Tag: Boards

by Eldon Kartchner on 0

New Floors In the Fall

We need to discuss a few flooring considerations that are fairly important right now. And by right now, I mean… well… right now. Because on one hand, I could try to convince you that the fall is the right time to think seriously about redoing, refinishing, revamping, or replacing any number of flooring spaces in your home. That should actually makes sense – it’s almost the holidays, kids are in school already for the construction time you’ll need, and you’ve been wanting a few new punches of beauty and comfort in your home anyway. Plus, as everybody starts showing up for the big family gatherings in the next few months, you’ll be proud to tell them all to leave their shoes at the door!

But on the OTHER hand, you need to consider flooring options right now, not just because of all those brilliant reasons, but because everybody else is already considering flooring, too. I am Not. Joking. Around. Two years ago at the end of October I sauntered on in to The Home Depot to discuss new upstairs carpeting, and new entry-way tile; both items I wanted to have installed within the month. As it turns out, pretty much everybody the whole town over wanted the same thing – and all of it HAD to be done before Thanksgiving!

Now, mind you, the friendly folks in Home Depot flooring were nothing short of miraculous, and they seriously worked to make it happen. But the scheduling was tiiiiight, and you do NOT want to miss out on showing off your new gorgeous under-foot amazingness to Aunt Meriweather.

Plus, fall is the time for new flooring, because so many new options are pouring in to the Home Depot. If you’re a bargain shopper, this means loads of great clearance pricing on wood and tile, but also the new innovative and modern products are stocking the shelves right now. Here’s a few to consider…

There are new thin tiles that display beautiful stone or wood, and simply require a click-together and lay-it-down kind of installation. It can go right smack on top of the floor you’ve already got! I fell so in love with this white marble, I had to order some up for my laundry room. And speaking of crazy easy instillation, were you also aware that the Home Depot now carries thin vinyl tiles that can be set down like stone or ceramic, and grouted?!

Of course, in order to make sure the colors and textures match my home and design intentions, I wanted to buy a few samples to take home. But not at The Home Depot! Oooooh no – they just want to GIVE you samples for free! Sitting right there with the products you’ll find exact small samples of all their gorgeous flooring products, or sample boards they’ll let you check out and take home with a smile. Of course, the boards ARE kind of like a library book you need to return, which is OK, since you won’t forget them in your school backpack. (I think I owe back school library fees upwards of about a million bucks.)

And don’t get me started on carpet, because I’m kind of a lover of all things soft under my tosies. At the Home Depot you’ll find an incredible selection of ready-to-install in stock carpets, several incredibly well priced quick-ship options, and any other variety you could possibly think up. They carry more colors than I would put in my surprisingly neutral house, but also enough variations on shades of taupe to make a picky little selector like me quite happy. Plus, their competitively priced high shag carpets (my absolute favorite and the pick I ultimately went with) can be installed this fall starting at $37. But only if you get on it NOW!

It’s the time people. Refurbish those floors. Get new freshness to walk on! Or for the simplest and fastest kick of all, dive into the very impressive and supremely competitively priced isle of rugs hanging up over in the flooring section. I picked up a soft but practical indoor/outdoor rug for under my table in the kitchen. Next up is finding the right spot for THIS fluffy wonder; my daughter informed me that this run was so nice she fell asleep standing next to it just hanging there. I’m not even making that up.

It’s the right time to do flooring improvements; they increase home value, and severely impact your complete sense of happiness as you tip toe around in these freshly brisk coming months.

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An In expensive Display Board For A Leisure Painter’s Group
by David Burgess on 0

An In expensive Display Board For A Leisure Painter’s Group

Why Does An Art Group Need Display Boards.

Do you belong to an art group looking for inexpensive and usable exhibition venues?
Have you thought about making your own display boards to help ease your problems with hanging paintings or craft pieces?
Your own display board can really help to solve the problem of where, and how, a group can hold exhibitions. The greater the choice of venue, the more choice there is for dates and arranging things becomes so much easier. This in turn can lead to saving money, important but especially so for a small group of leisure painters.

The Knowle Art Group is just such a group, we had been running into difficulties deciding where to hold our exhibitions.
The usual local libraries, etc, were getting to be too expensive. The less expensive halls to hire usually meant that there was no where to hang our paintings. They did not cater for groups like ours, wanting to hold an art exhibition. It was possible to hire display boards but again the cost was prohibitive.

The solution was going to be do-it-yourself display boards which we could stand on available tables. The idea came to us after exhibiting in an old Manor House where of course we couldn’t knock anything into the walls and the combined cost renting the room and hiring display boards was too much for us. The original idea was to construct a framework out of rough wooden poles. It worked well in the ancient property but couldn’t be used in other locations. After some thought the idea behind the display boards was arrived at. here is how the boards were made.

The Basic Idea

For Our Display Boards

The display boards were to be used by standing them on tables, which are always available at any hall or room for hire. This meant that they did not have to be large ( heavy and expensive) and waste the bottom two thirds of the available area. the tables could be covered with paper banqueting roll to give a professional appearance. We have since made some white table cloths as one of our members is a seamstress and this gets over the problem of the paper ripping at the slightest provocation.

The idea was quite simple, a board with two hinged side panels would be used to increase the available area for hanging the paintings. In other words we got 50 % extra space compared to the length of the tables. This also had the benefit of giving us a stable configuration. The board was held in place by slotting into two wooden battens ( runners) which were provided with carefully placed slots. A final touch was to hold the rear of the board to the rear runner by using a single screw. This prevented the board from bowing out and again increased the stability.

The Display Boards Are Made From Three Simple Components

The Hinged Back And Two Battens
Here is a photo of the hinged back. The sides are half the width of the center portion so that when it is folded up they do not interfere with each other. Of course the board is stored and moved in the folded condition. The whole thing is painted white, which we felt was appropriate for an art exhibition.

This photo shows the two battens positioned roughly on the table, waiting for the board to be placed in the slots. The paintings around the wall are waiting to be hung. We always have a practice before the day we set up the exhibition so that we can arrange the paintings most efficiently and effectively. This photo was taken at one of these practice sessions which is why there is no tablecloth.

You can see the slots, in this detail photo. We did not have a jig for the ten boards that we made but simply placed the board on the battens and marked the position of the slots which was cut with a saw and widened with a file. The slots are cut about two thirds of the way into the batten to allow the small bolt at the rear to go through the board and through the batten.

The measurements of the boards were to suit , but I will be creating an outline sketch of the three components which will be added to the lens very shortly

A Few More Paintings Waiting Their Turn

This is the first step in arranging the paintings, we put out ten tables (one for each board) and roughly decide which paintings will go on which board. We tend to theme each board; water, mountains, figure, animals, boats,etc. Not really necessary but it gives a great show for the public.

Hanging The Paintings On The Boards

Another Little Secret, Sschhh!!
The way we hang paintnigs on the boards is quite simple. We use brass hooks over the top of the board which support brass chains. For larger paintings, a pair of hooks/chains makes a very stable combination.

Having roughly positioned the paintings on the tables, we can then carefully hang them on the display boards.

The paintings are of course numbered for the catalogue and this identification is used to position them easily on the morning of the actual exhibition opening. And voila, a very professional display at a very inexpensive rate. Once made the boards can be used year after year, with just a new coat of paint.

The Final Outcome

One of Our Exhibitions
Here you can see how the boards can be arranged, and how we also press into service our painting easels for the very large paintings or to get a few more paintings on show.

The Boards Used In A Different Configuration

We Found A New Venue This Year
A view of the hall from above…. showing the boards arranged to take advantage of the natural lighting in the new venue. They also ensure that the visitor has to walk back around the paintings to get a second to the exit which means they get a second look.

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