Do-it-yourself idea

SNIPPETS

Most of these remain uncoloured while a few are stained in golden, silver and bronze shades. These statues and flower vases come in some delightful classical and mythological forms. They are light and are available at relatively competitive prices.

A little effort, talent and patience on your part can transform these figurines into fabulous looking artifacts. You will need oil-based primer, water colours, fabric pearl colours and sparkle colours. Flat brushes numbered six and two round brushes numbered one and triple zero will see you through the transformation.

The only drawback with this form of art is that it is extremely fragile and can break if handled with excessive pressure. Take care that you handle the item with care when working on it. Wash the plaster of Paris articles thoroughly with water to remove the dust and grime from it. Apply a coat of oil-based primer using the flat brush and let it dry.

Use the round brushes numbered one and apply water colours according to your taste. Then, apply a primary coat on the figurine. You can overlook the nuances and the small embossed sections of the statue at this stage. This procedure will be helpful in giving the final product a fine finish and also will help you conserve considerably on the use of the expensive pearl paint. The water colour layer can be covered by pearl paint of similar or varying shades of the base colour.

Once the pearl colouring is done with, use the triple zero brush to work on the finer points to highlight the work on the figurine. Apply sparkle paints at strategic spots to highlight the work. Observe the intricate designs on the caparison and the forehead and trunk ornament of the elephant; you could innovate and integrate creative aspects according to the necessity of the statue that you may be working on. The finished product will certainly turn out to bring you much pride. As far as possible, place the painted artifact in a glass showcase so that it does not gather dust.

You can wash it with plain water when it gathers a lot of dust and let it dry on its own. This care will preserve your artistic endeavour for years to come.

Radha Prathi S

Keep your floor clean and shining

Cleaning the house during the festive season is an important Deepavali tradition. According to Gaurav Saraf, Director, Square Foot, “Cleaning your wooden flooring is one of the easiest things to do, unlike carpets; wooden floors require minimum maintenance and can last many years. In case the flooring looks old, you can replace the flooring in just one day. Having wooden floorings at home is the best solution because it is very easy to maintain.”

Cleaning wooden floors across the house can make it look both beautiful and spacious. Maintenance methods to clean wooden floors should not differ among types, but some finishes may require extra care when removing stains.

What are the most effective ways to clean wooden flooring? Points out Saraf, “The quickest and most effective way to clean wooden floors is with a damp mop. Before mopping, make sure that you have removed all surface dust from the floor. This can be done with a soft broom or a lightweight vacuum cleaner. Then, simply mop, rinse and repeat. It is important to remove grit and dirt from wooden floors, dirt and grit are the biggest enemies when it comes to scratching or scouring the floor finish.

Most wooden floors are finished using a surface finish called polyurethane. These floors look glossy and shiny. Polyurethane looks like a plastic coating over the wood and is extremely hard wearing. Another finish called penetrating seals, consists of wax or oil finishes that penetrate the wood and protect from within.

There are many wooden floor cleaners available, but a neutral cleanser (i.e., neither too low nor too high a pH level) and water will do the job just as effectively.

Always clean your wood floors periodically with a professional wood floor cleaning product recommended by a wood flooring professional and/or the manufacturer of your particular wooden floor product.

Some dos and don’ts to maintain wooden floorings are as follows:

Place protector pads on all furniture legs on wood floor.

Place walk off mats and area rugs in high traffic areas (make sure they stay dry and are cleaned underneath often).

Perform routine maintenance as recommended by manufacturer. This should include sweeping, vacuuming (with a soft brush attachment) and/or dust mopping to remove dirt and grit. Keep this as a regularly scheduled event, and stick to it. Always perform this process before and after a major event that involves a high volume of traffic on the floor.

Don’ts

*Use wet mops
*Use ammonia
*Use dust cleaners
*Track dirt, clean immediately
*Use other floor cleaning products
*Wax a urethane finish - Never