Santa Cruz Sentinel from Santa Cruz, California • Page 23

Thursday, May 1, 2003 SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL C-3 HOME GARDEN Paint thinner or oil will remove plastic residue By PETER HOTTON THE BOSTON GLOBE A black plastic table cover stuck on my finished table. I got some of it off, but am afraid to get more for fear that I will take the finish with it. What can remove that stuck-on rubbery material? A Try wetting the rubbery stuff with paint thinner, let it soak a while, then push it off with a square-edged wood spatula. Or, try any kind of oil; oil will soften anything, given time. If you use the oil, and the rubbery stuff comes off, clean up the oil with paint thinner.

None of these materials will hurt the finish. a little surprised the doors would do that in such a new house. I filed down the doors where they stuck. Then in February they stuck again. What is wrong and how can I fix the doors? A It happens every spring, when wood doors swell from gaining moisture.

At least that is usually what happens. First, check to see if the hinges are tight. If necessary, tighten the screws and make sure they stay tight. I doubt if the hinges are loose because if they were, the sticking would be more likely at the latch side of the door instead of the top. It is unlikely in a 12-year-old house that the doors are sticking due to settling of the house.

How can I get the scratches out of the brass ring around the dial of my old grandfather clock? Polishing makes the brass look nice but you can still see the scratches. A Don't try finishing brass yourself. Call a metal finisher, who can refinish or polish, and remove scratches. They are in the Yellow Pages under Metal Refinishing. You could try removing the scratches with emery cloth, but I would not even attempt it.

Brass, as you already know, is very sensitive to scratching. Last fall I discovered two of my doors were sticking at the top. The house is only 12 years old, and I was I am building a house in Florida. The floors are ceramic tile. The installers did not seal the grout.

How can grout be sealed? A The tilers should have sealed the grout with a tile sealer or masonry sealer, which are basically the same, making the grout water resistant and easier to clean. If the tiles are unglazed (quarry tile is a typical unglazed tile), they should be sealed as well. To the floor, apply an appropriate sealer. If the tiles are glazed, you can paint the grout with the appropriate sealer. Any sealer that hits the glazed tile will not penetrate, and can be wiped away with a dry cloth.

Reseal once a year. The fact that the doors stuck in winter puzzles me, because sticking usually occurs in summer, when the doors absorb moisture and are at their largest size. To cure, plane the top edge to V4 inch clearance, then paint the edges sides, top, and bottom before summer comes. Use a latex undercoater and latex finish paint, which will seal the door against invasion of moisture and swelling. My house is 102 years old, and I am converting my hot air system from oil to gas.

The installers want to install a gas unit that exhausts through a wall instead of up the chimney. Is that acceptable? A Yes, it is acceptable; the unit has a power vent, which exhausts cool fumes through the wall, safely and efficiently. One of the reasons this power-vented unit is used is because a standard unit that would exhaust gases up the chimney would require installing a new, stainless-steel or alloy metal flue liner in the chimney, because gas exhausts create a lot of water vapor, which could cause problems in a chimney with a clay liner or no liner at all. Since your house is 102 years old, it probably does not have any kind of a flue liner in the chimney. Such a liner would be quite expensive.

Santa Cruz Sentinel ft ft tt ,1 II ilt' I II St' II I I II I i III priority to get iron, wood and lacquer, Mason said. Mason Manufacturing Co. made the line until 1943, when Frank Mason died and George Mason was drafted. In 1945, the factory was sold and a chapter in California furniture making came to an end. To see some of the furniture firsthand, contact Betsy's Sum-merhouse Antiques, 409 Cnpito-la Capitola.

Contact Carolyn Leal at jkolonicklilhotmail.com. Mason Manufacturing Co. made about 120 different pieces, including bedroom sets, dining room sets, end tables, desks and upholstery pieces. Many pieces were hand-decorated with colors and flowers. Tiles were used on the tops of some tables and hutches.

At the height of its success, the firm was selling furniture in 11 different states, including Texas, New York and Florida. During World War II, the firm got contracts to decorate officers' quarters, lounges and dining halls. The contracts gave the firm V2C3 of their heads. You should have heard the ohs and ahs. "My father bought some new high quality wood working machinery and expanded our building to 65,000 square feet.

We had a lot of fun making up this line. The lumber we used was alder from Oregon. We ran this wood through multiple drum sanders, giving the wood a textured surface. All sides and corners of the pieces were antiqued or roughed up to appear worn. The drawer pulls and hinges and strap supports were wrought iron, made by hand over a forge and anvil." Monterey was unique in the extensive use of ironwork for hinges, door pulls, strapping and supports.

The original prices ranged in price from $13.50 for a night-stand, up to $85 for a tile-topped hutch. SPRING NOW! QUALITY PRODUCTS GUARANTEED 831-688-2700 I HOME TURF SOD 1 a water caving UCSC Farm Garden PLANT SALE May 3 4 Saturday Sunday 10 am 2 pm Jitj 1 'kSMiSMK rain or shine Vegetable and flower starts, herbs, perennials, and natives at low prices. Call 459-3240 for more info. UCSC Barn Theater Parking Lot Bay High streets, Santa Cruz 7v-V? for Cruz SMWJiJZ wator customers Certain raitrictlon Ira (ma 9 a Mason Continued from Page CI George Mason's furniture was featured in two shows at the Santa Monica Heritage Museum, one in 1988 and the second in 1999. A picture book, "Monterey," was published about the furniture by antique dealers Roger Renick and Michael Trotter.

In the book, George Mason recalled the creation of the first line of 24 pieces. "Dad and I went to work at once," Mason wrote. "I was a sketch artist and draftsman. We had about 24 pieces drawn up, and we put the woodworking part of the factory on go. "It wasn't long before we had a nice setup of Monterey furniture.

We invited the executive branch of Barker Brothers down to the factory to introduce the new line. Their eyes popped out NOR CAL POTTERY 16" Vera Cruz Planter Now $24.99 gffl pUUli www.hometurfsod.com 2 jt femes' DROLL The Grand ReOpening We're Filled with Mother's Day Gift Ideas 1 1 OVJ Gfcoo GALLCU 'J rcbato KELLOGG GROMULCH (74006, Reg $5.99 KELLOGG TOPPER (7400621 Reg $5.99 HARVEST SUPREME (708046) Reg $5.99 msm now $4.99 Garden 6x8foot Greenhouse Save $539.00 (display model) All prices good May 3 (r4onty. Limited to stock on hind. OPENT I 7 Days a Week Garden Center Scarborough carries a large selection of organic fertilizers, soil amendments, and insecticides. Bella Vista Table Four Chairs YANKEES INS World's Beit Bird Feeder.

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