Mythbusters - How do I remove tape marks from furniture?

If you have children, I'm sure you've experienced the joy of seeing your favorite antique furniture covered in Hello Kitty or Cars stickers.

Trust me, I feel your pain.

Sometimes my kids get a hold of Scotch tape or even Duct tape and stick it just about anywhere.

So - what happens when you don't catch this infraction until it's too late?  You've pulled the tape off an now there is the residue stuck to your wood furniture and you really don't feel like refinishing it?

Well, follow me as I try out some of the methods stated in other blogs..

Reference guide: Tips and Tricks to Remove Tape Marks from Wood Floors and Furniture

I will attempt to confirm/bust three of the claims within this article:

1. Three common household products are mineral oil, vegetable oil, baby oil, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil and olive oil. Each of these products remove tape residue with minimal effort.
2. Other household items that remove tape marks by rubbing them over the residue [:] petroleum jelly, toothpaste...
3. Baking soda is another product that works well to remove tape marks.  Make a baking soda paste from two tablespoons of baking soda and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of water. 

Let's try it out and see.

1. Olive oil 
   
   .  
   

   

   Olive Oil

   
   
   
   This does not work.  Check out before and after shots:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Petroleum jelly
   
   
   
   

   

   Petroleum Jelly

   
   Although it made the piece very slippery - it did not remove any adhesive at all
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Toothpaste
   
   
   
   .
   
   
   

   

   Toothpaste

   
   
   My dresser is now very minty smelling but still has tape residue on it.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Baking soda and water 

I figured the abrasive nature of baking soda would do the trick - and it did - however, it took a little bit of the finish off with it.. not so much that you'd notice but just use caution.  The major issue I have with the reference article is the ratio of baking soda to water is way off.

2 TBSP baking soda to 1/4 tsp water

I initially tried it with two TBSP baking soda and 1/4 tsp water.  This created a mixture that was extremely dry - just about like using plain baking soda.  It just made a huge mess when I tried to use it and didn't do a great job since most of it fell right off.

2 TBSP baking soda to 1/2 tsp water

 Next, I tried two TBSP baking soda and 1/2 tsp water.  This was slightly better but the mixture was still very dry and messy - and didn't cling to the wood long enough to be the abrasive agent.

Equal parts baking soda to water

 Finally, I went to about 2 TBSP baking soda to 2 TBSP water (equal parts) and created a slurry. This worked MUCH better and I was able to get all the tape residue off.  Don't get me wrong, there will definitely need to be some elbow grease put into this but you can remove it by yourself without resorting to harsh chemicals or goo be gone (note, I did try this stuff earlier on the drawer front and it made a mess plus stripped some of the finish off)

So there you have it.. best thing for removing tape residue is baking soda!  Has anyone else tried other methods?  Had other successes?  Let me know!

Before and After

Can you REALLY re-create Pinterest projects at home?

So, we've all done it.  

We've succumbed to  fever - spending countless hours surfing through images of beautiful hand made clothes, clever organizational ideas, stunning pictures of delicious baked goods and - especially in my case - the HOME DECOR section.

I've often thought to myself - can the products of these domestic goddesses actually be attainable by us mere mortals?

There are tons of hilarious articles of Pinterest failures (worth a glance) like these ones: 

Pinterest Failures - Pins

Huffington Post November 2012

but I wondered - can it be done?  Well, let's give it a try and see.

So I found this table on the domestic imperfection blog - I've had it pinned for about 2 years now.  I really loved the paisley pattern and the clever use of stain over paint.

Now, if you've seen my other posts, you know that I'm familiar with how to refinish wood surfaces so full disclosure dictates that I mention this advantage over the average amateur bear.

However, this is my first time taking on a project from one of my board pins so I'll walk you through it.

My husband proudly bought this antique table along with a horrible ergonomic chair (still in the "shop" in desperate need for re upholstery)  It was in rough shape and even at the $40 price tag, I thought it was too much for its condition.  Anyway, turns out that it was the easiest table I've ever refinished because frankly - it didn't have much of the original finish left on it anyway!

About 15 minutes with my Dewalt orbital sander (150 grit then 220 grit) and I was done.

 Next step, stencil.

Now, here is where I think we go wrong.

We see an inspiration photo and try to re-create it using different products and expect the same results. I was going to use the SAME product as in the original blog - so I chose a stencil from the same company - Cutting Edge Stencil Brocade No. 1 - it isn't an all-over stencil but I like it just the same (used it on my son's nursery wall as well)

Originally I was going to do a symmetrical pattern so I divided the table up in fours but once I got started, I liked the offset look better.

You just have to go with your gut on this and so I chose a pattern that was visually pleasing to me.

The key with stencilling is to use VERY little paint. It's hard to tell from the photo but you can actually see the wood grain through my paint.  Plus, it helps give it an antique/worn sort of look if it isn't so crisp and bright.

I went against my own advice by choosing a non-Minwax stain - however I love Circa 1850 products and knew this stain would work for me.  I also chose a dark stain (Dark Walnut 716) to make the stencil design pop.

I stained right over the design and the wood - using just a torn rag (actually an old crib sheet from my son's crib).  I did two coats of stain and later read that you shouldn't do multiple coats of stain since the second coat really can't be absorbed into the wood - oh well!

and VOILA - here is the finished product.  It's even cooler since this is a gate leg table so the design wraps around the piece when it's folded both ways (I'll take another photo and post that later)

I am actually extremely happy with how this turned out.. but you tell me.. can you REALLY re-create Pinterest projects at home?

How to repair furniture with damage from cat claws

So, as an owner/parent of cats in the past, I am well aware of the phenomenon that is "cat damage martyrdom".  This is the ultimate sacrifice of your beloved furniture to your non-declawed cat's carnal desire to rip, shred, rend and attack various types of material.

In our case, it was our beautiful new leather dining chairs, the back of the sofa, rattan chair, carpet and yes, the underside of our bed's box spring (lovely to wake up to by the way).

This is something as pet owners that we just accept as part and parcel of our lives with our fuzzy children but it's understood that no one on earth will want to purchase or even own your defaced items.

Take exhibit A

Exhibit A: damage from cat claws

This person was giving away their once beautiful HOPEN dresser because it had been used primarily by - their cat.

This is the first time I'd seen this level of feline angst but indeed, he/she attacked each and every drawer with blinding precision.  The result being a pretty torn up set of drawers with (thankfully) a pristine claw/dent free top.

So - out came my trusty wood pencils and beeswax (as seen in photo) and I went to work.

It took a bit of time but I was able to create a wood pencil and wax slurry/mixture that I applied to each drawer face with a paper towel.  The wax mixed with the color from the wood pencil filled in all the holes/scrapes very handily to the point where you couldn't notice there were any imperfections.

The results were great - I was able to match the wood color and fill the holes.

repaired drawer

The end result was a very nice dresser with no perceptible damage - ready for the next pet owner! ;)


Summary

Purchased: $0 (given for free)
Modifications: $0 (all items on hand)
Sold: $120

Profit: $120

December...

So - how many people buy used furniture in December?

Not many.

Everyone is running around, trying to do last minute gift shopping.. saving their pennies for Snuggies and plasma TVs - so I only sold nine items in the whole of December.  I can't really say that this was a problem for me since I too was running around trying to prepare for the holidays.

I did have a nice situation where someone was giving away a FREE IKEA shoe rack/bench.. and I actually got it (shocker).. so this is free money to me essentially.

We re-assembled it properly, ran some beeswax over it and re-listed it for sale...

 I got a really low-ball offer from someone but I knew this was a really nice piece so I held firm.  He then tried to play coy with me and make me sweat it out a few days while he "considered" the situation.  By the time he came back in a few days time, I had already sold it to someone else... you vacillate - you lose?

Summary

Purchased: $0
Modifications: $0 
Sold: $65

Profit: $65

Birthday furniture!

Shout out to Rick - this post is for you...

So - November was a crazy productive month for me.. I had the crazy notion that I would give the weekly proceeds in November toward my husband's birthday present.. I wanted him to get an awesome gift so I ended up making a whopping $730 in one week!  Now, that did involve fixing up and selling some furniture that I already owned, but seriously - it was great - I think he spent it on electronics and video games.  It's really hard to pick a favorite item from November so I might cover a few of them.

First off... I went against my own advice and got a LARGE but FREE item... not sure if I mentioned this before but I tend to avoid trying for free items... people may think that's crazy and you can do really well with free items or dumpster diving but I find people** giving things away tend to be:

UN

• available
• reliable
• helpful

** with the exception of awesome Terri who gave me her prized antique desk for my own personal use which I love very much

I mean, think about it, they have no monetary/moral obligation to meet with you - sometimes won't return your e-mails or phone calls or even answer the door when you get there (at a pre-arrange date/time) so it's mostly going to be a waste of your time... less so if you actually speak to a human on the telephone but I digress.

So - this woman was giving away a complete Malm bedroom set at IKEA.. unassembled, missing some pieces but definitely workable.   We assembled it in our basement apartment, and took pictures... sold to a very nice couple - the husband who sells furnaces (I think I still have his card somewhere just in case)

We made out really well with this deal

Summary

Purchased: $0
Modifications: $0 
Sold: $230

Profit: $230

Why nobody buys furniture in the winter...

Oh my gosh - it's been so long - blogger has completed changed on me!!

Okay - I'll do my best to adjust to this... sorry that it's been ages since I did a post.. basically...Christmas happened, then it was yucky winter and no one likes to go out of their house (much less buy furniture) in the dead of winter so I took a little hiatus from selling furniture.  BUT - now the weather is nicer and things are picking up again.. I'll try and condense end of October to say January in the new few posts... ready?

I'll pick my favorite piece per month and discuss...

October brought me an antique dresser in aqua green/blue paint.  I loved the lines of this piece and new it had potential... it had lovely farm styling and barn boards on the top - nice rustic dings and dents.. what's not to love?

Summary

Purchased: $20
Modifications: had everything on hand, even reused the handles since I thought they were cool
Sold: $220

Profit: $200 (one of my best projects - sold to a lovely woman who loved it - I loved it too so I'm happy it went to a good home) :)

We (meaning I) stripped the piece, stained the top (along with the help of my wonderful sister-in-law Melanie) and painted the rest.  This dresser has a cool find in the bottom where they had replaced the bottom board with an old tin sign.. very cool.

How to create a good online classified ads - Do's and Don'ts

Okay - so this brings up another lesson.  The more info you can put about your item, the better off you will be.  These are things you should describe in a good on-line classifieds ad...

DO:

• A flowery description of your item.  Please do not put "table for sale" in your description... use lots of adjectives.. is it solid wood, say so.  large, small, elegant, dainty, solid, rustic, antique, well-cared for, heirloom.. anything that is appropriate.  If you aren't creative and your item is still for sale in stores, considering cutting and pasting the text from their website into your ad.
• The dimensions/size of your item
• The condition of your item (like new, excellent, very good, good, fair, etc.)
• Whether it is from a smoke and pet free home (I've even seen "child free home" - very interesting but adds value? :)
• LOTS of pictures.. more than you think is necessary.  Take pictures from all angles but don't focus on problem areas.  I'm not saying to hide defects, not at all but if there is a scratch/nick/whatever I will point it out in person.  This way, they still can reject the item but they are already mostly committed to buying your item by then.

example of a good ad:

DON'T:

• Take zero pictures - either you are lazy or have no idea how to use technology - either way it makes it difficult for me to buy from you.
• Take and post one crappy picture of your item
• Leave no e-mail address for contact... the telephone is for old people - seriously.. I want to text or e-mail you about transactions - if I have to call you - I'll pass.
• Try to sell something that you couldn't GIVE away - seriously, sometimes I want to e-mail posters and tell them not to bother. :)
• Re-list your item daily to get it to the top of the page.  Okay, this will work sometimes but if you do it every day for a week - I will consider turning you into the kijiji police.  I don't want to see your king sized duvet cover every minute of every day.
• Put in your post "I just want this gone" or "moving, desperate to sell"... have some dignity.. have some pride.  

example of a bad ad:

The Art of Haggling

Okay, so - I am a very shy person.

Really.

It's true.

One thing I hate the MOST is face-to-face haggling.. whether it be at a marketplace, with a salesmen, with a buyer.  Hate it.

I'm getting better at it but I still don't like it - especially when you are least expecting it.

I bought this Bombay company table as part of a multi-buy with a fireplace mantle (not sure WHAT I was thinking - stay tuned for that one).  This relates back to my earlier tips of

1. Buying multiple items from the same person
2. Noting WHERE they are currently storing their item (note the unfinished walls with insulation - bingo!!)

Anyway - I offered a paltry $40 for this item and the mantle..  so effectively $20 for this table.  I knew that they retail for about $180-200 (I know - say wha?) so I figured I could make a quick buck on this.  I listed it up and reduced since it wasn't selling.. I thought I had a buyer coming in at full price but she did the oldest trick in the book - the bait and switch!  Oh yes, I will most definitely buy this at $70.. then when she shows up.. she's like "oooh, it's smaller than I thought".  Okay, that made me a little mad since I make a point of putting the dimensions of all my items (this is going to spawn another post I think)  She was like "I'll give you $50 since it's so small"  

ugh.

I'm buggered here - hate this stuff.

me: $60

her: $50

$50?  I think to myself.. dang, this girl is a legit haggler and I am out of my depth.

me: $55

her: "um... ahhhh" (she circled and touches the table some more) "okay"

<groan>

She happily pays for the table, picks it up and leaves...  man!

Summary


Purchased: $20
Modifications: $0 (just buy low, sell high)
Sold: $55

Profit: $35 (because I suck at haggling)

Try to avoid HEAVY items

First, a big shout-out to all our Canadian Veterans today past and present... thanks for making this country and planet the way it is today.

So the next "lesson" is... try to avoid buying really heavy and hard-to-move items.  This will

1. make it hard for YOU to retrieve the item 
2. make it hard for your buyer to get it from you

I suppose if I was doing this professionally - I would have a pickup truck and offer delivery service.. but, I'm not and.. I don't.

Anyway - this very wealthy gentleman was selling his EQ3 dining table (imagine, condo overlooking the Rideau canal wealthy... okay, so if you're not from Ottawa - here is the view that this guy was waking up to in the morning)

He was originally asking $40 for his modern dining table (retails for $499) because it had a bubble in the wood on one of the legs.  Honestly, this guy was just thinking about turfing it into the garbage.. insane.

So, I took advantage of the situation - offered him $30 to pick it up within the hour and he said.... YES.

Poor Geordie went to go pick this up.. the ordeal lasted about 2 hours total.. trying to get this HUGE heavy piece of furniture from his condo, down the stairs, in and on top of our van and back home.

I would totally have kept this table - it was gorgeous - except it didn't fit in the space where I'd hoped to use it.  I didn't realize how MASSIVE 42 inches was? (no jokes please) :)  Anyway, I listed it up for $180 and had multiple buyers right away..  Now, here is where the lesson comes in.. the hardest part of this sale was not the marketing or finding the buyer - it was the moving of the item, in/out of the house AND finding someone with a truck to pick it up.  It took a couple of days to figure out the logistics with the buyer - they had a friend who had a truck, yadda yadda..  Anyway - finally - happy ending, they picked up the table, were thrilled with it..  Enjoy!

Summary


Purchased: $30
Modifications: $0
Sold: $180

Profit: $150

Find the cash cows

Cash cow

from wikipedia:

In business, a cash cow is a product or a business unit that generates unusually high profit margins: so high that it is responsible for a large amount of a company's operating profit. This profit far exceeds the amount necessary to maintain the cash cow business, and the excess is used by the business for other purposes.


What does this mean in the kijiji world?  Find the items that have a very high resale value even if used.  Everyone knows that certain car companies retain their value more than others - but only slight less well known is that some brands of furniture, baby equipment, clothing, etc. have similar reputations.  These reputations can translate into mondo cash in your pocket if you buy low and sell high.


One such cash cow for the reseller is any Chariot brand child carrier.. these are stroller and bike trailer combinations which also happen to be the most useful/practical/awesome product if you have children - FYI.  It is because of the durability of the product and the deserved brand reputation that these things retain their value for many many many years.

I was lucky enough to find someone selling their double Cabriolet CTS Chariot stroller for $50!  It was insane.. insane I tell you.. I knew these things sell for hundreds.. minimum.  This also happened to be the same make/model as my own Chariot for which I happened to have extra parts (bought a stroller kit with an extra handle, parking brake that I didn't need)  I feared the worst at $50 actually... but it was in near perfect condition except for a bit of mildew.  It also had no cover (or so they said).. oh well, still worth it I thought.. and brought it home.  I opened up the back of it -> and found, the rain cover!  BONUS!


SO - I kitted it out with my extra handle, parking brake and wheel and voila








I took loads of pictures.. under priced it slightly at $285 for a quick sale (since these things aren't small) and sold it within 2 days to a lovely woman... hope they have many years of use out of it. Interestingly enough, she was already a Chariot owner and was going to post up her older model Chariot for sale on kijiji... ah, the circle of life.

Summary


Purchased: $50
Modifications: $46.67 (the portion of the stroller kit that went toward this)
Sold: $280 (okay - so I didn't have change, she would have paid full price though - my bad)

Profit: $183.33


(best score so far - hope to do more like this!)

Assemble it and they will come.

Here is an easy one... this lesson fits in with

• Marketing your item appropriately
• Having enough time set aside to sell 
• Selling stuff once you move

Okay - so this guy is selling a table and six chairs for $200... It's actually a fair price if I was intending to keep the set, but I know that this guy has already failed the first three items mentioned above.. his pictures were crap (good for me - bad for him), he was moving (good for me - bad for him) and actually moved out of country while in the middle of the transaction (bad for both of us).  Also unfortunate for me was that he had completely disassembled the set.. nice to fit it in the car but not great since I was intending to re-market this set.

So - I assembled them (with the help of my father-in-law AND my hubby), filled holes/scrapes with putty, polished with beeswax and voila!  They looked REALLY good in the end.

Summary


Purchased: $120
Modifications: $0
Sold: $210

Profit: $90

Multi-item - Multi-money!

If you've read my earlier posts, you would know that buying multi-items is the way to go.  Not only do you save yourself time and gas to pickup from one location, you can make a killer deal on the purchase.  You can also make your own multi-item out of a single sale.

Case in point, I bought this - thinking I was getting a table and chair set.

but I when they got home, I saw this: (one of these things just doesn't belong here...)

I decided to just try and get rid of the chairs on their own, that same afternoon..  I listed them for $15 a piece or all for $50 and sold in one afternoon.  A neat $30 profit off the top.  This covered almost my entire cost of the table and chairs (purchased for $60 total)  Note - putting a "per item" cost as your ad cost is a GREAT way to get views/interest.. Seeing a picture of four chairs with a cost of $15 will draw people in like Boxing Day - then you hit them with the fine print.. $15 each.. but by then, they are probably have the adrenaline pumping and are hooked.

Unfortunately for me, the table was kind of in poor condition.. in retrospect, I should have not touched it and re-sold it for $50 or something but no.. I decided to refinish the top completely...

Here are some gratuitous pictures taken by my father in law of me refinishing the table.. stripped it, sanded it and stained it.. this is just mainly proof that

a) I exist

b) I do this stuff myself

Final product was a really nice dining table - pretty flawless top.  The lady who bought it seemed really happy... unfortunately I forgot to put a second coat of touch up paint on the bottom with the right sheen of paint (sorry lady wherever you are!)

Summary


Purchased: $60
Modifications: $3 (stripper) 
Sold: $190 ($50 for chairs and $140 for table)

Profit: $130

Don't spray paint furniture - it's not worth it.

 So - I bought this daybed thinking... oh - I totally like the way it looks and I can spray paint this and have it look fabulous.

WRONG

I bought about three cans of black spray paint, spent an entire afternoon covering every inch of this bed - probably three coats to get proper coverage and it came out looking like this:

Okay  - not bad in the end but it was a PAIN in the butt and cost me more to modify than I could reasonably ask for a piece of spray painted furniture.

I staged the bed with some pillows and a mattress I got for free (before you say ick - it was in really good shape - no worries)

I sold this to a nice gentlemen looking for a guest bed - he seemed happy with it but my $10 profit was my worst mistake yet.. it didn't cover the gas to pick it up nor certainly my many many hours of labor.  Alas, it could have been worse.. I could have lost $40, right?

Haven't lost money yet - knock on ... veneer? :)






Summary

Purchased: $30 (probably too much)
Modifications: $10
Sold: $50

Profit: $10

Week 5 - It's a hard way to make a livin'

 Week 5

Number of purchases: 2
Purchases: $60
Modifications: $0
Sales: $140

Profit: $80


Boo hiss... not a lot of money in week 5.  Granted, I only sold two items but still... it made me question whether or not this was worth while.. The following week, I kicked it into high gear to see exactly how profitable this thing could be.  I think you will be surprised at the results.. stay tuned!

Week 4 - Recap

Week 4

Number of purchases: 3
Purchases: $85
Modifications: $3.39
Sales: $245

Profit: $156.61


Another slow-ish week but had my biggest score/profit to that time.. making $110 on one piece had me starting to think bigger.. maybe doing $20 jobs isn't the way to make it in this business?

Have I created a monster?