Archives February 2020

Wide plank pine flooring is a versatile look that can go with a variety of decorating schemes. Country, contemporary or covered with antiques and bright leather chairs and sofa, this wood flooring practically screams “home sweet home.” Wouldn’t you like to have this be the foundation for your abode?
First thing that a homeowner needs to do is to find a style and stain color that they like. There is a large variety out there, so it’s wise to go to showrooms, pick up a few samples and bring them back to your house to see how they will look. There are narrow planks as well as wide ones, and light, medium and dark stains. There are some that are very smooth and refined looking, while others are adorned with personality-plus knotholes and irregularities. Some wood has been converted from antique sources that have been recovered from old barns, pickle vats, factories and homes. How’d you like to have a bit of history converted into your gorgeous new floor? Not only is this a huge design statement, but it’s a green thing to do in that you’re recycling used wood rather than cutting down another tree in the forest. Once the style of wood has been picked out, it’s time to get it installed.
Some handy homeowners can do it themselves. Others will need to hire an experienced installer in order to have it done professionally. Since pine is a softer wood than some of the hardwoods such as oak, it tends to be an easier installation. A do-it-yourselfer will need to own or rent a ready supply of tools such as a table saw, circular saw, a heavy duty stapler, nails, clamps, router, tape measure or ruler, and of course a hammer and some nails. Drills with an assortment of drill bits will also be needed. If there is existing flooring or carpeting in the home, tools will be required to tear it out as well. This tool list will depend of the type of flooring to be removed. A trip to the dump to discard the old carpet, padding or tile remains may be in order, as well.
Once the floor has been assembled in place, the handy homeowner or professional installer will need to finish with sandpaper, stain and wood oil. The best thing about wide plank pine flooring is that it will only get better with age. The natural wood will adapt to the surroundings and develop a look all its own.…

Do you want a makeover for your home? It is always very important to make sure that you make your home the best place to live in. this is the reason why you need to choose the best d?�cor for your rooms as well as other parts of your house.
These days you can select a special theme for your room and you can decorate your room based on that theme. You need to choose the color and design as well as the accessories based on that theme.
There are various companies which can help you plan about the home d?�cor. There are certain steps of choosing the accessories as well as colors and designs for your room. The first thing that you need to do is plan everything properly.
Planning is very important because it helps you decide your budget. You need to find out how much you are ready to spend on the decorations. You can then choose the company, the items as well as the decorations according to the budget.
When you choose a home d?�cor company you must provide them with your budget so that they can provide you with decoration plan on that budget. Always choose a one stop shopping center for these items. You can get decorative artwork for your room. You can also choose from a wide range of decorative candles.
You also have the option of choosing throw pillows and throw blankets. You must choose each of these items according to the color and style of your room. It is very important to match all the items present inside the room.
If you choose a d?�cor for your bedroom then make sure you pay attention to your bed sheet, quilts and blankets. They must match the color and other items present in your bedroom. If you check out the brochure of these home d?�cor companies you will find different kinds of themes available for d?�cor.
Some of the popular themes are classic d?�cor, ceramic decoration, and wicker decoration, tin and pewter decoration, storage d?�cor, fun and games d?�cor, fruit d?�cor and much more.
Other than the accessories and the colors you also need to make sure that you pay proper attention to the doors and windows. Door and window treatment can help you make your house look more beautiful and attractive. Choose the best wallpapers that suit the color and the accessories present in your room.
These wallpapers are available with these companies. Try to get a set of good curtains for your study because this will help you adorn the place. You can also choose contrasting colors for the walls of your rooms. This d?�cor is simple as well as cost effective.…

Are you looking to introduce a new theme into your interior design or home decor? Choosing something new is all down to a matter of taste and opinion but if you just want to be trendy and current, there are plenty of pointers available in the home sections of high street shops and stores. If you like the idea of having an “owl” theme in your home, then you are in luck, because (at the time of writing) owls are incredibly popular, not just for home items but for clothes, toys and many other things as well.
We are talking about the home, so what you can do to introduce the wonderful owl to your decor? Here are just a few quick ideas.
Hallway – For most homes, the hallway is the entrance to the house and the first place to make an impression when entering. How about an owl inspired mirror directly facing your front door? It will certainly make an impression on your guests when they enter and it will make a statement that you are right up to date with your home design. An owl shaped clock could also be really cool in the hall. It’s often a place people look for the time as they head out the door and it will add further to your growing theme.
Bedroom – The bed is always the quickest and easiest way to introduce something new to your room. You could treat yourself to a brand new duvet cover that has a cute owl print on it. A tastefully chosen owl picture or painting can make a feature of a bedroom wall whilst complimenting your bed. If you are lucky enough to have fitted sliding wardrobes in your room, then some owl themed transfers on the doors will again make a feature.
Living Room/Dining Room – There are endless ways in which your owls can be implemented into these rooms, whether it’s cushions/covers, curtains, tablecloths, rugs, ornaments and pictures. It’s just a case of deciding what you like without completely going owl overboard!
Bathroom – Once again, you will be spoiled for choice when trying to bring owls into the bathroom with some lovely pieces available. There are trinket holders, toiletry jars, toothbrush holders or even a trendy shower curtain!
Not only will you have the theme you want but also have a bright and trendy look throughout your owl inspired home.…

After waiting the 9 long months and enduring discomfort, back pain and unknown sleepless nights you’ve finally become a parent. Like any proud new parent you’ll want to make sure your child is as comfort in the outside world as it was in its mothers womb. You’ll want to create (if you already haven’t created it that is) a nursery that gives your new little bundle of joy a combination of style, absolute safety and of course comfort. This article has some tips to help you along in your quest to create the best nursery that you possibly can.
The first thing you need to think about is the color of your baby’s new nook. Although they may not be sensitive to different hues at first (they may only distinguish black and white), the color you choose will gradually become significant. Decide on colors that are easy and calming such as pastels in peach, yellow, blue or green. These shades will provide a relaxing atmosphere while exuding comfort and style! Colors in the primary wheel perk up your kids interest in his or her surroundings. However using too much at the same time might cause your child to become overly excited. Rather than sleep, your child might lie awake all night and you wouldn’t be resting soundly either! And it’s not just because of your baby’s awkward feeding patterns. This time, the colors are the culprit!
Different textures and varied patterns should be included in your nursery. These variations spark up the interest of your growing child. Their sense of touch will be further heightened when they encounter new textures once in a while! Although it’s a must to cover the crib with soft cushions to prevent bumps, you can still add a touch of texture to it. With regards to blankets, the general rule is that babies should not be put to sleep covered with a blanket…unless they happen to be at least a year old. Though a soft cuddly blanket offers added comfort during feeding time, it could cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS and should be avoided inside the crib during sleeping hours. Get rid of that adorable blanky even if it breaks your heart!
As a last piece of advice, be sure you choose a particular design that can ultimately grow as your child grows. Yes, I’m sure Pooh Bear and Disney Princesses are all the rage for your youngster now, but what will happen if she outgrows it? Make sure the theme and color schemes are flexible enough to adapt to your child’s future needs. So think again before buying that huge Little Mermaid crib, not unless you can picture your teenage daughter still enjoying under-the-sea moments in it thirteen years from now. Invest in a wall color and design scheme that will work for a boy or a girl for that matter. You never know just what your next child may be right (or was the first experience enough for you)? Keep decoration …

A product of the 73-year old Texas-based Swiff-Train flooring manufacturer, EarthWerks is known by the hardwood flooring industry as a leader in natural-looking hardwood floors, with woods so beautiful, only Mother Nature herself could shape them.
Woods created by EarthWerks are subtle and soft. The company’s artisans favor soft touches of pigment and light distressing techniques rather than splashing the woods with bold colors and hiding the wood’s natural character.
In EarthWerk’s Prestige engineered line, oak, walnut, maple, birch, hickory and cherry hardwoods are handsculpted and hand scraped at the surface, with a variety of colors and color application techniques. The techniques, such as the “bleed technique” are what truly separate this line from all other manufacturers.
With the “bleed technique,” color seeps onto the outer edges of the planks. When the floor is installed, the darker outer edges make each individual plank stand out, giving the floor a very earth, “old-world” feel. Natural French Bleed Cherry is absolutely charming, with a floor that looks to have come straight out of a 17th century French cottage.
Walnut Antique is another hit in this collection, hand sculpted with rich shades of umber and burnt sienna. Birch Latte is another favorite, also hand scraped, with shades of russet and sepia swirled so eloquently to create a marble effect.
If the swirls are something that appeals to you, you’ll also appreciate Smooth Walnut Natural, with a soft watercolor effect softly blending light to medium shades of brown. The depth of the walnut woods in this collection are truly incredible!
In EarthWerk’s Durango collection, you’ll see some of this marble effect as well, but with more of an American-Western vibe. The clay-colored Mesa and the coppery Sunset are favorites of that line, although people who enjoy dark wood floors will be drawn to Adobe.
All woods in both collections come in the standard five-inch wide planks with random lengths. Durango’s woods are beveled on four sides, whereas Prestige’s are either four-side rolled or micro beleved. Prestige offers a lifetime structural warranty with a 25-year finish, while Durango offers a 20-year finish warranty.…

When it comes to determining a home’s value, the primary metrics are location and square footage. However, there are a number of other factors that can help. For some homeowners, the best way to improve the value of their homes is to perform renovations.
– Structural Upgrades
Some renovations deal with structural changes to the home. Rebuilding a staircase, for example, provides both structural and aesthetic improvements that will lead to higher property appraisals. Another such renovation is to build a new porch deck or patio. While it will not increase a home’s size, those who look at the home will view a deck or patio as an extra room that makes the home a more attractive purchase.
– Aesthetic Upgrades
Renovations that focus solely on aesthetic components can also help. An attractive, modern shade can make a room seem more impressive, and appraisers and potential buyers will consider these improvements even if only on a subconscious level. While modern design trends are useful, it is also important to have a look that embodies the area in which the home is located.
– Exterior Renovations
While people spend most of their time inside their homes, it is the exterior that they see first. Further, people like to live homes that appear attractive to those who pass by. The simplest exterior renovation is a simple paint job; paint can radically transform a home’s appearance, and the right paint can improve a home’s value. In addition, it might be worth installing a new door or making it larger. While it can be an expensive renovation, installing new windows may make a substantial difference.
– The Kitchen
The kitchen is one of the most popular rooms for renovation as people spend much of their time in kitchens. Upgrading to modern kitchen appliances can improve a home’s value far beyond the cost of the appliances, and new countertops can make the room stand out. While kitchen appliances must perform well, it is also important that they also look great. Fortunately, many of the best upgrades score highly on metrics of usefulness and attractiveness. Granite countertops, for example, last for decades, are easy to maintain and look great.
– The Bathroom
Everyone spends part of their days in the bathrooms, and people often enter the bathroom right after waking up and right before going to bed. Homeowners should ensure that their upgrades will last for a while, and careful attention must be paid to bathroom renovations. Upgrades that can help fight mildew are useful, and it is critical that all renovations are tested to ensure that water does not leak. An upgraded bathroom is one of the best ways to impresses appraisers and potential buyers.
People often live in their homes for decades. After a while, a home’s look can begin to appear a bit stale. An occasional upgrade can both make a home more enjoyable and increase its value should the homeowners decide to sell.…

There are millions of people residing in the rural areas who install septic tanks in their houses. Most of the people are not aware about what exactly a septic tank does and what should be done to maintain it in a good way. Septic tanks are of two types; cement septic tanks and plastic containers. Cement sewage containers are in huge size and are carefully installed under the ground.
Plastic septic containers are of light weight and these sewage containers are mostly installed in houses where there is no space for large tanks. Drainage containers main job is to collect the waste materials that exit from lavatories, bathrooms, washing stations, and kitchen. Most of the house owners don’t know how to maintain the septic tank effectively. Maintenance is very important for its successful functioning.
Sewage tank is to collect all the unwanted waste materials, but all the waste material should not be dumped into the sewage tank. Dumping heavy solid waste materials can block the leachfields or drainfields and lead to clogging. Every container should undergo cleaning or pumping for at least once in a year. Septic tank cleaning and pumping schedule varies according to the size and number of people staying in the home.
Drainage tank holders should not dump heavy solid waste materials like toilet paper, paper towels, sanitary napkins, tampons, cigarette butts, and cotton balls. You should also avoid dumping cooking oils and grease. This will cause damage to the entire system and increases the cost of repair. The cost of cleaning and pumping can be affordable if the tank is maintained effectively.
Generally, a sewage tank pumping typically cost around $75 to $200. Cost also varies according to the size of the container. If size increase, cost also increases. For large containers, service providers will cost around $200 to$350 or even more. If the tank is completely damaged, then they have to replace it with a new one. The cost of replacing and installing a container depends on the local service providers.
You must be cautious in selecting a service provider. There are many agencies that offer all septic services at affordable cost. Before choosing a company, you much enquire about their quality of service from your neighbors. This can help you in selecting the right agency. You can also browse on the Internet and know about the agency. Do not forget to ask them about the discount and offers in the agency. This can save you some bucks from your pocket.…

With its many benefits and overall beautiful appearance, cork flooring should either: be high on your list of upgrades to your current home, or be one of the options for your soon-to-be-built home. The bottom line is that natural cork flooring, although not as well known as other floor materials, is fast becoming one of the most popular wood floors being installed today; and for good reason. The remainder of this article will discuss the many advantages of cork; from cork flooring tiles to floating plank patterns and other variations in between. Thankfully, there are many cork flooring reviews you can consult regarding many of the features and benefits of a cork floor. Let’s begin with a few advantages of discount cork flooring.
Durability and Cushioning Effect:
One of the primary benefits of cork as a flooring material is its ability to be long-lasting under years of use as well as its capacity to cushion the feet while being walked, run, or hopped upon. Let’s face it. Sometimes landing on a solid wood floor is not the most comfortable of situations. With cork as your base, that landing is much softer and safer. Even though you might relate cork such as lisbon miro, as being too soft, it’s just the opposite that is true. A real cork floor, when applied and finished correctly, is extremely durable and strong; and only requires routine maintenance to keep clean, such as a gentle whisk broom.
Cork Flooring is Warmer and Safer:
By reading various cork flooring reviews, you will come to realize just how happy thousands of cork floor customers are in two primary areas: warmth and safety. It’s true. A cork floor, due to it intrinsic structure, is a top insulator; which subsequently means a warmer floor. In addition, cork is one of the best materials available for the reduction of certain types of allergic material. Cork floors are hypo-allergenic and better yet, powerfully mold resistant; a pair of features that only increase the benefits of cork. And if you are concerned about the environment and how cork wood is harvested, take ease because cork wood is harvested primarily from the bark of trees which themselves are highly sustainable and replenishable.
To conclude, cork floors are being seen in more and more homes due to its beauty, durability, mold and allergy resistance, and lessened impact on the environment. It’s also available at a very reasonable price, usually costing as much as cheap laminate flooring. Read the latest reviews about cork floors and you, too, will fall in love with the natural beauty of cork floors.…

There are many joys in home ownership, but like everything else in life there are also some challenges and the occasional issues. One of the more daunting tasks of the homeowner is dealing with sewer or plumbing concerns. After all, there is not much fun to be had dealing with clogged pipes, line back-ups, and obstructions. Fortunately many of them can be prevented by adhering to the following do’s and don’ts of sewer and septic tanks maintenance.

Tips for Avoiding Sewer Problems

Some of the best things you can do to prevent sewer backups and blockages are:

Always collect cooking grease, fats, and oils in a container to be thrown in the garbage. Do not just rinse these items down the drain.

Be sure to throw away diapers, sanitary napkins, the garbage-NEVER flush these items down the commode!

Install a sewer backflow preventer device (BPD) to prevent backflows or backups from the sewer.

When it comes to landscaping, be sure that plants with spreading root systems are not planted near sewer laterals as the roots can invade the sewer lines causing blockages, backups and even result in burst pipes.

In the case of slowing draining in bathtubs, sinks, showers and toilets use a plunger and then a plumber’s snake to see if you can remove the obstruction. If this doesn’t work, call a plumber as they have tools especially designed for this type of problem.

Preventative Maintenance for Your Sewer System

On a weekly basis, use a mixture of 1 cup each of baking soda and salt plus A� cup of cream of tartar. Stir up the solution then pour into the drain followed by 1 cup of boiling water. Wait 10 seconds then run cold water down the drain.

At least once month clean the drain. Pour a A� cup of baking soda down the drain followed by A� a cup of white vinegar. Allow the mixture to set for 3 hours before rinsing down the drain with hot water.

If you believe grease accumulation to be a concern, pour A� cup each of salt and baking soda down the drain then flush with a teakettle of boiling water.

These chemical reactions work like the commercial products available a superstore, but cost a lot less!

Tips for Avoiding Septic Tank Problems

Be sure to pump out the septic tank on a regular basis. However, do not use septic tank additives.

Keep surface water from upslopes or roof drains away from disposal fields.

Do not let grease or related products, as well as items such as chemicals or plastic enter the septic system.

Never drive or park heavy vehicles on the disposal fields as this can compact the soil and crush the pipes.

Don’t overload the system with high volumes of water.

Don’t wait for there to be a problem before checking or cleaning your septic tank or sewer lines; as Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”…

Over the years the way that home owners like to decorate and remodel their properties has changed quite substantially, especially with the younger generations. Most new home owners like to opt for a more modern and contemporary design, rather than the more traditional housing designs. There are much more houses around the world with open plan living spaces, minimal furnishings and light bright colourings on the walls. This type of home design helps to gibe your home an open and spacious feeling which is particularly useful if you have a relatively small property as many young people do.
Locating the perfect modern house design
There are a number of different ways that you can attain inspiration and ideas for the design of your dream home. Many people will opt to simply come up with the ideas themselves, but this does mean that you have to a relative amount of experience with home design to make a good job of things. It is also possible to employ the services of an expert interior designer or an architect to help you with your plans but obviously this can be rather expensive, especially if you want the best. As we are suffering from one of the worst global recessions that we have seen for many years this is not always an option for many home owners, especially first time buyers. Undoubtedly the cheapest and arguably the best way to attain your ideal modern house design is to use the internet. There is now a plethora of different websites that will provide you with everything that you could ever need to design and complete your perfect home design. The various sites that are on offer will tend to differ in the way that they work but you should have no problem finding one that suits your needs. You will be able to search through the variety of different house plan options that they have and then pick out the one that you feels fits your requirements. Once you have chosen one you can then download it in whatever format you prefer. Generally it will either be PDF or CAD format.
Completing your modern house design
Once you have downloaded your chosen modern house design you will be able to begin making it a reality. If you have building experience then you will obviously be able to carry out the work yourself. However, if you do not then you will need to employ the services of a professional. It is important to attain a number of different quotations so that you can sure that you are getting the very best value possible. Prices for labour and parts can vary quite substantially so it is vital to attain at least 3 different quotes to allow you to make an educated decision.…