Blog posts of '2018' 'December'

Before you look around the house and start feeling overwhelmed about putting away holiday decorations, take a deep breath because we’ve got you covered. Packing up the remnants of holidays can take a toll on you and your family. Not to worry! Here are a few ways you can pack it all up more efficiently without doing major damage to the interior of your home.

Start Strong

Before you start disassembling every bit of holiday cheer in your home, make sure you have all of the tools you need to get going. When packing decor, it is always best to be equipped with things like boxes, scissors, packing tape, scotch tape, storage bins, newspapers, bubble wrap, and a few permanent markers to label items along the way. If you have kept most of your original decor boxes, you’re in great shape! Even if you haven’t, there’s always a way to successfully wrap things up.

Let’s Start with Lights

After you have removed the lights inside of your home, wrap them around a cardboard cutout. This is not only similar to how they usually come when you purchase them, but will keep them untangled until you are ready to bring them back out the next year. Place your wrapped lights in a box with a little room left over. Keep track of all of your spare bulbs and extra fuses by placing them in a plastic bag and placing them inside the box with the rest of the lights. Write the type of lights that the box contains. For example, “Mantle White Lights” or “Tree Snowflake Blue Lights” so that you’ll know exactly what they are.

Paper Arrangements & Cards

Many people like to leave their holiday cards on display. Keep your precious keepsakes from becoming damaged by folding them and placing them back in their envelopes (if you still have them). Stack them gently and use a binder clip to hold them all together. You can do the same for small paper decorations throughout your home. Place your paper decor and cards in another box you can stack and store.

Delicate decor

Ornaments can easily become broken or chipped in the process of packing up. Avoid this by placing them in an egg carton. Wrap the egg carton in bubble wrap and tape it together. For larger ornaments, individually wrap them with bubble wrap. Get a clean, empty storage bin and place them one by one on top of a generous layer of bubble wrap. Do not place anything else in this bin.. Close and properly label your box to avoid confusion in the future. For heavier glass or porcelain items, use more bubble wrap to contain each item before storing them. Place them in a bin or on a shelf for safe keeping.

Tree Storage or Disposal

If you have an artificial tree, do your best to follow the instructions on the box it came in to put it away. If you do not have the original box, you can purchase a tree storage bag for around $30 or less. Be certain that it is free of decorations and debris, fold down each branch carefully, and store it until next year.

Don’t Forget the Outdoors

Try to follow the same packaging rules when it comes to outdoor decorations as well. Keep bulbs in tact and lawn ornaments good to go for the next year by packing them as carefully as possible and storing them away in an area that will not be open to the elements such as water damage or extreme heat.

The task of cleaning up after the holidays can seem daunting. But with this easy-to-follow packaging guide, you can carefully wrap and secure the items you love until you are ready to pull them out again for the next holiday season.

Nothing looks as amazing in any dining room setting quite like a solid wood dining table. With so many sizes, shapes, woods, and accessories to choose from, you may be asking yourself, what is the best wood for a dining table? Texas Furniture Hut wants to help you answer this question by helping you choose a solid wood dining table that will look wonderful and last for years to come. Here is the information you need to know:

Popular types of wood

Maple: Found mostly in North America, maple is a nice, hard wood that works well for dining room tables. It combines durability with a refined, bright color to give it the qualities most desired in a dining room table. Maple tends to appear light in color with a golden tone but can also veer on the deep golden brown side as well.

Mango: Mango wood comes from, you guessed it, the mango tree! Abundant in places such as South Asia, mango wood is another hardwood that performs well as furniture. One of the greatest qualities of a mango wood dining table is that it offers a high resistance to water, which can be harmful to wood tables. Mango wood on its own usually appears medium in color, reflecting a gold/brown gradient.

Acacia: Acacia wood is native to Australia but can also be found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific Islands. Acacia is a wonderful wood to make furniture out of as it is incredibly durable and produces a brilliant shine when polished. Dining tables made out of Acacia look elegant. This wood can take on several finishes but mostly appears as a rich medium to dark brown with notes of caramel.

Cherry: Cherry has been the crème de la crème of the wood world for many years now. This is because cherry is usually carefully selected before being incorporated into furniture and flooring. Special measures are taken to make sure the wood looks consistent and carries the best visual qualities before it’s used for construction. Prime cherry wood is found heavily in the USA in states including Vermont, New York, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Healthy cherry trees can also be found in parts of Mexico. Cherry has a gorgeous sheen, auburn/red tint, and looks lighter in color but can be stained to look darker.

Walnut: Found in its native North America, walnut serves as an amazing wood for furniture. It is a sturdy wood that often shows up in modern designs. Walnut offers a larger gradient of colors and can be extremely light or very dark in color. Walnut has a true grain and looks amazing in a dining room setting.

Wood finishes

Wood can be given various finishes to reflect a different color but keep the quality of the wood in tact. From professional to DIY stain and finish recipes, a new finish can easily alter the look of any room.

DIY Rich Coffee Wood Stain

You Will Need:

Instructions:

• Make coffee 3-4 times stronger than the normal serving
• Save used coffee grounds
• Place steel wool inside container
• Add 1 cup used coffee grounds
• Slowly add 8 cups vinegar
• Shake and let sit overnight
• Next day, rub in stain with steel wool to the unfinished wood
• Let dry about 20 minutes between layers; add as many as needed to get desired color
• Seal with polyurethane when completely dry (opt to not use sealant for a rustic look)

Caring for reclaimed wood

Reclaimed wood can be especially delicate and require special handling. For example, reclaimed wood should be cleaned quickly when there is a spill with a soft, dry cloth. For stuck on spills, lightly dampen the cloth if needed. Do the best you can to keep your reclaimed wood dining table clean and free from dust and dirt by wiping it down regularly with a soft, dry cloth.

When it comes to cleaning solutions, try to only use cleaning products when necessary. Additional moisture can damage the look and quality of reclaimed wood. Another potentially unknown hazard to your reclaimed wood dining table could be the sun. Open homes with natural lighting look wonderful, but can be damaging to wood furniture. Limit the amount of sunlight that your table is being exposed to by closing blinds and drapes, or covering the table when it is not in use by a light, soft table cloth.

When searching for a fantastic solid wood dining table, now you will know the answer to the question, what is the best wood for a dining table? A high quality solid wood dining table is durable, beautiful, classic, and will never go out of style; it will serve you and your family for many years to come. Come on in and browse our larger dining selection to find your perfect dining room addition.