LAKE CITY REPORTER LIFE suNDAY, MAY 29, 2011 How to update your furniture By SARAH WOLFE For The Associated Press For many homeowners, spring has brought the itch for change but not the money to do much about it But that doesn't mean you're stuck with Aunt Edna's floral couch another year. More and more home- owners are rolling up their sleeves and refurbishing tables, chairs and couches themselves, designers say. "Frugality and practical- ity are still at the forefront of people's minds right now, so updating and making the best of what you already have is a surefire way to save money and recycle," said Rachael Liska, senior editor at Fresh Home mag- azine. It may seem daunting, especially if you're a do-it- yourself newbie, but start- ing small and taking your time can ease stress or anxiety. "The way we sort of think of it here is you're dressing your furniture on a level that everyone really is comfortable with," said Danielle Claro, home editor at Real Simple magazine. "Think about getting a hair- cut, jewelry or clothes for yourself. You don't have to completely remake a piece. You get can a lot of bang for your buck, even if you're not super handy." Have a clear idea of what you want to do before you dive in, Liska said. "Look to magazines, ASSOCIATED PRESS This undated photo courtesy of Fresh Home magazine/freshhomeideas.com shows a repaint- ed chandelier and chair. Dress up an old chandelier and chair with a coat of vibrant turquoise paint. Top off the chandelier with new shades trimmed in turquoise ribbon and cover the seat of the chair with new fabric. Do you fawn over deer? Not likely if you're a gardener bloggers and designers, or even artwork for inspira- tion," she said. "And be sure to have everything you need all your sup- plies on hand." PAINTING Painting is by far the eas- iest way to spruce up an old piece of furniture. A dull pine table can become a sleek modern piece with a coat or two of glossy black paint Enamel paint is cheap, and spray paints now come in almost any color you can imagine, and adhere to just about any surface, said Cindy Thomas, editor and owner of Frugalsimplicity.com. Claro suggested paint- ing a mirror's frame with a glossy color, or taking an old wooden Windsor chair and sanding it, priming it and coating it with a fresh* spring color like orange or turquoise. "That's the kind of thing where if you have a white kitchen and you throw an orange chair in there it can revive the whole room," she said. But, Claro stressed, don't paint a piece you love, and certainly riot an antique. Emily Henderson, host of HGTV's "Secrets From A' Stylist," agreed, and offered a strict rule for painting furniture: "If the pieces are over 50 years old, don't do it," she said. "You'll lose the ASSOCIATED PRESS This undated photo courtesy of Fresh Home magazine/fresh- homeideas.com shows a gilded chair. Gilding, the craft of applying thin layers of.gold or silver leaf to a surface, is a great way to update an old chair or other piece of wood fur- niture. charm and age that makes the piece beautiful." STAINING/WAXING, Instead of painting, Henderson suggests strip- ping and waxing old furni- ture to bring out the woqd's beauty and color. Stripping and staining is a bit more work, but is still a relatively inexpen- sive way to change things up while keeping the furni- ture's original look. Don't choose a stain that's much darker than the natural wood, Henderson said, but "stick in the same tone of wood." You'll likely need to -remove the original finish with a paint and varnish remover first and sand out any imperfections. Then add the stain based on the package directions, and apply a coat of vati nish to protect the surface, Thomas said. "Reupholstering can be an expensive mistake, but when it comes to refih- ishing, in general it can always be stripped back," Henderson said. "I've totally done that. I had one chair where we triea it three different times before we got something we liked." By DEAN FOSDICK For The Associated Press Sometimes even a doe- eyed Bambi will wear out its welcome. Deer have been banned from many gar- dens, orchards and wood- lots because they damage or destroy so many tender shoots, fragile saplings and emerging blooms. "At high density, deer will eat just about anything on the landscape," said Paul Curtis, an extension wild- life specialist with Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y. "Orchard and nursery industry crops are particu- larly susceptible. It's almost impossible to plant without some kind of deer protec- tion." That can range from net- ting and fences (the lat- ter at least 8 feet high and electrified) to free ranging dogs, repellents and deer- resistant plants often in combination. The problem is huge. Deer numbers have bal- looned from. fewer than 500,000 nationwide in the early 1900s to a current 25 million to 30 million. "New houses out in rural areas have become deer sanctuaries," Curtis said. "Most (subdivisions) become no-hunting zones. That makes for subsidized grazing." Deer bring other costs, too, including automobile . accidents, Lyme disease, and extensive wildflower and forest losses. '"They can really do a job on hardwood seedlings browsed during the win- ter months," Curtis said. 'Trillium and several kinds of Lady's Slippers (orchids) are particularly sensitive to deer grazing. We have a seven-acre wildflower gar- den on campus and we've had to put a 10-foot-high fence around it." Not everyone likes installing physical barriers, however. "Part of having a gar- den is surely an attitude of wanting to be part of nature rather than shutting your- self off," said Ruth Clausen, author of the new "50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants" (Timber Press). No plant is deer-proof, Clausen said, but the ani- mals are selective feeders and will ignore certain plants if offered alterna- tives. "Many stunning plants are unpalatable to deer because of their poisonous compounds, fuzzy or aro- matic leaves, tough, spiny or bristly textures," she said. Well-known plants that Clausen labels "deer candy," likely to attract the' foraging critters, include: phlox, azalea, chrysanthe- mum, clematis, daylilies, hostas, hydrangea, leaf let- tuce, petunias, strawber- ries and ornamental sweet potato vines. Plants considered deer- resistant, include: certain marigolds, peonies, yarrow, bleeding hearts, many hel- lebores, English lavender, weigela, Japanese painted ferns, daffodils and orna- mental grasses. Other suggestions for reducing damage from deer: -Use combination plant- ing in mixed beds and bor- ders. Integrate at-risk plant species with deer-unfriend- ly natives. -Hang them high. That includes plants and bird- feeders. Remove shrtabs or understory plants that give deer shelter and invite them to linger. Prune low-hang- ing limbs on fruit trees. -Place plant containers near the house or beyond the animals' reach on pati- os and decks. -Add yard art or orna- ments that frighten deer. Strips of light-reflecting aluminum and objects with moving parts often prove effective, Clausen said. -Orchard fruits, vineyard grapes and acorns litter- ing the ground constitute a deer feast, Clausen said. Gather them up. -"Plants that are strong- ly aromatic usually are left alone," she said. "That includes most herbs." ITNESS Westfield Square ENTER LAKE CITY, FL 'TCENTER 386-752-0749 "Serving the fitness needs of the commnlty since 1986A" . ,,...:, ..; ,. ... ., :.,_, -' ..-. www.aspe nlakaclty.com ASSOCIATED PRESS This photo shows a Sitka Blacktail deer and her two fawns pause along the Mitkof Highway on Mitkof Island near Petersburg, Alaska. 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