How To Gild: Part 1: Your Kit

Welcome to our How To Gild series.

Heading towards Christmas is absolutely the right time to be thinking about gilding. Once you get the hang of it (and you will after you've read our instructive posts over the next few weeks), gilding is a gorgeous way to add festive touches to your home.

Just take a closer look at what we've done with these walnuts to demonstrate some of the different techniques that we'll be sharing with you. 

Aren't they beautiful?

Let's begin the series by looking at what you need to get started, before we move on to any detailed instruction.

Firstly, if you are going to gild any porous surface, you will need a barrier of some kind to act as a key. You can either use a fontenay base or emulsion, which can be used to give a wonderful range of decorative effects.

Next, you will need size, which is simply another name for the special glue used to stick down metal leaf. Our water-based acrylic size remains tacky indefinitely, giving you all the time in the world to get precisely the effect you want.

In your kit, you will also want a few different kinds of brushes. A large brush for applying the base, another for spreading the sticky size, and then a firmer gilding brush to be used specifically for tamping down delicate metal leaf.

There are various methods of gilding, which we're looking forward to covering in the coming posts, involving metal leaf....

varnishes.....

and gilt creams.....

which all come in various colours....

 and all produce slightly different effects.

The gilding products that we stock have all been tested by us. We are confident that they are the best on the market. As always, if you have any questions then please don't hesitate to contact us.

  

See you next week for our first How To Gild tutorial.....

Linking with:

Fingerprints ON the Fridge At The Picket Fence Romantic Home The Shabby Nest Frugalicious Friday Simply Designing Remodelaholic Chic on a Shoestring Common Ground's Vintage Inspiration Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

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The Perfect Fireplace Part 2

Although still mild, the weather this week has been noticably cooler, which leads us nicely onto Part 2 of How To Create Your Perfect Fireplace.

This week is all about seeking out accessories that conjure up images of fireside country bliss, toasting crumpets and sizzling chestnuts. That's the look we love. 

At Relics, we pride ourselves on sourcing well-made, good quality items: ones that have character but also a strong air of originality. We've picked out just two of our fireside accessories to show you what we mean. 

If you'd like a closer look then pop in to the shop, or contact us for more details.

A companion set is essential for keeping your hearth in tip-top condition. Our sets (this is the smaller size of two) come with a poker, tongs, shovel and brush.

 Not only useful for keeping everything looking beautiful, companion sets are a great way of introducing character to a modern home.

 

Our chunky wicker baskets have been a huge hit with our customers. This is our favourite for holding kindling and a few logs. The wicker is strong and sturdy, and has a gorgeous, slightly greyed finish.

One of the queries we frequently get asked at Relics, is how to add character to featureless properties. Decorative touches that are textured and traditional, such as these, are an easy way of doing just that.

Next week, we'll be starting a detailed tutorial series about gilding. Impeccably timed to lead us into the Christmas season.

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The Perfect Fireplace

Not many of us live in the houses of our dreams but we're here to show you how to create that dream-house feeling wherever you live.

Let's start with your fireplace. As we head into the darker months, a welcoming, warming focal point in the living room is a must and a fireplace provides the perfect opportunity for that.

This week and next, we'll be showing you our list of fireplace essentials, which we have sought out for you (those available online are linked to our Relics of Witney website).

There are few sights more heart-warming, at this time of year, than walking into a warm room, with a fire already blazing. However, leaving an unattended open fire free to crackle and pop onto your best carpet probably isn't the best idea so we suggest a fireguard: one which is both functional and beautiful. Our favourite, which you can admire here in these images, is extremely sturdy, sectioned by strong hinges into three parts, and forged from cast iron.

It has a scrolled pattern which provides much-needed focus when the fireplace is empty, but equally the mesh is delicate enough to be able to see the roaring flames when they are behind the guard.

We recommend Liberon Iron Paste for keeping iron looking pristine. It comes in a 250ml tin, and is suitable for all cast or wrought iron fire equipment.

If your ironwork is looking rather worse for wear then first clean with Liberon Rust Remover, and follow on by applying the Iron Paste with a small round brush.

The paste should be left for 24 hours to dry, then buffed with a grate brush, which is designed to quickly transform the dull, dried paste to a high sheen.

Now, when we're still having a few milder nights, is a good time to carry out this task, in time for next month, when fires all over England, will be blazing merrily.

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Ugly Radiators? You Need Our Gorgeous Radiator Cabinets....

Now that the nights are drawing in and the weather has left summer well and truly behind, it's time to turn our thoughts to heating our houses as beautifully as possible.

Yes, we need warmth. Yes, we need radiators. But please don't feel that you need to put up with this: the ugly radiator.

At Relics of Witney, we supply beautiful, well-made radiator covers, manufactured from sturdy MDF that doesn't warp or crack from heat or sudden temperature changes, and which are extremely good value for money.

Radiator cabinets create the perfect solution to a necessary eyesore: for example, by providing a stylish console table effect in a narrow hallway. Ours can be made to suit any tricky situation from small alcoves to large bay windows.

Thanks to their specially designed vents and plinths, they actually IMPROVE heat circulation from the radiator. The front grille panel is attached using strong magnetic catches that allow easy access to the radiator and valves.

The design process is extremely easy. You will be able to choose from a range of styles and grille pattern, from Classic, Ethnic or Contemporary, as well as determining the exact height and width, to produce a radiator cabinet that perfectly complements your home. We are, of course, more than happy to help if you would like any guidance through the process.

Your radiator cover will arrive flat-packed but we ensure that all difficult carpentry has been completed by this stage. All that is left to do is a very simple assembly job, using the bolts and screw fittings supplied, and then to paint in situ using the colour and finish of your choice. See our website for more information on the best way to paint your cabinet.

And, of course, to thoroughly enjoy the look of your new purchase.

Next week.....creating the perfect hearth.

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Our List of Trusted Trades People

One of the biggest stresses of being part of a renovation is trying to pick skilled workers. We're repeatedly asked in Relics who we recommend for various jobs. Our houses, rightly, mean so much and the thought of all our hard-earned cash being wasted on a rip-off merchant is painful.

Yes, there's the Yellow Pages, and various other directories that list local trades people but wouldn't it be great if there was a list that you could know was full of tried and trusted sources?

In Relics of Witney, we have years and years of experience of working with the very best of the best. Here is the pick of our favourites. These are people and companies that we have worked with over a long time, who we have found to be tirelessly hard-working, skilled and trustworthy.

Painters and Decorators

 

  

Steve Webb 07739 047012

Harris and Thompson 01608 811484

Cotswold Decorating Company 01993 832365

Neil Grey 01993 878524

Philip Hitchcox 01993 771532

Carpentry

George Fisher 07779 086534

Decorative Painting

Georgina Barrow 01451 861301

Handyman

N Randell 01993 868725

Garden Design

Hendy Curzon Gardens Ltd 01993 771522

We'll be adding this list to the tabs at the top of the Relics blog so you can find it easily.

With the clocks due to go back this weekend, we feel it's time to focus on creating a cosy and stylish home. Come back next week for our top tips for a warm winter....

Images via: Unknown, Relics, Unknown, House to Home, Unknown, Hendy Curzon

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Farrow and Ball Exterior Eggshell

We discussed last week that Farrow and Ball's Exterior Eggshell has at times been given some bad press but we feel unreasonably so.

As long as their products are used as designed, that is to say as a system paint, then they perform extremely well. Farrow and Ball Exterior Primer and Undercoat grips the untreated wood, or keyed paint surface, and the Exterior Eggshell sticks superbly to the Primer. 

And not only in the short term. These two products are designed to allow the other to move fluidly alongside the surface onto which they are painted. Wood, in particular, will shift and contract with changes in temperature, when left exposed to the weather, so these qualities are essential in any outside paint. 

Farrow and Ball Exterior Eggshell is water-based and is probably runnier than other Satin paints you may have used. Watch out for drips!

When painting on subsequent coats, be vigilant in covering every last inch of primer, particularly in cases like this where the undercoat is almost identical in colour to the top coat.

Take a closer look at the photo above. The peg on the right has been painted with Down Pipe, and the peg on the left has only been primed. It's extremely hard to tell the difference between the two, so work methodically from left to right and top to bottom to ensure that your boot rack is thoroughly protected from the elements.

We're confident that the combination of Farrow and Ball's Primer and Undercoat, coupled with their Exterior Eggshell is a duo that will stand the test of time. However, if you'd like more advice, or to chat over other options, then we're here to help.

Now, speaking of painting, wouldn't it be great to have a one-stop trusted source of local trades people? We think so.....come back next week to see what we're setting up....

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Farrow and Ball Exterior Primer and Undercoat

We're going to use a Farrow and Ball Exterior Primer and Undercoat as the first stage of protecting our oak wellington-boot rack from the elements. This, as the name implies, functions as both a primer AND an undercoat, saving you the cost of buying both separately.

Farrow and Ball often get bad press for their exterior finishes but we feel this is due to mistaken application, rather than the products themselves.

The Farrow and Ball Primer and Undercoat, and the Farrow and Ball Exterior Eggshell work together as a system paint.

Wood is often not kiln-dried as thoroughly as it used to be and so is regularly sold with some moisture left in. Farrow and Ball Paints are microporous. They allow that moisture OUT but don't allow outside moisture IN. The Primer and Undercoats AND the exterior eggshell are both microporous, so the two work together extremely effectively.

Problems will arise, however, if a non-microporous primer is used, and then Farrow and Ball Exterior Eggshell applied on top. The Farrow and Ball paint is extremely flexible and grips well, which usually creates a superb finish. However, if a non-microporous primer is used, these very qualities will work against it. The ability of the Farrow and Ball to shift with movement will cause any rigid primer to pull away from the wood.

If your exterior paint is peeling, we have a good test to see whether it is your primer that has failed, or your paint. All you need to do is to check the underside of any paint chips. If the underside is the colour of the primer then the primer has failed, but the paint has done its job and clung well to the primer. If there is no primer visible on the paint chip, then it is usually the paint that has failed, and the primer has clung to the surface as intended.

Farrow and Ball Undercoat and Primer sits beautifully on untreated wood, and will also sit well on old paint, as long as the paint has been sanded back to the point where it's not peeling.

However, it WON'T work well on any kind of exterior woodstain, such as Sadolin. If you have wood that has been treated in this way, then it would be better to use a primer such as Zinsser, and use a complementary paint like Little Greene, which are also available from Relics. 

Next week, we'll be looking at Farrow and Ball Exterior Eggshells.

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