Saturday, June 14, 2008

Are You Planning to Decorate Your New Home

Who thinks of decorating a water closet or a bathroom? Well everybody does it nowadays.
This is the latest trend. Decorating a house does not always mean the decoration of the bedrooms, the hall and the kitchen. But it really means that the whole house should be designed or in other words decorated. Nobody is considered stupid for decorating the doors and bathrooms with appropriate hardware like door knobs, towel warmers, etc.

Make sure you measure the dimensions before replacing or building a new water closet or bathroom. If you think decorating or designing the doors and bathroom would not change anything, then let me tell me that keeping in mind the smaller things like the door knobs and the matching of the towel warmers with the doors of the bathroom will make a better look to your home. This will only enhance the beauty of your house. After all these smaller things are done you would not care about others comment instead you would enjoy yourself passing more time in your bathroom.


The trends and latest designs come and go, so better choose the designs that you like the most. Some times it is better to select the style that is common if you don`t like experimenting. One such common shower door style is the bypass door. It is a double door style where the doors slide in a frame which is mounted on the end walls of the tub. There is one more thing to be kept in mind and that is the curtains of the bathroom.
If You Want To Know More About Towel Warmers and Door Hardware then feel free to visit decorglamour.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jitesh_Arora

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Home Decor Creations on a Budget

Home décor can take on a life of its own and change the mood of your room substantially. Many times some of the best home décor items can be purchased or created for little to no money at all. This article will look at a couple a creative ideas you might use for your next home decorating project.

If you're operating on a low-budget, whether it be by necessity were just out of the challenge. There are some great things you can do. You could dramatically change the look in the field of the room by simply doing some bargain shopping at the local home-improvement store.
There are certain times of the year that your major stores will clear out thousands of dollars of the inventory at below their cost just in order to keep from having to count it all or going to the process of packing it all up for the next season.

You would be amazed at how much creative stuff you can buy for one hundred dollars when they have these kinds of blowout sales. For instance you may be able to find an entire box full of fixtures and ornaments that would spice your room up for pennies on the dollar.
You may be thinking, what you would do with all the extra items. Well what may be overstocked items to you may be the next person's treasure and you could put them in a garage sale or something and sell them off for a profit.

Another great idea for home décor is to buy some used items in a garage sale, then you can paint them to create a new look for creative decorating. You might buy an old table or something and then try using a sponge pattern on the table.

If you need more helpful Home Decor information try visiting http://home-decor-helper.com, a website that specializes in providing helpful home decor tips, advice, and resources to include Home Décor.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Turner

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Home Decor Tips - Only One Wall Effective

Original ornaments on the walls are still in fashion. Fantasy and effect have a warm welcome in every modern house. But it can't be too much of it, cause it might make the interior too heavy. That's why the designers recommend to single out...only one wall.

There are so many designs, colors and techniques of how to decorate the wall that we might get dizzy from all of that. And what is worse there are no rules that we should have a wallpaper in more traditional interior and a photo wallpaper and wood on the wall in the modern house. Well, it's not that bad at all cause we have a wider field to use our imagination, play with colors, designs.

We can mix and match old furniture with new accessories and ornaments. Also with those on the walls. From a different side we can put new furniture and have the walls made in the traditional way with traditional wallpapers. The newest and the most effective, cheap way of decorating the walls is to paint only one of them. And according to trends it has to be intensive color - purple, red, bronze. And what are the other ways to decor the wall (and not also wall)?

We might use decorative plaster. It has an unusual structure - irregular and rugged which makes a nice look of the wall. But there is one condition: it can't be covered up by furniture. Otherwise it loses decorative flow. Very effective is also Italian technique called "stucco lustro" which means in English "sparkling plaster". It's quite expensive plaster that is imitating .... and reflex the light. But we can make "stucco lustro" ourselves - easier and cheaper just by painting the wallpaper with a sparkling paint. Perfectly in yellow or orange color.

To make an unusual wall we can just use a colorful wallpaper which will bright up the room. They wallpapers made of paper and made of material - first cheaper, second more expensive. Most popular now are the one with big flower ornaments, that has dark, intensive colors. But because of those colors and design they look good only in big, bright interiors. In a small room they will make a worse effect making the interior visibly smaller than it is.

Items that really look good on the wall are stone, wood, bricks. Matching them with such decorations like tablecloth weights made of stone or scented candles gives the room unusual look and climate that is reserved only to warm cottage houses. They will have an ideal prelude in a stair basket on the stairs that will lead us to amazing room with stones placed one near another giving a unique design. Or into the room with old bricks! Very classic on one side and modern on the other side.

And as we can see we are able to totally change our interiors just by changing one wall. Small thing and a great effect.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Sorrow

Tips for Painting Novices

Not sure how to choose a color, prepare a room, or clean a paintbrush? Learn some practical and unusual tips from Brian Santos, the nation's favorite painting expert.

Expert Brian Santos reveals the laws of painting. Read more in his new book, "Painting Secrets."

Question: What are three things a novice should know about painting?

Brian Santos: It's time to lay down the law -- the three immutable laws of painting. These are the secrets of painting. Use them to control the paint in its liquid state. Understanding and utilizing these laws dictates the way you apply paint. To be a Wall Wizard, you have to master the medium, so it does not master you.

Law 1: Never paint out of a paint can.
Container contamination.
As you paint, your brush picks up dust, grease, grime, fly boogers, spider snots, and other spots. When you dip into the can to reload, all that debris ends up back in the can, contaminating the paint. That causes flecks and specks in the paint finish.
Dangerous drying. If you ever have painted from an open, full can, you probably noticed as you worked that the paint became gooier, stickier, and thicker. This is the air reacting with the exposed paint, which is setting up in the can, not on the wall.
Material mover. A paint can is strictly a storage and delivery container. It was never designed to be painted from or carried around; it's too awkward and heavy. You are more likely to knock it over and spill it, especially the gallon size.

Law 2: Pour no more than 1/2 inch of paint into the container.
Material management.
Pour only 1/2 inch of paint into a plastic bucket to stage and control it before application. This forces you to refresh the paint more often, keeping it in its liquid state for better flow and bond to the surface.
Lighter load. With only 1/2 inch of paint in your bucket, you carry less weight, work faster with better control, and avoid fatigue by the end of the job.
Spill spoiler. Because you have only 1/2 inch of paint in the bucket, if you happen to stumble, the paint is less likely to spill out. And if you do happen to spill, there's less to clean up.

Law 3: The enemy of paint is air.
Air wars. The air around us is the drying agent for paint. Paint doesn't dry in a sealed paint can, but the minute you open the can, air rushes in and starts the drying process. Limiting paint's exposure to air until the paint is where you want it to be is a way of controlling the project.
Oxygen factor. In simple terms, oxygen is the reactor that turns paint from a liquid to a solid. Exposure to air thickens the paint, creating drag during the application, producing brushstrokes in the finish.
Cap it. Reduce paint's exposure to air by immediately replacing the lid on the paint can. Cover your working container (bucket or tray).

How to Test Paint Colors

Question: What is the best way to try a color before you paint, and why does paint sometimes
look different from the paint chips?

Brian Santos: You probably selected the color by looking at it under a different type or intensity of light than what's in your room. Sunlight, daylight, fluorescent light, halogen light, and incandescent light affect colors differently. So bring the sample card into the room you intend to paint and look at it several times during the day. See how the color looks using different kinds of artificial light before making a final decision.

Low Sheen or High Shine?

Question: What's the best paint finish or sheen for my room?
Brian Santos: One factor you must consider is sheen, the degree of light reflection off the painted surface. In other words, how much the paint shines. Sheen affects the finish's appearance, durability, and suitability for certain uses. As the amount of sheen increases, so does the enamel value, which determines the hardness or protective value of the coating.

Use Color to Solve Problems

Question: How can I use paint color to trick the eye and solve decorating dilemmas, like falsifying the dimensions of a room?
Brian Santos: Your paint selection will depend on the result you desire. For example, if you plan on painting the walls white throughout your home, use the same value of white in every room for a unifying effect.

How Much Paint?

Question: How much paint should I buy?
Brian Santos: If you're not a numbers person, the following steps may sound like gibberish. Just take it slowly and break out each step -- at the end you'll arrive at an accurate estimate for the amount of paint you need.

Selecting Paint Applicators

Question: What kind of paint applicators are the best?
Brian Santos: You'll be tempted to buy a cheap, throw-away fuzzy-napped roller, but save yourself the headache! A 1/2-inch foam paint roller works faster, easier, and better. You can load three or four times the amount of paint onto the roller. Such porosity means less dipping into the roller tray, which means more coverage in less time. For smaller jobs consider a paint pad. It's a tool that has everything to offer: The pad's foam core holds three times more paint than a brush, has five times more surface area than a regular brush tip, and has bristles that are only 1/4-inch long, so the paint won't dry out. It splatters and drips less than a brush. Most pads even come with a plastic paint tray and airtight snap-on lid.

Blue Tape. Now What?

Question: How do you keep paint from seeping under the edges of masking tape?
Brian Santos: The secret to keep this from happening is to heat-seal the tape. Run a tapered plastic tool quickly over the applied edge of the blue masking tape after you've set the tape. This heats the edge of the tape, the waxy adhesive on the tape melts, and when it resolidifies at the edge, it creates a barrier that prevents paint from seeping underneath the tape.

Speed Through Cleanup

Question: What's the best way to clean a paintbrush?
Brian Santos: Taking care of brushes, rollers, and pads will save you time, energy, and money. Don't throw your tools in a bucket or sink and expect them to clean themselves; they'll be ruined, and you'll end up throwing them away and buying new ones. What household item can help you clean brushes and rollers in a flash?

Wallpaper: Paint or Remove?

Question: Is it easier to paint over old wallpaper than to remove it? If I have to remove it, what tools do I need?
Brian Santos: It depends! Read more for advice and tips on painting, and removing, old wallpaper.

Crayon van Goghs

Question: How can I get crayon marks off painted walls?
Brian Santos: With three children, I've tackled more than my share of crayon marks on the wall. The best way to remove these stains is to fold an old T-shirt into a pad several layers thick and place it over a crayon mark, then set an iron at medium heat and run it over the pad.


Article Source : http://www.bhg.com/decorating/paint/how-tos/painting-tips-for-novices/
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