Home renovation - Windows and seaters

14 December 2024

I had been planning this home renovation for a while. However, due to my busy work schedule, I couldn’t start it. One Sunday, on the spur of the moment, I began with window cleaning. We have nine windows in our home, and I managed to clean three of them so far. Simple tasks like this have always helped calm my mind.

The following weekend, I planned to refurbish our furniture. After watching some YouTube videos, I purchased the necessary tools and materials for the project. These included an uli (a scraper), turpentine, thinner, sealer, stain, sandpaper, waterpaper, paint, and cotton cloths. I started with a chair, and the result turned out well, boosting my confidence.

Here’s the process I followed:

1. Clean the wooden surface with an uli to remove any dirt or old paint.
2. Sand the surface with sandpaper, then smooth it with waterpaper.
3. Clean the surface with water or turpentine.
4. Apply a coat of sealer thinned with thinner.
5. For the second coat, mix a few drops of color into the sealer to match the wood’s shade.
6. Once the sealer dries, apply a clear coat for the final finish.

So far, I’ve completed a three-seater and two single-seaters. One more chair is yet to be done. Next on the list is to get some new matching cushions.

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4 January 2025

A couple of days ago, when I had some free time, I decided to finish this work. I found an upholstery shop near my home. It was a start-up, but the owner was experienced. He had previously worked for other firms and had recently started his own business. Since he didn’t have any raw materials in stock, I had the opportunity to purchase them myself and know more about the actual price and things.

I got the list of required items and bought them from a wholesale dealer. The raw materials for three single-seaters and one three-seater cost me ₹10,000. The upholsterer completed the work in two days and charged ₹2,000 for his labor.

Although I’ve got the cushions done, I still have one more chair to sand, seal, and coat. Additionally, I have a big table to work on. I’ve decided to sand them using a rented sander. I will update them once finished. Till then Bye...