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Better Than New

How to Paint Wood Furniture with an Aged Look

5/24/2016

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Better Than New was featured on a DIY Network Blog!

​A few years back Better Than New was approached about writing a few articles for the DIY Network blog. We jumped at the opportunity to contribute a few "how-to" guides. Here's one of my favorites - "How to Paint Wood Furniture with an Aged Look."

For this "how-to" blog a friend of Better Than New donated an unwanted chair - a family heirloom in disrepair. We used a mid-century modern color scheme even though the design of the piece suggests another era. This gave it a more interesting and eclectic look. The chair now resides in the living room of Dan Oldejans, owner of Better Than New. 

Visit the link below to read the whole blog.
DIY Network How-To Blog: Paint Wood Furniture with an Aged Look
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5-Star Yelp Review for Mid-Century Table and Custom Display

5/24/2016

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We love hearing from our clients! Below is a 5-Star Yelp Review from back in 2013 by one of our Phoenix clients, "Gwynne S." It's a little old, but Gwynne's writing style and character puts a smile to my face. To read more 5-star reviews, visit Better Than New Furniture Repair on Yelp!

I've experienced woodwork done by Dan at Better Than New twice in the last two years. One project was for a product display for my small and humble (yet powerfully magnificent! YES!!) knitting business in Phoenix, and the other project was a personal dining table in my home. 

"But doesn't her profile say she always eats out?" you may be thinking ... Yes that's true. My dining table is rarely used, but man, does it look swell!

My rad dining table came by way of a Craigslist ad with a virtually impossible-to-see photo. Just enough details were in the photo to convey good lines and inspire an in-person visit. The previous owner clearly loved her dining set and didn't really want to let it go. She'd been oiling it regularly and had to part ways with it due to lack of space in her apartment. It was a nice designed, pleasingly affordable, well-maintained Danish-style wood table with an extension leaf and six matching chairs. 

The tabletop wasn't in particularly bad shape, but it was apparent that the extension leaf hadn't always been in place on the table because the color was slightly incongruous. So off it went to Dan's shop! Since it's no collectors item, we only had the top redone. He made sure to do what it took to even out the light and dark spots to make the tabletop match the legs, without, as he put it, diminishing the brightness of the wood and dulling it out. The tabletop came out nice and clean. When advising what approach might best be taken with the piece, he made remarks about the importance of letting the wood's character show. Dude respects his wood!

The product display piece was something that we needed in order to show off more knitted products at our Bewilderknits booth. The nature of our business takes us to art walks and farmers markets and limits our display to what fits in a 10x10' tent. We had a couple of folding tables draped with hand-sewn green tablecloths made out of sturdy upholstery fabric. Our hand-knitted accessories were laid out on the table for people to touch and try on, but we needed more space. Plus, we needed to inject some textural variety and break it up visually. Kind of like how a terrific picture can be enhanced with a frame. With all the finished products we had, we recognized the need for displaying at varying heights. A long shelf piece felt essential for us to build structure and avoid the potentiality of emanating a "pile-of-laundry" vibe. 

We're picky and insist that the character of our products extend out into the displays we use. Our little portable booth is like a store that needs to have a cohesive look and flow. We lean towards an earthy, natural, woodsy aesthetic. Dan has a way of seeing whatever you're doing with your style and he "just gets it," so he can help you coordinate. He knew just where to go to find a solution for us, and put together a wood plank shelf with a natural slab of two-toned wood. There are no rough edges to catch on the yarn in our knitting, but it has the raw-edge bark look. Instead of being merely a display shelf, the design enhances the tactility of everything in the booth. Plus the legs are removable for simplified transporting. Form plus function!"
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Refresh an Old Table with Paint and Stenciling

5/22/2016

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Better Than New was featured on a DIY Network Blog!

A few years back Better Than New was approached about writing a few articles for the DIY Network blog. We jumped at the opportunity to contribute a few "how-to" guides. Here's one of my favorites - "How to Paint and Stencil an Old Wood Table." We used a stencil from another project on a friend's old and scuffed up coffee table to transform it into a beautiful one-of-a-kind piece of usable art! Visit the link below to read the whole blog.
DIY Network How-To Blog: How To Paint & Stencil an Old Wood Table
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Fire Damaged Family Heirlooms Restored for Scottsdale Couple

5/22/2016

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Resurrected from a Destructive Fire, One Scottsdale Couple Reunites with Treasured Family Heirlooms

The children of an elderly Scottsdale couple, who tragically lost all their belongings in a house fire, brought three fire damaged family heirlooms to Better Than New Fine Furniture Repair in Tempe, Arizona in the hopes they could be restored. They told the story of their parent’s house being condemned after the fire and not being allowed to enter the house to sift through the remains for any of their belongings. So, without their parents knowledge, the two siblings snuck onto the property in the middle of the night, leaned in through a window, and were able to grab three antiques that had been in their family for generations: a rocking chair, a cane and this Singer sewing machine.
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They hoped the items could be restored in order to surprise their parents with the pieces at Christmas. All of the pieces were heavily smoke damaged, but not all was lost. Dan, owner of Better Than New, stripped and sanded the wood to remove the discoloration and smell of the smoke. He also cleaned the metal and treated it to remove the smell. He stained the sewing machine back to its original color by color-matching a small undamaged spot at the base, and he was able to find replica Singer decals.
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The family was absolutely thrilled with the results! Better Than New Fine Furniture Repair was able to breathe life back into their fire damaged family heirlooms and give them back a small piece of what they lost
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For more information about Better Than New Fine Furniture Repair, visit their website, www.btnfurniturerepair.com or call (480) 429-7615
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