European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 3, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Decorative Stencil pattern. A amps Lynda Davidson Neil Reyes a family member discusses paints with fellow shopper sgt. Victor Ganz at Baum older us fix it store As her children Karina 5, and Jennifer 3 i look on. St is h. And b the a tips from. The a fix it store a t a. A Feather duster painting to paint a Marble Ette quickly on your Walls All you need Are a Feather duster a cookie Sheet lined with foil and paint which contrasts with the color on the Wall. It takes about 10 minutes to Complete a Wall says Lisa Adams who shares her technique with customers at the a fix it store in Baum older West Germany. A pour a Small amount of paint into the lined cookie Sheet. A dab the Feather duster very lightly in the paint. A carefully dab the Wall with the duster of paint creating an abstract design on the Wall. A dab with the duster until no More paint comes off then reapply paint to the duster from the pan. A when you be completed the whole Wall step Back and Check out your Handiwork. If you be missed a spot dab in that area. A use As much Tor As Little design As your tastes require. A Quot the paint dries in moments Adams says and it does t matter where on the Wall you begin a top Bottom or Middle. Adams says she has used just about every Type of paint there is including enamel with consistently Good , yes stain proof no by Jean Thompson Baltimore Sun s Ummer that relaxed season when there s plenty of potential for hard Wear on the furniture is Here. Soon the furnishings May remind us of these Halcyon Days a with telltale traces of the neighbor s homemade chocolate ice Cream and the wineglass raised to Toast a graduation. Yes this is the Quot oops Quot season \. Accidents Are inevitable and that s Why suppliers of textiles upholstery services and furniture More frequently offer products billed As Protection against spots and stains. Usually the product is a Silicon which resists water but not Oil or a Fluor chemical which resists water and Oil. These finishes might be applied to the Fabi in at the Mill at the furniture factory or retail store at dry cleaning or custom finishing or upholstery shops or at Home. A the manufacturers say that Many types of spills will Bead up on the finish instead of soaking in. And Many will. Read the labels carefully however. These finishes Aren t like science fiction Force Fields they can t withstand certain abuse a chlorine from a kid s bathing suit or pet urine for example. A a nevertheless Many people Hail stain and soil repellents and fabric protectors As signals of the end of the Era of untouchable living rooms. The proliferation of these products and their vendors however has left a Many Consumers confused. The Issue is similar to that of Auto rustproofing. If the retailer or upholsterer asks an additional $50 to $200 to make my new $2,000 Couch resist stains is it Worth it Between 40 and 70 percent of All printed fabrics for Home furnishings in the United states Are treated with some Type of stain repellent Long before the consumer sees them. It s done at the Mills according to Industry spokesmen. If the finishes Are applied carefully by Mills say some critics of Quot after Market Quot finishes those sold to customers by furniture retailers and Vendor Consumers probably Don t need to repurchase or reapply them even spokesmen for Dupont and 3m, leaders in the Market say that some vendors not their own will go to great lengths to sell an extra coat of textile finish that probably won t enhance the original coat. When finished clean the duster with warm soapy water and rinse. Adams says a duster will usually last for two Walls at which Point the feathers begin melting. Stencilling Stencilling is done using water based paints and special Stencilling brushes. The brushes Are available at the Baum older a fix it store or other household Supply store says Karen Norman who stencilled designs in the stores Sample apartment. A choose the Stencil design you prefer and select colors which blend with your Wall and furniture colors. A practice on paper or cardboard to get the hang of using the brushes and to determine How much paint to use to get the desired results. A line Stencil evenly on the portion of Wall to be stencilled a when finished with one Section carefully align Stencil to next area until entire Wall is stencilled As planned. Norman says that stencils Are not readily available in Germany she uses stencils she brought with her from the states they can also be purchased at some military arts and crafts centers or ordered through Cata logs. Stencils can also be made Norman says for those with artistic ability. She a available at the store to help others with their Stencilling. A p d. So should you buy it Industry spokesmen offered the following a a for most homeowners furniture is an investment Worth protecting say makers of soil repellents. Spokesmen for Dupont maker of Teflon coatings and 3m . Maker of scotch Gard coatings say finishes applied at the Mills where there Are More controls on the methods Are Best. The labor involved in sewing drapes or covering a chair will not weaken the finish nor will Puli he stretching or moving say the spokesmen. Sometimes however a retailer won t know whether a particular fabric on a particular chair has been treated. The fabric is sewn up onto the chair the care tags get lost of Are removed. If there is to information available regarding the upholstery by All Means this is the time to consider purchasing finishing services or applying a store bought product say Mary Lou Rooney a marketing development manager for scotch Gard Home furnishings products and Joanne Schreiber a spokeswoman for Dupont a Teflon. A More better spokesmen for Dupont and 3m say there is no harm in applying a second coat of Fluor chemical finish atop an existing coat. It won t hurl the finish or the fabric they say. It also won t strengthen or reinforce the first coat. Keep in mind that Silicon and Fluor chemicals won t mix applying one atop the other will cancel out stain resistance. A some finishes Wear off after several cleanings so in some cases it is Good to get a reapplication. Some makers recommend reapplication after about three professional cleanings. This year s Spring forecast for accessory and furniture designs suggests that tassels fringes braids and laces Are in. Most have not been treated with a stain protector. Many threads May be vulnerable too a Vendor could make a Case in this situation that a Stair resisting finish a would be a Good idea. Testing the finish on the notions in an inconspicuous place is As they might not be Colo fast. No Adriana Scalamandre bitter president of the Scalamandre Fine fabrics company is not a fan of soil repellents. Her company produces Premium Quality Silks Cottons and other decorative textiles some Selling for More than $100 a Yard. Quot they Don to in my opinion need that kind of finish Quot particularly if the furnishings Are Well cared for she says. Quot natural fibres breathe they Are very different from Man made fibres. They repel dirt Quot the Beauty of the fiber is its texture How it feels to touch Quot bitter says dirt accumulates on top of Somo finishes eventually leaving the textile with an unattractive feel she says despite her personal opinion of soil repellents bitter will Bow to a contract s request for these and other finishes. The company sends its fabrics 1o custom finishers for stain prevention finishes. Quot i would highly advise against the consumer spraying any hmm on a Fine fabric leave it up to the experts. Quot at the textile museum in Washington d c., conservator Sara Green says soil resisting finishes Are not used on items in the collection Quot we Are unable to predict what the Long term effect of these products would be on already aged fabrics Quot she says As a practical matter the fabrics Aren t exposed to much that could stain maybes the decision to Purchase or apply a stain resisting finish depends on the Homeowner s needs and lifestyle. For example some homeowners decide that stain repellents Are Worth the investment in High Accident risk zones such As dining rooms. Others want them on fabrics throughout the any Case weigh the options before purchasing and never forget stain resistant it May be but nothing is stain proof. A jul it 3, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 15
