Help my Mom, please!!!!

[KatieLovesMickey]

I told my Mom that whenever I have a question, I find the answer on the DIS Boards. She asked me to post 2 questions, both related to fixing up my Grandmother's old house (1930's) that my brother just bought (it's nice to keep things in the family!!)
Here's what she needs:

What's the best finish to put on venetian plaster/tile? Wax, oil, or polish?

Where can she find a slip-on shade for a wall sconce to replace one that broke? The bracket to slip the glass shade onto is still there, but the glass broke. There's a matching one that's intact, and she needs to match it.


She had a fireplace question about her own house as well:
There's a breach in the metal sleeve of her Majestic fireplace. Can this be fixed?

TIA for all of your help and wisdom!

 

[momrek06]

I told my Mom that whenever I have a question, I find the answer on the DIS Boards. She asked me to post 2 questions, both related to fixing up my Grandmother's old house (1930's) that my brother just bought (it's nice to keep things in the family!!)
Here's what she needs:

What's the best finish to put on venetian plaster/tile? Wax, oil, or polish?

Where can she find a slip-on shade for a wall sconce to replace one that broke? The bracket to slip the glass shade onto is still there, but the glass broke. There's a matching one that's intact, and she needs to match it.


She had a fireplace question about her own house as well:
There's a breach in the metal sleeve of her Majestic fireplace. Can this be fixed?

TIA for all of your help and wisdom!

ITA, we have allot of amazing DISer's who have so much knowledge about homes and home repairs and home remodeling BUT I wanted to let you know about a message boards by Home&GardenTV (HGTV).

Here is the link. http://boards.hgtv.com/eve It is just like the DIS where you register, pick the forum you want and ask your questions. I use it quite often and find it very helpful!

Good Luck.

 

[dawson5]

I don't know a lot about the plaster but have a friend who did a finish on walls in his previous house. I know his wife put something on it to preserve the finish but the first thing he said to me was that he would never do that again (the finish and whatever he put on the walls). He said that who ever bought their home, if they wanted to cover the finish they would have to sand it down because of whatever they put on there would make it impossible to just paint over. Like PP said, I would talk with someone with more know-how.

As for the wall sconce shade, are you asking about something like this:

I would try someplace like Lowe's or Home Depot first, if not find a good lighting shop. Kids broke a sconce cover and I could never find one to fit. I took the sconce in and we found the correct size and the lady there helped me go through the books to find what I needed, ordered it and got it a few weeks later. It might be easier if you have two, just buy two new ones.

Mine was similar to this:

but it hung down instead of up.

 

[can84]

You can try this site for matching sconces--they seem to have a large selection: http://www.lampglass.nu/