How to Sand a Floor doing it yourself?

DIY projects always attract my attention as there is a self satisfaction side along with saving money. Internet offers loads of information in this regard for home improvement, decoration and do it yourself ideas, tips, tutorials etc.

Having authentic wooden floors is a great way to add both warmth and character to any room. By stripping away old paint and dirt, you can create a great look at a fraction of the cost of buying new flooring.

Step 1: First, be sure to clear away all furniture and fragile items from the room, including curtains and soft furnishings. Also tape up doors and cupboards if they cannot be moved to prevent the wood dust getting in. Ensure you are wearing the correct breathing apparatus and protective clothing required for the task.

2- Sanding Hire Pack: Ensure the flooring is completely clear and any loose nails or potential hazards are removed. You can knock protruding nails well beneath the woods surface to prevent the floor sanding paper from tearing.

3- Floor Sander: Tidy up the wood panels before starting to sand, by making any necessary repairs to the panels and giving the floor a good sweep and vacuuming.

4- Sanding: Be sure to read the manual for the floor sander before starting any work. Load the floor sander with the appropriate sanding sheet, ensuring that it remains tight against the drum to prevent slipping. Why not find a rental center for your Floor sander hire to keep your costs down

5- Floor Edging Sander: Position the floor sander against one wall, with over half of the remaining floor in front of you. Keep the sanding drum elevated, and as you start to move forward with the machine gradually lower the sanding drum onto the wood flooring to start sanding. Be sure to sand with the grain.

6- Portable Dust Partition: Keep moving forward at a gradual pace, until you reach the end of the room. At this stage, lift the drum off the floor and turn around, ready to repeat the same procedure over the same area of flooring.

7- Light Duty Vacuum: When you have completed one pass, reposition the sander around 7cm across from the first area and repeat the process. Gradually you will reach the opposite side of the room, go over each pass evenly and carefully.

8: Turn off the belt sander and work on neatening up the corners and small areas not reached by the drum sander. Do this by using an edge sander; you can blend the two sanded areas together by a using semi-circular motion with the edge sander as you work towards the corners of the room.

Varnishing: If you are looking for a rich varnished style or even a “freshly sanded” look, it would always be recommended to finish the flooring with a varnish. This varnish will help to seal and protect the floor the stains, marks and damage from spills.

9: For a classic rich finish, always go for a quality varnish. Before applying the varnish however, it is always recommended to give the floor a vacuum to remove any dust and debris, which could become stuck in the varnish.

10: When applying the varnish to the floor, be sure to keep the room well ventilated, by opening doors and windows and even wearing a mask if possible. Begin applying the varnish with a wide brush in even strokes, which follow the grain of the wood.

11: Repeat the varnishing process across the whole floor, with at least 2 hours drying time between each coat. A minimum of 3 coats are recommended to give the floor maximum shine and protection.

12: Allow the floor to fully dry. At least 8 hours after the final coat is applied is recommended. Allow at least 72 hours drying time if the floor will be heavily used.

Link: More 'DIY Guides'

Strange and unusual hobbies around the world

There is a long list of hobbies which can be called adventurous or unusual as compare to usual and common hobbies. Hang glide, bungee jump or related leisure activities are most favorite hobbies for many enthusiastics but there are some hobbies which are really strange and unusual. This post is about few strange and weird hobbies around the world.

Taphophilia - (Enjoyment of Graveyards)

Taphophilia actually sounds like a disorder, not a hobby. In reality, taphophilia is simply a passion and enjoyment of cemeteries. Sometimes erroneously described as "grave hunters," these folks don’t actually remove any items from graves or graveyards. They simply enjoy studying cemeteries and being in them. While many will reserve their trips for funerals and perhaps a scary Halloween trip, these hobbyists simply can’t stay away for such long stretches. For some, the fascination is with the macabre, while others simply enjoy the architecture of mausoleums, the shapes or headstones or the rich history that can be unearthed (no pun intended) when visiting a graveyard.

Beetle Fighting

Just about everyone has heard of dogfighting, a practice that, for good reason, is both illegal and considered immoral. For those who like to engage in beetle fighting, however, it is unlikely that any laws will be passed to protect these critters. Beetles have a natural proclivity toward fighting, making them perfect instruments for such an endeavor and, as it turns out, there are actually people who like to fight beetles.

Carving Egg Shells

They say that you must be willing to break a few eggs to make an omelet. For those engaging in egg shell carving, this is doubly true. The absolute patience necessary to carve egg shells is astounding, as these items surely break frequently as masterpieces are being created. Nonetheless, egg shell carving is a hobby enjoyed by some. The end result is sometimes nothing short of amazing, as some carvings are of such an intricate nature that one wonders how it was even possible…and how many egg shells were broken along the way.

Noodling

More akin to something you may see on an adventure television show, noodling is the practice of swimming in creeks or rivers in search of holes in the shallows and in mud banks. Thereafter, the "noodler" will shove his arm into the hole in the hopes that he’s happened upon the home of a catfish. Assuming he has, and that the catfish is nice and comfy in his home, it will latch on to the noodler’s arm with its mouth in an attempt to protect its lair. If the noodler is able to haul the fish ashore (catfish can exceed 75 lbs.), success is achieved. For those who don’t like the idea of wading in muddy waters, or having pre-historic looking fish latched firmly onto their arm, a rod and reel may be a better option.

Source: 'Buzzle'

Collections of paper money or currency notes as a hobby

Many people collect currency notes of different countries. Hobbies are the perfect way of creating an innovative and fascinating collection of something inspirational and sharing passions with others. Collecting is an interesting hobby where the main potential lies in obtaining, organizing, creating an extraordinary collection and sharing your passion based on that interest.


The paper money collecting hobby has been very well established for decades and there are many thousands of collectors worldwide. Paper money collectors are not as common as coin collectors, but they are still very active and have extensively developed the hobby.


Currency comes from the word current – that which is in circulation at the moment. Note is a piece of paper with something written on it. By currency notes we generally refer to paper money.


The story of money began with the age of barter. One person had grains while another had baskets. The two would have to trade with each other to meet daily needs. The problem became complicated when the man trading his goat wanted to buy some grains. Grains and baskets could be divided but the goat would have to be killed. One goat could not be the price of a few baskets. So a common medium of exchange had to be thought of. Thus coins came into circulation. These coins were made of precious metals like gold, silver or copper. But constant wear and tear combined with a dearth of raw material made Man start thinking again. Out of this thinking was born the idea of currency notes.



Benefits of  Collecting paper money:


The banknotes of a country tell unique story of its art, people, history and geography. Handling and keeping money from different places is a fascinating hobby which is very informative as well.


For some people their paper money collection is an extension of another interest, it could be boats, birds, animals. They may have been collecting old postcards of birds and then started collecting stamps that has images of different birds on them, this ultimately may have lead to collecting world banknotes that have images of bird.


Another fascinating aspect of collecting paper money is the collection of old checks and bond certificates. These are valued for historical as well as artistic referencing. The detail and color of these pieces make them beautiful works of arts on their own.


Useful and interesting links:                                   


* The World’s Most Beautiful Currencies


* The world's most beautiful currencies...


* 'Paper money collecting blog'


* 'Foreign money'

Check real value and best price for your collectibles

Collectors (either it is antique item, stamps, coins, toys or any thing else) are passionate about their hobby. Their long time collection effort, dedication makes the collectibles valuable as time passes.
How do you value your collectibles?
If you are interested to sell your collection, how to determine what is the best price you can get from it?

'Not for sale now' is the place for passionate collectors to check the real value and best price for your collectibles.

'Not for sale now' enables collectors to safely showcase their collections and share their stories and expertise. You can find great collectibles and connect with like-minded collectors from around the world. Collect offers from interested parties, determine real value and get the best price "if ever" you decide to sell.

From Pez to Picasso's, Coins to Comics, stamps, antiques, toys, clothes or shoes (etc) you may find it here.

There is no charge to list your items or any obligation to ever sell or buy anything.

You can join the 'forum' a place for discussion with like minded people.

'Not For Sale Now'

Strangest Places for babies to sleep

Most of the times your baby just won’t sleep no matter, what you try. And you may feel difficulty trying to get your baby sleep than their own crib. At vacation and travel it takes time to settle down and sleep.

Even adults have trouble sleeping in strange beds, new hotels or anywhere other than their own cosy beds. Yet a lot of people expect their children to behave as if they are settled into their own crib.

Do you think that children only feel comfortable sleeping at their crib, their own bed or according to their sleep schedule?

They can sleep when they need to------- Look at few of these pictures:

Source for more pictures: Babies Found The Strangest Sleeping Places - Chill Out Point

Amazing art and crafts projects with paper quilling

Paper quilling is another form of paper art or craft. It is a great looking art which you can use to decorate gift packs, picture frames, coasters, jewelry, trinket boxes, invitations and greetings cards. Paper quilling involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to make attractive designs. It is also called Paper Filigree or Filigrana.

What is quilling?

Quilling or paper filigree is the art of creating designs with narrow strips of paper that have been wound around a quill or quilling tool to create a basic shape. The basic shapes are glued together and arranged to form all kinds of creative and interesting designs. Quilling is one of the easiest crafts to learn. Nearly all of quilling is done with just a few variations of basic rolls and scrolls.

Quilling history:
Quilling is an art form that dates back to the Renaissance and is an art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to make intricate designs.

There are two different explanations given for the name "quilling." Some say it comes from the use of a quill as a tool to roll the paper strips into coils, while others contend that the coils of paper created resemble rows of quills.


Where to use quilling?

Quilling can be used to create art pieces by gluing a design of unlimited colors and patterns onto a flat cardboard background. Beyond this, quilling is used to decorate items such as picture frames, coasters, jewelry, trinket boxes, invitations and greetings cards.
In addition to gluing paper coils to a background, quilling can involve sculpting and gluing coils together to create free-standing, three-dimensional objects.

Popular shapes created from paper coils include flowers, leaves, ornate scrolls and abstract patterns.

Quilling can be used to create art pieces by gluing a design of unlimited colors and patterns onto a flat cardboard background.

Quillers can do the quilling at boxes, cabinets and other items with recessed surfaces and decorate them.

Useful resources and links:

* Definition of 'quilling' at: 'wikipedia'

* 'Creative quilling' offers basic tutorial for beginners and free patterns.

* 'My Paper Quilling' offers paper quilling ideas, projects.

* What Is Paper Quilling?

Below are the links to few blogs (I have selected few blogs among hundreds) dealing in quilling projects and you can get lots of tips, ideas, and patterns to make your own quilling crafts.

* 'Inna's Creations'
is a blog with amazing quilling projects.

* 'Quilling, art and expression' offers free instructions and patterns for quilling, tea bag folding, and paper crafts.

* 'If looks could quill'

* 'Quilling ideas'  

* 'All things paper'

* 'Paper quilling ideas'

* 'Basic quilling shapes'

* If you want to know more about this amazing art form go to the link: 'History of paper quilling'