Calico Craft Parts products are proudly manufactured in our own UK workshop. We don't use fancy packaging or branding, you just pay for the product and we hope you'll enjoy using them. Here's more about what we use with some hints and tips:
MDF wood (2mm) shapes and embellishments need little or no further enhancement if you like the vintage look. Use inks and crackle glazes to enhance this further without altering the base colour. They are also ideal for gilding, staining and painting. Larger pieces can also be stamped, collaged, crackled and more - see how it's done over at the Design Team Blog!
Birch plywood (3mm) has a naturally light coloured birch wood top and bottom layer which is suitable for staining, painting, waxing or burning with a pyrography tool. All birch plywood plaques come ready sanded for your convenience - plaques over 100mm are also fine sanded. Depending on availability, we may from time to time (but rarely) need to substitute with light birch plywood or poplar plywood - this does not significantly affect the appearance of the product and has no effect on its end use.
PLEASE NOTE: Laser cutting may leave some sooty residue on the back of MDF pieces although we take steps to minimise this as much as possible - it can be more pronounced the more fiddly the design. This is not a defect and will not affect the end use of the product as it's on the back. As our products are freshly cut to order, you may also notice a slight burnt aroma (caused by the heat of the laser cutting process) which will fade once your order has been unpacked and the pieces have aired for a bit. You can also seal them with a clear sealer, such as Mod Podge, before use if needed.
WE RECOMMEND: Use a good quality wood or PVA glue when using our products for best results - apply a thin coating across the back of the piece, allow to dry for a few minutes, then stick down pressing firmly and evenly. We highly recommend DecoArt paints, mediums, glues and finishes for tried and tested results with our products.
