Hi Gang! Check out the Coolest Teapot EVER!

[NMDemDist2]

I got this at the thrift store a couple weeks ago. It's from Canada and all you "thrifters" know finding an intact teapot (especially a 12 cup pot) at a thrift store with no chips and little crazing is almost unheard of. but I found this one and only $6.00

:woohoo:

[Stinky The Clown]

1. All the world loves a thrift store!

I'm not a teapot collector, but that one looks very cool! Looks like 70s stonewear. Is a 12-cupper an unusual size?

I'm a liddle teapot short and stout, here is my handle and here is my .... pourer. :)

[NMDemDist2]

2. yes a 12 cup pot is very large. My Brown Betty (e-bay score) was

only 10 cupper and is considered Large in the USA. Since all I drink in the afternoon and evening is decaf tea and I get loose blends from my coffee roaster, a teapot or two is a must for me.

here's another pic of the Brown Betty

[TankLV]

18. I bought a few exactly like it in 1973/74 on Portobello Road

for me and my relatives!

Now that they have passed on, I have inherited them all back!

[NMDemDist2]

21. where is Portobello Road? n/t

[TankLV]

22. London, England.

A large street market on the weekends. Don't know if it is still going on. You could buy practically everything there. I did all my veggie and other grocery shopping there.

[NMDemDist2]

13. yeah but did you notice the bag of coffee beans in the background?

still my first love is my Saeco :loveya:

[eleny]

3. Nice!

It's found a good home! No chips and the lid, to boot. Wowzas and congrats, kid. You did good.

I also just noticed that second, unusual handle in back of the spout. I've never seen a teapot like that. Since it's a hefty size, that's a great feature.

[NMDemDist2]

7. isn't that something? I have never seen one with a 2nd handle

like that. and it is great when the pot is full

[Lugnut]

4. I'm not a tea drinker but

That pot is very pretty. I love stonewear and have Pfaltzgraaf's Yorktowne. Your new pot kind of resembles that pattern's colors.

[NMDemDist2]

8. it's a thick heavy clay pot. In fact I think it's going to be the

inspiration piece for the new kitchen colors. I was thinking blue and gray that works in the rose tinge in the floor tile.

This pot's colors will work wonderfully!

and I saw (and recorded) Debbie Travis' Painted House the other day and she gave the tricks for painting formica counters to look like granite.

Pink formica say "bye bye" LOL

[politicat]

9. Ooo.... tell me about that formica trick....

I HATE the wood-grain formica crap that our house has, but until the ex-wife's debt is paid off (I'm SO close) I'm not doing a major reno. Paint, however, is cheap.....

[NMDemDist2]

11. Debbie Travis' Painted House (you can probably find the show on

the HGTV website) redid a kitchen and she painted the formica in a granite pattern.

Use paint especially formulated for melmanine/melmac/plastic. Use the seasponge paint technique building up layers (heaviest layers first then lighter and ligher for the different colors-- google faux paint granite and you can find more on the actual technique) Be sure to use paint thinner on the sponge, not water to moisten it.

Let dry at least 24 hours to harden then top with three coats of food safe varnish also letting the varnish cure well.

I'm going to use a base of the light gray, with midnight blue (almost black)then that chocolaty clay brown on the teapot, rose and maybe a touch of the wedgewood blue in descending order of layers.

Now that I finally decided what colors to use, I plan on doing it over the July 4th weekend and I'll post before and after pics in the DIY group

:bounce:

[Lugnut]

14. Great idea.

Those colors sound like they'll all work well together. I have one little suggestion if you've never done this kind of finish before. I'm a decorative painter and use this kind of sponging technique in some of my projects. I do a little practice on a sheet of copy paper first to make sure I'm on the right path. Get a small piece of inexpensive 1/4 luan and practice on that before you paint the formica. That will help you with your technique and color combo.

I hope you'll have pictures of the finished product. :)

[NMDemDist2]

15. actually I get large cardboard boxes from work, I was going to

practice a LOT first LOL and I'll put up pics in the DIY group when the project is done

[Lugnut]

17. Good idea

The price is right too. I can't wait to see the finished product.

[TankLV]

19. It is more durable and easier to just re-laminate it with new granite

looking plastic laminate. And there are many brands of plastic laminate today that are all superior for kitchen use.

Even solid surfacing is a better and easier choice.

The paint doesn't last at all - you can't scrub it at all without scrubbing away the finish, and it's ultimately cheaper and a lot less time consuming to re-laminate.

PM me if you're interested - it's really not that hard to do.

[NMDemDist2]

20. what about cost? and my laminate has two "burns" in it the sizd of

quarters

and what about the curves? my laminate has a curved front and curved backsplash

[TankLV]

23. The new laminate is impervious to burns.

Of course, you shouldn't put hot pots straight from the oven on it. But the damage to your proposed paint job would be MUCH worse, I guarantee you!

You couldn't use the same countertop for this method - you'd have to remove it and replace it with new plywood and laminate. It really is a much better choice.

The "paint" solution is really only for people who don't really use their kitchen much and treat it just for "show". It will deteriorate rather quickly. But if you choose to do it, you will find out for yourself.

The overall time and cost will be cheaper with a good material.

BTW - I'm a licensed Architect since 1981 and have built cabinets since the early 70's. I've seen a lot of thing come thru the pipeline over the years.

The "paint" solution is an interesting idea for mild-use situations such as living room bar tops, and other similar pieces of furniture such as fine wood pieces or other painted pieces. Now, if this "paint" product is more like the resin that they apply to commercial bar tops - 1/4" thick or more and "floated" on and let stand to dry, then it might be OK. But if it is truly just a few coats of a brushed or sprayed application, it is only as good as the few millimeter thinckness of the paint. Think about it - it doesn't take much to scrape thru a few coats of paint with any king of scrubbing. And last time I used ANY kitchen, it always takes a good deal of scrubbing occassionally - more than a couple time a week - to keep it clean of cooking residue.

[NMDemDist2]

24. well, therein lies the rub. no $$ and looking for an interim fix of awful

counter tops.

also the tops are in a "U" shape so I'd have to seam and cut angles and don't have the tools to do so.

and since it's just me and hubby we are fairly easy on the tops. I have several cutting boards and can't remember the last time I had to "scrub" the counter tops. I wipe them regularly with a damp cloth and not much else.

I was planning on putting several thick coats of food quality verethane type stuff to give it depth and strength.

my feeling is if I can get a couple years out of the tops I'm ahead of the game until finances let me replace the counters with a more permanent solution.

edit to add thanks so much for your input though, it is appreciated!

[Stinky The Clown]

25. Use some kind of high performance coating over your paint and you **may**

be able to get a few years out of it. TankLV is absolutely correct in saying that a paint finish on a countertop will give poor service. The least you should do is use a chemically catalyzed clear finish (epoxy coating) over your colorized base. That said, there are now some one part high performance finishes that rival epoxy stuff, but I'm not up to date on them. Try a paint specialty store (like Sherwin Williams) and ask them what they recommend. They make lots of finishes not stocked in their retail stores, but can special order for you.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that even a floated on finish - the best way to go, but probably not workable with your post formed countertops - will get scratched and the scratches will show. Any finish used on a countertop will assume a hazy sort of patina in relatively short order.

I know you're not in love with your countertop color. But if you can live with it, I suspect you can find a filler to patch the two burn holes. They may not match the color perfectly (although, with enough effort, even that can be achieved) but they will look lots better than dark burn marks.

Overall, my advice would be to live with the counters until you can afford to replace them. I honestly don't think you'll be happy with a paint coverup.

[NMDemDist2]

26. thanks for weighing in Stinky.... the way I figure it for $100 and a week

end I'll have something I can live with for a couple years.

the worse that happens is that I still need counter tops and they are a reasonable color until I get can new ones :)

[housewolf]

5. It's adorable!

I love the colors and the pattern.

Can you recommend any good thrifting shops in the east valley?

Congratulations on your charming purchase,

Beth

[NMDemDist2]

6. I like the ones in Scottsdale. Goodwill and Salvation Army are both

on SD Road just north of the Papago Plaza. The Goodwill there is very good and a really big store.

I tried the Mesa Thrift store (Main & Extension), it's big but never found much in the way of housewares there.

And Savers are always good, they are all over (Don't know the addresses in the East Valley though...)

[juajen]

10. I am so jealous

It is beautiful. I need one just like it.

[NMDemDist2]

12. i liked my old brown betty, but this one pours so much better and

holds more too!

I am just loving this teapot

[BamaGirl]

16. Very pretty

I've never seen one with that little front handle before. That's pretty cool!