Category: Roof Repairs Kildare

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Choosing The Right Chair Cushions

cushions, chair, sofa, covers, gel cushions

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Choosing The Right Chair Cushions

Hard wooden kitchen and dining room chairs beg to be softened with chair cushions, but choosing chair cushions that don t overwhelm your kitchen set isn t easy. You can pick up a set of chair cushions for $5 at the local dollar store but will they fit into your room s d cor or detract from your style?

Face it you get what you pay for. Cheap chair cushions have thinner padding, less durable fabric and shoddy workmanship. If you take the trouble to choose well-made, quality chair cushions for your kitchen or dining room set, you ll be rewarded with a set that lasts longer, is far more comfortable and requires less care in the long run.

What To Look For When Choosing Chair Cushions

When choosing chair cushions for wooden chairs, take these things into account.

– Pick the right size for the seat. If the cushion is too small, it will be uncomfortable. If it s too large, it will look bulky and the edges of the chair seat will add to the wear on the fabric and cut the life of your cushions.

– Make sure that any ties are sewn into the seam of the cushion. Chair ties take a lot of pulling and tugging when people sit and stand. If the ties are sewn into the seam, they re far more likely to stay attached.

– Buy chair cushions treated with stain guard to make it easy to keep them clean. If you find the perfect cushions and they re not stain resistant, invest in a can of stain resist or stain guard to make it easier to keep them looking fresh and new. After all this is your kitchen, and your kids eat here, right?

– Choose washable chair cushions or one with removable, washable covers. See above for the reason! Even with stain guard, some spills are going to soak in. Being able to toss your chair cushions into the washer will make your life easier.

– Pick cushions in a durable fabric that will stand up to the wear of lots of seats on the seat. Corduroy, denim, chintz, canvas and duck are all good choices for fabric that wears like iron.

– Rolled edges, piping and ruffles should all be firmly sewn into the seam between the top and bottom of the cushion. Examine the seam carefully for any breaks and gaps, and give a little tug on the ruffle or piping to make sure that it doesn t come free easily.

– Tufted cushions are pretty but they can be uncomfortable if you sit on them for long periods of time. If you do choose tufted cushions, make sure that any buttons are sewn on through all layers of the chair cushion to avoid losing buttons to wriggling bottoms.

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Ceramic tile material is rigid and relatively brittle, so a sturdy base is the most critical part of installing this type of tile.

tile grout, ceramic tile installation, underlayment

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Ceramic tile material is rigid and relatively brittle, so a sturdy base is the most critical part of installing this type of tile. Unless you want to see cracked tiles, loose tiles, or loose grout, you need to select the proper underlayment. Underlayment being what the construction trade calls the layer that goes between your wood subfloor and your tiles.

You have several alternate ways to accomplish the strong underlayment required for ceramic tile installation.

Plywood- just a single layer of plywood isn’t rigid enough to stop floor deflection. It needs to be covered over with an additional layer of exterior-grade plywood to achieve a total thickness of at least 1 1/8 inch. You can either (A)- Cover the plywood with a cement backer board (more on these below) or (B) Cover the existing plywood with a second layer of exterior grade plywood. Under either of these, a thin-set mortar is applied to eliminate air gaps. Additionally, in bathrooms, it’s recommended to lay a “shower pan” over your wood subfloor. This refers to thin rubberized materials that protect the tile from floor expansion and contraction due to moisture, temperature and humidity.

Cement Backer Board – These are prefabricated, lightweight concrete sheets used to cover wood subfloors. It has a dense Portland concrete core and fiberglass surfaces both sides and is able to withstand prolonged exposure to moisture. Brand names include DUROCK, UTILICRETE, WONDERBOARD and GLASCRETE. Joints of the backer board sheets should be staggered such that they don’t fall directly over the wood subfloor joints.
Mortar Bed- Mud beds, or mortar beds, are used by professional tile contractors mostly. They’re composed of a layer of thick roofing felt, then wire mesh, followed by a layer of mortar. The reason it is used mostly by the specialists is that it takes a high level of skill and practice to ensure the mortar bed produces a sufficiently level surface. The other reason is that it is the best foundation possible for a ceramic tile floor. Okay, but why? Because the mortar bed has a built-in reinforcement against floor deflections in the form of the wire mesh. Translation- less cracked tiles and loose grout, and longer-life flooring.
Concrete Slab-
You can lay your ceramic tile directly on concrete slab, but all cracks and holes need to be refurbished prior before the installation of a tile when it’s directly bonded to the concrete. Some concrete slab has been coated with curing compound to help the slab set without cracks. This compound should be removed before tile installation to ensure a long-lasting mortar bond, since the compound helps the concrete retain moisture and in some cases affects adhesiveness. It is also important that the slab be as level as possible, especially with the larger tile sizes in use today. Cleaning the concrete completely of debris and dust will also contribute to a higher quality installation. In short, preparation of the surface is key.

One other possibility is laying the tile over existing flooring. There are a few things to consider. Is your existing floor solid, flat and in good shape? Is it stuck well enough to the subfloor under it to provide support? Good. Is the existing floor linoleum or vinyl? Not so good. You need to strip it out or put a good subflooring on top of it. (And watch out for older vinyl flooring, which may contain asbestos fibers. You don’t want to strip this stuff out yourself. Instead, either cover it up with some plywood subfloor or have a contractor remove it. If you aren’t sure if your flooring has asbestos, call in a trained asbestos inspector.) If you have ceramic tile on the floor you can lay newer tile on top of it as long as it’s surface is level and not too smooth. You might need to sand the surface to let your bonding have a better chance.

In conclusion, a little planning and thought will go a long way toward making your tile installation project a long-lasting addition to your home, so take the time before you go in with “both guns blazing”.

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Believe it or not, carpeting is one of the biggest contributors to indoor air pollution.

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Believe it or not, carpeting is one of the biggest contributors to indoor air pollution.
One of the commonest health problems in a house is allergies, and carpets are practically a perfect environment for dust mites, molds and mildew.

Not only that, but the modern wall-to wall carpeting in today s houses are made of synthetic fibers dyed and treated with chemicals (fungicides, soil repellants and pesticides, anyone?) and bonded to synthetic backing with chemical glues. All of these materials release hundreds of Volatile Organic Compounds as they age, in a process called outgassing. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) can be mutagens, irritants and carcinogens. Not the ideal thing to have in your home, to say the least.

Carpet also attracts and retains all that you and your family members track in to the house from the ground outside- dirt, lead dust found in flaking house exterior paint, insects, bacteria, lawn and garden chemicals and other unhealthy debris. Not to mention food crumbs, hair and dead skin particles.

Getting a wall-to-wall carpet 100% clean is nearly impossible (ever rented one of those steam-cleaners to clean your carpet and cleaned the same area over and over, each time seeing more dirt come out?) and trying to clean causes its own problems. Vacuuming stirs up airborne dust and mold spores. Shampooing can leave a damp carpet encouraging more mold growth and even the shampoo may have irritating or even toxic chemicals added.

At the other end of the floor covering health spectrum is ceramic tile. It is made from natural clay materials fired in a kiln. A tile sealed with non-leaded glaze is impervious to mold and bacteria and is well tolerated by chemically sensitive people.

Ceramic tile is bonded to the base flooring using low-toxicity thin set mortar, and can be grouted with home-made, additive-free grout. 2 parts dry, clean sand mixed with 1 part Portland cement can be prepared and added to water to form a slow, damp curing grout.

Although a ceramic tile floor can be expensive up front, due to the labor-intensive installation, they are very durable and long-lasting if properly maintained, and can be considered as comparatively affordable in the long run.

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Thinking of building an infrared home sauna? Make sure your new sauna uses 100% ceramic emitters built into the wall of the sauna room for safety and energy efficiency.

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A ceramic infrared sauna harnesses the beneficial rays of the infra-red light spectrum to heal and detoxify the body. Infrared heat is similar to the heat from the sun minus the sun s harmful effects on the skin. The technology has been used in hospitals to warm newborn babies and is completely safe to use, even for prolonged periods of time. Infra-red heat warms the body directly through a process called conversion instead of heating the air inside the sauna. The ceramic emitters that come with these far infrared sauna kits are very energy efficient and inexpensive to operate.

Infrared Heater Placement

The best infrared saunas use 100% ceramic emitters built into the wall of the sauna room. A 4′ x 4′ room requires a kit with at least four to five emitters. Place the emitters all around the four walls to receive the maximum benefits from all directions. A 4-person sauna might require a kit with six far infrared ceramic elements. Install three elements above the bench to warm the backs of the sauna bathers, one emitter below the bench to warm the legs and two in front at chest height.

Installation Precautions

Improper installation of a far infrared kit can cause a fire hazard. Ceramic emitters for use in home saunas are UL and CE certified but once installed the sauna itself is not UL approved. A licensed electrician should be hired to install and wire the infra-red heating elements according to local building codes.

Energy Efficiency and Life of Ceramic Infra-Red Heaters

With an estimated 10,000 operational hours per element, far infrared home sauna kits will provide a lifetime of sauna enjoyment. If you consider that a 4 x 4 x 6 room requires a 3 KW electric heater which can be replaced by five 200 W infrared elements for a total of 1 KW in energy usage, it makes sense to go with these kits. The housing, reflector and heat shield of these ceramic emitters are available in stainless steel or galvanized metal and the emitters are convertible to plug into 110V or 220V systems.

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According to the American Lung Association (ALA), 42.3 million Americans are affected by asthma and/or hay fever, generally triggered by allergies or airborne allergens such as pet dander, mold, pollen and dust mites. As a result, it is important to do everything possible to improve the air inside homes, ventilation and cleanliness being two major factors that affect indoor air quality.

Central Vacuum Systems: The Easy, Healthy Solution

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According to the American Lung Association (ALA), 42.3 million Americans are affected by asthma and/or hay fever, generally triggered by allergies or airborne allergens such as pet dander, mold, pollen and dust mites. As a result, it is important to do everything possible to improve the air we breathe inside our homes, ventilation and cleanliness being two major factors that affect indoor air quality.

According to the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI), high-performance vacuum cleaners have a significant impact on improved indoor air quality. Vacuum cleaners also play a significant role in the life of your carpet, with certain vacuums removing and containing soil more effectively than others, helping the carpet last longer. CRI recognizes these vacuums with its Green Label Testing Program.

The Green Label Testing Program focuses on three key performance factors. First, vacuums must remove a set quantity of soil from carpet in four passes. Second, and perhaps most important to indoor air quality, is the vacuum’s ability to contain dust. Vacuums must not release more than 100 micrograms of dust particles per cubic meter of air, taking into account dust released by the brush rolls and through the filtration bag. Lastly, the CRI tests the carpet appearance retention, as vacuums should minimally affect the appearance of a carpet over the course of a year.

Central vacuum systems capture dust, dirt and allergens without stirring up microscopic particles and re-emitting them into interior spaces. “Central vacuums are up to five times more powerful than normal portable vacuums and do not recirculate any particles back into the home,” says Christian Reick-Mitrisin of Nutone.

NuTone Central Vacuum Systems are Green Label-certified and contain High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, meaning dust and bacteria are trapped better than ever before. Two different systems are available-bagged and cyclonic versions. The cyclonic version contains an easy-to-clean filter, which can be easily accessed through the door panel.

The bagged version contains the easy-on/easy-off snap-release bag change mechanism that closes the opening immediately upon removal, so what goes in stays in.

“NuTone Central Vacuum Systems are made of lightweight polymer designed to resist rust and dents,” says Reick-Mitrisin. “The vacuum canisters also provide quiet cleaning because the power units contain an internal sound suppression system and are typically located in the garage, basement or utility room and not in the general living area.”

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To ensure the best performance from your central heating system it is important to balance the radiators. A simple but important DIY job

Central Heating, DIY, Balancing Radiators

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In order to ensure an even distribution of hot water to the radiators in a system you’ll need to ‘balance the system’. Often the radiators near to the boiler/pump would tend to be warmer than the radiators further away, balancing the system will even out the flow of the hot water.

To do this we use the lockshield valve which is normally hidden under a push on cover at one end of the radiator. Adjusting these valves will regulate the flow of water to the radiator. By partially closing the valves, flow to the radiators nearest the boiler can be more limited than to those further away. To reduce the water temperature at the outlet pipe, the lock shield is closed; to increase the temperature the valve is opened up.

The idea is to get temperature drop across each radiator to be about 12

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Heat and humidity can certainly bring down productivity in the workplace. You can make conditions more comfortable for work by installing central air conditioners if the work area is large, in which case one small air conditioner would not be enough. So, if you wish to cool the entire house or the office you need to install central air conditioners.

central Air Conditioners

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Heat and humidity can certainly bring down productivity in the workplace. You can make conditions more comfortable for work by installing central air conditioners if the work area is large, in which case one small air conditioner would not be enough. So, if you wish to cool the entire house or the office you need to install central air conditioners.

Normally central air conditioners works on the principle of transferring heat from one station to the other with the help of a transporting media which is a refrigerant commonly known as Freon. There are two parts in central air conditioners as it is a split system. One part is the air handler which is placed inside the home and the other part is the condensing unit which is located outdoors.

In order to cool the inside of your home, the central air conditioners remove the heat from the air inside and transfer it to the air outside. The indoor part of the system contains a refrigerant coil across which the indoor air is passed and then it is released outside. This process brings down the temperature inside to the desired level as per the thermostat setting.

Useful hints for buying central air conditioners
You should choose the system that would suit your local climate and the total cooling load. You can either go in for evaporative coolers that are useful in hot and arid regions such as the southwest or you can choose the compressor-driven central air conditioners.

You will also have to work out the size of the system needed.

You should look for a SEER rating higher than 12.0 when you are looking for a central air conditioner.

If you have ducts for an existing forced-air heating system, the central air conditioner system could be linked to these ducts, depending upon their size and the relative heating and cooling loads of your home. You can take the advice of a good HVAC contractor in this regard.

For efficient operation of a central air conditioner, proper sizing and installation are essential. It will be difficult to regulate humidity with too large a unit and if the unit is too small, you might not get adequate cooling on very hot days. Efficiency can come down with improper unit location, lack of duct insulation, improper duct sealing, and incorrect refrigerant charge.

Important aspects which should be considered while buying a central air conditioner are: provision of a fan-only switch, a filter check-light and an automatic-delay fan switch. You should also choose a central air conditioner that does not make too much noise.

If the outdoor (compressor) unit of the central air conditioners needs to be replaced, you should find one, which will be compatible with the existing indoor (blower coil) unit. An old blower coil would not be suitable for a highly efficient outdoor unit.

It is necessary to get an electrician to assess your home’s electrical supply such as the voltage and amperage capacity before installing central air conditioners, as it needs a constant 230-volt circuit and 20 to 50 amps of power.

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Christmas is without a doubt one of the most cherished and celebrated times of the year. Most people love to anticipate the coming of Christmastime because of all the great things that Christmas means to them. One of the best ways to anticipate, celebrate, and make the most of the holidays is the use of Christmas decorations.

christmas decorations

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Christmas is without a doubt one of the most cherished and celebrated times of the year. Most people love to anticipate the coming of Christmastime because of all the great things that Christmas means to them. One of the best ways to anticipate, celebrate, and make the most of the holidays is the use of Christmas decorations.

There is nothing lovelier than entering a house at Christmastime that is filled with beautiful Christmas decorations that reflect the love of the family and the values of the season. Nothing is more special than seeing a family Christmas tree filled with homemade ornaments a strings of popcorn that the children have spent hours making. Christmas decorations can transform even the most bland house into a warm and life-filled house during the holidays and that is why I love Christmas decorations so much.

Spending a Saturday putting up Christmas decorations can be a great way for a family to spend time together and build lasting family traditions at the same time. Children will learn to enjoy the work that goes into making their home beautiful during the holidays if they are included in putting up the Christmas decorations. Spend time teaching your kids the importance of Christmas and the different things that your Christmas decorations symbolize for your family. Use the hours of decorating to teach important faith and life lessons. Once you have worked hard at putting up Christmas decorations all day, spend the evening watching old Christmas films and eating pizzas.

Do you have any memories of making your childhood home beautiful with Christmas decorations? When I grew up, there was a rule in our home that we couldn’t pick out a tree or put up any Christmas decorations unless everyone in the family was home. Even after my older siblings went to college we continued this special tradition. It has been fun to pass down a similar tradition to my own family.

My children love to anticipate the day that we will go to the tree farm as a family and cut down the perfect tree. They love to help get the boxes of Christmas decorations out of the basement. And they especially love to sort through the Christmas tree ornaments and choose the ones they want to place on the limbs of our tree.

Before the next holiday season rolls around consider ways that you and your family can celebrate by making new traditions or reviving old ones as you beautify your home with Christmas decorations.

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Ceilings are an often neglected area of the room when it comes time to redecorate. There are so many things that you can do too, that are inexpensive, yet provide the simple elegance that speaks to your style. Choose decorative ceiling medallions, crown molding, ceiling domes, rosettes, or panel molding, just to name a few. Three of my favorite ways to accent a ceiling: ceiling medallions, ceiling domes, and crown molding.

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I want to draw attention to your ceiling. Take a look at it. Ceilings are an often neglected area of the room when it comes time to redecorate (or repair). There are so many things that you can do too, that are inexpensive, yet provide the simple elegance that speaks to your style. Choose decorative ceiling medallions, crown molding, ceiling domes, rosettes, or panel molding, just to name a few. Three of my favorite ways to accent a ceiling: ceiling medallions, ceiling domes, and crown molding.

One of the easiest and least time-consuming projects is the installation of a ceiling medallion. Although in the past they were made from plaster, today these decorative ornaments are made of lightweight polyurethane foam. This makes them much easier to handle. Ceiling medallions are used to draw attention to chandeliers and light fixtures, or to enhance crown molding. They can also be combined with a rosette and used to decorate an otherwise plain ceiling. You can use these architectural ornaments as wall decorations. Use several small ones in the hallway. Ceiling medallions are versatile and come in many styles and sizes. They can be painted to match any room. Ceiling medallions are one of the most popular architectural details.

Ceiling domes are similar to ceiling medallions in that they can transform any room into a work of art. However, they are larger and actually recessed into the ceiling, necessitating that they be planned for at the time of construction. Ceiling domes effectively enhance a foyer, dining room, living room, or even the bathroom.

Crown molding, also referred to as crown moulding, or cornice, is probably THE most important architectural element used to define any interior space. Most of today s interior designers agree that every room benefits from the use of crown molding treatment. Crown molding smoothes the transition from wall to ceiling and does much to define the architectural style of a room. The size and style of crown molding used may vary widely, from a simple cove in a farmhouse kitchen to a large built-up cornice in a grand entry.

These are just a few of the architectural designs and accents you can use to enhance the overall experience of all who enter into your home. Just don t forget the ceiling!

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Ceiling fans first originated in hot, tropical countries with somewhat poor economies. While more wealthy countries have removed ceiling fans with the advent of air conditioning, the ceiling fan of yesteryear is making an important comeback. This is no doubt due to the continuing escalating cost of utilities and the expense of maintaining a full house air conditioning system.

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Ceiling fans first originated in hot, tropical countries with somewhat poor economies. While more wealthy countries have removed ceiling fans with the advent of air conditioning, the ceiling fan of yesteryear is making an important comeback. This is no doubt due to the continuing escalating cost of utilities and the expense of maintaining a full house air conditioning system. People are finally understanding that comfort doesn’t need to mean cold and in the process they’re able to save significantly on the monthly electric bills. How much savings of course depends on local utility cost and the amount of time an air conditioning system is in operation. Typically though, a 2-3 dollar per DAY savings is not unreasonable if a household can use ceiling fans a major part of the day instead of running the air conditioning system.

Although ceiling fans were in widespread use in the early 1900’s, they gave way to the air conditioning systems of today. A ceiling fan however is much more than an air movement machine. They’re beautiful and can be ordered to perfectly fit into any decor or room of your home. Ceiling fans have a central motor with three to five blades attached. this unit is then mounted to the ceiling. Depending on the height of the ceiling, the unit can be close mounted, with the motor almost touching the ceiling or on a matching decorator bar to allow the unit to hang down into the room a little more if the ceiling height is greater than the typical 8 feet. The motor drives the blades of the ceiling fans which move the air around. Air movement naturally cools people and makes them comfortable without resorting to the brute force of removing moisture and cooling through a compressor air conditioning unit.

Many people wrongly assume that a ceiling fan is only good in the summer. Actually most fans built today have a reverse switch installed. This allows the fan to either pull air from the floor area or push air from the ceiling. So in summer, you would want air movement from low to high but in winter, with hot air rising, you would naturally want the warmer air at the ceiling to be pushed down to warm the whole room. Ceiling fans also are a great to use anywhere there’s people or living spaces including bedrooms, living and family rooms and even out on the backyard patio or deck.

So in the end, a ceiling fan can be a great way to add a nice decorating touch to your home while saving big dollars on that monthly electric bill. It’s not unusual to save the price of the ceiling fan in the first month, just on the electric bill alone. With your home more open, natural ventilation will make it more pleasant and enjoyable both inside and out.