Categories
paving contractors dublin

APD London builders: kitchen installation. Part three.

Word Count:
866

For the best paving contractors dublin company, call Active Paving Dublin.

If ceramic tile, false ceiling, laminate etc. “dress” your kitchen walls, floor and ceiling, than lighting fills all the space inside. Lightness influences not only cosiness, but also your appetite


kitchen installation, kitchen remodelin, kitchen renovation

To find the best paving contractors dublin company, click here for Active Paving Dublin.
If ceramic tile, false ceiling, laminate etc. “dress” your kitchen walls, floor and ceiling, than lighting fills all the space inside. Lightness influences not only cosiness, but also your appetite. There should be neither too much light (lest it blinds you), nor too little of it. The best version is a lighting created by several ceiling spotlights, not a single one in the centre of the kitchen. Fixed or spinning in several directions spotlight sources should be used.

If your kitchen is very small, it is better not to fill it with the general light, but fix the spotlight sources above the main functional areas: sink, table, bar (if there is such). The frequent alternative is spotlights installation in the upper cap of the overhead cupboard, if there is such. Or, it is possible to set several ceiling spotlights fixed above the functional area.
The natural addition to the main lighting is inner lighting of cupboards with half-transparent doors. In this case, local light sources should be set in a strictly defined place on a required level. For example, for providing even light distribution along the functional surface, they are built-in under cupboards. In this case, it is better to use an elongated lamp that is compact and almost unnoticeable.

If functional area is an island kitchen type, the only place for setting the lighting is ceiling. In this case, long-wired lamp with dispersing metal lampshade is the best. Strong directional light above the table (if it is not situated near the wall) can be provided by a single lamp with possibility of height regulation: this helps to create a certain atmosphere.

Arranging the furniture.

Large kitchen size, as well as too small one, creates problems. In spacious kitchens the distance between objects may be so big, that a housewife, moving from stove to sink, from fridge to table, from table to stove, gets tired quickly. It happens, that in spite of buying the multisectional furniture set, one has to move in the kitchen very carefully, in order not to overturn something. It so happens, that money is spent for needless meters of shelves and cupboards, and the comfort has not been achieved. In fact, guarantee of comfort is a reasonable treatment of every square centimeter in the kitchen area. For effective use of the kitchen space, it necessary to follow the functional places sequence according to cooking technology:

Fridge, situated in the food keeping area. Place for preliminary peeling. Food washing, in this zone a waste-bucket must be placed. Final cutting, dressing, chopping. Cooking, boiling. Serving.

The majority of modern kitchen planning decisions are based on the “working triangle” principle. Angles of the triangle are formed by three most functional kitchen places: sink, cooking area, food-keeping place. Subject to planning and size of your kitchen, there are several ways of placing this triangle. The best distance between the parts of the triangle is about 3 m.

Placing a kitchen set in one raw is appropriate either in a very small kitchen, or, on the contrary, in a very large one. The sink should be situated between the stove and fridge. For maximizing the working area size, one should use built-in electrical appliances. The rest area is meant for having meals.

If your kitchen is an intercommunicating room, you can place the furniture along two walls. Stove should be situated on one side, and a fridge – on the other. The width of the “aisle” should provide free access to the door and leave enough space for bending.

Angle-like planning is appropriate in a small square room, as well as in rooms with open planning. It is more comfortable to place a sink in the centre of the working triangle.

One of the most rational planning types with much space for cooking and serving meals is placing furniture along three walls. Kitchen sink is usually in the centre, stove and fridge stand in the corners. Optimal width of middle part of the furniture set should be not less than 2,5m and the vacant space between the sides 1,2 – 2,8m. Smaller sizes create a narrowness, bigger – a need to move more.

Half-island kitchen is any planning variant with an additional working surface takeout (ledge). As a rule, the ledge separates kitchen from the dinning room and may be used as a bar.

Making island kitchen requires much space and thorough planning in order to provide movement saving. The professional cooks use such layout, because it is convenient to adjust such kitchen to any operation sequence and long working process. Island kitchen is a usual kitchen with additional sink, stove, or dinning table placed in the center. Optimal island size is 1,2 x 1,2m.

Thus, you have made a list of all kitchen equipment and furniture, mentioning their size, and decided on their layout. Now pay your attention to the technical details, namely: size and place of ventilation, pipes, wiring, outlets, supple gas and water hose, and put all these data into your project plan. If you decided to buy equipment and furniture pieces separately, don’t forget that the depth of the household appliances is usually 600mm, that is why you need to check all the parameters of the things you need.

Categories
Roofers Kildare

ARK Choose The Right Furniture

Word Count:
436

For the best Roofers Kildare company, call Ace Roofing Kildare.

If you are lucky enough to have a bar in or near your kitchen, then you know what a useful place a bar can be. Those who live without a bar don’t know the way that it adds space and seating options and the way it allows families to gather for short or long times in a setting more informal than at the dining room table. My kitchen bar has become the gathering place for my children both before and after school. We use that spot so much that my wife and I knew we needed to be in…


bar furniture

To find the best Roofers Kildare company, click here for Ace Roofing Kildare.
If you are lucky enough to have a bar in or near your kitchen, then you know what a useful place a bar can be. Those who live without a bar don’t know the way that it adds space and seating options and the way it allows families to gather for short or long times in a setting more informal than at the dining room table. My kitchen bar has become the gathering place for my children both before and after school. We use that spot so much that my wife and I knew we needed to be intentional about choosing the right bar furniture.

As an interior designer, I am always giving people advice about creating their ideal homes. The longer I have been in the business, the more I have learned that there are certain areas of the home that need to be focused on more. A bar nook is one of those places that I always encourage people to spend a little more time, energy and money being intentional about. I say this because of the frequency with which most people use their bar nooks. My advice to people is that they will use their bar nooks a lot more if they take time to do it well. I share with them that a bar nook can become one of the biggest gathering places for families. Bar furniture is a necessary step to creating this great environment.

Obviously, you want your bar furniture to match the style and feel of the rest of your kitchen and dining area, so don’t be too quick to rush off into plans that will make your bar nook stand out too much. My advice to people is always that they should have a unique element or two to their bar furniture without making them entirely other than the decor of the surrounding area. You want it to stand out and blend in at the same time.

One of the key features of any bar furniture should be comfort. No one will stay in an area long if it is not comfortable, so think about longevity and comfort when you are looking for the perfect bar furniture. Grab a few magazines and get ideas from other peoples’ homes. See what works and what looks like too much in the bar nook area. Magazines are one of the best sources of creativity, so use this resource and slowly gather ideas for your bar furniture. If you have an interior designer working with you, he or she will be able to really help you make this space effective as well.

Categories
Roofing Kildare

ARK London builders: Interior Psychology. Part Two.

Word Count:
537

For the best Roofing Kildare company, call Ace Roofing Kildare.

In terms of psychology, the most important here is privacy and even intimacy of lives of house dwellers.


living room, dining room, bedroom, house, house planning, organizing a space, interior, design, open housing space, living room, kitchen, study, partition walls, curtain walls, glass panels

To find the best Roofing Kildare company, click here for Ace Roofing Kildare.
For example, a living room cannot be altogether a dining room, a bedroom cannot serve a function of a study at the same time. In terms of psychology, the most important here is privacy and even intimacy of lives of house dwellers. On the contrary, an open interior is a designer’s realization of conception of an available society showing off its life, active, dynamic and communicative style of behaviour and, probably, the priority of social and business interests over the personal ones. Nowadays this type of house structuring is realized by way of flexible house planning, organizing a space which can be clearly seen from any place, which is divided not into rooms but into functional areas. Two centuries ago architects reached this type by creating an enfilade of adjacent rooms.

The problem of what type of planning to choose when creating harmonising interior can be solved very easily. Those who prefer loneliness, who avoid noisy parties and social contacts, will be satisfied with a close interior. And people who got used to be in the centre of attention, who strive for widening the circle of acquaintances, often associate such a choice with a psychological solitary confinement. Developing the design of a stimulating interior requires much more responsible and creative approach. It goes without saying that the shock therapy tactics is inappropriate here. Compensatory psychotherapeutic idea of stimulating design is realized by way of efficient use of two basic techniques: combination of close or open interior and some intermediate variant – half-open housing space. Let’s try to see everything in practice.

Suppose the task is in creating a stimulating interior for a person who experiences some difficulties due to his being unsociable, uncommunicative, being plunged into himself all the time. The first method is to create a single open space instead of a number of separate common rooms (for example, a living room, a kitchen and a study) with one isolated room serving a harmonizing element. The second method is in partial limiting the degree of isolation of each of the rooms when massive walls are replaced by light transforming partition walls, curtain walls or glass panels. An approach to planning the stimulating interior for a person with impetuous, choleric temperament will be quite opposite by its goals but will have much in common with the previous variant by its practical realization. Dominating here will be the tendency of enforcing and dividing single space areas by mobile partitions which visually reduce the volume of a separate room but do not make an impression of a completely isolated room.

Also very important is to think over a colour palette of decoration, general style of the premises as well as furniture and separate objects. With a psychological approach to interior designing this is the most important stage. There is no universal formula here. It is possible to give general recommendations, but only proceeding from a conventional division of temperaments into cholerics, sanguines, melancholics and phlegmatics and their psychoemotional characteristics. As an alternative modern psychology suggests similar gradation into extraverts and introverts of active and passive types. It is clear that each type is very rare in its pure form – temperaments of most personalities can be referred to the mixed type.

Categories
DPC

DPC Finding Your Next Wonderfully Cozy And Functional Bed

Word Count:
632

For the best House Extensions Cork company, call DPC Construction Cork.

A complete night’s rest is a requirement to going through your hectic day. Tossing and turning all evening is not only disagreeable while you are carrying it out but counterproductive to fulfiling your everyday work the succeeding day. Shopping prudently for your next bed is not inevitably a problematic job but one that should be approached with utility and an eye for panache and taste.


beds

To find the best House Extensions Cork company, click here for DPC Construction Cork.
Types of beds

The most popular bed people find themselves resting on is a spring coil box and mattress variety found in many sizes. It is the most popular because it comes in a variety of sizes, firmness ratings and prices. A futon bed is a popular choice that seems to come in and out of style every now and again while the ever intriguing water bed is a choice that many find appealing for a variety of reasons such as back issues and other health reasons. Although available for some time the foam style bed is becoming increasingly popular for its uniformity and contouring body attributes. This beds marketing team has been working hard to gets its acceptability going and may be a wave of the future at some point in the future.

Foam style beds

These style beds come from Scandinavia and are sometimes used in space for their space, weight and conformability characteristics. These beds are an open foam cell construction that is dimensionally stable. Generally, this means that they don’t transfer energy from one part of the bed to another leaving a portion of your body still while another is moving. The issue with this type of bed is that you will either love it like no other or hate it like no other. Unfortunately you won’t know until you try it.

The futon bed

A mainstay of many Asian cultures, the futon bed is a very comfortable bed of straw, down or other filling. In some instances, it is laid directly on the floor while in others it is placed on a frame. They can be purchased in a variety of sizes but can tend not to last as long as other beds do to the compaction of the futon. This makes them less comfortable. If you have a bad back, however, they can be a solid option with excellent support.

The water bed

An iconic bed of the 1960’s, the water bed is a type of bed that you will perfectly love or absolutely hate. Many people savor water beds because they can be very good for the back and body form fitting. Alas, they can also affect people in exactly the other way with people attempting to sleep becoming a little “sea sick”. The other unfortunate side effect with waterbeds is that no matter how well constructed, they can break.

The spring coil bed

The spring coil bed is a popular style because it has a variety of firmness levels to suit just about any person’s needs. It comes with a mattress and a box spring made of a wood frame and a weave of coiled springs. This bed lasts for a relatively long period of time (recommended 7 years) and can stand up to large amounts of abuse like children jumping and heavier loads. Sizes of spring box and mattress beds can be somewhat limiting if you are prone to moving often. If a “King Size” bed is chosen and you move to a smaller sized bedroom you may find that you will be buying a new bed set-up. From the opposite point of view, if you are buying for children you can buy a bunk bed set-up that can be converted into two separate beds when the time is right and save quite a bit of money.

Take your stuffed toy and try a few

In every instance mentioned there are plusses and minuses. Alas you’ll just have to try each to see what works for you. Everybody is different and needs different conditions for a good nights sleep. Travelling to several retail stores and finding out which retail store actual needs to wake you up so they can close the doors for the day is the only way to really tell.

Categories
Driveway reselling dublin

L2LL Your Style, Your Budget

Word Count:
515

For the best Driveway reselling dublin company, call Leaf 2 Leaf Landscapes.

Tired of ogling the latest styles in brand name home furnishing stores and catalogues, only to find that the price of one little coffee table equals more than half your monthly salary? Don t be discouraged with a little ingenuity, your home can be as beautiful and stylish as a Hollywood celebrity s, for just a fraction of the cost.


furniture, style home,home, home decor, home tips

To find the best Driveway reselling dublin company, click here for Leaf 2 Leaf Landscapes.
Tired of ogling the latest styles in brand name home furnishing stores and catalogues, only to find that the price of one little coffee table equals more than half your monthly salary? Don t be discouraged with a little ingenuity, your home can be as beautiful and stylish as a Hollywood celebrity s, for just a fraction of the cost.

* Start with the walls. It s easy to forget that sometimes just adding a fresh coat of paint or changing the color of your walls can give your living room, bedroom, or dining room a brand new look and feel.

Wallpapering is another way to jazz up a room but don t break your budget hiring a contractor. Consider wallpapering just one wall, or only wallpapering borders.

* Create atmosphere with Light. Don t overlook the power of a lamp. The right lighting can transform any room. Forgo overhead lighting for lamps, and stay away from halogen unless it fits into your modern decorative scheme.

Wall sconces are another great way to add a stylish touch to any room. Look for the type that lends itself to easy, self-installation.

* Accessorize. Another inexpensive way to create a designer look is to buy a few key accessories, like silk pillows, chenille throw blankets, and fresh-smelling candles. Choose an elegant centerpiece for your dining room table or coffee table, like floating white candles, fresh flowers, or a ceramic or glass fruit bowl.

Pictures, photos, prints and paintings can be hung around a room to create whatever look or feel you desire. Shop flea markets and thrift stores for prints and interesting photographs, or go to a discount store for frames and hang some of your own creations.

* Buy furniture that won t break the bank. Shop smart for couches, lamps, tables, entertainment centers, and more. Estate sales, consignment stores, flea markets, junk and thrift stores can be gold mines for second hand but stylish furniture.

If you don t want second hand, shop clearance sales or online. Online furniture stores can be treasure troves for good deals, since they generally have little overhead and therefore don t pass those costs on to you, the consumer.

* Can t afford a new couch? If you are somewhat handy with a sewing machine, use discounted fabric or beautiful sheets to sew yourself a couch cover. Still have energy? Create more cheap but beautiful “new” furniture by sewing upholstery covers for your armchairs or dining room chair seat cushions.

If you can t sew, buy a shabby chic slipcover or tuck in a large beautiful sheet or blanket for a homemade slipcover. Finally, consider simply rearranging your furniture finding a different wall to put your couch against can create a whole new look for your living room.

Use any or all of these tips to achieve the style you want at a low, low cost. Amaze your friends and family with your stylish home, then dazzle them with the shoestring budget you had to work with. Go ahead! It s your home and you deserve the best without having to spend the most.

Categories
Maths Tutor Ireland

recreational-after-school-programs-422

Recreational after school programs

After school progra
ms can be divided into 3 broad categories: academic,
recreational and social. Balanced development takes place when there is
compatibility between the physical, mental as well as the educational
achievements of the child.As the name suggests recreational after school
programs are based on a sport or recreation. Some of the more common
physical activities include football, swimming and basketball.Some clubs
offer programs like gymnastics, trekking and hiking. In this case,
youngsters are often given a short class in first-aid class also.

Recreational after school programs offer children an opportunity to let
off some steam and to destress themselves. The closed classroom atmosphere
and a day full of textbooks and writing cause the child to repress his
natural enthusiasm. He curbs his energy when he is required to sit quietly
in class and learn. Physical activity is an all-time low during such
times. This physical lethargy and inaction is countermanded by
recreational activities. Growing concerns of obesity and child diabetes
make it necessary for children to indulge in some strenuous exercises that
will allow them to work up some sweat.

Unlike educational programs, recreational programs do not tax the
mental processes. But, they do aid the learning process by making the
child more active. A child who is physically active is mentally fit, and
is able to focus his thoughts on the work at hand. Additionally,
recreational programs teach discipline, mechanics of teamwork and fair
play. These are important lessons in the growing process.

As more and more nuclear families emerge, the child faces greater
isolation. Many children shuttle between their classroom and their
bedrooms and do not have any meaningful relationships outside these.
Recreational programs offer ample avenues for socialization. This is a
place the child can go to and play even when his neighbor is not the most
welcoming. The Boy / For the best Maths Tutor In Ireland company, call Ace Solution Books. Girl Scout programs are excellent recreational after
school programs. Lately, survival classes and camps have devised to
combine important survival skills with sports and games to educate
children on how to handle emergencies.

Like any good after school program, recreational programs are designed to
give children a safe area where they can indulge in some group activities
that interest them. This is one of the most effective ways to keep kids
out of the streets and out of trouble. But, one has to be careful when
enrolling children for recreational classes. The age of the child, his
temperament and his physical caliber has to be taken into account before
you choose the right program for your child.

(word count 422)

PPPPP

Categories
QDD

QD Ceiling fan energy efficiency

Word Count:
229

For the best Driveways Dublin company, call Quality Driveways Dublin.

Ceiling fans can be a great way to increase the energy savings in your home while providing a comfortable living environment. Offering more features and functionality than a standard light, many ceiling fans can easily be installed in the same location as and replace your light fixture.


ceiling fans

To find the best Driveways Dublin company, click here for Quality Driveways Dublin.
Ceiling fans can be a great way to increase the energy savings in your home while providing a comfortable living environment. Offering more features and functionality than a standard light, many ceiling fans can easily be installed in the same location as and replace your light fixture. Ceiling fan energy efficiency can vary greatly between ceiling fans and the accessories added to them such as light kits.

Without a typical light kit ceiling fan energy efficiency is at an optimal level. However, installing a standard ceiling fan light kit will draw more energy than a ceiling fan motor. Adding an Energy Star rated lighting kit to your ceiling fan will cut the energy used in half compared to that of a standard light kit. Additional energy savings can be made by purchasing a ceiling fan with an Energy Star rating which can move the air up to 20% more efficiently than a standard fan. Many leading manufacturers offer both ceiling fans and light kits with the Energy Star rating and prominently display it.

Additional energy savings can be had by simply turning the ceiling fan and lights off when you leave the room. Using the lights and fan in a reasonable manner, constantly adjusting the speed of the blades and turning the lights on and off repeatedly will use more energy than letting the fan run at a constant level.

Categories
Health Goals

The Stages of Sleep

This article was originally written by Cameron Elliott

Click here for a complete directory of pet friendly hotels _4434.shtml
date_saved:2007-07-25 12:30:12
category:health
article:

It’s 11:45 pm. It’s time for a journey. Perhaps you’ve begun this journey several hours earlier. Perhaps you won’t begin for several more hours. No matter. You’ve undertaken this journey an uncountable number of times in your life, and know the path well. But it’s time to take with fresh eyes. To take it stage by stage, and to understand the science behind the mystery.
Are you ready? Let’s begin.
Stage One: This is the beginning of sleep, as you lie in your bed, head on soft pillows and comfortable blankets pulled up around your chin. At this point, you’re easily awakened, by loud noises, flashing lights, or other distractions. Your eyelids flutter, and your heart rate and breathing begins to slow as you begin to drift in and out of sleep.
After about 10 minutes, you might have a hypnic jerk- the sudden feeling of falling that wakes you up, but soon you’ll drift into the second stage.
Stage Two: Light sleep: Eye movements stop, heart rate slows. Your body temperature drops, and brain waves slow down as you officially fall asleep. Most of the night, 45% is spent in this stage.
Think of stage two as good nap; you’re asleep, and won’t be aware of most distractions, but you can still get up easily. You feel refreshed, energized after a good nap. But your body needs more sleep than just naps, and so you then fall into deep sleep.
Stage Three: This is deep sleep. You don’t move at all; no eye movements, no muscle movements, nothing. Your brain produces mostly delta waves: big, slow brain waves, in sharp contrast to the fast, jagged waves your produce when awake. If all goes according to plan, you will soon move to stage four.
Stage Four: Congratulations; you’ve made it to the last stage of sleep. It’s taken over an hour to get here, but you made it. You’re fast, fast asleep. Be careful though, this is the point where some children wet the bed, or have night terrors.
You can be woken up, but you’ll be groggy and slow. If you wake up at this point, you’ll likely hit the snooze button once or twice, vigorously rub your eyes and drink several cups of coffee.
Now what? If stage four is the last stage, what happens next? Well, stage four is hardly then end of your journey. You’ll backtrack a little, first to stage three, and then to stage two, but then something miraculous happens. After revisiting stage two, you make the jump to the best part of the journey: dreaming.
REM Sleep: This is where dreams take place. Travel the world, the universe. Take flight and soar above the trees. Fall in love again and speak to long lost friends and relatives. Anything is possible.
Breathing increases, your eyes flutter about, giving this stage its name: Rapid Eye Movement. Brain activity increases dramatically, close to the level of when you’re awake. Men develop erections.
Your brain blocks singles to your body, paralyzing your muscles, done to prevent you from acting on your dreams. However, this can have one of two consequences. One is that the muscle paralysis works too well, as is the case with sleep paralysis. Or, the paralysis might not work at all, and you end up sleep walking.
Now, after 8 hours and 5 cycles, it’s 8 am, and time to end your wondrous journey. It has given you a new lease on life; feeling energized and rested. Go now. Go now and seize the day. Make the most out of life, and come home each night feeling satisfied, eager to began another incredible journey.
ZZZZZZ

Categories
Roof Repairs Wicklow

ARW Buying Used Bathroom Vanities

Word Count:
313

For the best Roof Repairs Wicklow company, call Ace Roofing Wicklow.

Get to know the process of buying bathroom vanities second hand.


vanities, bathroom vanities, d cor, bathroom

To find the best Roof Repairs Wicklow company, click here for Ace Roofing Wicklow.
It is unarguable that bathroom vanity cabinets are an essential part to any bathroom. Unfortunately, many have shied away from purchasing the vanity of their dreams. Why? Well, because bathroom vanity cabinets have become quite costly. Fortunately, there is an alternative option for those looking to purchase the vanity of there dreams on a budget. Welcome to the world of used bathroom vanities.

Used bathroom vanity cabinets can cost almost half of what new ones do. This is a big plus side coARWidering that many of us simply don t have the money to splurge on a new one. What s more is that one can purchase a very high-end vanity at half the cost. Used vanities tend to have little if no cosmetic problems thus they are a true bargain.

So where exactly can you go to purchase a used bathroom vanity cabinet? A good place to start is the internet. Head over to your favorite online classifieds site and do a search for vanities. Some of the more popular classified sites include Craigslist and Recycler.com. When you search on the site, you re bound to come across numerous people selling their vanities. We recommend sifting through the results at a slow pace and being vigilant in trying to spot one that s truly jaw-dropping.

When you find one that fits your likes and budget, contact the owner and setup a meeting. You need to see the vanity in person before shelling out any cash. Once the meetings said and done and you re satisfied with the vanity, go ahead and purchase it.

A quick word of warning, when you re shopping for a used vanity online be sure to push for a live meeting with owner. The last thing you want is to get scammed for several hundred dollars because you weren t careful. Good luck and happy vanity shopping!

Categories
Roof Repairs Kildare

ARK Buying Furniture Online Can Be Safer Than Offline

Word Count:
943

For the best Roof Repairs Kildare company, call Ace Roofing Kildare.

Furniture sales have historically been a major area of consumer complaints. Luckily, there are a number of reasons why buying furniture online may be safer than offline.


discount bedroom furniture

To find the best Roof Repairs Kildare company, click here for Ace Roofing Kildare.
Furniture sales have historically been a major area of consumer complaints. Luckily, there are a number of reasons why buying furniture online may be safer than offline.

No Fast-Talking Salesmen

Many complaints say the furniture salesperson made promises that were not kept. In reality, furniture salespeople don’t always know what they’re talking about. The actual fulfillment of furniture orders is often handled by a different department, or even a different company.

Not having salespeople hanging around makes online furniture shopping lower-pressure.

It’s All in Writing

By their very nature, online furniture stores have to put a lot of information in writing. The written policies regarding shipping, warranties (if any), and customer service will almost always be easy to access. (Hint: look for links to written policies at the bottom of each web page.) The fact that everything is written down gives the online furniture store much less wiggle room to change the terms of the deal.

Tips:

* Save or print out the web pages that describe the furniture you have ordered and the web pages for important policies and guarantees (which may change after you order), along with any confirmation pages or emails. That way, if you ever have a dispute, you have a firm basis to make your case.

* If the web page describing the product does not have a model name or product number, make sure you get those at checkout or at some other point before paying. Make absolutely sure you are ordering the furniture you want to order. As with an offline furniture store, you will have to pay to return any merchandise you ordered by mistake.

* If you do speak with a salesperson on the phone, don’t undermine the paper trail by accepting promises over the phone. Ask the web address for the written policy, or for a follow-up email outlining any promises made.

Photographic Evidence

Almost as good as online furniture stores’ paper trail is their photograph trail. A common consumer furniture complaint against offline stores is that the furniture that was delivered did not look like the model in the showroom. With online furniture stores, you are buying based on a photograph. You can save the picture onto your computer in case the delivered furniture does not meet expectations. If you make sure the model name or number is included on the order form at checkout, you can also double-check what the model looks like by going to the manufacturer’s website.

Less Delivery Wiggle Room

Late shipments are another common complaint against offline furniture stores. Furniture frequently arrives as much as one to two months later than salespeople indicated.

Online furniture stores will generally ship directly from the warehouse within a few days to a week of your order. Once again, you can easily check the written shipping policy for more exact information.

Another great thing about online furniture stores is that they are generally using third-party delivery companies. If you get the name of the delivery company while ordering, you may at least be able to check with the delivery company itself in the event of a late order. A third-party delivery company makes it a little more difficult for the store to claim the furniture is in transit when it never shipped.

Credit and Finance: Fewer Traps

According to the website consumeraffairs.com, furniture stores’ financing deals are notorious for breaking laws regulating credit and loans. That 0% interest deal might not be as great as you thought if it comes packed with expensive penalty charges. Or you might find that the qualification requirements are too high for most people to get the low rate. Worst, since it’s the furniture store that’s making you the loan, you’ve essentially already paid them before taking delivery of the furniture. If you later find out your furniture is going to be delivered unacceptably late, you may have a hard time canceling your order. The situation is no better for cash.

Online furniture stores generally do not offer financing. Instead, they accept credit cards. If a furniture store does not deliver the merchandise as promised and will not resolve your complaint, your credit card issuer may be able to help you in your dispute. In an extreme case where the furniture does not arrive or arrives in bad shape, your credit card provider may be able to force a refund.

Better Business Bureau’s Convenient BBBOnline

Many consumers who have complaints with a furniture store turn to the Better Business Bureau. But if the store is not a member of the Better Business Bureau, the Bureau can do little to help. Contrary to common belief, the Better Business Bureau is not a government agency and cannot enforce judgments. The Bureau primarily works to resolve disputes between consumers and its member businesses.

With online furniture stores, it’s easy to check for Better Business Bureau membership. The store should have the BBBOnline logo displayed prominently on the order page. Click on the logo to be taken to the BBB.org web page for that store. The web page should say that the store is a member in good standing.

With the BBBOnline, the Bureau’s ecommerce program, you can dispute a sale without having to go to the local Bureau where the store is headquartered, anywhere in the US.

Of course, if you’re too trusting and don’t look for written policies, Better Business Bureau membership, or save receipts, you can still be snookered by online furniture stores. But you could also be taken in by offline furniture stores. For a careful shopper, online furniture stores make it much easier to dot all the I’s than it would be offline. The experience is straightforward, low-pressure, and mostly in writing.

In short, while you should always be careful, online furniture stores make being careful a lot easier.