Timber restoration at discounted rates!

[Toby Newell]

Comments?

Looks like the kooky turn of the century style (1890 to 1910) which was a bit awkward, I could, obviously be wrong, I notice the Georgian style handle and the legs are sort of Adamesque with Victorian bulges, bit of a mish mash. Looks quite red for walnut, but what do I know? White balance being what it is.

I will leave chalk paint where it is, you won't get me to utter the words s****y c**c.

I would clean it up scraping and sanding by hand then oil it with a good Tung oil. Or paint it with a good quality breathable exterior paint / 'stain'. Water gets everything in the end, even a two part solvent polyurethane. I use Liberon Tung oil and apply 20 coats. I know. You could of course apply 3 coats of Osmo 'oil' that's really a varnish, and pretend you oiled it. Like everyone else does.

And btw. 'Riddled' is a relative comparator.

I would say this 'ledger' beam was riddled, well, I would if more of it existed, it's more half by four than two by four now and a whole lot of frass. Woodworm don't like knots apparently.

 

[jsmac]

Hi Toby,

I too have read with interest all of the experience and information that is available on your website. We're still a ways off restoring the Georgian and Victorian pine floorboards in our house but I'm hoping that you'll still be trading when we get to it.

I've seen some the 'work' that your competitors have inflicted onto beautiful 200 year old floorboards. It's tragic really, but if that's all that customers see then I guess that is what they'll expect (and accept). Well done for not joining the race to the bottom and for continuing to inform those of us who would otherwise turn to someone who would happily strip our floors of all patina and character.

And for what its worth, I think that there is definitely a market (and arguably a need) for a well curated Instagram account. You have lots of material I expect. All it takes is an image or two a day, a few hashtags and a link to your website. Something to think about. You might be surprised by the results.

Best of luck.

Scott

 

[Toby Newell]

Thanks Scott. I am working on posting pictures to a Facebook page which unfortunately would mean people friending me on FB, unfortunate as I loathe social media and marketing. I prefer to post images from my PC as the decent photos I take are from my camera, as good as phone cameras are, there is no substitute for glass, but I guess I should do both and possibly Pintrest too.

As I said, I am lucky in a way that no one else, that I am aware of, does what I do to the standard I do it in that there will always be a market for such work, any work, that is so rare. I get questions from around the world and travel nationwide and occasionally overseas, it's just making my services more visible, I should of taken action years ago when the bottom feeders started spending four figures on blanket marketing which pushed us honest small guys out of the picture.

In a way I understand why no one else does it as it is very technical, very hard work and very expensive, doing what they do is a lot easier and a lot more profitable even at half my price per unit area as they spend four times less time and materials doing it. If I could make money honestly doing the easier jobs then that's what I would do and be much better off. It's not really through choice. I suppose pushing myself to do things other people say is impossible is rewarding and more interesting but sometimes you just want more easier money and less hassle. The problem isn't the disparity in quality or technique, a range of service levels is healthy, it's more the dishonesty as every company regardless whether the owner is genuine or out to make a fast buck by skimming money off of cheap labour and cut corners are all 'customer focussed' everyone is 'passionate' and they all employ 'trained craftsmen'. It's not the customers fault they are bombarded with false marketing from disingenuous companies so much so that they have artificially skewed the median initial quote price downwards by 55% in real terms over the last 10 or so years.

I am only a small fish, the larger tragedy is the loss of skills and experience and care by earnest, decent operatives falling by the wayside. It's only my stubbornness (or stupidity) that has kept me going after all sensible people would have packed up.

It's really a zero sum game, either I have enough money to market myself effectively or I don't, hopefully I will, I am an optimist. I have been fortunate enough to have worked for many dozens of wonderful people, some on here, who have let me work on very pretty and interesting properties and who have almost universally been very appreciative, which makes up for the feeling that as far as making money goes, I probably should of found myself something a little easier years ago. Hopefully I can hold on until things pick up.

 

[Abi Cott]

There is nothing stopping you posting to Instagram from a PC, and I'm fairly sure that is also true of Pinterest. If you have a Facebook page no one needs to friend you, only follow you, which are substantially different things. I'm not a social media expert but I've had a computer since I was six.

Find yourself an 18 year old willing to take on a summer job and teach you what you should be doing on these sites. 6 weeks at minimum wage is chicken feed and could pay enormous dividends.

 

[Toby Newell]

Thanks Abi, I am not as much of a luddite as I make out, I have cded and published several websites and even written programs in BASIC at Uni. I am reasonably certain you can't post images to Insta from a PC, not without a sophisticated bodge, but I will start to post phone images there as every little helps. Excellent point about FB though, when I have developed my posts more I shall make an appeal to all and sundry to like (follow) my page.

In return I can use the account to quickly and easily post informative posts, effectively picture based articles to common questions people have, which has been my intention and desire for years. Reading my articles can be hard work as they are a wall of text, browsing an FB post with images and less text is easier to do and more informative as I suspect many people, like me, are visual learners and images are not only interesting but very helpful, they also impart a sort of confidence as the viewer can actually see with their own eyes what is possible and that in most instances anyone can really do it if they just try. And yes, my 'stepson' would effectively do in five minutes what it took me several weeks to accomplish and with less hair pulling. I have found that no amount of bribing / emotional blackmail can make up for their apparent low attention span. I would much prefer to pay him thousands of pounds than a man I don't know, but there you go. A very modern problem. But thanks all the same for your input.

 

[Abi Cott]

Hootsuite.

 

[skier-hughes]

I am reasonably certain you can't post images to Insta from a PC, not without a sophisticated bodge, but I will start to post phone images there as every little helps.

Save pictures from your camera to the cloud and then use your phone to upload them.

 

[Toby Newell]

Yes, I think I will just upload from my phone, I think the more you do the better. My website was one of the highest ranked and best 15 years ago and I intend to do the same again, I just have to obtain the money as the internet has developed faster than my brain.

Which fortunately doesn't grow at Moores law pace.