What to Do Before Painting a Room

December 1, 2019
DIY

Safety

Did you know? The most common reason for a non-fatal injury at home is due to falls – a large percentage of them at home. Before you start painting, take safety precautions as seriously as you would any other steps. Something you can do is to buy or borrow a sturdy ladder which will not give way. Invest in ones with an in-built shelf that you can store your paint bucket and tools in.

Attire

Another step in preparing yourself for the paint job is to dress appropriately. Painting can be a messy affair, not to mention one with permanent consequences. To prevent paint splattering onto your favorite clothes and shoes, dress in old clothes and trainers that you won’t mind getting paint on.

Preparing

Before actually applying paint, you need to have your paint prepared. By prepared, we mean making your color selection, sampling them onto your wall and finding the right sheen for the wall color.

A frustrating problem that can surface later on would be when your paint runs out before the walls are done. To avoid this, make sure cross-check the surface area of your walls with the estimates

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Common Tools Used in Tile Installation

November 30, 2019
DIY

Electric Wet Saw

Probably one of the most well-known pieces on the list, the electric wet saw is great for cutting notches, bevels, and, of course, center cuts. While this saw is one of the most expensive, it is a necessity if you plan to complete a large tile installation project. Many stores offer these items for rent if you don’t want to invest the money to purchase one.

An electric wet saw uses a diamond-edge blade to make accurate cuts. However, since the blade will quickly heat from scoring the ceramic, it utilizes a tube to feed water onto the blade. This keeps the blade’s temperature at an appropriate level and keeps dust from clogging the machinery.

Diamond Hole saw

For those who need to score tough tiles or drill a hole, the diamond hole saw easily completes the job. It fits any standard drill, so you can use your own equipment. To drill a hole, place the tile on a solid surface and gently press the bit until the tip scores the surface. You can also drill all the way through, if needed. The diamond hole saw creates clean cuts without damaging

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Blackout Curtains

November 30, 2019
Interior Design and Decorating

First of all, what are blackout curtains? A lot of people are under the false impression that blackout curtains are completely black, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Blackout curtain linings are actually usually made of white fabric. They are made with tightly woven material that blocks all kind of outside light from entering the room.

This can have all types of benefits. Per example, I use to work as a night guard at a local hospital, and I had a lot of issues getting some quality sleep when I came back home because my curtains weren’t blocking the light properly. A lot of people work night shifts these days and finding blinds that can do the job can be really difficult, since most blinds are made for aesthetic reasons, not efficiency.

Another reason why you should consider getting blackout curtains is because of their amazing energy saving properties. Blackout curtains can help you save on energy bills in all kinds of ways. Per example, they can help you save on air conditioning by preventing sunrays from entering the room during hot summer days, hence keeping the room cooler naturally.

During the winter

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Venetian Plaster Process

November 29, 2019
Interior Design and Decorating

The plaster is often revered for its timeless aesthetic beauty, as well as its durability and resistance. Not only is the ancient application incredibly hard-wearing, it also has low resistance to vapour diffusion, making it breathable and safe for every environment. It also has superior insulating properties due to its high micro-porosity.

Many builders and decorators will wax lyrical about the application’s many qualities – particularly its flame resistance, anti-bacterial properties and highly durability. It is also incredibly flexible and easier to apply than traditional decorating materials. But what actually is Venetian plaster and how is it made?

The process is lengthy and relies on a number of precise variables in order to end up with the perfect make-up. The product is made from lime – an ancient, renewable and highly resistant material that originates from pebbles. These pebbles (which are rich in calcium carbonate) are slowly transformed into a slaked lime product using a carefully orchestrated balance of tradition and technology.

The pebbles are baked in a wood kiln, as they would have been in more primitive times. It’s important to interject here, as the most environmentally responsible companies won’t chop down trees in

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Choosing Bathroom Sink Unit

November 28, 2019
Home Improvement

Firstly, bear in mind that many units actually come in standard sizes for many bathrooms, so you will not have too much to worry about in this regard. The best thing to do is to take measurements of your property and then consult a specialist retailer and see what they have in these sizes. Even if there is not one in the ideal size, they will likely have options just a little larger or smaller.

These sink units may be entirely suitable, and it helps to play around with a few possibilities to work out what will look best and what will suit your storage needs best too. However, sometimes you will need customised cabinets of certain heights, depths and widths, in which case it is important to ask your retailer where to you can go to source these items.

One of the good things about standard sizes is that they are designed to make sure that sink units and toilet units are not intrusive in your space. These items generally tend to be relatively minimal so that you will have a good amount of storage but will also have a lot more open space in

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Home Automation With Security System

November 27, 2019
DIY

With Home Automation there are unlimited possibilities of doing things with the click of a button. Your home automation system can start out small with just a few key items and easily be expanded to control many of your home appliances. All of the following are available with home automation:

  • Wireless Door Locks
  • Wireless Thermostats
  • Wireless Door Bells
  • Wireless Lighting Control

Installation of smart products give the home and its occupants various benefits – the same benefits that technology and personal computing have brought to us over the past 30 years – convenience and savings of time, money and energy.

“Smart Home” is the term commonly used to define a residence that has appliances, lighting, heating, air conditioning, TVs, computers, entertainment audio & video systems, security, and camera systems that are capable of communicating with one another and can be controlled remotely by a time schedule, from any room in the home, as well as remotely from any location in the world by phone or internet.

Take Control of Your Life

  • New smart phone apps are a portable command center that allows you to control door locks, lights, thermostats and video cameras.
  • Real Time notifications
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Flannel Top

November 26, 2019
Home Improvement

Flannel is going to be one of your best friends, on those cold winter nights. Flannel sheets will fit any bed ranging from a California king bed to your infants crib. Flannel although initially only made of wool, is now made with either wool, polyester or cotton. Normally, your sheets will be brushed to create a nice soft flannel, but you can also receive non brushed flannel as well, but that is normally very coarse. Your sheets are going to be two of four types of flannel. The first being cotton flannel which is cotton flannel that is either single or double napped which will take care of its softness. The second type is ceylon flannel. This type is an equal mix of wool and cotton which makes for a very warm and nice sheet. For weaving, the flannel is either plain weaved or till weaved which the fabric is then napped. Then the fabric is treated with dye to get the desired color, and depending on the manufacture it can be napped a second time to add even more softness to the fabric.

Many people love their flannel sheets but not so much in the dead

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Functions of Doormats

November 24, 2019
Home Improvement

Doormats come in different shapes and sizes. The doormats serve different types of purposes. So, it is necessary for a person to select the correct doormat which ensure that it fits the purpose. There are several brands and stored available for the mats. You can visit any reliable store and can easily choose a doormat depending upon your need. The doormats are considered wonderful for multiple reasons and here are just a few written below.

Keeps the home neat and clean

You will usually discover that your pets and kids bring lots of dirt particles inside the home. You can easily avoid it by placing the doormat in the front door. It will absorb dust and grime particles from entering the door which will surely prevent any mess in the room. Once you will place it in your home, you will discover that you will have to clean the floors less than before. In short, a clean environment is necessary for a healthy body and mind.

Pets and children

Pets are popular for coming with their muddy feet and creating a mess. Try placing a doormat which will help your four-legged friends to clean

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Benefits of Skip Hire

November 24, 2019
DIY

Convenience

Making multiple trips to the dump or recycling facilities is time-consuming and it can leave your car in a right old state. The main benefit to hiring a skip is convenience.

A skip hire company will deliver your skip to the desired location, arranging any permits where necessary, and collect it once it’s been filled. All you need to do is work out where you would like it placed, and when you want it delivered.

Cost-Effective

Multiple trips to the dump involve wasting unnecessary time and money, especially with the rising cost of petrol. However, by hiring a skip you won’t have to pay a penny extra for transport as that’s built into the cost of hiring a skip.

What’s more, with a range of skip sizes to choose from you will only pay for the size that you need, making it a cost-effective solution.

Versatility

All reputable skip hire companies have a range of skip sizes on offer so their service can be tailored to your exact requirements. Skips are classified according to the volume of waste they hold, which is measured in cubic yards.

They range from

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Centerpieces to Spice Up the Dining Room

November 21, 2019
Interior Design and Decorating

Before starting with the decoration, you should decide on whether to use a tablecloth or runner. Many people will choose a runner to protect the wooden furnishing from scratching and staining plus it looks modern and elegant. The tablecloth and runner also does not need to match the curtains but if a carpet is present, make sure that the colour suits the carpet. Alternatively, you can use contrasting colours such as black and white, yellow and red, or perhaps purple and green.

Centerpieces can be more than just flowers and candles. They can also be a combination of decor items or something completely out of this world and abstract.

The item that will be used as the main focus should be in a different colour than that of the tablecloth or runner. Try to avoid blending the same colour decor items so that guests can actually see the distinctive decor elements. The only exception to this decor rule is the use of transparent glasses and vases.

A trend that is taking wedding venues by storm is the upside down wine glass containing an item of sentimental value and a candle placed on top. This centerpiece

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