Wilko

Welcome back to Nik-Cre. I’m so glad you stopped by again.

This week we’re working with retro antiques, teak wood, sandpaper, turpentine and danish oil. Yes, you may be a little bit confused; but these are the ingredients of my upcycling project.

“It’s nice, but I really want one with legs.” This is the sentence I voiced over and over in my mind as I browsed the thrifts shops of Coventry. I didn’t want a standard Chest of Drawers, the big rectangular block sitting snug against the floor. I wanted one with leg, that would stand up off the floor. Six months later I found my match and for a good price too.

The British Heart Foundation Furniture and Electrical store are brilliant. If you’re looking for something old or new, affordable, vintage, modern, retro, antique; you name it they have it. £15 was the price of this Teak 5 Drawer Chest, on splay bracket feet. It came in great condition, no cracks or restoration work. All that needed doing was the sanding away of that hideous red varnish. I found the same Chest, with 6 drawers on Harrison Antique Furniture for £250. I’m sure you’ll agree that I found a bargain with this one.

The Chest I purchased is an original antique piece, as you can see from the plaque in the image. I did a little research and Lebus Furniture was set up by Louis Lebus in the 1800’s. His business began in a small shop in Hull, and as it expanded he later moved to London. After Louis Lebas died, his son Harris took over the business. Their pieces are largely recognised as being part of the Arts and Crafts movement. One of the reasons I feel so connected to this piece is because Lebus opened a factory in Tottenham, North London. Tottenham is my birth town, but it is also where I went to church for seven years before returning to Coventry. This is a piece that ties together both of my homes.

Upcycling this was a pretty simple project. I began by sanding the body of the Chest, working with sandpaper on a sanding block to firmly hold the paper in place. You can use a power Sander if you want too, I found mine left circular etching in the wood which I didn’t like. Sand until the wooden surface is smooth and has removed all traces of varnish.

I then took out the drawers and removed the knobs so that I could also sand these down. After sanding, I wiped all the surfaces down with Turpentine, to remove excess dust. If you have White spirit you can use that as well. Initially, I wanted to paint patterns on the Chest like the images you see on Pinterest. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t like it and it would be ruined. A colleague recommended that I oil the Chest down with Teak oil, but I couldn’t find this so I purchased a tin of Danish oil from Wilko. The Danish oil brought out the natural colour of the Teak and helped to restore warmth to the Chest. It also highlights the grain in the wood showing the contrasts of light and dark brown.

As you can see the Chest came with its original Brass circular knobs. I changed these out with white and gold porcelain knobs, I got these on eBay from Knobbles and Bobbles. These new knobs really add a touch of royal elegance to the piece. This Chest lives in my bedroom, I’ve gone for a natural wood theme up there so the Chest matches the blinds, the cork flooring, and a lovely structural beam.

Lebus Sanded

Lebus In Red Varnish

Lebus Revamped

Lebus Revamped Side View

I hope you like how I’ve upcycled this Lebus Chest and brought it back to life. Let me know what you think in the comments, and to receive regular updates please follow me. Join me next time for a gentler project, as I ‘make life- rooms, into living rooms.

Nik-Cre

Floor view

Welcome Back to Nik-Cre, for my first project!

There is nothing like walking on a concrete floor! I say this because my Living room was concrete when I moved in, and it was not practical.

Research

I began researching flooring months before I moved in. I too, like most wanted hardwood floors, but they are costly. As I searched website upon website, Homebase, B&Q, and Wickes; eventually I came across Cork flooring. Back then when Cork came to mind, I would think of a topping for wine bottles; but I was rather impressed with what I saw. Unvarnished tile

Cork is a naturally sustainable material made from tree bark, harvested in Spain and Portugal. It is also a great insulator and Hyperallergic. Cork became my alternative to hardwood flooring due to how environmentally friendly it is, affordable, and that I could install it myself.

Sourcing materials

I decided to go with a rich dark Mocca Cork (brand Nicoline.) I purchased these from Amazon £8.99 for a pack of 9 tiles, 300mm by 300mm; 3mm thick. Read the packet instructions before installing the Cork, as explains clearly how to prep the Cork. I ordered 17 packs for my living room, but I didn’t use all of them. In terms of adhesive, I went for 6 tubs of Parquet and Cork Adhesive by Wickes, £9.99 per tub. For the perfect sheen, I chose a basic varnish from Wilko; clear gloss £9.00 per tin. I bought my first power tool from B&Q, which is the beautiful multi-purpose Mac Allister Sander £30.00. If you’re going to try this at home, I would also advise you purchase a steel rule, Stanley knife, pencil, dishcloth, wood filler and a rubber mallet.

Installation

To prepare the concrete, I started by sanding to make sure the floor was even and filled any cracks or gaps with wood filler. Most people would recommend that you sub-floor with plywood, but I decided not to as I found a recommendation that said you can use concrete as a sub-floor as well. Once the floor is levelled and filled, you’ll need to vacuum until all the dust is gone. As you can see my room got pretty dusty.

Sub-floor

Early stages

Once all the dust has been extracted, you can start laying down the tiles. With tiling, it is always said to start in the middle of the room ( don’t tell anyone but I didn’t measure to check the centre of my room.) Use the spatula that comes with the Parquet to apply the adhesive to the floor. You’ll want to use the damp dishcloth to clean adhesive, where it bleeds through the joins. Where tiles are stubborn and won’t sit flat, use the mallet to apply pressure. The Stanley knife and steel rule become handy when you get to the edges of the room and you need to cut tiles down. Don’t be too rough when cutting the Cork as it will tear or break.

When you have tiled the whole room leave it for 24 hours so the adhesive dries well. When dry, the Cork will need to be sanded, sand until you have a smooth even surface. Again all the dust will need to be vacuumed before varnishing the floor. I used 2.5 tins to varnish my floor. It is recommended that you give the floor 7 days to dry before laying down furniture.

I’m not sure if I have converted you to love Cork flooring, but I sure do. Check out the close ups of my Cork work. I look forward to seeing you next time, on my Upcycling project. Join me on this journey as I ‘make life- rooms, into living rooms.’

Nik-Cre