design_independence's Profile

I understand your desire to brighten your floor, or at least try to get some of the old luster back. You'll need to do a thorough clean with 1 part bleach (I know, counter-intuitive) and 1 part laundry detergent. Use the neutral eco-friendly stuff if you can.

After allowing it to COMPLETELY DRY (I recommend at least a week), top with a high grade commercial sealer, like Ardex PC finish (in low or high gloss, see here, respectively: http://www.ardex.com/productDetail.asp?ProductID=475&ContentParentID=2 http://www.ardex.com/productDetail.asp?ProductID=314&ContentParentID=2

This should substantially brighten your concrete and protect it from any further damage.

This just proves people are afraid of SEEING what they are eating. If they only posted the picture of the cooked dish, no one would have been the wiser. People are far to detached from their food sources these days... where did you think the rest of the meat came from? Just because that rib-eye steak is cleanly sliced for your viewing pleasure makes it no less from the RIBS OF AN ANIMAL!

Buck up and eat it - it's delicious. Haven't any of you heard of nose to tail eating? Why waste the poor animal's parts because you're afraid of how it looks freshly cut?

My grandmother used to make corned beef tongue. She'd slice it up thin and no one had any idea. It was way more tender and juicy then brisket (front-chest) cut anyway.

That's the lapa from Modern Fan. See here: http://www.modernfan.com/lapa.html. Add the light, and switch the blades to maple. They discontinued the 3-blade model a while ago though.

You could adapt this lamp from ikea. I would use a rounded-head screw and faux finish it to make it look like the lamp base.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70089584

There are low VOC spray paints designed exactly for this purpose... take a look at your local hardware store and you should be able to track them down. Make sure you scuff up the surface a bit with a high-grit sandpaper to insure proper adhesion.

You can't - I repeat CAN'T - apply paper (yes even tissue paper) to the hardware on the blades... It will ruin the balance. The second you turn it on, it will spin unevenly and potentially break itself, or collide with an adjacent ceiling.

These aren't CAD (computer aided drafting) models, they are Google Sketchup, a free program available to all... a nice little program too if you are interested in playing with it. Get it here: http://sketchup.google.com/

You should be able to use tin-snips to cut the decorative metal cut-outs off... use a file to prevent sharp edges! It looks dissasemble-able above the center (before the turned metal part, which looks like it was added). Switch it to a straight, thick cord (like the ones used on shop lights). Paint the whole think a high-gloss bright color... perhaps yellow or kelly green, for a sense of humor with it. Throw in some globe light-bulbs with a frosted finish for a contemporary look.

Good luck!

Here's a plan - measure and match what you've got... you've clearly got to strip and re-finish it anyway, so remove all the damaged sections, and "feather in" new hardwood to match what you've got... then sand and reseal the whole sh-bang!

Good luck!
Nicole

Here's a semi-contemporary idea- go do the hardware store and buy closet dowels and basic corbels... paint the high gloss white and mount them to the wall in a staggered pattern up your wall. Drape the quilts over the dowels for a rotating art display and an easy way to access coziness year round. Bonus on this - it insulates the wall, so if you have a part of your house that is particularly drafty, this could help you out!

Good luck!
Nicole

Consider fiber cement board. It's light, inexpensive, and in the interior design world we swap them out for real concrete all the time due to weight and structural issues. The Lowe's, Home Depot, etc... typically carry it. Regular cement board could be too heavy for the application, and is likely to damage the wall you are affixing it to.

Good luck!