Category: Home Improvement
Amtico flooring is just about the most hardwearing and practical alternative to real wood.
A huge selection of Amtico flooring in the latest natural wood designs that are available These range from the softest grains such as white maple, to the mid toned classic oaks, and on to the darkest colour in our range Wenge Wood.
All Amtico woods are genuine British made commercial grade (not the Asian made Spacia or Karndean) and are manufactured in ‘tick’ finish in the standard 114mm x 915mm standard size.
Choosing an Amtico floor means you don’t have to worry about long term maintenance- your floor will never need sanding or re-finishing. The tough hardwearing surface will repel stains and moisture making it an ideal choice for wet areas such as bathrooms and shower rooms, and heavy wear areas like hallways and entrance lobbies.
Amtico wood authentically replicates the natural product and it’s true characteristics. The Stripwood is highly variable in grain and decoration. Please consider this in your product choice as online images only display a small section of the material.
Installing Amtico wood flooring can be undertaken by any reasonably competent DIYer with little in the way of equipment. If you are laying onto an existing wood floorboard, chipboard, or MDF sub-floor, it is always good practice to install a new plywood base first. This ensures long term wear, it will also prevent undulations showing through your new flooring.
If your sub-floor is reasonably flat, 6mm exterior grade moisture resistant plywood is adequate. This should be fixed at 15-20cm centers with screw nails. If your sub-floor is old and extremely uneven, a thicker grade plywood 9mm or 12mm should be used. However before fixing this, level off any hollows with a latex screed compound. Otherwise the plywood will never be completely flat.
After installing the plywood, spend as much time as possible filling any gaps in the joints, and knocking down nails flat. Then take down any high spots with a medium grade sand paper. More Time taken on preparing the sub-floor will produce huge dividends when you have installed you new Amtico, so do not be tempted to cut any corners.
Depending on how flat and smooth you have managed to make the prepared sub-floor, it may be necessary to apply a further leveler such as Ardex “Feather Finish” which can be applied thinly without the risk of de-bonding
When you are installing over a solid floor e.g. concrete, asphalt, quarry tiles, stone flags etc. it is important that your do a thorough check of the moisture content of the sub-floor. Even a minute amount of moisture in a sub-floor will cause Amtico flooring to start lifting within a very short period of time. Your investment will then be wasted, as the floor will be beyond repair.
Check in the first instance for the presence of a dpm, which should be visible on your outside, walls maybe the first or second line of brick or stone. If there is none evident, and your house was built before 1960, then it is wise to assume that there is no damp proof membrane in the sub-floor.
Everyone wants to have the entire best thing for their home. Most of the time you always think of what are the things that you want to put inside your house in order to make more elegant and appealing to the eyes. Though a lot of people are experiencing financial crisis but there are also many people who are busy making some home improvements.
Actually you do not have to spend a lot of money just to make your house more attractive and elegant. Most of the time people will just add some furniture on it to make it more elegant. There is some modern furniture which is available in a cheaper price. With just a little additional furniture and fixtures everything will be done.
Before old houses owned by those rich and famous people do have crystal chandelier. This makes the house elegant and pleasing to the eye. During that time when your house has a crystal chandelier on it you are rich and famous because the rich people are the only people who can afford to buy one.
Now there are many people who are using crystal chandelier. Even middle class families have their own chandelier because there are already chandeliers that are cheap and can be easily avail. Chandelier is the most preferred lighting piece nowadays because it is cheaper in electric consumption.
Though it is beneficial to use chandelier you have to take time in choosing one for your house. You have to be sure that the design of this chandelier complements the general look of the house. This can add beauty for your house.
So if you are in the course of improving your house you have to choose the right chandelier for your house. You have to consider the size of the room where you are going to install the chandelier. You have to be sure that the size of the chandelier is enough for your room. Actually there are lots of choices in the market it is up to you on which one you wan to avail for your house. But be sure that the piece that you choose is easy to clean and maintain because there are lots of chandelier that are very complicated and very fragile.
And the most important thing that you have to remember is to buy only from those credible manufacturers so that you are sure enough that you will purchase only the quality and long lasting piece.
Someone has put a baseball through your window and now you have a pile of sharp, dangerous broken glass. Before your throw it away, think of it as a learning experience. As long as you don’t cut yourself, broken glass can be a prime art material instead of an annoying drag. Before you do anything else, call a company to come out and replace your now defunct window. The best replacement windows Chicago, Omaha, Oceanside, or any city in the country are only a phone call away. You won’t need a lot of motivation if the weather is particularly cold. Now, don some thick gloves and safety goggles, the kind that cover your entire eye area and wrap around the sides and top. Carefully pick up the glass and put it into a container that won’t be ripped, torn, or damaged by sharp edges. You can either store your broken glass safely away to be used later or get your creative juices flowing right now. There are lots of things you can do with broken glass. You’d be surprised at the variety, and you might just be inspired to come up with your own ideas.
Jewelry
Sea glass is at a premium, but you don’t have to wait for years for glass to be tumbled in the ocean and over sand to get that frosted, smooth, jewel-like effect. You can do the same thing with a glass tumbler. Clear glass works fine, and produces a lovely crystal effect, but you can easily find colored bottles and smash them up for a variety of color saturated beads. Ask your friends to save their alcohol or water bottles. Companies are doing a lot of advertising with glass color, and that works to your advantage. Once you have some tumbled glass that won’t cut you, play around with wire and beads. There are lots of books available on creating and designing your own jewelry.
Experiments with Faux Mercury Glass
Making faux mercury glass out of clear vases is not a new idea, but giving larger pieces of broken glass the same treatment might yield some interesting effects. You could use the mercury glass as an unusual frame for a mirror, glued in layers over a wooden frame. You could also create a mosaic top for a table with the glittery, silver shards and some grout. Use the mosaic table idea on a small scale for a square of framed glass you can lean on a window to add privacy without cutting off the light.
Fusing Glass
While we will not go into the details of fusing glass here, but glass fusing is the process of using a kiln raised to a high heat level in order to fuse separate pieces of glass together. You can only use one type of glass at a time for this kind of project, so don’t mix glasses from different sources. To fuse glass, you will need an electric kiln and kiln wash. You will also need safety goggles and some glass. You can buy kits that include glass specifically designed to be fused, and that might help you learn how to do it initially, but finding and using glass from other sources will produce all different kinds of looks. You can make glass beads, jewelry, and even sculptures using the fusing method. These are just some ideas to get you going. Broken glass doesn’t have to be relegated to the garbage can or recycle bin alone. You can use it as a jumpstart to becoming an artist.
You made the decision to build a chain link fence. You have the posts set. You even figured out how to get the rail ends on and have the top rail in place. Now its time to put the bottom tension wire on. No matter how hard you try or how hard you pull the wire, you just cant seem to get it taut.
The common cable used as bottom tension cable on chain link fencing is a 9 gauge galvanized wire. It usually comes in rolls of 170? or more. The wire is thick, heavy, and is difficult to stretch. Here is a simple way to tighten the wire, and all you need is a pair of pliers. Start by attaching one end of the wire at a terminal post (also known as an end post or corner pole). Put the wire through the brace band and wrap it around its self a few times. It is not recommended to try and pinch the wire in the brace band to secure it. Reel the cable out along the fence line.
Cut the cable a couple feet past the next terminal post you are securing it to. Walk the fence line again and make sure the tension wire has no kinks, is not caught on any roots or under growth, and get out as many of the loops (caused by it being spooled) as you can. Take the free end of the tension cable and thread it through the brace band at the terminal post you are going to attach too. Pull the cable as tight as you can get it, and wrap it around itself a few times as you did at the first pole.
The wire should be fairly tight, but may push away from the poles about a foot. Tighten your brace bands. Take your pliers (lineman pliers work best) and grab the tension cable with the pliers by either one of the terminal poles. With a firm grip, twist the pliers to the left or right. The tension cable will form a z were you twisted. Work your way down the fence line twisting the tension wire in this matter at every pole.
You will notice the farther you work down the line, the harder the wire is to twist. This is due to the wire getting tighter and less slack being able to be twisted. Put as many twists in the wire as needed to achieve the tension you desire.
This is a simple way to tighten bottom tension cable and make sure the bottom of your chain link fence is secure.
Find out more about chain link fence and other fence materials Go to: http://www.sefencellc.com
Orange is Hot for 2008 and 2009, the colour Orange continues its stellar run as a fixture for home dcor colour in 2008; and the leader in Colour forecasting, Pantone, projects that the Orange colour trend will continue on beyond 2010. Its no surprise why, Orange is a warm, inviting, dynamic, invigorating and energetic colour.
Home decor based on your Colour Personality – Confused about selecting colour for your home? Why not try choosing decorating colors based on your unique personality? I decided to have a bit of fun and searched out several websites that cover colour personality types.
The Pratt and Lambert colour quiz was the most comprehensive colour personality test of all those I reviewed. Taking into account not only colour likes but other factors that make you different. This test was the only one that returned a colour scheme that was very similar to my personal decorating style. I was impressed. According to the Pratt & Lambert site my colour personality:
Colours in this palette are reminiscent of a sunny seaside. These combinations are refreshing and invigorating. They provide sparkle with lightness while also imbuing a sense of soothing calm. Oceanic hues are ideal for making a bathroom, bedroom or study an oasis. These colours provide a balance for those with a hectic life. The person who decorates with these colours is looking for their home to be their escape.
Home and Garden TV has an interesting colour wheel that you can spin with your mouse and find the colour that sings to your soul. When I spun the colour wheel my eyes landed on my favourite colour Pink. Once I selected Pink, I was given five other shades of pink to choose from. I ended up selecting two pinks (Lavender Pink and Hot Pink) I adore. According to the HGTV site these colour choices mean:
If you like lavender pink, youre seeking to be more inventive. New possibilities flood your mind. By constantly examining possible practical applications, you create new things, new ideas. Using this purple-pink shade in room design is empowering. You and others will become more determined and self-constructive in a lavender pink office or library. Because it invites warm, exciting conversations, its perfect for dining or living rooms. Guests will feel welcomed.
If you like hot pink, you are constantly thinking about exciting things to do. Through your body language and appearance, without even being aware, you are sending out enticing messages. Designing with this magenta shade of pink creates adventurous conversations and situations. It makes you and others less sceptical and more enthusiastic. Use this colour to turn dull into exciting. Think party room!
Not scared to use strong colour, winters often love reds but avoid soft pinks. Achromatic colour schemes employing tonal variations of black, white and grey are commonplace, giving clean lines and sharp contrasts. Assertive purples are considered a safe choice for the main colour in a colour scheme, a sharp contrast to other seasons that will use purple sparingly as an accent. Blues run the gamut of ice blues through to blue blacks, cool and delineating and reflect onto the green palette giving a range of strong aquas. Neutrals are blacks, whites and greys for dramatic relief against the stronger feature colours. You wont find warm creams here. Simple colour schemes are favoured – one colour as the canvas and then accents of other strong colours for contrast and drama. Like winter personalities, the winter palette is self-assured and intense. Subtle colours are left to the other seasons.
Colour Psychology – Perhaps many of you are contemplating new decorating and painting projects and perhaps you arent aware of the impact that colour has on our mood. Before you pick up that paint brush or roller, read through our colour psychology information. It just might help you set the appropriate mood for your indoor space.
First Things First – Choosing a Colour Scheme
Red packs a wallop, physiologically speaking, increasing blood pressure, heartbeat and energy in most people. It instils feelings of intimacy and passion. Red also increases the appetite, which explains why it is used so often in restaurants, and why it can be a good choice for a formal dining room.
Orange, like red, tends to warm a room, but in a more friendly and welcoming way. As a result, paints in various shades and tints of orange work well in living rooms and family rooms.
Yellow is also warm and welcoming, but it is more attention- getting than either red or orange. For this reason, it is a good paint colour to use in poorly lit foyers or dark hallways.
Blue, which is part of the cool colour palette, makes us feel calm and tranquil, so it is ideal for use in bedrooms. But since blue works as an appetite suppressant (perhaps because there are few blue foods) it is not the best option for a dining room … unless you’re on a diet.
Green is another relaxing colour that is much more versatile than blue. Light greens are ideal for bedrooms and living rooms; mid tones are good for kitchens and dining rooms (many foods are green). Also, because green is calming, it is often used in hospitals, workplaces and schools.
Violet is a tricky colour, psychologically speaking. Many adults dislike purples, but are fond of the rose family, which can work in many rooms, including dining rooms, bedrooms and libraries. Young children, on the other hand, respond favourably to violet, so this colour can be used successfully in children’s bedrooms and play areas.
These general guidelines are a good starting point in your search for a paint colour. But remember that colour choice is a very personal matter. You’re the one who has to live with your new paint colour, so choose a hue that suits you, your family and your lifestyle.
And after investing time choose the right colour, make sure it continues to look that way long-term by investing in a top quality paint.