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Tarmac Wexford

DDWex Wood Flooring – Everything You Need To Know.

Word Count:
985

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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,

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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.

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Tarmac Wexford

DDWex Wood And Bamboo Gazebo

Word Count:
554

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A gazebo is a wonderful solution for your garden and backyard hosting options, gazebos are used for a verity of different tasks today, but first and foremost a gazebo is a great place to have family and friends enjoy your garden or your backyard.

In the recent years more and more people are discovering the gazebo, it is a structure that is placed in the garden or backyard and that is perfect for holding gardening tools and for spending nice afternoons at. The gazebo market…


gazebo, wood gazebo, bamboo gazebo, gazebo plan

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A gazebo is a wonderful solution for your garden and backyard hosting options, gazebos are used for a verity of different tasks today, but first and foremost a gazebo is a great place to have family and friends enjoy your garden or your backyard.

In the recent years more and more people are discovering the gazebo, it is a structure that is placed in the garden or backyard and that is perfect for holding gardening tools and for spending nice afternoons at. The gazebo market has grown considerably over the last few years, offering an abundance of gazebos made of different materials.

Two very unique gazebo materials are wood and bamboo gazebos, wood is considered to be the classic material for a gazebo, it blends in wonderfully with a garden, providing an all natural feeling and a nice flow, wood is the basic material used to construct the first gazebos years ago.

A bamboo gazebo would add an Asian quality to your backyard, some even make it themselves, it is no simple task but it is definitely possible for a person to build his own bamboo gazebo in a few weekends. You will need to find the type and kind of bamboo you want and then you will need to make a plan for the gazebo.

When thinking of a bamboo gazebo you probably think of an elevated structure that has a bamboo flooring a few inches above the ground, open from all sides and with a nice bamboo roof over it, some even add shades so they can close any off the four sides or even all if they wish.

A wood gazebo is much more complicated, it will need serious construction and planning and an individual may not have enough knowledge and tools to build one of those, if you are in the market for a wood gazebo you should try and research as much as you can and have a clear idea of how you want the gazebo to look. The next thing would be to find gazebo plans or even gazebo pictures you can show an expert so that the end result will be as close as possible to what you had in mind.

Wood gazebo price is something that can not be estimated, you need to decide on what kind of gazebo you want, and what wood you want to use, once you got that out of the way you will need to think about how much will you be willing to pay a professional to build this for you, and deliver it to your garden.

A bamboo gazebo may be easier to get, but you should bare in mind that building one should be made by someone who understands the basics of bamboo building and that the place you are placing the gazebo will be suitable for this kind of gazebo, a bamboo gazebo placed on a beach is a great idea, but one placed on a mountain top may prove to be usable only a few days a year.

Gazebos are a wonderful extra feature to your garden, they will also probably add some value to your property, so it is a wise investment, no matter what kind of gazebo you are looking for, I highly recommend researching the market on the internet before making any decisions.

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Tarmac Wexford

DDWex Woodworking Tools – A Detailed Guide

Word Count:
617

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Woodworking is a popular and relaxing hobby. When you get started, you will need a variety of woodworking tools. You don t need to spend a fortune to get started. By purchasing what you can used and shopping for discount tools you can build your collection without spending a fortune.

Chisels: Look for high quality, durable chisels, as these will get a lot of use. Rockler woodworking chisels are durable and affordable. You will need a variety of chisels in sizes from

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Tarmac Wexford

DDWex Wooden window blinds as part of a home improvement project

Word Count:
399

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Wooden blinds can really bring a touch of luxury warmth to a room.


blinds, wooden blinds, venetian blinds, wood blinds, wood, home improvement, window, DIY, home, house, decor, furnishings, shopping, uk

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Wooden window blinds provide a great solution for a window treatment as part of a home improvement project. They offer a relatively inexpensive way of giving a room a real feel of luxury and warmth. They also bring a touch of nature to the inside of the home.

Wooden venetian blinds are probably the most popular and practical kind of wood blind available at the moment. They consist of a number of horizontal slats (or louvers) that are connected together using a ladder tape which allows the slats to be rotated through about 170 degrees, giving great control over the amount of light entering the room. This control over the slats is not only a good way of filtering the sunlight but means you can have as much or as little privacy at the window as you require.
They can also be raised or lowered as desired using the lift cord.

They are generally made from basswood which is an ideal wood for manufacturing blinds as it is a lightweight yet durable wood. It also lends itself very well to being stained in a number of attractive colours due to its natural grainy texture.

These blinds are available in a wide range of colours and sizes. The most common slat widths are 1″ (25mm), 1.5″ (35mm) and 2″ (50mm). Some of the more popular colours include pine, beech, tawny, honey, chestnut, auburn, hazel and white.

When deciding on which size of slat to choose, the obvious thing to bear in mind is that a blind with 1″ wide slats will have twice as many slats as a blind with 2″ slats, and it’s purely a matter of opinion as to which looks better.

The fitting of these blinds is a fairly easy job, particularly for someone with DIY experience. They should come with all the necessary instructions,mountings and matching valance.
The tools you will need are a drill, a pencil, a screwdriver, a saw to cut the valance to size and a spirit level.

Cleaning the blinds is again an easy process. The best thing to do is dust them on a regular basis, and then once every couple of weeks give them a wipe over with a damp cloth.

In conclusion wooden venetian blinds are a great way to enhance the d cor of any room and will give an elegant, luxurious look and feel to your home for many years to come.

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Tarmac Wexford

DDWex Wooden Hot Tubs Review

Word Count:
448

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The wood tubs are not a new concept; they were used for centuries all over the world. It was during the Second World War that the Americans noticed the wood soaking tubs in Japan. They converted the wooden wine vats into wooden hot tubs. So the Americans experienced the social bathing with wooden hot tubs. Today though acrylic spas are more prevalent, wooden tubs are also being purchased mostly on personal preference. However, there are many reasons for choosing a wooden tub over a plastic spa.


hot tub

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The wood tubs are not a new concept; they were used for centuries all over the world. It was during the Second World War that the Americans noticed the wood soaking tubs in Japan. They converted the wooden wine vats into wooden hot tubs. So the Americans experienced the social bathing with wooden hot tubs. Today though acrylic spas are more prevalent, wooden tubs are also being purchased mostly on personal preference. However, there are many reasons for choosing a wooden tub over a plastic spa.

Features of wooden hot tub
1. Wooden tub are assembled on site and can be carried through any door way whether its wide or narrow. There is a greater effect of massaging and buoyancy for the bather as the tub is deep and the vertical walls are bit higher, also more water surrounds the bather. There is also greater leg space so tall bathers are comfortably stretching their legs. The wooden hot tub gives a rustic and traditional appearance to your bathroom.

2. Natural resistance to decay is a concern while choosing wood for wooden hot tubs. The wood used should be decay resistant and maintain that resistance in warm water. The woods that are mostly used are teak, cedar, cypress and jarrah.

3. The wooden tubs do not crack, chip or blister like the plastic spa. To clean the wooden tub, drain the water, rinse the tub and scrub using a soft brush. The out side of tub will turn gray if the natural wood is not varnished. So give a finish to the tub as you per direction of an expert.

4. There is a misconception that wooden tubs harbour bacteria and hazardous to health. Improperly sanitised, both wooden and plastic spas can represent health hazard. So regardless of the material proper sanitation is the key.

Wooden tubs and leakage
Wooden tubs do leak initially for few days after they are assembled. This is so because the wood may expand to its full saturation point. Even after few days the leak continues, it could be due to manufacturing defect or assembling defect. It could also be because of the overuse of water sanitizers like chlorine or bromine. You need to be careful while using these products as they can cause the individual wood cell to shed their lignin leaving only the husks of the cell. The visible sign is the white marks on the walls or the floor of the tub. This substance does build up in the normal course of time, but very slowly if the levels of sanitizers are correct. There are over-counter products that will mend the leaks. Do get the help of the professionals for maintenance or leak prevent tips.

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Tarmac Wexford

DDWex Wood-Burning Stoves: Timeless Classics

Word Count:
544

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Traditionally, wood-burning freestanding stoves were used in ski cabins and lodges, but today thanks to new design concepts they have become a welcome addition to any home.

Wood-burning stoves can be installed in any room of your house, but most often they are placed in living or dining rooms, as well as in patios. While traditional fireplaces generally work as a piece of d cor, free-standing wood-burning stoves are generally used for more practical purposes, namely, for …


stoves,wood burning stoves,heating stoves

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Traditionally, wood-burning freestanding stoves were used in ski cabins and lodges, but today thanks to new design concepts they have become a welcome addition to any home.

Wood-burning stoves can be installed in any room of your house, but most often they are placed in living or dining rooms, as well as in patios. While traditional fireplaces generally work as a piece of d cor, free-standing wood-burning stoves are generally used for more practical purposes, namely, for heating and even cooking. Thanks to new designs, your wood-burning stove will look attractive and still remain perfectly functional. Because it isn t attached to the wall, a wood-burning stove will radiate more heat throughout a small or large room.

Most often, wood-burning stoves are usually built of stainless steel, soapstone or ceramics study stone and brick but can remain sleek and contemporary thanks to new materials such as fireproof glass and stainless steel details. The shape of these stoves is most commonly tall and cylindrical, with built-in wood storage under the burning chamber.

When choosing a new wood-burning stove, keep in mind that the size of your wood-burning stove is determined by the size of the space that needs to be heated. The fire of the stove should be substantial enough to please the eye as well as heat the room, but too much fire can literally turn your place into an oven.

When picking a place to put your new stove, avoid traffic areas such as doors. A stove surrounded by windows may be a good solution. The fire chamber door should face the room. Don t forget to take stovepipe requirements into the account, making sure they are in compliance with your local building codes. Since wood-burning stoves are not strictly fireplaces, they don t require any clearance between the fire chamber and surrounding combustible materials, such as wood or fabric.

Conventional wood-burning stoves vary in heat efficiency because their construction can be very different, too. The efficiency of a wood-burning stove depends on how much of its combustion energy turns to heat, which in its turn depends on how well it burns wood. Even the best wood-burning stoves don t burn all wood completely. The smoke is actually composed of unburned wood particles. Another factor that impacts the wood-burning stove s efficiency is how much heat escapes through the chimney.

To improve the efficiency of your wood-burning stove, consider a chimney sweep in the first place. This should be done by a professional fireplace expert. If you noticed that a lot of smoke is produced during the wood burning, you may need to alter the size of your stove opening, or reconfigure the existing fire chamber. If you notice that a lot of hot air escapes through the chimney, you may consider replacing the fire basket the metal rack that supports the burning logs. New designs of fire baskets can greatly improve air circulation and heat efficiency.

Wood burning stoves today offer a great variety of looks and designs to suit any home style, from a retro Victorian house to a steel loft condo. Painted black, brushed steel or even red, with stovepipe to match, wood burning stoves with generous glass doors allow you admire the dancing flames during the cold winter season.

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Tarmac Wexford

DDWex Women Spring Into Home Improvement Projects

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330

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It is becoming more common to hear that women are finishing DIY projects without calling a professional or waiting for their husbands.


Women Spring Into Home Improvement Projects

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Warm-weather season is an ideal time to learn how to use power tools and start much-needed home improvement projects. It is becoming more common to hear that women are finishing DIY projects without calling a professional or waiting for their husbands.

While DIY projects are not new, the amount of time women spend doing them is. With the onset of do-it-yourself television shows and magazines, more and more women feel confident in their abilities to handle home improvement projects themselves. In fact, many home improvement centers report a greater percentage of women purchasing power tools and supplies. And recent research shows that the two most popular power tool purchases by women are cordless drills and sanders.

Generally speaking, women enjoy taking on DIY projects to enhance their current surroundings or prepare it for new uses. User-friendly tools and supplies, as well as knowledgeable resources dedicated to home improvement projects, can easily be found today. As a result, women find they are willing to take on DIY projects themselves.

Not only are home improvement projects empowering, but oftentimes they are also necessary. As Heidi Baker and Eden Jarrin, the “Janes” of Be Jane, Inc., point out, they both took on projects in their own homes because they did not have the money to hire someone to do it for them.

Increasingly, women are looking for more knowledge on power tools and DIY projects. For those who are not familiar with how power tools work, Skil Power Tools product manager Christelle Imhof suggests starting “with smaller, easier-to-handle tools and then work your way up. For instance, when looking for a cordless drill, start out with a 12V; once you’re use to it, graduate to a more powerful tool.”

Mother’s Day can be an ideal time to give a loved one a power tool that will not only increase her confidence, but also help her build those backyard planters she’s wanted for years. Plenty of Web sites provide step-by-step instructions to get started.

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Tarmac Wexford

DDWex With water shall we clean

Word Count:
613

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Not many bother about the bathroom, and fewer still about how to keep on the better side of hygiene within it. While we complaint about dirt everywhere, we lapse into complacence with our personal habits. And we often cringe at the touch of that most cleansing of medium water. This article tells how to keep ourselves clean and happy and make friends with better hygiene.


Hand dryer, Push bottom, Automatic, Electric, Warm air, Paper towel dispensers

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The bathroom is a place not too many people bother about. The assumption is that the commission of a necessity need not be attended with ceremony. Psychologists would have us believe that our consciousness with sin and dirt results in a certain tension that prevent us from bothering too much with bathroom issues. The theory further elaborates that such tension results in loss of speech, or indulgence in activities that give relief to tension hence the tendency of many people to become bathroom singers or readers. Dylan Thomas famously said that novels should be serialized on toilet paper so that the toilet reader may acquire some literary credentials. The bathroom as a place where the eternal battle between dirt and cleanliness is fought, has always assumed a somewhat ambiguous position in our evolution. While the necessity of cleanliness and hygiene was acknowledged, there was certain awkwardness in the development of sensible techniques.

Behind this awkwardness, at least in the Christian world, there might be the religious ambivalence with dirt. Christianity has at times upheld dirt in appearance if it covered a pure soul. Most of the prophets were begrimed and dirty as the objects of persecution. The upholding of poverty further championed laxity with cleanliness that was the necessary accompaniment of poverty. At the same time Christianity also said cleanliness is next to godliness, and inspired cleansing of society, from outside as well as inside. Lack of piped water, a cold temperature, a masochistic culture, distain of hygiene and other factors resulted in atrocious personal hygiene in earlier times. In Elizabethan England, nobles used to take a bath in dirty water once in a blue moon. To mask the stink many perfumes were used. Defecation and urination were done in pots which shared space with men throughout the night. Morning time ritual consisted of dumping of such pots out of the window, which resulted in the chivalrous custom of keeping women on the farther side from windows while taking a walk.

The bidet was used for after-toilet ablution for a long time in Europe. The use of the toilet paper, especially in USA, resulted in a relapse of unhygienic ways, a custom that prevails to this day. In The Bathroom, Cornell Professor Alexander Kira sarcastically comments how men are prepared to complain about a tomato sauce stain on a restaurant tablecloth whilst they luxuriate on a plush seat in their faecally-stained pants . The use of water as a cleansing medium has no parallel, and since times ancient, water has been respected and revered as the agency of washing away dirt and sins as much in Christianity, where baptism occurs with a dip, as in Hinduism where till today millions take holy dips in their numerous rivers. Since bathroom is the place where one takes a bath, or bathes, it behooves that the primacy of cleansing should be reserved for water only.

Today, we are blessed with the knowledge the lack of which meant death and disability to our ancestors. The discovery of pathogens and the microbial world has brought about a paradigm change in our conception of the causes and effects of unhygienic lifestyles. The toilet is the epicenter of a hygienic life where we dispense with everything that is not required by us. It behooves us as civilized men that we discard what is meant for discarding in a way that is conducive to a better life. This requires proper use of proper bathroom materials, something that is easily done. The next time we think of cleaning ourselves, we should remember that there is water. We should not hesitate from getting our hands wet. And get it dry once we are done.

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Tarmac Wexford

DDWex Wind Chimes – An Unexpected Pleasure

Word Count:
450

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What could be more soothing to a gardener’s soul then the sudden sound of wind chimes softly catching the breeze on a summer day? I always have to stop whatever I’m doing in the garden and just listen to the wind chimes which seem to be telling me, all is well with my world.

Undoubtedly, one of the first set of wind chimes were made from plain sticks and/or strings of small sea shells. Then wind chimes graduated to those made from the hollow stalks of bamboo, which result…


windchimes,wind chimes,gardening,bamboo windchimes,

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What could be more soothing to a gardener’s soul then the sudden sound of wind chimes softly catching the breeze on a summer day? I always have to stop whatever I’m doing in the garden and just listen to the wind chimes which seem to be telling me, all is well with my world.

Undoubtedly, one of the first set of wind chimes were made from plain sticks and/or strings of small sea shells. Then wind chimes graduated to those made from the hollow stalks of bamboo, which resulted in a more pleasing sound. Once that sound was discovered, some smart soul went on to learn if those hollow tubes were cut to varying lengths, wind chimes could become almost musical in nature.

Today, some of the most beautiful sounding wind chimes are made from hollow tubes made of light weight metal such as aluminum. The longer the tube, the deeper the tone. It is now common to cut 4 or 5 tubes of varying lengths and attach them to a wooden disk at the top, while inserting a second wooden disk in the center of the tubes. The purpose of the second disk is to allow the sound of each tube to come forth as it hits the wooden disk, as driven by the wind.

One of the first wind chimes I ever noticed was made of thin pieces of glass. They were extremely common at the time as they were available in amost any dime store for less than $.50. I believe they were made in China and/or Japan. They were not that well put together, but while they lasted, the sound they made was, and still is charming. And to this day, the sound of glass wind chimes is still my favorite. But because of their being so fragile, I know hang them inside my home.

Yes, you can enjoy wind chimes inside your home as well as outside. I’m kind of surprised more people don’t seem to know that. Just hang them in front of a window which you are inclined to leave open all summer long. Mine hang just inside my kitchen and bedroom windows and offer beautiful, melodic tones upon the whim of the breeze all summer long.

The best thing about wind chimes are they are still cheap. In general, they start at about $4, but can cost as much as $200. They are made from all sorts of materials. Bamboo, sea shells, aluminum, metal, glass, ceramic, and even flattened table ware, such as old spoons, knives and forks. Take a listen, then decide what kind of sound you would like to unexpectedly hear in your own home and garden when that breeze begins to blow.

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Tarmac Wexford

DDWex Window Treatments Help Homeowners Save Money

Word Count:
245

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You might not think twice about how much energy you are conserving or wasting in your home – until you get your gas or electric bill.


Window Treatments Help Homeowners Save Money

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You might not think twice about how much energy you are conserving or wasting in your home – until you get your gas or electric bill.

With energy prices continuing to skyrocket from year to year, and utility companies passing along the costs to their customers, many homeowners are starting to take a harder look at ways to protect their pocketbooks.

A few simple steps now can go a long way toward reducing your energy costs and keeping them low for the foreseeable future. The following tips provided by Comfortex BlindCrafter Centers will help you conserve energy in your home and save money on your heating and cooling bills.

* Install insulating window treatments like Comfortex Cellular Shades. These innovative window treatments trap air between the shade and window, which in turn keeps warm air from escaping through your windows during the winter, and keeps hot air from entering your home during the summer.

* Caulk cracks and holes in your windows or install weather stripping to ensure that no cold or hot air escapes.

* During the winter, allow those rare sunny days to warm your house by opening window shades and blinds, but remember to close them at night.

* Install storm windows. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, storm windows can reduce heat loss through your windows by up to 50 percent.

* Move furniture away from the heat source. Blocking a vent makes the system work harder.

* Keep your fireplace damper closed when not in use.