 |  | | The Art of Door Graining Graining is the painted imitation of an expensive wood over an inferior wood, or any smooth surface that can be painted. One of the classic decorative painting techniques, it’s also known as wood graining, grain painting, and faux bois—French for "not wood." Most old-house lovers have probably appreciated graining at one time or another, but to the uninitiated, it’s a bizarre concept. Why paint wood to look like another wood? Why not buy the real thing? The answer, basically, is an old story. People want what they can’t afford, or what can’t be purchased at any price. Read the whole story. 
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|  Strips and StormsDoes the piercing persistence of cold weather tempt you to consider high-powered ads for new windows that promise to lower your energy bills and add value to your home—all for "one-time-special" offers? Well, think again. Your old, sticky, low-tech windows are probably more cost-effective than they seem. They simply need a little tender loving care to provide efficient, trouble-free service for another half century or so. Cleaning off old paint drips and tightening up the stops work miracles, but adding efficient, top-of-the-line weather strips can make your windows competitive with the best of replacement systems. Read the whole story.   Picture ThisSpring of 1962 found my parents moving into their brand new three-bedroom ranch house (I arrived a few months later). Out front the house featured a large picture window, about 60" square, flanked by casement windows with oversized diamond panes. From the time I could chin-up on the window stool, until the year we moved out, that living room window presented the best picture of the outside world, the place to watch a summer storm or winter blizzard, to see who was coming home or just driving by. It was also the best view indoors, where seasonal kitsch, from glowing plastic pumpkins to sparkling aluminum Christmas trees, cycled in and out of display. Read the whole story. 
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FOR MORE INFORMATION on sponsoring an issue of the Old-House Savvy e-newsletter or other newsletters published by Restore Media, contact Greg Greene at ggreene@restoremedia.com.   © Copyright 2007. Restore Media, LLC. All rights reserved. | ||||||||
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