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Product: ENQUIRER PubDate: 01-02-2010 Zone: Late Edition: 1 Page Name: D1.0
Home&Style
SECTION D
SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2010
IN THE
GARDEN
The Enquirer / Malinda Hartong
Don Clayton says some of the garden
shears he sharpens are up to 50
years old.
Sharp tools
put you on
cutting edge
By Beth Burwinkel
Enquirer contributor
I
f you’re planning ahead for
spring, sharpening the blades
of garden tools might be on
your to-do list.
Don Clayton, of Winton Place,
sharpens garden tools, knives and
saw blades year round and says that
March through the growing season
is his busy time for sharpening gar-
den tools and lawn mower blades.
“It seems like it starts right after
the home show,” he says.
Saw blades keep him busy in the
fall, and during the holidays people
bring in carving knives.
Clayton works out of a workshop
in the back of Burke Hardware in
Finneytown. He sharpens the tools
that people drop off at ACE Hard-
ware stores in Clifton, Dillonvale,
West Chester, Hamilton, Lebanon
and Withamsville as well as all
Small’s Pro Hardware stores and
Cliff Hardware in Sharonville. Clay-
ton’s wife, June, picks up tools that
need to be sharpened once a week
and returns the sharpened tools to
the hardware stores the following
week. At Burke, he can sharpen
tools on the spot for customers.
“I’ve been sharpening for almost
35 years,” Clayton said. He started
sharpening part-time while he
worked full-time in another field.
These days his sharpening compa-
ny, Complete Sharpening Service,
keeps him busy. His workshop has
13 grinders. He taught himself the
skills by buying a grinder and read-
ing the manual.
“Each tool here has a specific
purpose,” he says.
Sparks flew as Clayton recently
sharpened a 50-year-old hedge trim-
mer. In this difficult economy he is
noticing that more people are hav-
ing tools sharpened instead of re-
placing them.
In general, garden tools should
be sharpened every year, he says.
“A lot of people let them go too
long,” he says.
Lawn mower blades should be
sharpened two times a season, Clay-
ton said.
All blades are worth the cost of
sharpening, he says. For example, it
costs about $6 to have a lawn mow-
er blade sharpened.
When the tips of the grass blades
turn brown right away, it is a sign
that it is time to sharpen the mower
blades, he said. In general, they
should be sharpened at least two
times a year.
“You can tell right away the dif-
ference after you have (a lawnmow-
er blade) sharpened,” he said.
He says he also sharpens a lot of
pruners, as well as chain saw
blades.
“I get tools that I recognize from
See SHARPENER, Page D5
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BED, BATH AND
be calm
Expert shares
tricks, techniques
for creating a spa
right at home
By Amy Howell Hirt
ahowell@enquirer.com
N
erves are frazzled. Bank
accounts are empty. It’s
not exactly an ideal time
to schedule an hour or
two at the spa, unless
that space is on the other side of the
bathroom door or in a comfy corner of
the bedroom, and the treatment is a $4
face mask and a few moments with a
mindless magazine.
Candy Silvasy – who travels across
the country consulting for hotel- and re-
sort-based spas – believes daily pamper-
ing shouldn’t feel like another chore.
“It’s sometimes hard because it cre-
Inside
ates more to-
dos. But it’s
amazing how
small things
Colors that calm, spa can make you
treatments, new spa feel so good,”
products for home, D3 says Silvasy,
who is writing
a book about spa-inspired living at
home, expected out next November.
We asked the Cincinnati-based ex-
pert to share some simple, addictively
soothing tricks and techniques for the
bedroom and bath.
At a spa, it’s easy to see the purpose
of each space. There’s a comfortable
chair and a bottle of water or a cup of
tea to sip while waiting, and a dimly lit
room with a luxuriously padded table Provided / Freshaire Choice paint
for massages. Simplifying the colors and
At home, it’s equally important to accessories in a room cre-
clearly identify a spa space. ates a spa-like space.
Clutter – whether too much stuff or
too many purposes – is the most com- Matching finishes and a
mon relaxation-robbing culprit. simple color scheme –
“It’s more about what to leave out” black and red is a hot
than what to include, Silvasy says. combo in spas – bring
Minimize tabletop accessories – no tranquility to a bedroom.
more than three items per surface is a
good guide. Find a new place to bal-
ance the checkbook, iron clothes or hit
the treadmill. And that shelf of books
you’ve been meaning to read? Clear
See SPA, Page D3
Provided / Kohler Co.
MARKET MARVEL
Couple rebuilds 1890 Victorian from studs up
By Jenny Callison
Enquirer contributor
Old house,
new look
W
ayne King gave a
tired-looking Victo- The Kings’ home is list-
rian a new lease on ed for sale by agents Beth
life when he Prast and Robin Henry of
bought it in 2005. His new year’s Huff Realty’s Campbell
resolution was to transform the County Office. Asking
house, which had suffered from price is $249,900.
some neglect and a “1970s-style There is a three-car ga-
renovation,” into a home that
rage at the back of the
would be comfortable, efficient
and yet true to its late 19th-centu- property, and a garden
ry architectural roots. shed that looks like a min-
King was initially drawn to the iature house.
downtown neighborhood of Day- An open house will be
ton, Ky., by its homey quality, held 1-3 p.m. on Jan. 10.
convenient location, and afford- The Enquirer / Amie Dworecki For information, call ei-
able prices. He subsequently dis- Wayne King created a new wood mantel for the living room fireplace, shelving ther agent at 859-781-
covered that several homes on 5100.
and cabinets on either side and installed crown molding.
the market, including the one he
purchased, had great potential.
“I always wanted to restore an structed it, wall by wall, room by ing, and took the structure down living and dining rooms made a
old home,” he explains. “I had room. While they did most of the to the studs, and even some of huge difference, as did enlarging
gotten some experience on sev- work themselves – sometimes those had to be replaced. We the doorway between those two
eral construction projects in my with the help of neighbors – they drywalled everything and re- rooms, Wayne said.
home in Atlanta, and enjoy it as a hired professionals for the tech- stored the ceilings to their origi- They also let the sunshine in.
stress-reliever.” nical jobs. nal height.” The previous owners had a fond-
At first, King worked on the “We had the mechanical sys- Some walls disappeared alto- ness for brown: the brick exteri-
1890 house by himself. After tems completely redone: HVAC, gether. The couple took down or and much of the interior were
about a year, his then-girlfriend electrical and plumbing,” Wayne the claustrophobia-inducing walls painted a drab, dark shade and
(now wife) Susan joined him. says. enclosing the staircase and in- the hardwood floors were dingy.
They lived in the house while Adds Susan, “We took out ev- stalled balusters and a railing.
they deconstructed and recon- ery plaster wall and dropped ceil- Having the staircase open to the See VICTORIAN, Page D5
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