Month: June 2021

Categories
DPC

DPC Wood Flooring And Home Improvement Loans

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306

For the best Renovations Cork And Conservatories Cork company, call DPC Construction Cork.

Want to install a wood floor to improve the value of your home but don’t have the capital to make it happen? Consider using the equity in your home to get a home improvement loan. A home improvement loan is a nice way to get a tax deduction, install the wood floor of your dreams, and increase the value of your home all at once.

You can use a home improvement loan for general improvements or for a specific project such as laying a wood floor. These loans are placed second i…


wood floors,home improvement loan

To find the best Renovations Cork And Conservatories Cork company, click here for DPC Construction Cork.
Want to install a wood floor to improve the value of your home but don’t have the capital to make it happen? Consider using the equity in your home to get a home improvement loan. A home improvement loan is a nice way to get a tax deduction, install the wood floor of your dreams, and increase the value of your home all at once.

You can use a home improvement loan for general improvements or for a specific project such as laying a wood floor. These loans are placed second in line on the title of your home. These work basically the same as a second mortgage or home equity loan. You get all the money in one lump sum at the loan closing.

You do have options though, it all depends on the amount you want to borrow. If you need only a small amount, a line of credit might be the best way. This way you can withdraw money in any amount you need, whenever you need it. This type is more flexible but the interest rate is adjustable and so could increase over time.

If you are looking to borrow a large sum for some major remodeling, you might want to look into long term fixed rate loans. This way your payments will never increase. As long as your home improvement project is within the boundaries of your local building regulations you should have no trouble getting the loan you need for you wood flooring installation.

Most loans are from five to thirty years in duration. You can use a home improvement loan calculator to get an idea of what you want before approaching a lender. Generally there is no equity required for a home improvement loan and they are deductible. What are you waiting for? Get your wood floors in now.

Categories
Locksmiths

RL My Dishwasher is Not Starting – What Can It Be?

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334

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The dishes are in the dishwasher and you close the door. You hit the start button and nothing happens. What now?


dishwasher, appliance, repair, part, help, fix, home, improvement, kitchen, switch, working

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The dishes are in the dishwasher and you close the door. You hit the start button and nothing happens. What now?

First make sure the dishwasher is getting power. Check your fuse box for blown fuses. If you have circuit breakers, check to see if they are tripped. Make sure the dishwasher’s plug is secure in the outlet.

If power is not the problem, take a closer look at some of the electrical parts of your dishwasher. The most common part to fail is the door switch.

A door switch is used to start and stop your dishwasher. It’s a safety feature that won’t allow water to flow with the door open. With a faulty door switch, there is a chance your dishwasher won’t start at all.

Dishwasher door switches are about an inch long. They are usually black but can be red. There are metal prongs on the body of the switch called terminals. Some door switches have two terminals and some have three.

If your door switch is OK, check the timer assembly. This controls when and how long power is sent to other controls on your dishwasher. If these controls don’t receive power, they won’t work.

The timer assembly contains a motor. Check this motor as well. It is often cheaper just to replace the timer motor rather than the complete assembly.

My last suggestion is to check the cycle selector switches. These switches indicate cycles for washing, drying, and setting the temperature of the water. If one of your switches is the problem your dishwasher may not start.

Dishwasher cycle selector switches teRL the timer which cycle to run by opening and closing electrical circuits. Most selector switches are six to eight inches long. They are usually black and have terminals.

By testing each one of these parts with an ohmmeter you should be able to determine why your dishwasher is not working. It is possible for other parts to fail but these are the most common parts to check.

Categories
Tarmac Patio Paving Waterford

DDW Toxic Mold Syndrome Also Known As Sick Building Syndrome

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458

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Some mold can be toxic, particularly in buildings. Are you sick because your building needs mold removed?


toxic mold syndrome, symptoms of toxic mold, toxic mold decontamination and remediation

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Toxic mold syndrome can manifest itself in many different ways. Some of the symptoms associated with toxic mold include such things as itchy, watery eyes, being well when you are away from the building, pregnancy problems and incidences of cancer. The list of symptoms is quite far ranging and shows that they can be associated with other health problems as well. This is why it is often hard for doctors to diagnose toxic mold syndrome and why it is necessary to look at measures for decontamination and remediation.

Toxic mold syndrome can sometimes be called sick building syndrome. This is because the building is what is making people sick. Although you may not be able to see, feel or smell anything, the building may still have symptoms of toxic mold and this is what is making you feel miserable. Unless the owners of the building undertake to do toxic mold decontamination and remediation, the syndrome will continue to worsen. You probably won t even realize that you have symptoms of sick building syndrome until you are away from the building for a while and then return.

Some of the things in office buildings that cause toxic mold syndrome are fungal mold spores that spread through the heating ducts. If you have a sensitivity to smells, you may be able to smell the toxic mold, but in most cases your co-workers don t smell it. This means that the company won t bother with toxic mold decontamination and remediation. The only way to get rid of the toxic mold that is causing the syndrome and your symptoms of illness is to take steps toward decontamination and remediation for toxic mold removal.

If the building is airtight or has a poor ventilation system, you have a greater chance of developing toxic mold syndrome. Another of the symptoms of toxic mold is stained ceiling tiles. This is because the tiles have gotten wet and mold has formed on the cardboard of the tiles. This is one of the most obvious signs that toxic mold decontamination and remediation should be a high priority for the health of those working there.

You may not think so, but when you have reason to believe you have toxic mold syndrome, there are actions you can take. You can take pictures of the stained tiles and make a complaint in writing to your supervisor. This puts a record on file that you have complained about the presence of the symptoms of toxic mold and that you are asking the company to do something about toxic mold decontamination and remediation. There are government agencies that deal in studies about toxic mold decontamination and remediation. They can also answer any questions you might have about toxic mold syndrome.

Categories
QDD

QD The Plus Sides of Remodeling Your Kitchen

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699

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

Are you one the many homeowners in America who would like to do a little bit of remodeling? When it comes to remodeling, one of the rooms most often remodeled is the kitchen.


kitchen, remodeling, kitchen remodeling, cons, home, remodel, remodeling kitchen, own kitchen, professional, own, value, remodel kitchen, remodeled, job, disadvantages, fact, doing, con, experience, remodeling own kitchen,

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Are you one the many homeowners in America who would like to do a little bit of remodeling? When it comes to remodeling, one of the rooms most often remodeled is the kitchen.

One of the reasons for that is because there are a number of advantages to having a kitchen remodeled. While there are a number of benefits to kitchen remodeling, there are also a number of disadvantages. These disadvantages are often referred to cons. If you were thinking about remodeling your kitchen, you may be wondering what the main cons of kitchen remodeling are.

Perhaps, the biggest con of remodeling your kitchen is the fact that it costs money. The amount of money needed will depend on how much of your kitchen you plan on remodeling, as well as the supplies and materials that you need or want to purchase. If you make the decision to only replace your kitchen countertops, you will find that it is easier to afford that remodeling project than it is a larger one, such as project that requires the replacement of countertops, cabinets, wall panels, lighting, and floor tiles. While it is always possible to remodel your kitchen on a budget, you may find it a little bit difficult to do. The cost will be relatively high regardless of whether you do your own kitchen remodeling or if you hire a professional.

In addition to the cost of remodeling your kitchen, you will also find that there are a number of other cons or disadvantages. One of those cons is the time that it takes to remodel your kitchen. Regardless of how much of your kitchen you choose to remodel, you will find that it is still time consuming, especially if you do not have any prior remodeling experience. If you have time, this kitchen remodeling con may not even apply to you. However, if you are pressed for time or are tying to remodel your kitchen on the side, you may find it difficult to get it all done in a reasonable amount of time. If this is the case, an alternative that you may want to examine is professional assistance from a remodeling expert.

An added benefit to remodeling the kitchen in you home is that the value of your home could increase; however, the keyword was could. A home will only increase in value if the remodeling job was a success. Any remodeling job that looks unattractive is not likely to increase the value of a home. In fact, the value of the home may even decrease a slight amount, but, possibly, enough to notice. This means that if you are planning on remodeling your own kitchen, you will want to make sure that you do it right. If you do not have any home improvement experience, it may be a good idea to seek professional assistance or at least take a kitchen remodeling course.

Another pro or disadvantage to kitchen remodeling is the fact that it can be unsafe. This con only applies to those who are interested in doing their own kitchen remodeling. One of the reasons why professional remodelers are able to get the job done quicker is because they often have an immeasurable amount of experience with what they are doing. One mistake that many homeowners make, when remodeling their own kitchen, is believing that they can have their kitchen remodeled in the same amount of time as a professional. Unfortunately, this often leads to hurrying; hurrying that could not only affect your work, but hurrying that could also put yourself in danger. Whether you are making yourself a new kitchen counter, replacing your kitchen cabinets, or replacing the lights in your kitchen, kitchen remodeling can be dangerous. That is why it is important that you take your time.

Although there are a number of kitchen remodeling cons, it is also important to note that there are also a number of pros. When it comes to pros and cons, you need to compare the two and decide which could offer you the most benefits. Doing so may help you decide whether or not it would be a good idea for you remodel your kitchen.

Categories
Tarmac Patio Paving Waterford

DDW Tough Boat Ladders Made of Stainless Steel

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253

For the best Tarmac Waterford company, call Davitt Driveways Waterford.

For the best in durable, corrosion free entry and exit from your boat you’ll want one of the vast array of stainless steel boat ladders available online.
Let’s take a look at the many ladder options for boats at the numerous retailer or auction


stainless steel boat ladders

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For the best in durable, corrosion free entry and exit from your boat you’ll want one of the vast array of stainless steel boat ladders available online.
Let’s take a look at the many ladder options for boats at the numerous retailer or auction sites. One marine supply company alone has ten different stainless steel boat ladders to offer as well as accessories for your ladder and boat.

The first is a four-step stainless steel ladder with four steps and a hook 11 inches long. This boat ladder is sturdy and comfortable to bear feet, with plastic steps that are molded, a highly visible white, with plenty of traction.

The diameter of this ladder for boats is one inch, with tubing made of aluminum and hooks that are thick and covered in vinyl. The standoffs have cushioned tips and are adjustable and made of all aluminum.

If you prefer, you can choose a ladder with only three steps, or one with a hook that is only 7 inches long. The smaller ladders retail for $29.92, where the larger ones are $34.92.

If space is a problem your choice of boat ladders might be a telescoping ladder for boats that is compact and stows in much less space. It can easily fit into a typical boat storage locker. Its steps are white poly, with excellent traction and one inch diameter tubing made of stainless steel with a capacity of 250 pounds. The 11-inch hook folds up easily. You can choose three or four steps, at a price range of $103.25-$114.93.

Categories
DPC

DPC Wood Flooring – Everything You Need To Know.

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985

For the best Renovations Cork And Conservatories Cork company, call DPC Construction Cork.

The elegant look of a hardwood floor can add warmth and character to any room in a home. The natural characteristics of wood add depth and a visual appearance that many other types of floors try to duplicate. With the demand for hardwood flooring growing manufacturer’s are enhancing their ranges to meet this demand, with better quality finishes and superior construction techniques.

Hardwood floors come in a wide variety of wood species, colours and widths. Besides the clas…


Wooden Flooring, Wood Floors,

To find the best Renovations Cork And Conservatories Cork company, click here for DPC Construction Cork.
The elegant look of a hardwood floor can add warmth and character to any room in a home. The natural characteristics of wood add depth and a visual appearance that many other types of floors try to duplicate. With the demand for hardwood flooring growing manufacturer’s are enhancing their ranges to meet this demand, with better quality finishes and superior construction techniques.

Hardwood floors come in a wide variety of wood species, colours and widths. Besides the classic hardwoods (like red oak, white oak, maple and ash) many manufacturers now offer exotic hardwood species from all over the World. Exotic hardwoods give homeowners the chance to better express their own personal decorating tastes with a more unique looking floor. With so many different types of hardwood flooring now available it is sometime hard to choice which is best suited to you.

Different Types of Wood Flooring

Solid wooden floors are one solid piece of wood that have tongue and groove sides and come in either pre-finished or unfinished styles. Solid wood floors are sensitive to moisture and it is not recommended to install these floors below ground level, or directly over a concrete slab. These floors are for nail-down installations only. You can refinish, or recoat solid wood floors several times, which adds to their appeal and to their long life. There are solid floors that are over 100 years old and are still in good condition.

All solid wood floors will react to the presence of moisture. In the winter heating months, moisture leaves the wood causing the floor to contract which leaves unsightly gaps between each plank. In the summer months when the humidity is higher the wood will expand and the gaps will disappear. If there is too much moisture it may cause the wood planks to cup, or buckle. This is why it is important when installing a solid strip floor to leave the proper expansion area around the perimeter and to acclimatize the wood prior to installation.

Engineered wood floors – These floors are constructed from several wood plies that are glued together. The centre core is generally a softer wood material and is used to make the tongue and groove. A hardwood finish layer is glued on top of the centre core and another softer wood ply is attached underneath the core. This top ply is also called the finish layer and can be constructed of almost any wood specie.

Wood always wants to expand in a certain direction. In the presence of moisture solid wood planks will always expand across the width of the planks, rather than down the length of the boards. To avoid this problem, manufacturers of engineered planks place each ply in the opposite direction of each other. This is called cross-ply construction. Once the wood layers are glued together the plies will counteract each other which will stop the plank from growing or shrinking with changes in the humidity. Engineered wood floors are designed for the floating installation and can be glued together or some now come with a click system.

Veneer wood floors are very similar to laminate floors. The only difference is that with a veneer flooring to top wear layer is a thin piece or real hardwood instead of a photographic image as in laminates. Veneer flooring is usually around 8mm in thickness with the top hardwood layer being around 0.7mm. Advantages of a veneer floors are that they are fast and easy to install and you have a real hardwood floor.

Factory Pre-finished Wood Flooring

Most factory finished hardwood floors have several coats of finish applied to the wood’s surface. As example, many wood floor companies are applying 6-10 coats of a ultra-violet (UV) cured urethane. This would be extremely difficult for someone to duplicate on a job site finish, not to mention how many days it would take. This is one of the reasons why many flooring mechanics, flooring retailers, and builders are pushing pre-finished hardwood floors. Instead of taking several days to install and finish a new hardwood floor a pre-finished hardwood floor is generally done in one day.

The most common finishes are:

UV-cured Factory finishes that are cured with Ultra Violet lights versus heat.

Polyurethane A clear, tough and durable finish that is applied as a wear layer.

Acrylic-urethane A slightly different chemical make up than Polyurethane with the same benefits.

Aluminium Oxide Added to the urethane finish for increased abrasion resistance of the wear layer, which is becoming extremely popular on the better grade wood floors.

Acrylic Impregnated Acrylic monomers are injected into the cell structure of the wood to give increased hardness and then finished with a wear layer over the wood.

Unfinished Wood Flooring

If you want a custom stained hardwood floor, or a wood floor to match existing trim than a unfinished hardwood floor is your answer. Unfinished means you start with a bare hardwood floor and than the floor is sanded, stained, and finished in the home. This can be quite a mess and the process does take several days, but your floor will have a finish to you requirements.

Installation Options

Nail Down Secret nails are used with a wood flooring nailer and mallet to attach the flooring to the sub floor. Solid Strip floors or Plank floors can only be installed on wooden sub-floors or on batons.

Glue Down Engineered wood floors and parquets can be glued down. This is when you spread the recommended glue all over the sub floor and lay the flooring into the glue.

Floating This is when a thin underlay is placed between the wood flooring and the sub floor. A recommended wood glue is then applied in the tongue and groove of each plank to hold the planks together. Engineered & Veneer floors can be floated. This is a very fast, easy and clean method of installation.

Please consult the manufacturer installation instructions before installing any flooring.

Categories
paving contractors dublin

Your Changing The Air Conditioner Filter: How Often Should You Do It?

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496

For the best Paving Dublin company, call Active Paving.

If you wish to stretch the life span of your air conditioner and ensure that it works at its best, there are several things that you need to do. The first and the most important thing for you to do is change the filter of your air conditioner or furnace once in every three to six months.

The interval of filter changes would depend on several points, like the type of your home. Do not defer the change of filters for too long, as it would only depreciate the effectiveness of…


air buy central conditioner, air central conditioner unit

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If you wish to stretch the life span of your air conditioner and ensure that it works at its best, there are several things that you need to do. The first and the most important thing for you to do is change the filter of your air conditioner or furnace once in every three to six months.

The interval of filter changes would depend on several points, like the type of your home. Do not defer the change of filters for too long, as it would only depreciate the effectiveness of your machine, and would pull up the operating expenses. Again, too frequent filter changes would be a sheer wastage of money!

Remember, that if your air conditioner has an efficient filter, you would need to clean and change it all the more. Most of the people find pleated filters sufficient for them. These have an efficiency of ten to sixty percent, though some companies say that their filters are even more efficient.

The pleated filters have to be replaced once in every three to six months. You should make the replacement within three months if your locality has a high level of dust.

If you want a filter that has the maximum efficiency, go for an electrostatic, electronic or HEPA filter. These filters are more effective, and so you would have to change them more frequently.

The electrostatic filters possibly have the best blend of efficiency and value. You would initially have to pay almost two to six times more than a regular throwaway filter, but ultimately it would be more cost effective as these filters can be cleaned and recycled just by washing.

Even if the electronic filters are dirty, they do not hamper the flow of air. When they are dirty, they lose their capacity of draining dust out of the air and simply stop working properly. You would then have to clean and dry the electronic cells by soaking them in HVAC cleaner solutions.

If you are searching for the most efficient filters, HEPA filters are what you want. But the problem is that these filters become choked up very fast, can hamper the airflow and can even become unusable if too much clogged. Hence you would have to check them each month. You can ask your conditioner contractor whether your machine needs this type of filter.

Your hardware store can supply you with the more economic panel filters at ten dollars for a pack of four. But these filters rank the lowest when compared to the others. So using these wouldn t really do much good to you or your machine. The dirt will gather on the evaporator coil of your air conditioner instead, and you will have to clean the coil each year. These filters are actually so inferior in their functioning, that you shouldn t be surprised if even after one year of installing it to your conditioner, you find that its not yet dirty enough to be replaced.

Categories
Paving Dublin

PDD1 Do I Really Need a Contractor?

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982

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

You need to paint the house. Maybe install a new bathroom sink. Or it s time to replace the inflatable pool sitting in the backyard with a kidney-shaped in-ground pool. But what you need to ask yourself is do you take on the project yourself? To answer this question, you ll need to ask three more questions.


general contractor, contractor, home improvement, remodeling, repair, renovation, construction, home builder, home remodelor

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You need to paint the house. Maybe install a new bathroom sink. Or it s time to replace the inflatable pool sitting in the backyard with a kidney-shaped in-ground pool. But what you need to ask yourself is do you take on the project yourself?

Well, it all depends. To answer this question, you ll need to ask three more questions:

Do I have the money?
Do I have the time?
Do I have the skills?

DO I HAVE THE MONEY?

A big factor in any home improvement or repair is whether or not you can afford to hire a professional to do the work or, at least, help with the job. Paying for labor can add to the cost of any project, sometimes doubling it. Right? Like the answer to so many questions it depends

It s possible you might have to spend even more money by not hiring a contractor or subcontractor. If you do a project yourself, you might have to buy or rent tools to get the job done. And you could spend a lot more buying building materials. Many contractors get special deals for buying in bulk or have built up relationships with many suppliers. You might be paying retail while your contractor is buying wholesale. Finally, if your skill level is not up to par, and you have to pay a contractor to come out and fix your mistakes, your costs could shoot through the roof (that you just tried to replace!)

Always consider money when taking on a remodeling or do-it-yourself project. Without access to proper tools, special discounts, or how-to knowledge, you might need a pro to come in and do the job. If it s a simple project and you have the tools and the skills, then hiring someone else to do it could be the wrong move.

Unless

DO I HAVE THE TIME?

You always must consider how much time will be involved to finish your construction project. Replacing a faucet might only take you a few hours if you have the tools and talent. But if you re going to tackle a larger task, factor in how much of your time it will take up. And not just the time you ll spend actually working on it but the time it will take to find the right price, shop for any special tools and for the materials, and to clean up after your job is done.

Whatever project you have in mind, try to estimate how much time it will take to complete. Once you ve got your time estimate in hand double it. Well, not always but unexpected problems always seem to creep up on your that add delays. Many weekend warriors will start a simple bathroom remodel that should only take three days. If an unseen problem occurs, the completion date could get pushed to the following weekend. Imagine if this happens and it s the only bathroom in the house

If you re short on time, it might be a good idea to bring in an expert to handle the workload. If you have too much time on your hands I could use help installing a ceiling fan.

DO I HAVE THE SKILLS?

If you ask anyone who drives a car whether or not they are a good driver, nearly every person will tell you they re the best driver in the world. They can t all be right because I nearly got run off the road twelve times yesterday. Some people don t know they re the bad driver that everyone complains about. Many people also think they re exceptionally skilled with tools. Good with their hands, they ll tell you.

It s a good idea to make an honest assessment of your skill level before beginning any new remodeling project.

The danger of watching too many home improvement shows is that the hosts always make it look so easy. They edit it down till each project looks clean and simple and only takes a half hour to complete (with commercials!)

If you are putting new tiles on your shower walls or installing a new backsplash in your kitchen you could be working with expensive materials. A trial-and-error approach or learning on-the-job could really increase your costs.

It might be best to pat yourself on the back, congratulate your ability to find a “Contractor Referral Service”, like ConstructionDeal.com, to help locate the right professional for the job.

ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES?

Sure, there are always alternatives. You can do it all yourself, you can bring in a contracting pro for the entire project, or you can do some of the dirty work yourself. To save on the amount of money you have to pay someone else and to save on the amount of time others will be tramping through your home, you could do a lot of the prep work on your own.

For example, if you re hiring professional painters to paint your house, you could scrape and sand a lot of the paint before they ever get there. Or, if you re adding a new room to the home, you could handle the cleanup yourself after the project is completed. There are a number of ways to do this grunt work to save time and money on the project while still bringing in an expert to do the job right when it really counts.

A final thing to keep in mind, when doing it yourself be careful to not void any warranties on labor or products that you own by working on them. If they re covered, let someone else handle it.

Whether you do-it-yourself or you do-some-of-it-yourself, make sure you think about everything involved in the project. Asking yourself these questions, and answering honestly, could save you time, money, and maybe even a few fingers those jigsaws can be tricky to operate.

Good luck!

Categories
QDD

QD The Perfect Kitchen Curtain For Your Home

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503

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

When you think of your kitchen, what are the first things that come to mind? Do you think of a clean, inviting environment rich with warm colors and delicious smells? Or do you think of a drab, lifeless room that you dread walking into? Well, if your mind drifts towards the latter, a perfect kitchen curtain could be the first step in giving your kitchen the boost it needs. Curtains can often be overlooked when putting a kitchen design together, but these valuable enhancements…

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When you think of your kitchen, what are the first things that come to mind? Do you think of a clean, inviting environment rich with warm colors and delicious smells? Or do you think of a drab, lifeless room that you dread walking into? Well, if your mind drifts towards the latter, a perfect kitchen curtain could be the first step in giving your kitchen the boost it needs. Curtains can often be overlooked when putting a kitchen design together, but these valuable enhancements can make your kitchen a more desirable place to be. In this article, we ll help you find the perfect kitchen curtain for your home.

The first thing to realize regarding kitchen curtains is that they are meant to create an ambience different from any other room in the house. A kitchen curtain should be light for a number of different reasons. First of all, kitchen curtains should allow just the right amount of sunshine in to enhance your kitchen s natural beauty. A heavy curtain that blocks out the sun will create a dark and uninviting place to cook. Another benefit in having a light kitchen curtain is that they are easier to clean and will allow cooking odors to easily pass through. A heavier curtain will tend to trap these smells, permeating the kitchen long after the meal has been completed. Choosing a light curtain such as lace, cotton, or sheers will go a long way towards enhancing your kitchen s appeal.

Now that you have chosen the fabric of your curtain, it is time to decide on a color and print. You should make this decision with the rest of your kitchen in mind. The colors of your appliances, cabinets, and countertops will affect the style of curtain you choose. For most kitchens, white curtains bring a touch of style and brightness to any room, but this isn t to say that you can t touch things up a bit. Try adding dashes of color such as blue, yellow, or pink to accent your kitchen s look. You also have the option of adding a theme to your kitchen, but it might be best to avoid these types of designs if you have an ultra modern d cor.

The last step in choosing the perfect kitchen curtain for your home is to pay close attention to the size and length of the curtain. While longer lengths may look great in other rooms of the house, kitchen curtains should be tailored to meet the exact size of the window. In addition, these curtains look best when extending only to the sill or apron.

These tips for finding the perfect kitchen curtain for your home should turn your kitchen into a truly wonderful place to be. Remember that your main goal in choosing a kitchen curtain is to accentuate the positive features of the room. This means choosing curtains that are both light and bright, which are practical for any kitchen. Now get out there and start shopping!

Categories
Locksmiths

RL Mr. & Mrs. DIY – Through the Thick and Thin of Building a Concrete Countertop

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829

Car Keys Wexford, Fire Exits Wexford, Padlocks Wexford, Smart Locks Wexford, Safes Wexford, call Rapid Locksmiths.

Concrete countertops, recognized first by architects and designers for their aesthetic potential and project versatility, are fast becoming the answer to homeowners demands for a relatively inexpensive countertop alternative that doesn t require a high-level of expertise to install. In addition, they offer homeowners an exciting opportunity to literally try their hands at being creative. This is the story of a DIY couple who created their first concrete countertop together.


concrete countertops, DIY countertops, do-it-yourself

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Concrete countertops, recognized first by architects and designers for their aesthetic potential and project versatility, are fast becoming the answer to homeowners demands for a relatively inexpensive countertop alternative that doesn t require a high-level of expertise to install. In addition, they offer homeowners an exciting opportunity to literally try their hands at being creative. Step-by-step books, videos and hands-on training are now readily available for homeowners to confidently engage in such do-it-yourself (DIY) projects as building concrete countertops.

Married couple Chris and Ali were excited to take on a DIY project after purchasing their San Francisco flat. A logistical real estate developer/construction manager and an educational specialist, Chris and Ali are also architecture and home design enthusiasts. With a penchant for getting their hands dirty, building and installing their own concrete countertop seemed a natural choice for them.

Chris happens to be no stranger to concrete: My interest goes back several years when I was building restaurants and retail spaces. I installed concrete countertops and worked with concrete artisans doing integral color and stained concrete floors.

In April of 2003, Chris and Ali purchased a two-flat building in space-challenged San Francisco. Recently, they sold the lower flat as a tenant-in-common unit and now occupy the upper flat, which offers roughly 950 sq. ft. of living space. Before they considered building their own kitchen concrete countertop, they hired a contractor for an extensive remodel of the home. The result is an open, loft-like living space where the kitchen and living zones flow together.

We both enjoy the process of designing and creating our own living space to fit how we live. This applies to the space we occupy as weRL as the details within it, says Ali. We both like the idea of working with our hands, using materials that are natural, accessible [ ] and flexible. Chris added, Concrete counters are beautiful, cool, earthy, solid, and you just want to touch them. The counters were a perfect way for us to create something beautiful out of our own ideas and hard work, and the uniqueness of the end product is a representation of our unique ideas.

Their kitchen, 10 feet wide by 15 feet long (150 sq. ft.), didn t offer much room for Chris and Ali to work but that didn t stop the big plans they had for their narrow kitchen. They wanted to have a logical cooking zone with a work triangle, plenty of counter space and stiRL have enough room to accommodate a dining area.

Like most urban San Francisco properties, space is almost always an issue. To remedy this, a straight run of upper and lower cabinets and a concrete countertop with a dishwasher, sink, oven and stove were placed along one waRL of the kitchen. A built-in banquette and dining table are located opposite the concrete countertop work area. An adjacent waRL hosts a refrigerator and taRL cabinets.

Chris and Ali agree that the most interesting addition to the kitchen is the concrete countertop. The couple s instructional guide and source for design inspiration was award-winning designer Fu-Tung Cheng s Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath (Taunton, 2002), a national bestseller in the remodeling and design genre.

The finished countertop is a visually stunning work surface with rich, complex colors: reddish-brown with flecks of semi-precious Leopardskin (yellow and black) aggregates. This particular color combination blended perfectly with the color theme we had for the cabinetry, tile backsplash, floor and waRL finishes, says Ali.

Understated design details of the 12-foot long, 3-inch thick concrete countertop include rounded edges at the countertop front and the sink openings as weRL as a decorative metal strip under the front edge of the countertop to conceal the plywood sub-top.

Chris and Ali took special note that despite the tight working space of their basement, their collaborative work ran smoothly from pour to finish. Like the rest of our remodeling project, building the concrete countertop brought us closer together, says Chris. We work very weRL together. It starts from the fact that we communicate very weRL and our design ideas complement each other.

With the completion of the project and the creative work done, Chris and Ali admit that their biggest challenge was building the concrete forms. Particularly for the sink cut-out, which has radius corners and two different size basins, says Chris.

Despite a couple of minor learning curves, Chris maintains that there is an overwhelming sense of accomplishment upon completing their concrete countertop. The best part is seeing and feeling the finished product and knowing we did it! It s been said that if a couple can survive a home remodel especially a DIY project together, they can survive anything.

From the looks of a job weRL done on their first concrete countertop, these happy do-it-yourselfers are in it for the long haul. Chris says of future projects, We plan to create a concrete fireplace surround and perhaps a hearth to go with it!