05 May, 2024
3 mins read

Terracotta Tile Tips: Warmth and Style for Your Bathroom

Transform Your Bathroom with Terracotta Tile Tips

Terracotta tiles bring warmth, charm, and a touch of the Mediterranean to your bathroom. If you’re considering this timeless material for your bathroom design, here are some tips to help you make the most of terracotta tiles.

Choosing the Right Terracotta Tiles

The first step in incorporating terracotta tiles into your bathroom is choosing the right ones. Terracotta tiles come in various shades, from pale peach to rich, earthy tones. Consider the size, shape, and finish of the tiles to match the overall aesthetic of your bathroom. Matte finishes offer a more rustic look, while glazed terracotta tiles can add a touch of elegance.

Terracotta Tile Layout and Patterns

Explore different layout options and patterns to enhance the visual appeal of your bathroom. Herringbone, basketweave, or classic straight lay patterns are popular choices for terracotta tiles. The layout can significantly impact the overall atmosphere of the space, so choose a pattern that complements your design vision.

Pairing Terracotta with Complementary Materials

Terracotta tiles pair well with a variety of materials to create a balanced and harmonious bathroom design. Consider combining terracotta with natural stone, wood, or white ceramic fixtures to add depth and contrast. This combination creates a visually interesting and well-coordinated space.

Maintaining Terracotta Tiles

Proper maintenance is crucial to preserve the beauty of terracotta tiles in your bathroom. Sealing the tiles helps protect them from moisture and stains. Regular cleaning with a mild, pH-neutral cleaner ensures longevity. Be cautious with acidic or abrasive cleaners that may damage the terracotta surface.

Enhancing Natural Lighting with Terracotta

Terracotta tiles have the ability to absorb and reflect natural light, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. If your bathroom receives ample natural light, use it to your advantage. Strategically placing mirrors and opting for light-colored accessories can amplify the brightness and showcase the terracotta’s warm undertones.

Terracotta Tiles and Bathroom Color Schemes

Consider your overall color scheme when incorporating terracotta tiles. Neutral colors like whites, creams, and soft blues work well with terracotta, creating a serene and inviting ambiance. Experiment with different color combinations to find the one that best suits your taste and complements the warmth of terracotta.

Creating a Mediterranean Oasis

Terracotta tiles evoke a Mediterranean aesthetic, and you can enhance this vibe by incorporating other elements. Consider adding wrought iron fixtures, colorful textiles, and potted plants to create a relaxed and charming Mediterranean oasis in your bathroom.

Terracotta Tile Installation Tips

Consult with a professional for the proper installation of terracotta tiles. The installation process may vary depending on the type of terracotta and the desired pattern. Professional installation ensures a secure and visually pleasing result.

Exploring Terracotta Tile Varieties

Terracotta tiles come in various varieties, including traditional Saltillo tiles, Spanish pavers, and handmade terracotta. Each variety brings its own unique character and charm. Explore different options to find the terracotta tile variety that resonates with your design preferences.

Terracotta Tile Bathroom Tips: Explore Possibilities

Ready to explore the possibilities of terracotta

3 mins read

Drapes Selection – How To Pick The Perfect Style For Your Tastes

Whenever visiting family or friends, it isn’t unheard of to see the actual decorations in the home and to feel that nagging feeling that there’s so much more you might do in the home. One of the things observed initially is both the curtain rods and designs of the curtains and how they highlight the space. Next time you are in someone else’s house, have a look at their curtains to obtain some ideas on what you might like to perform in your personal home.
Publications about design and fashion usually display the most recent designs, shapes, and shades for both drapes and curtain supports and may be a source of inspiration and concepts for people who are decoration inhibited. While beneficial, it’s important to understand that window curtains ought to present a feeling of YOUR design and that any kind of colors or shapes may look great in the room that they are in, but they need to complement the overall style scheme you have already produced in the prepared space.
Among the most detrimental things you can do is select your curtains according to their color or design on their own and then get stuck upgrading the entire space to match, like using burlap curtains in a minimalist home look and feel for example. Before acquiring any kind of window curtain rods you might want to take the following into account:
– Size of the room
– Form of the windows
– Age of the house
– Style of adjoining home furniture
– Purpose of the space
Most critically, making sure the size of the window curtains are appropriate and will cover the size of your window guarantees a good fit. Some curtains are famous for successfully being able to meet a plethora of window sizes. The period of the house is essential, as it provides you with a good overall style to adhere to for the home in its entirety. Be aware of the furniture within the room could keep you from having to redecorate the room around the curtains. The purpose of the room ought to be noted. Is the area a study that may benefit from dull, modest colors? Is the space for a child that might look much better with patterns and pastels?
Among the much less discussed methods of selecting just the right curtains is attempting to understand how the designs and shades make you feel whenever you look at them. Really feel inspired? Maybe this is a better design for a work space. Feel relaxed? Perhaps this would be a great fit for the master bedroom. It is amazing the impact curtain styles and colors may have on the feeling of the room and taking this into account when picking out the correct window curtains can help to make certain you have just the right match to match the room, your style, and the look/feel you are heading for.
We’re confident the above advice will assist you to definitely select just the …

2 mins read

Home Warranty – Valuing Your Possessions

A Home Warranty actually can be regarded as a type of insurance for home appliances. When systems or appliances break down, the concerned insurance company is bound to replace or repair the equipment. In general cases, the newer homes need not require any warranty as appliances need no replacement and cost of this type of warranties may seem a bit higher. But for ensuring the safety it is always advisable to rely on any genuine companies offering warranties for your home. Home is always a valuable investment and thus ensuring warranty to it seems to be more reasonable.
There are a lot of positive factors which follow on when you fetch warranty for your home. You are being offered with a peace of mind as even when the most major system or appliance in your home needs repair or replacement, somebody else will be paying the bills. In any cases you have the necessity for any repair services; all you need is to just make a call to the warranty company. You may just have to pay a genuine flat deductible cost to them. It never matters the number of hours required to fix the problem, you will surely get the services done. The main add up to all the facts are that it also adds the value for your home when you are to sell it.
A buyer for your home will surely be glad on knowing the fact that the entire appliances regarding the home he is about to buy has been insured. Once you signs up to get warranty it is also mobilized towards new owner of the home. Even though there is a small deductible charge for each repair incidence it never matters a lot. Moreover to this, certain companies allow its customers to report more than one problem as a single incident. Many of the companies don’t hesitate to replace the appliances and always try to repair the worst of the damages. But no company will ensure you repair or replacement if the fault occurs due to your rough usage and careless maintenance.
Choosing the best policy is a matter which is concerned only with you. The needs are always relative. This means that they vary with customers. So choose the policy which is the most beneficial for your needs. Reliability is also a matter of apex consideration. Seek the experience of the present and previous customers of the firms in the market which offer home warranty.…

3 mins read

Healthy Flooring – The Commercial Environment Issues

“Sick Building Syndrome” is no myth. Some commercial floor coverings are health hazards in several ways. They retain materials which should be removed, and are unhygienic. Some materials can contain various elements that trigger allergic reactions. The materials may deteriorate over time, creating actual physical hazards for users.

Knowing when you need to look at healthy flooring

There are a few classic signs of problem flooring:

People getting repeated minor infections affecting respiration.

Dank or dusty smell in the building

Discolouration of carpeting

Sunlight shows a lot of dust in the air

Very dry, stale environment

Other problems include:

Chemical issues with degraded carpet glue and polymers

Fumes may be absorbed by carpets and released by heat

The natural process: Material gets tramped into the carpet over time. This very fine material is dust, often in surprisingly large quantities. It builds up, eventually getting released by pressure from walking on the carpet.

Chemical issues: Some carpets are synthetic polymers which adversely react to heat, in addition to the natural dust situation. They may release fumes of their own in response to excessive heat or exposure to sunlight.

Health and flooring issues

The dust is a potential source of infection and the fumes are chemical irritants. Microbes brought in on the dust, pollen grains, viruses, and other problems caused by the large amount of micro-particulates in the air can all create health problems. This dust can be a serious irritant, and may affect even people without allergies regularly.

The classic signs an individual is affected by a sick carpet are:

People regularly getting minor infections

Coughing

Dry throat

Sinus conditions

Irritated nose and throat symptoms

Old carpets, particularly heavy weave broadloom, absorb enormous amounts of material over time, and even repeated steam cleaning and shampoos won’t help much. (In some cases, these carpets literally produce mud when steam cleaned.)

Environmental considerations

Environmental considerations for carpet flooring are all practical responses to local conditions.

The issues are:

Durable flooring suitable for the space

Carpet cleaning

Modern design

Good product life

No problems with materials

Sustainable flooring.

One result of research into the issues of carpet health was to look at the life cycle of carpets, and produce sustainable flooring. Modern carpet tiles have individual structural backing, not depending on an underlay, for example. That means the dust can’t sink through the carpet and form increasing deposits underneath, making cleaning these carpets far more effective from the start. They also have much better seals which prevent accumulation of materials.

Choices and options for healthy flooring

You’ll find you can get good quality modern modular carpet tiles which can cover all these issues very effectively at reasonable cost. Modular tiles allow for replacement of carpet in high usage areas with minimum fuss, and prevents problems created by wear and tear. This is the optimum health result, straightforward, quick, efficient and reliable.…

3 mins read

Homeowner Warranties – A Good Way to Help Sell Your Home

Would you prefer that you sold your home easily or with great difficulty? In a way, you could call this a trick question since there are many factors that do into making a home easier to sell. Drastically cutting the price of the home below what it is worth would help you sell it but you will not be gaining anything of value. Rather than follow such a method it would be a better idea to look towards other attractive benefits that would make a buyer look into the home. One such method would involve including a home warranty. While not a new idea, the home warranty is becoming more popular these days due to its increased effectiveness.
What is a home warranty? In a way, the concept is not much different than the warranty that would be afforded to a consumer product. It essentially provides a great help to the buyer as it financially covers any errant problems that may occur in the aftermath of purchasing the home. This does not include blanket coverage for every problem that might arise with the home. However, major services and functions will be covered through the warranty.
This is not to say that a homeowner warranty is identical to homeowner insurance. There is a huge difference between the two. Homeowner insurance is designed to cover a large portion (or all) of the value of the home in case of fires, natural disasters, and other such serious situations. A homeowner warranty is significantly scaled back from that but it is still of high value to a potential buyer. The warranty is mainly designed to pay for the costs of replacements and repairs of appliance and major home systems that have become broken as a result of normal wear and tear. The warranty may be called it or it may not. It all depends on how the home handles over the designated number of years the warranty covers after the sale.
As one can surmise, it may be possible to make a home warranty an attractive component to the sale of the home. Consider how the buyer looks at the availability of a homeowner warranty. The buyer sees the presence of the warranty as a huge discount on the home since some potentially expensive repairs are covered. Also, the buyer may feel very confident in the purchase of the home. Rather than looking towards problems associated with the purchase, they might assume that the house is probably in great shape. Why is this? It is because people assume that the warranty is easily offered because there is nothing wrong with the property. Consider this a form of reverse psychology that actually works quite well.
Sometimes you have to take a number of additional steps in order to sell a home. A homeowner warranty can be an excellent component in this regard and that is why it is so helpful to those looking to sell property.…

3 mins read

Home Warranty – Discover the Advantages of Having One

There are a variety of reasons to get a home warranty. If you own property, you don’t want to be without one.
No matter where you live, if you own a house, you’re going to have things that break. From the smallest repairs, to the big jobs, you want to be able to call someone whenever problems strike. While there are some people that don’t see the benefits of paying a monthly fee for coverage, others would never own a house without it. That’s because replacing appliances can be expensive. If you decide not to have coverage, you have to be prepared to fix or replace that appliance at the drop of the hat. A small monthly fee is nothing compared to the large sum of money you’ll have to spend if your appliance goes kaput. Explore a few other advantages of having a home warranty.
Increases property value
One of the important things to remember when deciding on a home warranty is the fact that getting one can help improve the property value of your house. If you ever get to the point that you’d want to sell your place, then buyers will like to know that you’ve helped to upkeep the property over the years. No one wants to take the risk of buying a property that is filled with damaged or bad appliances. Plus, since you have coverage, you’ll always have good, working appliances and a potential buyer will notice that when seeing your house.
Helps save you money
Usually, it never fails that when you don’t have the money to pay for a repair, that’s when the appliance usually breaks. Fortunately, by having a home warranty, you don’t have to worry about shelling out hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a new appliance. You’ll have access to an array of contractors that will be able to address your problems. All you have to pay for is the small fee for the contractor’s visit.
Convenience
Instead of trying to figure out who you can call when your washer doesn’t work or, worse, not being able to get anyone to come out to your home in a crisis, it’s best to invest in a home warranty service. By doing so, you can help get rid of some of the stress and confusion that occurs when handling a broken appliance. You won’t have the added worry of trying to research various companies or contractors. Instead, when you sign up with a service, they take care of all these details for you. So whenever you have a problem, there’s no need to be concerned with how you’re going to solve it
Covers a variety of appliances
From washers, dryers and dishwashers, to refrigerators, ice makers and more, you have a ton of appliances that will be covered. The best thing is that depending on the service you choose to go with, you can most likely add coverage for an appliance if need be. This way, you’ll never be without …

3 mins read

The Negative Side Of Epoxy Paint

If you are researching different types of garage flooring, then you probably came across the epoxy paint solution. Most of these articles tell you about all the benefits of this method, but what they don’t tell you are the problems. One huge problem that many consumers face with this product is the installation. If you don’t put a sufficient amount of time into your prep-work, then your garage flooring will not come out well. The problem with epoxy is that there are too many things that will interfere with its bond to the floor. To make sure that your epoxy paint bonds well with your floor then you will need to follow some precautions.

Before you start anything, you need to do some serious surface preparation. If there are any chemical or oil stains on the concrete, make sure they are removed. If there is any part of your garage flooring that is stained with any product, then the epoxy paint will not bond well with that spot. Also you must be sure your garage floor is completely dry. There can be no moisture coming in contact with your floor what so ever. Even if your floor appears dry, it still may contain moisture. A way to test for hidden moisture is to tape a piece of plastic to a section of your floor and wait for a few days. If you see water near the edge of the tape, then you know that there is water coming up from the concrete which will affect the epoxy paint significantly. Also if the floor was previously painted, then all of the paint must be removed even if you have to ground down the floor to do it. The preparation for an epoxy paint job can be long and tiring and there is still a chance of failure.

Reasons For Failure

If the humidity of your garage is not perfect, then there is a chance that the epoxy will fail.

The epoxy needs to cure quickly because if it doesn’t then blistering can appear on your floor.

If salts from the concrete come in contact with the epoxy as it cures, then it may bond incorrectly.

When a surface becomes too hot or cold, then it can expand or contract. These slight expansions can cause the paint to crack which will ruin the look of your flooring.

Depending how far you have gotten in your research, you may know some good alternatives to epoxy. One very good alternative is rolled garage flooring. Rolled garage flooring is very durable, easy to install and clean, and it even offers anti-fatigue benefits. Rolled garage flooring comes in a very wide variety of styles and colors so there is a good chance you will find one that you love.

Advantages to Rolled Garage Flooring

The only steps needed for preparation is a sweeping. It is recommended that you clean up the dirt and spills before putting in the carpet but it doesn’t need to be perfect.…

3 mins read

Bright Ideas For Lamps and Lamp Shades For Frugal Home Decorating

It’s not the light of the lamp that brings out the best in illumination, it’s the lamp and lampshade. Here are some simple frugal home design lamp ideas to give that old lighting standard a new look. Let’s start with the shade: Did you know you can paint most any fabric and paper shade with either a commercial spray paint or a home made spray paint application? The home made formula consists of 1 part paint (latex or craft) to 10 parts water. Measure the parts based on the size of a standard plastic spray bottle. All you need to do is choose your color and apply it in one or all of these decorative applications.

– Tape off diagonal lines or stripes with painter’s tape. -Create some basic stencils creating your own designs or browsing your local craft store. -Instead of spraying on paint, apply the paint with a sea sponge to give it an entirely different look.

Be sure your shade is dusted before you get started so the paint will adhere solidly. All paint aside, another way to give that shade a fresh designer look is to apply dark paper silhouettes to the inside of a lighter shade. Create a seasonal lamp shade accent by changing the shape as appropriate. For example, place stars or Christmas tree silhouettes during the Holiday season. Rabbits or egg shapes will look just right for Easter. Simple floral leaves, stems, and any shape you might need can be downloaded from free click art web sites.

Be sure you don’t allow the loosely tacked silhouette which is taped to the inside of the lamp shade be too close to the light bulb. Now let’s take a look at the base of your lamp. Here is where creativity is unlimited. It’s simple to create a lamp base out of almost any sturdy 3 dimensional shape:

Yard Sale Vases

Large Soup Mugs

Bowls turned upside down

Terra Cotta pots

Books That have been glued together in a horizontal stack

Wooden boxes with your decoupaged touch

Teapots

Antique Bottles

Anything!

Most of your home made bases will need a hole drilled at the bottom or on the side to run the cord down and through. Unless you have an old lamp shoved in storage somewhere that you can take apart and reinstall to your new lamp, you will need to purchase an inexpensive store lamp kit. This kit provides all the hardware and electrical parts you need to put your lamp together.

The other tried and true frugal home design option to resurrecting a lamp is to paint the base. Here again the choice of application is really up to you. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

Guild

Decoupage

Etch

Stencil

Add colors that accent wall art

The most important point to remember when planning to paint your lamp, is to buy paint that is suited specifically for the the type of object; glass paint for glass, metal for metal, …

2 mins read

Why Is the Kitchen the Heart of the Home?

Many people would have heard the saying that the kitchen is the heart of the home. But why is this? There are many reasons why the kitchen is considered the central or core area of the house. In whatever sized property, including a large country house or a small apartment flat, the kitchen is probably the main area of the house and one of the most used and practical areas of the property.
Here are four reasons why we think that the kitchen is and always will be the heart of the home:
1. This is where the food is. Human beings generally flock where there is food. The kitchen is the area of the home which contains all of the food, in ready-made containers or in separate ingredients ready to cook into a wonderful meal. Cooking or preparing food is something which will take place every single day and perhaps several times a day, especially if there is a family in the home. Having people working in the kitchen makes it an important and much-needed area of the home.
2. Many people have kitchen/dining areas combined. This allows a larger space where family and people can gather in a social capacity. Having this social space means that the kitchen is always going to be the centre of the home. Having a dining and kitchen area means that the larger space gives way for families to come together whilst food is being prepared and then eat it all together around a table, which many people believe is a dying tradition in the UK but really is just as popular as ever when the dining and kitchen area can be combined.
3. Modern gadgets make a kitchen a fun place to be. There are many modern gadgets which can make a kitchen feel far more exciting adds a personal touch to the home. There are traditional gadgets such as microwaves, can openers and toasters, but we are talking eccentric gadgets. This includes kitchen tools which have been designed for sheer practicality and fun. Many people have iPads or other notebooks in a kitchen which allows them to follow recipes in real-time in their kitchen whilst they cook.
4. The kitchen allows multipurpose use in innovative and contemporary design. There are many things you can do in the kitchen, not just cooking but also cleaning, making drinks and even talking on the phone. Kitchen installers can create beautiful spaces you to work in. Kitchen installer can use your style and budget to develop a space which you really enjoy spending time in. Sometimes the kitchen is also attached to a garden, allowing for a very practical space indeed.…

2 mins read

Tips For Managing Your Home’s Storage Area

In this post we will look at a great way to increase the storage area in your home. Many people have accumulated lots of “stuff” and it can clutter your house which is annoying. With this scenario, we want to be sure that those items are not damaged as it wouldn’t be very nice to find out later that the contents have been damaged by water or moisture.
One place that many people overlook for storage is their garage. Usually the garage is more vulnerable to water damage so if you are concerned about that then you can put down some pallets on the ground or get some garage flooring mats.
If you have an attic that isn’t currently functional, why not made some small changes so that it can handle some storage needs? Often times it can be as simple as just putting some plastic down.
Be careful putting your storage in confined areas like the shed in your backyard. If there isn’t enough airflow and there is more exposure to dampness in the air then you will likely be a victim of mildew. It’s amazing how quickly clothing can rot, even tough materials like boots.
Unfinished basements are similar to garage floors, you may want to put down some pallets or you can also use the garage flooring mats if your floor is concrete. Basements don’t get as hot during the summer so you’re not as likely to find mold.
In any case one of the most important things you should do is make sure a couple times a year you visit your storage and open up the bags and boxes for a day to air out. This will make a big difference towards keeping them from rotting with mold or mildew.
Of course, the other option is downsizing via throwing things out or donating items to thrift stores. Many people throw out too much though and end up needing things later. It’s tricky to know sometimes what you will actually use later and what will just sit around collecting dust.…