I broke down over the weekend and invested in a new laptop! I’m so excited because my old one was running so slowly and kept crashing. This is first step in getting my act together for 2016 with new technology, a new blog design and a new office space. Instead of blogging on the sofa or elsewhere in my house, I am setting up shop upstairs in my sitting room. 2016 will be the year of organization and I need a working space for this. A new filing cabinet and my laptop with monitor attached will certainly help. I dread this time of year (tax season) because I am so disorganized. This needs to stop and I am working on a new system to keep my finances in order. Whew! Come on 2016!
Here is how the space looks on a good day and I will soon have it up and running as my true office space. The desk is the Farmhouse French Country Desk that I finished a few years ago.
A few people had a question the other day on the difference between General Finishes Flat Out Flat Water Based Topcoat and their High Performance Topcoat. I reached out to GF and they sent this in response:
General Finishes Flat Out Flat Topcoat was developed for the DIY and Retail markets to provide a crystal clear sealer with a velvety, flat look and feel. It mimics the low luster sheen of GF Milk Paint and is a durable alternative to our Satin Wax.
Here is a comparison of High Performance Flat and Flat Out Flat:
– Both have similar water resistance;
– Flat Out Flat is softer to the touch than High Performance when cured – it feels more like a wax finish;
– Unlike High Performance, Flat Out Flat is a self-cross-linking acrylic and does not contain urethane;
– FOF’s sheen is slightly below 4 degrees, compared to HP Flat’s 8 degrees;
– High Performance has greater clarity;
– And High Performance has less matting agents, resulting in a slightly harder finish. For that reason we prefer High Performance for high use areas such as table tops.
For those that missed the post, here is my Video Tutorial on how to apply the Flat Out Flat topcoat.
And, there you have it! Be back on Wednesday!
Suzanne, Congrats on your new office and laptop! I’m sure your determination will help you get organized…….so easy to procrastinate….I was putting off organizing my refinishing supplies in the basement and finally did it! My stains, paints, waxes, finishes….even my sandpaper and empty containers are looking GOOD! It feels great to know where things are and what I have. My husband was impressed and also surprised at the amount of supplies I had (even though I threw things out, too).
Thanks for the answer to that GF question; I bought a quart of the HP topcoat and have used it a few times. When you mentioned the FOF, I knew they were both used over paint but wondered what the difference really was. I introduced the store where I refinish to java gel and the urethane topcoat.
I just did an antique oak highboy (golden) for a customer who wanted it dark. The java gel was a BIG timesaver! I would have not know about GF products if I didn’t subscribe to your blog, so again, thank you for all the sharing that you do!
Hope your snow is melting……
Hi Suzanne, The answer to organizing your business expenses for tax purposes is a program called Quicken. It’s easy to load on your laptop and super easy to use. If you keep up with it all year (maybe an hour or two a month) all your tax work will be done ready to print out for the preparer. My husband and I have used it for years and it is wonderful.
Hi Laura – that is exactly what my husband was telling me. I need to get started asap – too late for this year but it certainly will help with next. Cheers!
As always, your post was so timely and informative. I, too, just called General Finishes. WOW! I spoke with TOM who is going to solve ALL my problems. Call him if you ever need a thing. He will save you! Also, I am hoping that Rice Poster Bed is going to get overhauled soon? Yes?