James Connelly works at Masterpieces Studio in Toronto where they do some impressive things with paint, putty and special plasters and cement coatings. But since they opened their finishing school, they've also been teaching some of the secrets to the public.We followed James through the convers...
Often door and window hardware has special brass or antique finishes on it. When you spill some latex paint on it and don't get it wiped up right away, or it has been painted over time and again, stripping off the paint can be touchy because if you are trying to restore it to its original condit...
It is fascinating to compare tools from one epic to another, even in the field of house work.Here are two clothes irons. The one on the left is a heavy block of metal that would be heated up on a wood stove. The handle popped off, to keep it cool, and to switch between two irons, one you are us...
In this TV segment we took a look at the changes in hammers over the years. If you are one of those who still prefer the wooden handle, take a look at the photo to see how to put the wedges in properly. Not too much pressure sidewise against the thin walls of the hammer. In fact the wedge in t...
In this TV show we took a look at how product changes has taken sink plumbing from an art to a simple DIY task.The original steel pipes were cut and threaded to exact lengths with just no room for error. This required not only skill, but large cutters and threaders. When we moved to copper pi...
Paul Ferro has made a business of making new things look old, and he shows us how in his ARCANE shop in Toronto..It was interesting to see how he made a finish appear worn with the years. He applied the finish, let it dry, and then carefully sanded it down where normal use would wear it off, lik...
When Heritage Window Restoration becomes
an energy efficient & cost effective
alternative to new windows
Most of us who have worked in older neighbourhoods have at one time or another thought about or dabbled in restoring old building components rather than ripping out and installing new...
Whether you still have some of those old storm windows, or have single glazed windows used as decorative dividers between rooms inside the house, you may need to know how to work with window putty.
REMIVING OLD WINDOW PUTTY
In ancient history, the old putty was generally removed with a carpe...
Copper, left to the elements, even indoors, will eventually tarnish. It will turn a bit black, perhaps streaked and then although it may take as long as 15 years, it eventually turns that beautiful green that we see on church roofs. If you are trying to keep a copper mailbox or decoration in good...
Petra from Mississauga Ontario has small pocket holes in her brick mortar that is only a few years old. These are not the weep holes that she knows should be there, but just little holes probably caused by air pockets during construction. How to fill them?
The easiest way to deal with very small...
