Comments for Living In Financial Excellence http://financialexcellence.net Normal is Broke and in Debt. Choose to be WEIRD. Be DEBT FREE! Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:20:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Hidden Treasures: An Easier Way to Restore Used Furniture by Miss Too Darn Happy http://financialexcellence.net/hidden-treasures/comment-page-1/#comment-8064 Miss Too Darn Happy Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:20:09 +0000 http://financialexcellence.net/?p=44487#comment-8064 Beth, If you do try this out, I'd love to hear how it goes. I was pretty surprised-and thrilled-that it lived up to the claims by the manufacturer (call me just a wee bit cynical! :-) ). I was so glad to find a product I could use indoors, especially since I have lived in so many old houses that have lovely wood door casings and moldings that have been painted over way too many times. Beth,
If you do try this out, I’d love to hear how it goes. I was pretty surprised-and thrilled-that it lived up to the claims by the manufacturer (call me just a wee bit cynical! :-) ). I was so glad to find a product I could use indoors, especially since I have lived in so many old houses that have lovely wood door casings and moldings that have been painted over way too many times.

]]> Comment on Hidden Treasures: An Easier Way to Restore Used Furniture by Beth http://financialexcellence.net/hidden-treasures/comment-page-1/#comment-8063 Beth Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:55:36 +0000 http://financialexcellence.net/?p=44487#comment-8063 I love to refinish furniture and bargain hunt, so this is a great tip, Kim! I'm so glad you stopped by my blog and we connected! :) I love to refinish furniture and bargain hunt, so this is a great tip, Kim! I’m so glad you stopped by my blog and we connected! :)

]]> Comment on Hidden Treasures: An Easier Way to Restore Used Furniture by Matt Wegner http://financialexcellence.net/hidden-treasures/comment-page-1/#comment-8062 Matt Wegner Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:09:56 +0000 http://financialexcellence.net/?p=44487#comment-8062 It's not all that hard to do, Thomas, but it does take some time and patience. If you don't have an idea what you're doing it might not turn out all that well either. I had a <a href="financialexcellence.net/why-i-wont-diy-again-behind-the-scenes/" title="My Bad DIY Experience" target="_blank">bad experience recently with a DIY project</a> - I kind of knew what I was doing but you'd never guess it by the way the project went. It’s not all that hard to do, Thomas, but it does take some time and patience. If you don’t have an idea what you’re doing it might not turn out all that well either. I had a bad experience recently with a DIY project – I kind of knew what I was doing but you’d never guess it by the way the project went.

]]> Comment on Hidden Treasures: An Easier Way to Restore Used Furniture by Thomas - Ways to Invest Money http://financialexcellence.net/hidden-treasures/comment-page-1/#comment-8061 Thomas - Ways to Invest Money Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:18:11 +0000 http://financialexcellence.net/?p=44487#comment-8061 I know nothing about restoring used furniture. The most I have ever done is stain wood. I tried sanding but that ended up being a lost cause. These seems simple enough but I would wager its something I wont end up trying. I know nothing about restoring used furniture. The most I have ever done is stain wood. I tried sanding but that ended up being a lost cause. These seems simple enough but I would wager its something I wont end up trying.
Thomas – Ways to Invest Money recently posted..8 Basic facets of business management

]]> Comment on Hidden Treasures: An Easier Way to Restore Used Furniture by Matt Wegner http://financialexcellence.net/hidden-treasures/comment-page-1/#comment-8060 Matt Wegner Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:55:50 +0000 http://financialexcellence.net/?p=44487#comment-8060 I was afraid you would say that Kim! I was afraid you would say that Kim!

]]> Comment on Hidden Treasures: An Easier Way to Restore Used Furniture by Miss Too Darn Happy http://financialexcellence.net/hidden-treasures/comment-page-1/#comment-8059 Miss Too Darn Happy Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:24:19 +0000 http://financialexcellence.net/?p=44487#comment-8059 Sorry, Matt, but I don't think so. Paint and topcoat tend to sit on top of the wood, whereas stain goes deep into the grain. I think your only option is to sand it out. There is wood bleach, but I have never used it. Certain products will "lift" the grain of the wood, so you no longer have a smooth surface. It will feel almost fuzzy, and I have never found it to be very attractive, and it can be difficult to achieve a good finish after that. Also, when you sand, you must be careful to be evenhanded. Think of wood as being a little similar to a sponge, as wood is porous. Hard uneven sanding will compact the grain in different areas, making it less porous. Your stain will then be blotchy when it is applied. You can always go with a darker stain, regular paint, or a milk paint finish, which creates a very antique-y look. I love milk paint, as it comes in a powder, and you can mix up however much you like. We used a lovely barn red on some really ugly dark pine kitchen cabinets, and then topcoated with a Minwax product that was water soluable for cleanup. http://milkpaint.com/prod.html Happy refinishing! Sorry, Matt, but I don’t think so. Paint and topcoat tend to sit on top of the wood, whereas stain goes deep into the grain. I think your only option is to sand it out. There is wood bleach, but I have never used it. Certain products will “lift” the grain of the wood, so you no longer have a smooth surface. It will feel almost fuzzy, and I have never found it to be very attractive, and it can be difficult to achieve a good finish after that.

Also, when you sand, you must be careful to be evenhanded. Think of wood as being a little similar to a sponge, as wood is porous. Hard uneven sanding will compact the grain in different areas, making it less porous. Your stain will then be blotchy when it is applied.

You can always go with a darker stain, regular paint, or a milk paint finish, which creates a very antique-y look. I love milk paint, as it comes in a powder, and you can mix up however much you like. We used a lovely barn red on some really ugly dark pine kitchen cabinets, and then topcoated with a Minwax product that was water soluable for cleanup. http://milkpaint.com/prod.html

Happy refinishing!
Miss Too Darn Happy recently posted..Revealing the treasure

]]> Comment on Hidden Treasures: An Easier Way to Restore Used Furniture by Matt Wegner http://financialexcellence.net/hidden-treasures/comment-page-1/#comment-8058 Matt Wegner Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:00:41 +0000 http://financialexcellence.net/?p=44487#comment-8058 Great frugal tip Kim. Does that stuff work on stain too? I have a kitchen table that needs to be refinished and it's stained, not painted. It would be nice not to have to sand it all off. Great frugal tip Kim. Does that stuff work on stain too? I have a kitchen table that needs to be refinished and it’s stained, not painted. It would be nice not to have to sand it all off.
Matt Wegner recently posted..095 Financial Excellence: Importance of your Personal Brand in Business

]]> Comment on Home Buyers: Do you Feel the Power? by Penny Stock Blog http://financialexcellence.net/home-buyers-do-you-feel-the-power/comment-page-1/#comment-8055 Penny Stock Blog Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:37:52 +0000 http://financialexcellence.net/?p=44438#comment-8055 I would have to agree with the post its a great time for young people to buy a home simply because their are so many places in the country where home prices have become attractive. Thirty year fixed rate mortgage rates are now under four percent. I can remember years back when housing was king long before the housing bust. Everybody had the expection that home prices would always increase. Even myself as far as that go's almost believed in this fairy tale. And it was just that a fairy tale as long as it lasted. I don't have the data in front of me but I think their was only one or two years from 1945 to the early 2000's that national home prices declined. Their were pockets of weakness in texas during the oil bust of the 1980's but over all prices increased steadly from 1945 to about 2006. One giant bubble I would have to agree with the post its a great time for young people to buy a home simply because their are so many places in the country where home prices have become attractive. Thirty year fixed rate mortgage rates are now under four percent. I can remember years back when housing was king long before the housing bust. Everybody had the expection that home prices would always increase. Even myself as far as that go’s almost believed in this fairy tale. And it was just that a fairy tale as long as it lasted. I don’t have the data in front of me but I think their was only one or two years from 1945 to the early 2000′s that national home prices declined. Their were pockets of weakness in texas during the oil bust of the 1980′s but over all prices increased steadly from 1945 to about 2006. One giant bubble

]]> Comment on Can You Live Debt Free and Still Have Credit Cards? by Matt Wegner http://financialexcellence.net/can-you-live-debt-free-and-still-have-credit-cards/comment-page-1/#comment-8054 Matt Wegner Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:30:27 +0000 http://financialexcellence.net/?p=44384#comment-8054 I'm not a fan of putting everything on the credit card for rewards. Yes, with discipline you can keep it paid off and earn some form of rewards. But what I've found is the rewards were justification for me to spend a little more. Supersize? Why not! It'll help me build up some more miles. Who's buying? I will! I need that vacation!! So we trick ourselves into spending more so we can save a measly 1% or 5%. When I had a GM rewards card back in the day, I had to spend $60,000 to earn my max rewards of $3,000 toward a new vehicle. I realized if I stopped justifying the extra spending I could save a lot more in the bank and get a cash discount for the car. Plus, I could avoid financing so in the end I was better off not having the credit card. Purely psychological, I know. But I can't argue with the results. I’m not a fan of putting everything on the credit card for rewards. Yes, with discipline you can keep it paid off and earn some form of rewards. But what I’ve found is the rewards were justification for me to spend a little more. Supersize? Why not! It’ll help me build up some more miles. Who’s buying? I will! I need that vacation!! So we trick ourselves into spending more so we can save a measly 1% or 5%. When I had a GM rewards card back in the day, I had to spend $60,000 to earn my max rewards of $3,000 toward a new vehicle. I realized if I stopped justifying the extra spending I could save a lot more in the bank and get a cash discount for the car. Plus, I could avoid financing so in the end I was better off not having the credit card. Purely psychological, I know. But I can’t argue with the results.

]]> Comment on How to Recover from Bad Credit by Matt Wegner http://financialexcellence.net/how-to-recover-from-bad-credit/comment-page-1/#comment-8052 Matt Wegner Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:26:10 +0000 http://financialexcellence.net/?p=44472#comment-8052 I think you're right Thomas. I'm not a fan of the secured credit card for the reasons you said and consolidation doesn't do much good if you don't change the behaviors and mechanics of paying off debt. If you do indeed change the behaviors, you really don't need the consolidation. I think you’re right Thomas. I’m not a fan of the secured credit card for the reasons you said and consolidation doesn’t do much good if you don’t change the behaviors and mechanics of paying off debt. If you do indeed change the behaviors, you really don’t need the consolidation.

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