Florida Craftwood Blog

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Trump Proposed 20% Import Tax on Mexican Junk Products

RT | Jan 26, 2017

Editor's note: Good news for small business, and a good example is "Rooms to go", a big box store that peddles cheap wood-derived products and has put all furniture makers out of business by moving into your towns. It would be nice to see them lose their competitive advantage.

U.S. President Donald Trump © Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

After signing an executive order to build a wall on the US southern border, President Donald Trump has said that Mexico will pay for the costs of the construction "one way or another." The White House has hinted that would be with an import tax.

In the past, Trump has said that the initial funds for the wall would come from US taxpayers, and later be reimbursed by Mexico; however, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto says that Mexico will not pay for any wall. [...]

“The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers of jobs and companies lost,” the president tweeted. “If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.”

Mexico will pay for the wall "one way or another," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said during the Thursday briefing. He announced plans to impose a 20 percent border tax on Mexican imports into the US.

'We have the moral high ground': #Trump details how to make #Mexico to pay for border wall https://t.co/nh7o0gWP3l pic.twitter.com/V63KdoGwGn
— RT America (@RT_America) April 5, 2016

The 20 percent tax on annual Mexican imports would raise $10 billion a year to pay for the border wall, which is estimated to cost between $8 billion and $20 billion, Spicer said.

Read more..

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Crown Moulding Installation Cost Tampa Florida Region

Florida Craftwood offers the best price for crown moulding installation you can find in the Tampa, Florida region. A standard sized moulding that is used in most homes is a moulding that is 5 1/4 inches wide which is purchased pre-primed from the factory. (see sample pictures) Lengths are 16 foot. This is professionally installed, nailed into existing studs, caulked into ceiling and wall, nail holes filled and sanded, and one finish coat of high-grade semi-gloss latex paint applied.

Price ranges from $5 to $6 per foot installed depending on ceiling heights and obstructions for this particular moulding. Below are some recent photos.

Hexagon ceiling in dining room
© Florida Craftwood

Divided wall between foyer and family room
© Florida Craftwood

Frog tape is used to mask off moulding to wall leaving a clean line between painted moulding (semi-gloss) and wall color (flat) when completed. A sample of moulding is provided to customers when consultation occurs during first appointment.

Call Florida Craftwood today at 813-833-8722 to set an appointment, receive a free sample, and estimate. Ask for Mark.

Sample moulding
© Florida Craftwood

Monday, September 19, 2016

Examples of Furniture Restoration

Furniture Restoration is often a worthy cause as many factory floor pieces use cheap labor and cheap ingredients to simulate what was once woodworking art. Here are two examples of recent restorations completed for customers.

The first is an old solid cherry wood hutch that was partially damaged in a fire where the finish had turned almost black in some areas. The piece was stripped of its original finish, sanded, stained to match the lattice work in the door, and sprayed with satin lacquer.

Here is what the hutch looked like before finishing.

This second example was a painted piece which had gold highlights inside the grooves on the legs and the beads on the legs at the bottom. This was thought to be aspen on the drawer fronts and legs. The drawer fronts are milled with soft curves in the face while the legs have a groove milled and elaborate foot details.

Once stripped, it was discovered that the side panels were masonite, so panels were added to match using wood of birch. The top had a piece of Formica which was painted brown. The original hardware was removed and is being upgraded.

Stain colors are mixes of various stains to acquire the appropriate tint and shade. Prices are quite reasonable compared to on-site construction/installations. The average cost ranges from $350 to $500 to strip and finish one piece of furniture.

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Ideas for Wooden Window Valances

The following are several ideas that have been created to dress up windows where casing is absent. This first example shows a valance that is approximately 10 inches tall with a fancy crown moulding and a bead moulding at the bottom edge that has two coves on each side. The top seems to be rather thin, maybe about 1/2 inch thick and has been rounded some on the edge. This is from hgtv.com.

The next example shows a standard crown moulding, a top that is a bit thicker, and a base cap moulding at the bottom edge. This also looks to be between 8-10 inches tall. The cornice is perfectly sized only extending just slightly more that the drapery as the first example. This one seems to carry a stronger distinction, and a bit more traditional, it is from Tedswoodworking.com.


© Tedswoodworking.com

The following example claims to be 9 inches tall but looks to be 12 inches upon sight. The moulding at the bottom edge is uncertain, and instead of crown moulding at the top, a chair rail type is used with a top extension. The extension from the wall also seems to be a bit excessive which may be to allow draperies that are not shown. This is from 3blindmiceusa.com.

Here is an example of a valance without a top cover. One issue with dressing up a window is to take advantage of the idea of keeping dust off of the drapery. Why not add a top to protect any kind of window covering utilized? The bottom edge profile has been incorporated into the face of the valance providing a nice detail. This is also more difficult to mount to the wall, from alfa.com.

This last example shows a window that has been cased and the drapery hides most of the window trim except the stool. This allows you to have a bit of perspective in how size and proportion affect the overall look. This valance also does not seem to show a top cover and may be a bit tight on the drapery. This is from WindowTreatmentDesigns.com.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Design Ideas for Headboards with Cabinet Storage

When looking at various designs for Headboards one begins to understand the difficulty in arriving at a workpiece that is non-obstructive while also providing useful functionality. In the following design, the thickness of the cabinet is reduced on the inside edge to add less obstruction, in effect splitting the upper cabinet with a door to the outside, while leaving the inside open and adding small lights. The is a bedroom set from taragodwin.com.

Here is another bedroom set that has picked up the same idea, although contemporary in design, the addition of a pullout in each side cabinet is more traditional along with storage above the mattress. Here, the upper cabinet is again reduced to the inside edge to meet up with the headboard. This is from Interiorbit.com.

A more elaborate design is made by separating the bedframe from the cabinets in this fabulous teenage room workpiece where a cabinet over the bedframe is attached to the two additional storage cabinets. Then lights are added in various locations, and the cabinets are likely attached to the wall for security. This is from homegoid.com.

The idea that a bedframe must always be incorporated into a design is not necessary especially if one decides to upgrade bedding or alter colors. The following allows the wall color to show through adding to the design flavor. This is from homedit.com.

Being creative is the key while also blending the necessary colors and tones that are pleasing and functional. We found this last example outstanding. This is from FallsMillworkelley.com.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Glass houses? Scientists develop ‘transparent wood’ for electronics, construction

RT | May 17, 2016

© umd.edu

Scientists at the University of Maryland have developed a see-through wood which is stronger and more insulating than glass.

The transparent wood could be used in car manufacturing, for light-based electronics systems, and as a building material, according to the study published in Advanced Materials.

"It can be used in automobiles when the wood is made both transparent and high strength," said Dr. Mingwei Zhu, the co-author of the paper. "You could also use it as a unique building material."

The team led by materials scientist Liangbing Hu removed the molecule in wood - ‘lignin’ - that makes it rigid and dark in color. They did this by boiling wood in a bath of water, sodium hydroxide and other chemicals for about two hours.

This process left behind a colorless cell structure which the team then filled with epoxy to make it four to six-times stronger.

@talius (cont) 1 Lignin removed, polymer-filled
2.Transmittance for transparent wood with 2 anisotropic structures pic.twitter.com/OBIVL5lt6Y
— Tali (@talius) May 6, 2016

The transparent wood could be used in car manufacturing, for light-based electronics systems, and as a building material, according to the study published in Advanced Materials.

"It can be used in automobiles when the wood is made both transparent and high strength," said Dr. Mingwei Zhu, the co-author of the paper. "You could also use it as a unique building material."

The team led by materials scientist Liangbing Hu removed the molecule in wood - ‘lignin’ - that makes it rigid and dark in color. They did this by boiling wood in a bath of water, sodium hydroxide and other chemicals for about two hours.

This process left behind a colorless cell structure which the team then filled with epoxy to make it four to six-times stronger.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Outstanding Mudroom Cabinet/Storage Ideas

Personal entry ways are common any many homes without the formality of the main foyer which is often not suited for such arrangements. There are several cabinet ideas available from HomeStratosphere.com such as the one below where coats, boots, and miscellaneous storage are commonly stored, although we don't often wear boots in Florida. The following offers locker-type cabinetry for family settings, drop-panel doors and cabinet sides with bolection molding, inset doors, storage above with a darker backside which doesn't show marking as easily, and drawers below. The grating in the doors offers extra ventilation.

"Once again I want to thank you for the outstanding job done on the building of my wall unit in my office. I had dreamed of a wall unit for my office and shared that with you and you made it come to life. You listened to every word of detail that I spoke and incorporated it into the design and build of it. The unit was crafted so well and I just want to thank you for your workmanship. Impressed beyond words, Elizabeth T."

"Mark's work was was excellent. His communication throughout the project was informative which answered all our questions. His work was timely and beautiful. The crown moulding gave our home a touch of luxury. Thank you Mark." David G.

"Mark was amazing! He helped us choose a stain color and he presented a computer printout of the proposed design. A double sided 10 ft high high quality bookshelf with under cabinets created and installed in about a week. We're so happy with his craftsmanship and politeness that we're going to use him on an additional project in our dining room. Highly recommended-excellent, excellent- work, thank you!" Elizabeth M.

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