Top 5 Tips For Home Decorators

Is your house and home feeling a little bit tired and jaded? Does it lack that special edge that it once had? If so you're no doubt sick of living in a home that no longer suits you so why not convert that drab interior to something fantastic? Your home should be a place of rest and relaxation. A place for you to recharge your batteries that have been drained by todays busy lifestyles. The great news is that regardless of what type of look or feel you want your redecorated home to have there are ideas aplenty available to you for use as inspiration.

There are several important tips that you should follow for each interior or home decorating project:

1. Choose A Theme

Have a very clear idea of what you want the finished "product" to look like before you begin. Get your hands on as many home decorating books and magazines as you can. As you read through them you'll find yourself drawn to one theme or style more than others. Exposure to as many decorating styles as possible is the key to success here.

2. Choose A Color Scheme

During your theme research you'll have noticed that most decorating themes rely on specific color schemes to achieve the required results; those colors are standard to that particular decorating theme. What do we mean by this? Well for example Asian decorating styles and themes are dominated by the use of red, black and dark blue. Another example is tropical decorating themes which rely more on green, red and aqua colors. Your chosen theme will, realistically, follow the same basic pattern of using a fixed palette of colors for the entire decorating project.

3. Choose A Use For the Room

What will you actually do in the room you're redecorating? Just because the room was originally built for a specific purpose don't mentally trap yourself by only decorating to that particular type of room. For example if your family eats most of their meals in the kitchen then don't decorate your dining room with a large dining table and accessories - it's a waste of the room. It could be converted to a study, home office or even a play room so don't limit your thinking to using any room for its original purpose - unless it suits you of course.

4. The Shopping List

Of all the items that you could potentially list here paint is the most important. Paint forms the "foundation" of any room and if you rush the paint job then everything that comes afterwards just won't "work" in the room. Another mistake many people make is to buy the cheapest paint possible. You might save a few bucks on the cost of the tin but you'll wind up kicking yourself later on when you realize it's going to take 3 coats to finish each wall instead of just one - it's generally not cost effective to buy cheap paint; it just doesn't cover or finish as well as the more expensive brands.

Also make allowances in your budget for disposable overalls and any cleaning or preparatory materials you might need for your project. Decorating can be a messy business so prepare for the clean up operation before you even begin.

5. What To Paint With?

Another important decision is whether to use brushes, a roller or foam painting pads. Brushes have their uses for "edging out" a room - for those tiny corners. For the large surface areas it makes more sense to use a roller or paint pads. Personally I've found rollers to be just plain old messy and now use paint pads (some stores call them speed painters) for any large surface area that needs to be painted well and quickly. Use a roller if you really have to but bear in mind that they're extremely messy so make sure both you (disposable overalls are ideal) and the flooring is well covered against splashes.

Don't forget to have some fun along the way too! For all the planning, preparation and work that goes into redecorating any room or home it should still be a fun experience for everyone involved. You'll have that added sense of satisfaction knowing that you redecorated or helped to redecorate your home with your own hands. Take some time out to relax in your new room once it's finished - especially before you start redecorating the next room in the house.

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About The Author
This article was provided by Aaron Walker at http://www.decorsecrets.com/ where you can grab an interior home decorating idea to suit your style and budget.

Use Paving Stones For Your Patio

Building an outdoor area onto your home can be an expensive proposition. Whether you are thinking about putting in a patio or an outdoor kitchen, the material will usually be quite expensive and the labor it takes to build it even more so. Wood decks and the like are also permanent structures, so those who decide that they do not like how the project turned out are simply stuck with the results. In addition, those who are renting are not allowed to add these structures to the property.

One way in which more and more people are skirting the problems posed by traditional outdoor extensions is by creating them using what are called paving stones or pavers. When you are creating and building your deck, any type of mistake will lead to considerable added expense. A missed cut in the wood, or a misjudged joint, will result not only in more time taken to correct the problem, but also in the added cost of the wasted materials. With pavers, the cost of mistakes is greatly reduced. In addition, the mistakes themselves are reduced as they are easier to work with that wood is.

Many people who add additions to their homes do so without first considering their neighbors. In many modern neighborhoods, there are strict rules governing what can be added to the home. These regulations include the size of the addition, the foundation requirements, and in some cases even the material to be used are regulated. Ignorance of these rules might mean that the entire project is a waste in the case of a neighbor complaint and the resulting investigation finding that you did not build according to code. So make sure to check your local bylaws for just what you are allowed to do. The good news for those who use pavers is that they are permitted by most building codes. If you are building a wood deck, make sure that there is no possibility of runoff or standing water that will rot the material or cause disfigurment. Again, pavers negate this risk as they are not biodegradable.

A lot of the time upon completion of a project, the owner of the house realizes that something just does not fit right. The deck is not showing off the landscaping to the best effect, or worse is in the way of the natural expansion of the outside decor. A deck that is built and feels cramped is very counter productive, as decks are added to give a little bit of extra space to a home. Pavers address both of these issues. Paving stones can be moved around in order to expand or contract the deck area, and to increase th eview ofa lawn and garden.

For those who rent, check with the landlord before attempting any improvements. You might want to keep in mind that any additions you make will in the end only benefit the owner, so expansion should be minimal. Most landlords are okay with the use of paving stones, though, as they can be easily moved when a current tenant vacates. Also, if the tenant wishes, he can take the material with him to the new residence!

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About The Author
Peter J. Mason is publishing almost entirely for http://www.kitchen-cabinets-tips.com/ , an internet site with topics around remodeling and home improvement. Through his writings (such as http://www.kitchen-cabinets-tips.com/ on kitchen cabinets ) he expressed his skill in the area.

A Quick Guide to Children's Furniture for the Bedroom or Playroom

Whether you are looking for bedroom furniture or family room play furniture you will find many conventional and unusual choices.
Where to start

If you would like to look at the products, take your child to the local department stores and see if they have what you want. If you don't have time to shop or don't live conveniently close to stores, there are many online catalogs with endless choices and unique designs. If you are decorating the child's room, decide what color paint you want and what theme you will use. You could let the child choose these so they will enjoy their own special room. Choose fabrics for your children's furniture that will take wear and tear, and wood that matches your other furniture. Functionality and durability are important in choosing the style you will buy. Buying good quality furniture is important if you want it to last for many years. If you have more than one child using it this is especially important.
Making Choices

Children will feel very grown up with their own seating such as kid's rocking chairs, kid's recliners, beanbags, and even small kid's size sofas! When choosing the children's chairs, pay attention to the craftsmanship and make sure they are sturdy. Also, make sure they don't tip over easily or have a high back that the child can tip over. Having their own chairs will give them a place to play video games or watch their favorite movie.

For more seating, you might want to add a child size table and chairs. This will give the children their own place to eat, color, make crafts or look at books. These come in formal wooden table and chairs or more casual styles such as picnic tables or brightly painted sets.

Durability and Safety

When buying children's bedroom furniture it is again important to look at the quality of the furniture. Make sure it is sturdy enough to withstand children playing and the normal "monkeys jumping on the bed." If you buy furniture that is plain and not overly ornate, you will be able to add pieces to it as your child grows. For instance, when they are little you might want to buy a toy box with it. Later, when they are older, you might want to add a computer desk and chair. Or, if you were not able to purchase all the pieces you want the first time, you would be able to add more as you desire.

It is also important when selecting children's furniture to notice any safety hazards. Some toy boxes have lids that are heavy and do not have a way to hold them up. Check these carefully because harmful accidents have occurred. If you see any other possible hazards look carefully before buying.

Keep these tips in mind when buying children's furniture and you'll find safe, enjoyable furniture that will endure years of child's play!
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About The Author
Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource web site at: http://www.majon.com/ To learn more about subjects like children's furniture please visit the web site at: http://www.kidschairs.com/ For more information and informative related articles and links about this subject matter and content, please visit Majon's Home Furnishings directory: http://www.majon.com/directory/Home_Furnishings

Choosing The Right Portable Lawn Sprinkler For Your Lawn

You know that watering your lawn is an important part of lawn care but you have limited time to do it. Other than hiring someone to do it for you, you can set up a portable sprinkler to do the job for you.

A portable sprinkler is particularly useful if you have a small lawn since it can be chore to move it around by hand for a large lawn. If you live in an area with reasonable amount of rainfall, the portable sprinkler can be use to supplement rainfall when the occasional drought period arise.

You can shop for a portable sprinkler easily in any well-stocked nursery or hardware store. Review the information on the sprinkler box. It should indicate the size and shape of the area it can cover.

There are many designs for portable sprinkler and you should evaluate carefully which one will meet your needs. Some models allow you to cover odd-shaped lawn while other may have a tractor system that can move along the water hose.

After you purchase your portable sprinkler, you will want to do a test to see how it performs. In particular you want to know how much water it is using to cover your lawn. First, place the portable sprinkler at the center of your lawn and turn it on for about ten seconds. You want to know exactly how much area it can cover. After ten seconds, turn the portable sprinkler off and place about seven or eight empty cups in the area covered by the portable sprinkler. Turn on the portable sprinkler again and leave it running for ten minutes.

After ten minutes, turn off the portable sprinkler and check the amount of water for each cup. The amount in each cup will vary, as portable sprinklers tend to have uneven water distribution. However, the variation should not be more than 0.25 inch. You will use the cup that has the least amount of water for your estimation. Lets assume that there is 0.2 inch of water in the cup with the least amount of water. If you want to apply 0.5 inch of water, you will have to leave the portable sprinkler running for 25 minutes.

A good hose is also vital for your portable sprinkler to work efficiently. A good hose will roll up easily in any weather and does not kink or crack. A cheap hose will give you more maintenance headaches down the road as it tend to kink and crack after using it for some times. You will also waste precious water due to leakage from the cheap hose.

It is also advisable to hook up a timer between your faucet and your hose. You simply set up the timer and it will shut off the sprinkler automatically after the set amount of time has elapsed. This will prevent any wastage of water.

Once you have everything set up properly, you will want to monitor the response of your lawn and adjust the water application accordingly. The portable sprinkler may not cover a few spots in your lawn and you will have to do the watering manually for these spots. Nevertheless, with the introduction of a portable sprinkler, the time you spent watering your lawn will be dramatically reduced and you can have more time to relax and do the things you want to do.

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About The Author
Jack Greenwood is the webmaster of GreenLawnCareTips.com which provide information on lawn care and simple lawn watering tips. Sign up for your free 7-part Green Lawn Care min-course at http://greenlawncaretips.com/ today.

Designer Commercial Flooring Adds Grace to Perfect Ambience

Flooring is an important part of the interiors of any commercial complex. Be it your office, a restaurant or a discotheque, commercial flooring is meant to adorn every place and inch of that area. If the commercial flooring is of your type, then nothing can be best than this. The basic idea of applying any form of commercial flooring is to lend a meaning to the ambience of a place. Apart from giving a basic meaning, it is meant to glorify the commercial area so that it becomes inviting to visitors. Many people visit a restaurant or any other commercial complex because of its interiors.

Everything has to be best for your commercial area, as more and more visitors to that place means you will reap benefits. You would want that commercial flooring applied to your place should be of excellent quality, long lasting and looks beautiful with the other interiors of complex. It is quite natural that everyone wants to have the best and settling for the next is out of question in this case. As far as the commercial flooring is concerned, you are required to carefully select the type of flooring needed that can match up with the interiors. A variety of commercial flooring is available in the market. Hardwood, vinyl composite tiles, carpeted, linoleum, luxury solid vinyl, ceramic tile, granite, marble and solid vinyl are some of them. Selection of the commercial flooring is all the more important. You are required to do a market search for best commercial flooring manufacturer and a commercial flooring contractor. These two people will be responsible for transforming the looks of your commercial complex. Commercial flooring manufacturer would have a variety of commercial flooring and in different colors. You can choose the color according to your preferences, so that it can give a wholesome feeling. Grey, cocoa, brown shades, green, pistachio, blue, cherry, black and golden oak are some of the colors that can fit your preferred choice.

Whatever type of commercial flooring is selected, all it matters is the effect that you get after applying the flooring. Perfection is what is needed in the matters of interiors of a commercial complex. It is because interiors will indirectly get you more and more customers. Just think of this case that fits in the matter of a restaurant. If the combination of ambience and food is perfect, then you would be a hit in among the crowds. Moreover, commercial flooring applied to the commercial complex reflects your taste. It shows that how concerned and particular you are in the matter of choosing best commercial flooring.

Nothing can be best than the thing that you get the best commercial flooring at a budgeted rate. It is not just you, but most of the people likes that their work should be done in less money. You will be a lucky chap, if you get designer commercial flooring within your allocated amount. Variety of commercial flooring manufacturers is present in the market, who offers designer commercial flooring at affordable rates. You just have to take care that the commercial flooring should be designer, classy and elegant at the same time.

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About The Author
Stephen Robins loves doing up and designing house interiors. He has been involved with advising people in finding out and using the best carpets for decorating their house and workplaces. If you want more information about Commercial flooring, Commercial Flooring Contractor, Vinyl flooring in New York visit http://www.citycarpet.com/.

Is it Time to Refinish Your Hardwood Floor?

How do you know when the time is right to refinish your hardwood floors? Hardwood floors tend to be quite durable and the stains long lasting. There are, of course, places in high traffic areas that will begin to show signs of wear long before the floors have worn out their beauty of usefulness. With that in mind, how do you know when the time is right for refinishing?

Refinishing hardwood floors doesn’t have to be the stuff that nightmares are made of. In fact, if at all possible this is the kind of chore you should really entrust to professionals (this way someone else is responsible if something gets messed up). Another reason to entrust this to professionals is that they have access to the best of power tools for this specific job. And using the right tools is sometimes all the difference in the world. While it wouldn’t be cost effective for the average home owner to purchase these tools for a one time project, a professional floor person would often have cause to use these tools.

So what is the difference between a floor that simply needs to be cleaned and one that needs to be completely refinished? One way to do this is to go to one of the high traffic run down areas of your floor and spill a few drops of liquid onto the floor. If the liquid beads up there is still some life left in your original finish and you are not quite ready for a major overhaul. If on the other hand, the wood soaks the water right up, it is time to refinish.

One of the great things about refinishing is that you can choose to go lighter or darker than before or even to use the exact same finish. If you’re looking for a way to change the look of a room, changing the finish of your floors is definitely a way to make a large impact on a room. Keep in mind that stain samples will look different when they are on the entire floor and that different stains react differently to different hardwoods, you definitely want to choose a stain that is compatible to the hardwoods of your floors. The age of your floor also has a tremendous impact on how the stain will look when the floor is finished. A good place to try stain samples is the floorboard of a closet.

Hardwood flooring comes in many different stains and colors, the more popular stain options include stains that appear natural, light stains that don’t significantly altar the look of the wood, medium stains, which bring out a darker tint in the grain of the wood, and dark stains, which provide a rich, velvety feel to the floor.

If you haven’t something that reaches out and grabs you, you can also go to a local hardware store and have a stain custom blended for your floors. You can get really creative for these stains and have a lot of fun in the process, but remember this is your home and you have to live with the floors once they are finished.

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About The Author
Rob Buenaventura invites you to http://www.hardwoodscene.com/. Here we provide tips on hardwood refinishing and installation of wood flooring. Save money and learn on how to diy refinishing hardwood flooring at http://www.hardwoodscene.com/Learn-How-To-Refinish-Hardwood-Floor-To-Save-Money.asp, come visit Hardwoodscene for your hardwood flooring center.

Green Glue Instead Of Insulation For Soundproofing

Old School soundproofing still believes that batt insulation is a good soundproofing agent. There are some good sound batt insulations out there such as Roxul AFB and Bonded logic’s bonded cotton insulation and they work well for both soundproofing and thermal protection, however no batt insulation is strong enough to stand alone as the sole soundproofing material in a wall ceiling or floor assembly.
If you can afford a good batt insulation I always encourage it, but if you are soundproofing as ceiling and are not really concerned about the thermal aspects of the ceiling then I feel adding drywall pieces cut to fit perfectly into the joist cavities and screwed to the sub floor above would be much more effective than any batt insulation. Now to super charge this application I recommend that before you screw the pieces of drywall to the sub floor you apply Green Glue sound dampening compound to the back of the drywall pieces prior to screwing them to the bottom of the sub floor.
Green Glue is a visco elastic damping compound that is taking the soundproofing industry by storm. It comes in caulk tubes and is applied using a large quart size caulk gun. Basically you would cut the pieces of drywall to fit snuggly between the joist cavities. You would the liberally apply the Green Glue to the backside of the cut drywall and then screw it to the bottom of the sub floor. The Green Glue will be sandwiched between the drywall and the bottom of the sub floor. The tighter you screw the drywall down, the better the soundproofing will be. In essence, the pieces of drywall sporting the Green Glue in their backsides with become a most effective sound dampening system that will dampen the impact noise from above long before it is able to be transmitted into the joists and ultimately into the ceiling below. Now, is more better in this case? Absolutely, if you are able to double or triple the Green Glued layer of drywall you will indeed increase the dampening ability of the drywall and the sub floor and add greatly to the soundproofing endeavor.
Once you have installed your layers of Green Glued drywall pieces into the joist cavities, now would be a good time to install your sound or thermal batt insulation.
Now for our finished drywall ceiling, I recommend that we spend the money for 2 layers of 5/8” drywall. You will screw in your first layer of drywall directly to the ceiling joists. Now your second layer will be installed directly over top of the first layer however, you guessed it, I recommend that you apply 3 tubes of Green Glue to each 4’ X 8’ sheet of drywall that you put up. Once you have finished with the double drywall using the Green Glue, you should immediately detect a lack of annoying noise coming from the people above. You have soundproofed your ceiling and your neighbors don’t even have a clue that there was a problem there. How awesome is that? Read more about Green Glue and soundproofing walls, ceilings and floors in subsequent articles, for now this is Dr. Bob….Out!!!

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About The Author
Robert W. Orther Dr. Bob O. Soundproofing America, Inc. Senior Technical Director Soundproofing Expert to The New York Times, The San Francisco Herald Examiner, The San Diego Union Tribune, and the Charlotte Observer Ph (877) 530-0139 Toll free Fax (347) 721-9079
E-mail: Dr.bob@soundproofingamerica.com
Website: http://www.soundproofingamerica.com

Fire Blanket Safety in the Home

While many of those employed in the emergency services can see the importance of having a fire blanket in the home the same cannot be said for the general public. It is an unfortunate fact most people either ignore the dangers associated with home fires or they just do not realize the dangers that exist.
Most house fires start in the kitchen which accounts for almost 28 percent of all fires in the home. This is a very high number and most fires in the kitchen are caused by either a lack of concentration or because the person was interrupted by an unexpected occurrence. This could be something simple such as the telephone ringing, a caller at the door or maybe one of your children needs your immediate attention.
One of the main causes of fire in the kitchen is when dealing with very hot oil. If not monitored it can reach such high temperatures as to catch alight in an instant. When this happens instant panic will set-in as you try to find a very quick solution while under intense stress and trauma. Most people would dampen a towel under the tap and throw the soaking material over the flames. Smothering the fire does work because it starves the flames of the oxygen they need. But using a small towel to do it causes more danger.
Many people who have tried this method have the burn scars to prove it. The problem is that you feel you have to get very close to the fire to douse the flames. If you miss you may not get a second chance so you get as close as you can get. This is where the severe burning takes place. It may not be the actual flames that cause the skin damage, it could be just the intense heat. Other people have been burned because they may have missed the target and try to retrieve the cloth to try again. This time you may have a partly burning cloth to contend with as well as a fire that is on the verge of getting out of control.
Fire blankets are recommended by all the emergency services and people involved in health and safety. They immediately know the safety benefits that fire blankets can bring when used correctly. They should be made easily accessible near an exit doorway. Never hide them away in draws or cupboards and expect to find them easily when a fire takes hold. Placing them near to an exit ensures that you have away out should the fire blanket not be enough or if things go wrong.
Fire blankets are also ideal for covering someone who has actually caught fire and can also be worn over the head if you need to pass an area that is on fire or where extreme temperatures are causing difficulty. Protecting the vital organs is the most important factor when you are confronted with fire.
Fire blankets can be purchased in many DIY stores and hardware shops and the costs varies with the type and size you need. Many of the fire blankets can be reusable after washing though you will need to check the supporting documents for confirmation of this.
Every home should have a fire blanket located in the kitchen or where cooking takes place. When you consider the minimal cost to purchase one against the protection they provide for your home, your personal effects and of course your loved ones they will be one of the best investments you can ever make.

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About The Author
Mark Fynn writes many articles for specialist web sites and you can find more information about fire blankets here http://www.fire-blankets.net.