FINISHES
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DIY paint projects are oftentimes the best place to hone your home maintenance and renovation skills. Beginners can f...
It’s possible to use just about any sander for hardwood floors, but some can involve a long, laborious, and uncomfort...
Q: I am reviving an old oak floor, and polyurethane seems like an attractive, hard-wearing finish. However, I’m findi...
Wood is susceptible to mold, mildew, and rot if it is left exposed to rain, sleek, snow, and other moisture. Addition...
Hardwood floors add beauty and value to a home, but they’re expensive and can be hard to maintain with both low and h...
Those who have tried to resurface a cabinet or old piece of furniture probably remember that roughing up the surface ...
Hardwood floor refinishing and sanding is unforgiving work. Make a mistake, and it will show. However, a refinished f...
Homeowners used to think of concrete as strictly utilitarian stuff, resorted to only when a better-looking material w...
For lots of folks, the deck is a place to make memories: relaxing, socializing, just enjoying life. But the elements ...
Whether adding privacy to a yard, accenting the garden, or keeping pets contained, fences can be the finishing touch ...
Wood stain is a paint-like product comprised of colorant dissolved or suspended in a solvent or other medium. It’s us...
What’s black and cool and red hot all over—in appliance showrooms and up-to-the-minute kitchens and laundry rooms? It...
Harsh UV rays, battering rain, and temperature extremes can take a toll on a wood deck, leaving it faded and dull. St...
Whether you’re ready to build a new wood deck, furniture, or wood wall paneling—or aim to spruce up existing ones—you...
Q: My childhood dresser is beautiful but the wood stain looks faded. I’d love to update it with fresh paint and new h...
In contrast to a regular paint job, whitewashing brightens the look of wood surfaces while allowing their natural gra...
You finally decided on the perfect hardwood for your floors—whether that's a deep, rich walnut, a warm cherry wood, o...
Choosing wood for its natural beauty, depth, and glow over furniture that's made of manmade materials is an easy deci...
If you’ve ever admired the extraordinarily glossy finish on an antique piece of wooden furniture or a wooden instrume...
The age-old surface treatment of Venetian plaster is making a comeback in modern homes. Mostly used on interior wall...
When it’s time to finish a wood-based project, your options tend to seem at one end of the spectrum or the other: cho...
When debating whether to stain or paint an old piece of wood furniture, consider this third, often overlooked alterna...
A coat of latex paint will add color to plain wood furniture—but not much else. To really beat the blahs, consider tr...
Stucco is a particularly popular exterior finish for homes in the Southwest, but it can also be found texturing inter...
This post has been brought to you by Hyde Tools. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila. com. If you’ve ever fin...
Hardwood flooring offers rich, warm, timeless beauty, and can even favorably affect the resale value of your home. Wi...
A coat of durable wood finish on your hardwood floors, fine furniture, and outdoor decking can mean the difference be...
Of all the reasons to appreciate solid wood cabinets, there may be none more appealing than their virtually endless c...
This DIY has a bit of a backstory: In my basement workshop—as a byproduct of about a half dozen previous projects—I'd...
Hold on a second! Don't get rid of that old wooden dresser just yet. Give it a second look, and this time try to see ...
I am living in Spain and redoing an old house in the country. I'd like some of the floors to be polished concrete. C...
You can paint over existing interior wood finishes, if you take the proper steps first. Here's how. To paint over a ...
Everyone knows that milk does a body good. But were you aware that milk also works wonders for walls and furniture? Y...
Learning how to texture walls does more than transform boring-to-look-at surfaces into pitted, peaked, and otherwise ...
If you're overcome by ennui at the sight of your space, a simple faux finish on a surface or accent piece might be just the touch to perk you right up! Here are 9...
Here is a helpful tip if you are thinking of staining some cedar shingles. To protect new shingles, apply a penetra...
A durable finish for woodworking pieces, furniture, and flooring, varnish beautifies wood and protects it from scratc...
This post has been brought to you by Thompson's WaterSeal. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila. com. Choose ...
The process of staining furniture is intimidating to many do-it-yourselfers, because special tools and chemicals are ...
The reasons for applying finishes to wood surfaces are several. One is to seal the wood, in order to prevent moisture...
Want to replace your vintage cast iron bathtub? You may be surprised that a comparable antique tub, or even a period-...
Varnish, lacquer, shellac and other clear coats are applied to protect wood furniture and flooring from scratches, sc...
Your kitchen gets a lot of use. So it doesn't take long to begin seeing signs of wear and tear on wood cabinets. Soon...
Recently my wife and I moved into a co-op. It’s kind of like a condo but with a few additional restrictions about wha...
Refinishing cabinets is one of the best ways to give your old, ho-hum kitchen a fresh new look, and it can make a big...
Photo and text excerpted from Marrakesh by Design by Maryam Montague (Artisan Books, 2012)Dyeing floors is different ...
A big farmer's porch will run the whole width of the house. Bob discusses the boiler, which will heat the domestic hot water, radiant floor heating, and hydro-air...
Bob talks with Robert Rainey of PJ Overhead Door as the new and improved garage door panels and tracks are installed on the Norwell home.
Bob goes over plans for the second floor with architect Gregory Rochlin and then joins carpenter Bob Ryley for meticulous demolition and disassembly work.
Bob tours the front vestibule, highlighting the beautiful stencil work done by artist Kim Sweet. He explains how small touches can bring back the feel of an 1890s...
Bob meets with faux-painting expert Kim Sweet, who is applying a gold parchment effect on the master bedroom walls. Bob tries his hand at applying some color.
Bob interviews Carlos Londono, a plastering contractor, who demonstrates how to apply a veneer coat of plaster over blue board.
Gam Danziger from Craftline Cabinets reviews the assembly of the contemporary Cherry kitchen cabinets being installed in the penthouse apartment.
Bob visits the Julia Wood House, home of the Falmouth, Massachusetts Historical Society, and takes a tour with Carolyn Power, the society's executive director.
Decorator Leslie Curtis joins Bob in the modern Colonial project house parlor to discuss the room's wall treatments.
Artisan Ken Forcier are applying the second "layer" of the stencil he's using to decorate in the parlor of the modern Colonial.
Bob checks in with artist Polly Forcier (from MB Historic Decor) for an update on the decorative painting in the modern Colonial project home.
Decorator B. Smith paint a lavender stripe pattern on a bedroom wall.
John Galvin is applying veneer plaster to the walls along the stairway.
Bob looks at the old doors, then meets with local artist Elaine Havaland, who demonstrates a faux-finishing technique.
In the second Elmwood project house, a Colonial Revival, a new Kohler tub is installed, while homeowner Pat Simons, a ceramic artists, creates a tile mural.
The second home in the Elmwood project, a Colonial Revival, is complete, after the second-floor bathroom gets a new vanity, new doors for the laundry closet, and ...
Porch restoration continues on the fifth Elmwood project house, with Forester Moulding and Lumber re-milling many porch elements.
Homer Earl (from the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau) explains what makes a quality shingle. The group takes a look at Sikkens Cetol shingle stain products, and Bo...
Cabinetry and countertops are brought in for this attic conversion project, and fiber-optic lighting is installed.
Bob takes a final tour of this unique third floor remodel and talks to the owners about their eclectic taste.
Bob and homeowner Gavin repair and refinish a 75-year-old oak floor. Because the new patch floor panels have a different thickness from the original, a belt sande...
Bob meets with Rick and Martha Snyder to see how they faux-finish an antique door in such a way that reproduces the original look.
Bob tours the cabin with the interior designer, Robyn Peterson. Under Robyn's direction, the mantle has been painted with a faux birch bark look, and the furnitur...
Bob helps painting contractor Milo Moran roll solid stain over the yellow pine plywood walls on the boat storage side of the garage. Though not often applied insi...
Bob confers with artist Margo Datz about decorative striping and stenciling in the master bedroom. She demonstrates for Bob how to add a stencil pattern to painte...
Painter Gary Halzel is putting the finishing touches on the master bedroom walls using a rag-rolling technique.
A plate rack for the dining room is built from scratch and is finished with a faux-antique paint job.
Artisan Terry Maiche demonstrates two inexpensive ways to dress up a floor with paint: spattering and stenciling.
Contractor Tom Forest repairs a hump in the dining room floor, then revives the floor’s maple finish.
General contractor Ron Gan assembles an unusual “sail-wire” stair railing and decorator Christine Smyth rag-paints a basement wall.
Bob meets with the painters giving a unique faux finish to the feature wall.
Bob walks through the remainder of the renovation, admiring the details and faux-finish painting that continues through the kitchen, living room and dining room.
Bob helps general contractor Tim Berky put a solid-core cherry-veneer door on its bronze butt hinges, and install matching door hardware.