My new dining room chairs rock slightly, until I sit in them. December 7, 2011   Subscribe December 7, 2011   Subscribe My new dining room chairs rock slightly, until I sit in them. This is the first house we’ve lived in that doesn’t have carpet. When we moved in, we put adhesive protector pads on the feet of all the furniture that rests directly on the wood floors. For larger, stationary pieces (i.e., the sofa, living room chair, media cabinet, etc.) the standard felt pads work fine. But we’ve always had an issue with the protectors staying put on the counter stools at the kitchen island. The stools get moved in and out several times a day and I’ve had to replace the felt pads at least four times. New pads start shifting out of place after only a few days. They attract dust bunnies to the bottom of the stools. I’m constantly cleaning adhesive residue off the floor under the island overhang. At one point, I decided to forego the pads all together because they were more work than they were worth.

But the kids like to tip the stools when they’re sitting on them (drives me bonkers) and it was leaving small dents in the floor. Steve did some googling and came across these flexi-felt covers. The presentation videos are super hokey but the concept was appealing. The flexi-felt cover is basically a small sleeve of clear, flexible plastic that grips around furniture feet. A quality felt pad on the bottom of the sleeve allows furniture to glide along floors without leaving scratches or dents. Out of desperation, we measured our stools (an essential step) and shelled out $35 for sixteen felt sleeve covers. It seemed like a lot of money but we realized we had spent as much – or more – on furniture pads that had failed over the past two years. When the felt covers arrived, Steve couldn’t get them on fast enough. I’ve never seen a grown man so excited about furniture pads. The process of putting the covers on, however, was NOT exciting. Even with the included installation tool, it took nearly forty-five minutes to put on all sixteen covers.

Our stool legs don’t taper perfectly (a section of the metal leg juts out just above the feet) so it was difficult to slide the tool out during installation. But once all covers were in place, we were surprised by their appearance and performance. Sure, we could have slipped cut tennis balls onto the stool legs but I wasn’t keen on the stools looking like geriatric walkers. bean bag chair pattern printableRubber cane tips would probably prevent dents and dings but, again, geriatric. buy tiffany chairs buyersNot to mention, they don’t glide easily. modern dining chairs vancouverThe transparent flexi-felt covers aren’t obnoxious looking at all. banquet chair covers with sashes

In fact, they’re barely noticeable. But the game changer? It’s been over a month since we installed the new covers and they haven’t budged. Steve and I are impressed. The pads come with a one-year warranty but the limitations are questionable. For instance, the warranty doesn’t cover “normal wear.” benefits of renting a chair in a salonAt any rate, we have no complaints so far and I’m curious to see how they hold up in the long run. used table and chairs in liverpoolI’ll keep you posted.hay about a chair coral red Do you use furniture pads? office chairs on cork floorHave you discovered any pads that stay put on frequently moved furniture?cane back chairs pinterest

FYI – This post is NOT sponsored in any way. Just sharing a non-geriatric furniture pad option that’s working for us so far. images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking ← Midcentury Modern Family Home Renovation What I Miss (and Don’t Miss) About Working Outside the Home → For more on Adirondack Chairs, see our original story. Our version of the Adirondack chair has come a long way from the early types that had flat backs and seats-and, we've added a matching table. Don't be intimidated by the curved slats and number of pieces in this project. Although there are a few angles and curves to cut, there's actually no fancy joinery --everything's held together with deck screws. We used cedar for these pieces because it stands up well to the elements, and it's available in the required 3/4- and 1-in. thicknesses. You could substitute pine if you plan to keep the chairs out of the weather. Step 1: Plans and Materials Step 2: Making the Seat Step 3: Assemble the Seat

Step 4: Arrange Slats Step 5: Attach Legs Step 6: Add the Back Step 7: Attach Back Rail Step 8: Align Slats Step 9: Secure Slats Step 10: Install the Arms Step 11: Attach Arms Step 12: Make the Table Step 13: Attach Stretchers Step 14: Space Slats Step 15: Attach Cleats to Base, Finish Finally, screw the base to the top cleats. Lightly sand the chair and table with 120-grit paper. Keep in mind, though, that cedar is a soft, oily wood that doesn't sand as well as pine or hardwood. You won't achieve the silky smooth surface that you'd expect on indoor furniture. We finished our pieces with Sikkens Cetol 1, 077 Cedar. First, wipe all the sanding dust from the wood, then apply a coat of finish with a natural-bristle brush. Allow each coat to dry for 24 hours before applying the next. Three coats should provide adequate protection from the elements.I kind of have been holding out on you guys.  I wanted to test this project a few times before I told you how life changing it was. 

It IS life changing and now you are in on the secret! Painting furniture has long been one of my favorite pastimes. It is always amazing to me how a little love can totally change a piece from horrifying to awe inspiring.  My go to technique has always been spray painting because every time I tried to paint with normal paint it was a HORRIBLE experience.  Now, I know that there are people that swear by good brushes, foam rollers, and Floetrol and I am sure that they work for some…but I have never been able to master the paint from a can technique…until now. First lets chat about the 3 most common problems when it comes to painting.Also the acronym for brush strokes is BS.  Just putting that out there.  Brush strokes happen when your paint dries before it has a chance to level.  The stiffer (I am just going to say it, and crappier) your brush the worse it is going to look.  Chip brushes are literally your worst nightmare when painting furniture.  But even with expensive brushes I have never been able to paint something brush stroke free.

Flashing is unevenness in a paint finish sheen.  It happens for a few reasons.  If you are using cheap paint,  especially cheap paint that has a high sheen, trying to get too much paint out of a roller,  not leaving a wet edge,  and rolling all willy nilly.  Flashing is extremely noticeable when light reflects off of a piece. White foam rollers are like a shifty teenager in a trench coat on the sidelines of the homecoming football game.  They are perfectly poised to ruin your crowning moment.   Also foam rollers=light texture.  Not enough to start over but FOR SURE enough to make you want to kick the dresser every time you walk by it. 3. Stickiness After Drying.  Have you guys ever been in contact with a piece of furniture that never fully cured?  It is eternally sticky to the touch.  This happened once to a piece that was in my Mother In Law’s house.  It was a four poster bed that was painted high gloss black and it was unusable because it was so sticky.  This can happen for a few reasons,  your paint could be crappy quality, there wasn’t adequate dry time between layers. 

It seems like the higher the sheen, the more you risk this being a factor.  Plain and simple, latex wall paint is not ideal for furniture. So do you want to know what the secret combo is for a perfect paint job? Sherwin Williams Pro Classic and a Mohair Roller.  I kid you not, you will never go back once you have tried this combo. Start by prepping you piece with a light sanding and a good cleaning.  (By light sanding i mean the way you would wipe down a wall) This is the most important part so listen and listen good.  Roll it on with only a few passes,  I am talking 3.  Don’t worry so much about coverage,  you can do more than one coat.   Just make sure that there aren’t any globby areas. Now put your roller down and walk away.  When the paint starts to dry and you mess with it, it is just a recipe for disaster and will always look worse when you are done. And then you will hate yourself.  This is a freshly rolled drawer vs. one that has had time to dry,  can you see how much the paint relaxes and evens out?