Interior decorating experts offer free tips and information on how to buy furniture.
When it comes to decorating your house, there are generally two approaches that you can adopt. The first approach involves consistency. That means you want the whole house to look consistent throughout. For example, if you are going for a more traditional look, then it’s traditional designs and furniture all over.
The problem with this approach is that you will have to get the agreement of whoever is staying with you. Your children will never be able to accept antique looking styles. However, if everyone is agreeable, this approach can work very well. It will save you the hassle of having to think of a new design for each and every room. At times, when resources and time is scarce, this is the best approach to adopt.But if things don’t go well, you will have to adopt a completely different approach. The alternative is to head the opposite direction. You work on a design for each and every room. The daughter will have one design, the son another design, the kitchen with its own design, and so on and so forth. The key advantage is that everyone will have their personal preferences satisfied. It is a win-win situation for everyone.You are the master of the kitchen and the living room. Kids will have no interest whatsoever in the designs of these rooms.Decorating the living room is a more difficult task compared to decorating a personal room. There is more space to fill, and more issues to consider. Therefore, you may need to spend a little more time on your living room design. Consider the center pieces that you are going to buy. There are set pieces that make a huge difference in the living room. The sofa set, the dining table, or the television are all examples of center pieces. Once the bigger items are settled, you will find it easier to find accessories to go with the big items.The kitchen is another important room that you need to focus on. A lot of time will be spent in this special room, making and consuming meals. So be sure to buy all the necessary kitchen appliances. The design you decide on depends on various factors. Try to make full use of the space in the kitchen. Remember to leave enough space and room for you to move around as you cook. Kitchen designs can range from simple to luxurious. Luxurious designs cost a lot more than contemporary designs. So be sure to allocate more budget for the kitchen.Finally, be mindful that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of work involved in redesigning or refurnishing a home. Improvise on the plan as you work so that you don’t burn up. That way, the amount of work is minimized and you can keep your focus on just one room. You may even get better results!Continue reading about Always Have an Interior Decorating Plan
Currently, anything goes concerning kitchen floors. In the old days, there were basically two choices, tile and linoleum. Today, we see hardwood, linoleum, cork, laminate, and many different types and style of linoleum.
Let’s start by looking at what does NOT work well for most people’s kitchen floors.
Cork flooring is all the rage today, but it’s not a very good choice for kitchen floors in most cases. Although its surface is treated, it is just too porous, and if you have kids or a dog rummaging through the kitchen on a regular basis, forget about it. It is not durable. In other parts of the home cork flooring is very popular and it’s very easy to install. In most cases, snapping squares together is all that is involved.
Marble tiles are beautiful but still a better choice for bathrooms. Smooth / or polished marble is very brittle and not durable. Marble is a rock, but most people don’t realize how brittle it is, and at up to $15 per square foot it’s too expensive to replace if something happens. “Tumbled marble” looks great, but it’s far too porous for the kitchen. As you could actually spill coffee and wine on polished marble, it’s not a good idea for tumbled marble that does not clean up as well and can absorb stains. Breadcrumbs would find their way into every nook and cranny too.
Some types of hardwood; Be mindful of the seams between the hardwood planks. Wide seems and gaps will collect crumbs which may be cleaned via shop vac, but heaven forbid something sticky gets down in the cracks. If you are looking at hardwood for the kitchen, choose hardwood that goes together with the smallest seams possible.
What selections work best in the kitchen:
Laminate flooring used to get a bad rap, but it is highly improved today. Laminate, actually a “picture” of real wood, will fool quite a few people today, and the layman cannot distinguish between laminate and real hardwood. Laminate is absolutely our # 1 choice for large families and those with pets. Your kids can slop jelly bread on the floor, the dog can overturn it’s dish, and your husband can drip paint all over the floor and most laminates will laugh it off. Before you turn you nose up at laminate, go out there and see what’s available. You will be pleasantly surprised.
The old stand-by, tile. Most tiles are either ceramic or porcelain. “Porcelain” does not mean the tile looks like your smooth white toilet. It comes in all the shapes and sizes of any other tile. All you need to know is porcelain is much more durable that terra cotta or ceramic tile and will pass the bowling ball test. If you drop a bowling ball on ceramic tile, several will crack and need to be replaced, where porcelain will probably be just fine. You will find porcelain to be about 25% more expensive than most ceramic tiles though.
Tile cleans up very well with the exception of the grout lines. Grout lines are a stain and dirt magnet. Make sure you double seal your grout lines, and clean and reseal them every 2 or 3 years. Unlike your tile, your grout will eventually absorb stains. Clean grout lines will give the kitchen a very clean and polished feel while grungy grout can be a dark cloud over your kitchen.
We are putting hardwood in both categories because some will work in the kitchen. 3/4 inch hardwood, or engineered hardwood can work just fine in the kitchen if the seams are very tight and you don’t mind a few inevitable scratches and nicks. The final word on hardwood is its “hardness.” Most hardwoods are compared and ranked against “oak” or “red oak” as a measure of hardness. Make sure you buy a hardwood that is no softer than oak if you have an active family. For example, dog scratches will plague all but the hardest of hardwoods.
Finally, let’s look at linoleum flooring. OK, a top New York City interior designer still will not be caught dead using laminate, and it gets a bad rap. However, like laminate “hardwood” flooring, it is very much improved. Unlike laminate, linoleum won’t fool too many people, often designed to look like ceramic tile, but noting beat’s it in terms of cleanup and durability. If you are putting your money into a granite countertop and new appliances, a linoleum floor is just fine, and will last for many years with minimal effort. As the cheapest option, it will be there for you if your budget is squeezed.
Element Kitchen and Bath Design is a full service Spring City kitchen remodeler specializing in kitchen and bathroom remodeling and renovations. We design kitchens throughout the Pennsylvania area are an expert Spring City kitchen remodeling contractor. Contact us today for a free estimate.
If you have been staring at the same piece of lime green linoleum or white tile as you cut tomatoes on your kitchen counter, you may have thought about replacing the worn out backsplash. Just like most other areas of the kitchen today, there are many new choices and things you can do with your backsplash today, that were not common 10 years ago.
First the variety of the tile today is almost endless. These include ceramic, porcelain, terra cotta, marble (mostly tumbled for the backsplash), and even small tin “ceiling tiles” used in the kitchen. There is even more of a variety in the size of the tiles and the old 6 x 6 or 4 x 4 ceramic tile has a lot of company now.
One of the most popular looks today is the subway tile while Spanish or Mediterranean looking tile choices are waning. Subway tile is rectangular and typically 3 inches by 6 inches. It get’s it’s name from, yes you guessed it, the tile that was used to line the inside of many a subway stations from the 1920′s to the 1960′s.
If you have been on the New York City subway system it may not be very appetizing to think of using these tiles for the backsplash of your kitchen counter. Unlike old Chicago brick and other items recycled from old buildings and factories we can assure you the subway tiles you will purchase are newly fired and fresh! Even with this not so pleasant image, subway tiles are the most popular choice today.
Most subway tiles have a smooth porcelain finish, and the grout will typically match the tile without much contrast. Also very popular are tumbled marble subway tiles used as the backsplash. Tumbled marble is very porous and has the look of “ancient Rome.”
One problem with tumbled marble is the grouting. It’s very tricky because using a grout float to push the grout all over the place will fill the holes and cracks in the tile which give the tile it’s unique characteristics. If the tile is expensive enough and has this old unique look, we have seen various techniques used so the grout does not ruin the look of the tile. These include using a small grout bag to get the grout in the seams and not on the tile face, to actually taping the tile face, pushing the grout into the seams, and then pealing back the tape. Both techniques are very time consuming, but if you plan to keep your backsplash for many years, what’s an extra hour of work to do things property.
With tumbled marble, always seal the tile with a marble or stone sealer (two coats) before applying the grout.
If you are going with the smooth subway tiles for a modern feel to your kitchen, the grouting is much easier and let’s not forget why we install these things called “backsplashes.” We don’t paint behind the kitchen counter very often because it will find spaghetti sauce, red wine, and food pieces. When a blender sprays 300 red droplets all over your backsplash is when you will love your smooth subway tile best. Cleanup will be a wet paper towel. Hey, that’s why they used them in the subway back in the day!
Element Kitchen and Bath Design is a full service Royersford kitchen remodeler specializing in kitchen and bathroom remodeling and renovations. We design kitchens throughout the Pennsylvania area are an expert Royersford kitchen remodeling contractor. Contact us today for a free estimate.
Continue reading about The Link Between Kitchen Backsplash Tile & Subway Tile
How to Maintain Your Hardwood Floors
If you have thought about changing your flooring and have decided on hardwood flooring then you have made a great choice, but your hardwood floors will need to be maintained. Flooring that is hardwood is made using mature trees, it is then treated and finished. Maintaing hardwood floors can be difficult because they scratch easy and also absorb moisture.
Leaving a puddle of water in your hardwood floors would not be a great idea. The moisture will go into the cracks in between the slates and they will swell as they absorb the water. If this happens in even a little spot it will still be noticeable. If there happens to be any liquid at all spilt on the hardwood floor you need to clean it up immediately. Use a damp mop only when you clean your hardwood floors. There are also floor cleaners that are specially formulted for hardwood floors that you could use. Whatever you choose you must use only a damp mop.
Another thing that can happen to hardwood floors are dents and scratches. Women wearing high heels are one of the worse things that your hardwood floors can endure. Over time any furniture legs can dent or scratch the floors. You can choose to put area rugs under the furniture to protect the floors or you can put felts on the bottoms of the furniture legs. You may also choose to add area rugs to any areas that are highly traveled in your house.
There are some people that feel that the scratches and the dents give their hardwood floors character. But when you feel that you are in fact sick of them you can get your hardwood flooring refinished. If you have your hardwood floors refinished every decade or so and keep on top of protecting your hardwood floors, they will look the best. Moving anything across your hardwood floors to letting your dog run in the house can cause scratches and dents.
I hope you found this article to be very informative. I enjoyed writing it.
Kari is a professional consultant for various e-commerce businesses, providing her expertise in marketing, advertising. In her free time, she enjoys visiting various wineries, golf, skiing, camping and traveling. Find more here: http://binoculars.ofvalue.net
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