Home Improvement Editorial

Archive for the ‘Painting’ Category

If your renovating your home or perhaps building a new one, you should strongly consider placing your laundry room adjacent to the bedrooms on the same floor. It seems that approximately 90% of the laundry is generated on that level. Bed linens and dirty clothes are the most commonly washed items and an occasional throw rug can always be carried upstairs if need be from time to time.

In a two story house, it is especially desirable as many housewives can truly attest too. Climbing up and down stairs carrying heavy clothes baskets can be murder on the back and legs. Placing a laundry room in the basement which builders did for years, is out of the question today.

A five foot by seven foot room is just a large closet but can accommodate both a washer and dryer either side by side or stacked units. This leaves plenty of space for a nice set of wall hung cabinets and a folding table. If you iron clothes, the room can be slightly larger or use a wall mounted ironing board that folds up when not in use. There are also wall mounted irons available today that save space and can be left in a wall holder when not in use.

Although not critical, a window is always desirable but with or without a window an exhaust fan is a must. Excess moisture can cause mildew to form on the walls, causing both a health hazard and mold stains on the painted walls. I use smooth faced mylar paneling which is easy to clean and takes a great deal of abuse over time. The floor needs to something easy to clean as well. Using either twelve inch or twenty-four vinyl tiles makes installing the flooring easy to do and the care of the floor quick and easy as well.

Any laundry installed today should have a plastic drain pan placed under the washing machine. These pans come with a drain outlet that can be connected to a sewer line. In the event of an accidental overflow of the washer, the water is safely sent down the sewer line and not onto the floor surfaces. A sewer trap must be installed as well to prevent any sewer gases from backing into the house. The pans are inexpensive and can save thousand of dollars in water damages.

Another must is the use of metal clad burst proof hoses. Old rubber hoses can break and will usually do so when your not home of course. Burst proof hoses are a bit more but the extra peace of mind they provide are well worth it.

Cabinets-You may get as fancy or as plain as you wish. Open shelving is also a possibility but clutter quickly becomes unsightly. Good solid cabinets with a melamine finish offer good long life and a very easy to clean surfaces as well. A simple wipe down keeps them like new. I suggest using as light a color as possible to keep the room light and airy. Soap, softener, lint removers and so on can ll be stored out of sight and if you can afford a larger cabinet, toilet paper rolls, tissue boxes and towels and so on can all be stored there as well.

Lighting-People often skimp with the lighting as it is “only” a laundry room. A good quality double tube four foot fluorescent fixture provides lost cost lighting that will light up a five by seven room quite well. Incandescent or recessed lighting can be used but the added cost is really not necessary. Florescent lamps last a good long time and running cost are lower than incandescent bulbs. Make sure the fixtures in any case are placed so they do not cast or create a shadow when you are working in the room. The is often overlooked but will be quite evident if your trying to iron or sort clothes in a dark shadow. There also many many CFL fixtures available now that are small (less then 3 inches in diameter) and cost very little to operate. A sixty watt CFL provides sixty watts of light but consumes only 12 watts of power for example. Many are directional as well for task lighting. Take a good look before you buy and think about long term savings.

Outlets-All outlets in your laundry should be Ground Fault Interrupter type. You will need one behind the washer and dryer units, one by the ironing board and at least one additional convenience outlet at the standard eighteen inches above the floor for vacuuming or other cleaning chores. With a little care in planing you should be able to cross between the cabinets, washer/dryer and the ironing board without crossing a power cord. Accidentally pulling a hot iron off the ironing board and on the floor or your foot is no fun.

If you have a large family and a good deal of laundry and ironing, installing a cable TV outlet can also provide some added down time while you work. Standing in a laundry room for an hour with no TV or radio can be a drag to say the least. You also may want to consider purchasing a rubber mat to stand on while you work. There are many specialty mats available and may save a great deal of stress on your legs and feet.

Laundry baskets-Keeping open top laundry baskets within sight of the door helps train kids (and hubby) to toss dirty clothes into a hamper and not on the bedroom floor. This of course helps Mom or whomever is in charge of the laundry chores, perform the task quicker and easier. You may hope for a color clothes and a white clothes basket but that may be far beyond the kids (or again the hubby’s) abilities. At least all the dirty clothes will be in one place.

Keep your paint colors bright and cheery for walls and ceilings. A good quality washable paint with mold preventer added can again help provide a good long life of your new laundry room.

There are a number of easy home improvement projects that you can do to give your much valued home a new and exciting look. Do you love your home, but find it a bit too dull? You may even be finding yourself constantly bored – seeing the same old features within the house can get rather dull.

One idea is to change up your kitchen with a fresh new look and feel. You might begin by clearing out all the shelves and cupboards. Start by removing as much or all of the furniture and appliances you have. This will give you a nice new canvass to work with.

Another idea is to consider repainting your walls instead of using some boring wall paper or paneling. This will actually give the room a feeling of more space and a nice touch of elegance, and you can have fun in the process. If you are good with color combination, you can figure the best colors on your own. If not, you can always seek the opinion of a friend with this task.

When choosing colors make sure they go well with each other. You might start by painting the edges with a darker color and the rest of the body with a lighter tone or color. You can then re-arrange your appliances based on how you feel is most efficient. Think of accessibility as a key to this simple task.

Easy home improvement projects do not necessarily need to resort to using crowbars and removing boards off your floors and walls. Anything is easy as long as you think of a way to make it fun. Painting or rearranging is a creative way to express yourself. You could invite a few friends to get involved in this little project and have pizza and a few sodas. With the help of some friends you will have a new looking home in no time.

Painting a room white has become the standard. However, do not have to settle for a boring brown design. Use these tips to make the target more interesting and fun.

Many people think that the white walls are boring, but the new white paint has been made to this basic color infuse a touch of personality.

The target is usually seen as less risky option to paint the walls of homes and apartments that are for sale or for rent. White goes with everything, so it is used by others, and this makes us think it’s a boring color. However, the target may have great things, if used properly.

White provides sunlight and gives a sense of calm and ventilation. It is a great background for framed art and modern furniture.

The target may have more personality that we tend to give. There are varying from white to peppermint latte, dyed shades of violet and pink.

You can use these connotations by using ornaments and color accents that provide a contrast.

For example, bright white accents will make the white walls stained beige tones from being just a little darker. The fresh white will be crisper when they are accented by bright white. You must be careful however to combine the bright white with white cream because they may give you a dirty look to the walls.

Layers and Textures

The white on white can give you a relaxing and meditative quality. When given to all surfaces in the room a bright white, their eyes are immediately drawn to the texture and architectural details – that makes even the most mundane objects are seen as excellent works of art.

The key here is texture. Different textures reflect light in different ways, providing contrasts to keep things interesting.

No room is completely white; there are accents that add color to a white room needs to stop feeling empty and barren appearance. The contrast of these accents adds to the beauty of the scheme on-white-white.

Add Neutral

Remember to add warmth to white. It’s not going to want a white room with all white furniture, this is too monochromatic. However, neutral colors and a variety of textures can work well while still soothing and relaxing.

Add wood tones to your room. This will give a touch of warmth that the room needs. Natural fiber rugs are also a great way to dress these rooms, such as baskets and furniture.

Furniture & Accessories

If you like to redecorate on a regular basis is a large white background. You can change things in upholstery, carpets and other accents that you like. Use accents of color elements, furniture and carpets in the living room, pillows and bedding in the bedroom.

If you want to display art, then do not use fabrics with patterns, solids doing a better job by giving art a fund. The colors used as accents in each room can give his own personality, while the white provides a unifying theme for your home. When you start with white, you can introduce color; you can even use bold colors to add interest without distracting.

Paint a wall a different color than the rest of the room is becoming increasingly fashionable. This gives a burst of color to the room and increases the dimension of space. One of the options by which we can bow is black.

Lighter colors imply a little more work because we may need to cover a previous color. In this opportunity show you how to paint a wall in black. Nothing better to do it ourselves to save money (and while achieving the results of a professional painter).

Materials:

- Primer
- Black paint
- Cloth
- Roller
- Brush
- Masking tape to the edges of the wall

Step by step:

Step 1: First you must make sure your work surface is clean. Thoroughly wash the wall. Use a damp cloth and mild soap if necessary. Remove dirt and dust so you can paint without problems.

Step 2: Apply the primer on the wall. This ensures that the paint will adhere to the walls. First you will need to apply where the wall meets the ceiling. Paint with thin layers. Be careful not too thick but the edges will be thicker than the rest of the wall.

Step 3: Use a roller to apply the primer on the wall. Apply in the form of W. In the second round pass it into the recesses. Continue applying the primer until the wall is complete.

Step 4: Let dry for two or three hours. When paint is dry you can begin to apply the black paint. Start with the exterior. Let the first coat to dry and then apply a second coat of paint.

Step 5: Finally, stay away and watch the wall. Touch up areas that need it using a brush.