty, maybe you should try a little primer over enough of the area to see whether you've built it up TOO much (then sand it down) or not enough (build it up more).

One little thought about a beaten-up finish that might work is that you could have your base coat be sort of a wood color, and then GENTLY paint your top coat over it, so that the nicked places will still that wood color showing through, instead of the chip-board color, as if you nicked them AFTER painting them and as if wood were showing through.

Thanks for the tips. I should have mentioned that the bookcase is wood with an old dark stain (but I can see light wood in the damaged section that seems to be just a touch below the surface(no pressboard or laminate finish). And the paint finish I'm planning on will be layers of bold color applied with a wood block to give it that streaky, layered over the years look (similar to a good old well used artist's palette). As I noted, the piece isn't anything precious or valuable so I'm thinking it is a good project to play with some ideas I've had. I'm also thinking of adding casters so it can move around a bit in my work area.

On a separate note, anyone know a good in-town source for large-scale but simplified polystyrene (or other non-wood) moldings by the foot?

For the molding: go to the hardware store and get yourself some Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty. Awesome stuff that's been around for years. A little bit goes a long way.... I mix it in a paper cup and use sculptor's tools to apply and shape it (sometimes you have to do it in stages). Sanding is a cinch, it paints great, and lasts forever.

Oh Canada, my home and native land...

"Blame Canada!" (that crazy Oscars opening # a few years ago, spin on South Park movie, feat. Rob Lowe? i + cast of hundreds it seemed).
Here's to the Canadian HGTV/Fine Living offerings:
Sarah Richardson, mini-Martha fembot? of the Room Service show, her distinctive accent...
& the pretty/funny Designer Guys, Steven Sabados + Chris...with love from (orangered is dead, from here on we're Tess Junior aka thomas joseph of houseofswish.org, est. 1996, and Strange + Lovely Co. (left coast decorators' site opening soon) cheers, loves.

Hello, I trecked to NYC from Boston this weekend to check out the Mercer Dunes sofa at Room and Board. I loved it, the size (65 inch) shape and sit were perfect. The problem is that it is predicted to not be available in any non stock fabric until late October. Ugh. I really need my sofa in place before having guests in late August. Anyone have an experience with getting things earlier than predicted from Room and Board? If not, can anyone recommend a similar in size, shape and price sofa? I've searched everywhere to no avail. Thank you.

Room and Board is one of the better companies for delivery times, and the time you were quoted is not unreasonable, custom fabric-wise. I'm sure they told you that in-stock fabric would be faster? Try Crate & Barrel, and stick to their in-stock/recommended fabrics.

Or learn to love R&B's Dunes-in-stock fabric. It can't be that off-track, can it?

This is another are wher Design WIthin Reach earns its "within Reach" moniker... typically, their deliveries are much quicker.

Try also Mitchell Gold.

I was reading an interview with the Mitchell Gold folks, and it seemed to be all about how quick delivery was one of their main things.

Thanks, I spoke with Room and Board and they're going to speak with the vendor about the potential to move it along quicker, they said the interest in the stock color has been very loq (celery-yuck) and that they have had to pull designs from this vendor due to time issues. We'll see, any other reccs are appreciated :)