CABINETS, KITCHENS, PAINTING
New doors with soft close hinges
New doors with glass inserts
New door handles
New pull out drawers with soft close glides
Under cabinet LED lighting
If you are planning to remodel your kitchen, the cabinets are an important consideration. When you browse the stores for different options, you will come across a whole range of variety in so many different looks, colors, and styles.
Kitchen cabinets should not only be functional but should also look stunning. However, sooner or later, homeowners complain of issues like sagging doors, scratched faces, worsening drawers and warping boxes. All those problems arise because of low-quality cabinet construction.
It is a lot better to get custom modifications so that you can have special features within the cabinets. Look for a contractor who understands your particular needs and can update your kitchen cabinets based on your requirements and within your budget.
Look for all-plywood construction
The strongest kitchen cabinets are made of full plywood sides and can handle heavy countertops. They are less vulnerable to damage from moisture and last much longer than the less expensive alternatives such as Particleboard.
Get quality cabinet hinges
Soft-close hinges are based on a soft close mechanism that is built into the hardened steel hinge which is nickel plated. Do not ignore the cabinet hinges and their quality as they are an important component of a kitchen cabinet.
What about the under mount drawer glides
If you are looking for smooth and silent movement of your kitchen cabinets, always go for high-quality drawer glides. The drawers will need heavy-duty glides to carry the heavyweight.
The higher quality dovetail drawer boxes
If you do not want the drawers to bend or bow or have their faces coming off, then you should consider a higher quality drawer box. Low-quality construction would mean the drawer boxes and joints falling apart sooner or later.
Superior melamine interior
The inside of the kitchen cabinets should be as impressive as the exteriors. A melamine interior is preferred as it is non-porous, tough and easy to clean. The smooth and tough laminate is light colored and thus makes it easier to see the contents of the cabinet.
This article originally appeared on Kluje
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EXTERIORS, PAINTING
When you paint your house exterior, the question of which paint sheen or finish to use should be assessed on an equal plane with the paint color and brand.
You will have a choice of four basic paint sheen groupings: flat or matte, satin/eggshell, semi-gloss, and gloss. Your home’s exterior is subjected to major stresses that include rain, snow, UV rays, and physical wear. All of that is compounded by the sheer difficulty, cost, and extended timeline for painting a home’s exterior, making the question of the perfect exterior paint finish a critical one.
Paint sheen relates to both the appearance and the performance of the exterior paint.
In terms of appearance, most homeowners are familiar with the shine—or lack of shine—that paint exhibits. A mirror-like paint sheen is glossy: light reflects off of it. A flat or matte paint sheen is dull: it absorbs light. Between those two extremes are a few other degrees of sheen.
But a paint’s performance also hinges on its sheen. High-gloss paint is best for high-impact or wet applications. Paint sheens on the dull end of the spectrum are less durable and tend to attract dirt.
Paint sheen is determined by the ratio of resins and binders to pigment levels in the paint. Paints with a high level of resins/binders create a high-sheen, shiny surface, while those where the pigment levels are high, create a less reflective surface. Generally speaking, glossier paints are more durable, while flatter paints are less resilient but cover better.
Although different manufacturers have different terms for describing their paints, in general, there are four different sheen levels to choose from: flat (also called matte), satin (sometimes called eggshell or low-luster), semi-gloss and gloss (or high-gloss). The ratio of resins/binders to pigments increases with each level.
For large exterior surfaces, glossier paints are usually reserved for trim areas, such as windowsills and doors, as well as surfaces that may be washed frequently. Normally, semi-gloss paint is the best choice for trim work, since high-gloss paints are so shiny that they highlight imperfections.
For large areas of the home covered by siding, less glossy paints are a better choice. Here, you want to avoid shiny, glossy paints with highly reflective properties that will highlight each bump and imperfection. The choice, then, is between a flat (matte) paint or a satin/eggshell paint.
Flat paint has a non-reflective finish that will feel slightly chalky and rough when you run your hand across it.
The finish is quite velvety in appearance and is initially very attractive since the lack of reflectiveness hides bumps and gouges. It provides a very contemporary and modern look. However, just as it true on indoor surfaces, flat paints really cannot be washed at all.
Cleaning a flat-paint surface is like trying to wipe down a chalkboard with a dry rag—it smears but does not really come clean. You can scrub flat finish with TSP or water pressure washer, but often the best solution is to lay down another coat of paint. You can expect to repaint more often if you use flat paint.
Pros
Cons
Satin finishes are relatively low in reflection, which means that they also do a decent job of hiding bumps and imperfections in the siding surface.
To the touch, they still have the chalky feel of flat finishes, but with a slight waxy smoothness. The same paint color will appear slightly richer in a satin sheen than it does in a flat sheen. Satin/eggshell finishes can be wiped down or even hosed with water. Because of the hint of shine, satin paints have a somewhat more luxurious appearance than flat paints.
Satin paints require a bit more care during application in order to avoid lap marks. As with interior painting, it is important to keep a wet edge during application. It is important that satin paints be thoroughly mixed before application to keep the resins and pigments in uniform ratio throughout the can. Satin paints should be mixed just before every painting session.
Pros
Cons
In general, reserve the higher gloss levels only for trim and doors—surfaces that get a lot of wear and may need to be frequently scrubbed. The glossier paints are more durable so they will hold up well on these trim surfaces that take the brunt of the weather.
Glossy finish paints also may be a logical choice where an exterior will need to be washed frequently, such as in a climate where wind-blown dust is a problem, or in a home where active kids may soil the siding. But the reflective shininess will also spotlight every bump and imperfection, so for most people, they are not a good choice for large areas of the siding.
Gloss and semi-gloss paints do, however, produce a richer color, so they are sometimes chosen when an owner wants to make a loud design statement.
Is there a universal exterior paint sheen, or finish, that works for most exterior applications? All things being equal, satin or eggshell finish is preferable for the exterior of a home. A satin/eggshell finish satisfies basic maintenance points while providing a pleasant appearance that appeals to the widest range of homeowners.
But other factors may skew your decision in one direction or another:
Will you be painting the house yourself? If so, and if you are less than confident in your skills, then a flat finish paint is easier to apply without leaving lap marks. For homes that need to be turned around quickly for resale, flat paint offers quick curing time and short-term aesthetic appeal at the expense of long-term maintenance issues.
For a more skilled do-it-yourselfer, either flat or satin paint is suitable. If you are hiring a professional painter, choose the paint finish based only on results, not ease of application. Professional painters are proficient at applying all types of paints and paint finishes. If they make an error, they are accountable and can be expected to fix the issue.
Is your exterior riddled with texture-related blemishes? If so, then flat paint will help hide such defects.
Do you have children, pets, and a lot of outdoor activity? Bikes get laid against houses. Mud and snowballs land on the sides of the house. Just as you would choose a wipeable finish for the interior, so too with your exterior. A home that is expected to have heavy use should be painted with satin finish paint or even a semi-gloss paint.
Need help with painting your home the right way? We’re just a click or a phone call away:
This article originally appeared on The Spruce.
Have you ever used a power washer and witnessed the short work it can make of cleaning away moss, dirt, or oil stains from a concrete driveway or walkway? If so, you might have then wondered if the power washer can also wash an indoor bathtub or shower.
Tubs and showers are subject to constant moisture and soap residue, which makes them susceptible to a buildup of scum and grout joints discolored by mold and mildew. If your basin, pan, or surround have not been cleaned regularly, it can reach a level of dirtiness that takes many hours of hand-scrubbing with a bleach cleanser to restore it to a like-new condition. Any method of speeding this process is extremely welcome.
Water coming into the house or to exterior hose bibs has a pressure of about 40 to 45 psi. Garden hoses can increase that pressure to 100 to 200 psi. But when hooked up to a power (or pressure) washer, that water pressure can increase ten-fold over the garden hose pressure.
The power washer jets away grime on the tub or shower through pressurized water alone. No scrubbing or cleansers are involved.
By running out of an exterior hose bib and keeping the power washer outside, you avoid the leaking or flooding problems that you may encounter by locating the power washer inside.
Since tubs and showers have drains, all of the water (except for backsplash) expended by the power washer is safely drained away.
Can a pressurized power washer quickly clean a shower or bathtub shower enclosure? The answer is yes—you can harness your pressure washer’s intense water jet and apply it to indoor tile. Used correctly, a pressure washer can clean better than abrasives, scrubbing, or steam cleaning.
But many conditions and cautions must first be considered:
Power washing your tub or shower requires considerable thought, preparation, and cleanup. There are many instances where it is not advised. Reserve this method only for those situations where it is appropriate—extremely dirty tile where the grout and caulk seams are in good condition.
Need help with powerwashing your bathroom or your deck? We’re just a click or a phone call away:
This article originally appeared on The Spruce.
When remodeling a bathroom to save money, what you should avoid is often as important as what you should do. Avoid these bathroom remodeling pitfalls that are guaranteed to drive up the budget, slow down the timetable, and result in added maintenance down the road.
Jumping into the bathroom remodel haphazardly is a sure way to spend more money than is necessary. Even though bathrooms tend to be rather small, their dense cluster of services within that small space means that you cannot afford to do anything impromptu and absent a clear plan. For example, if you install the toilet and then decide that it should be moved a few feet to the left, the project will be more expensive than if you have situated it correctly the first time around. So, lay out a firm bathroom design even before you call up the contractor or design company.
Assuming that the expensive bathroom remodel option will take care of all of your problems is not always the correct assumption. Contractors, home improvement stores, supply houses, and many others may drive you toward purchasing higher grade and more expensive materials and services. While their intentions might be honest, it results in a higher overall cost to you.
For example, a frameless glass shower is solid and attractive. Often resulting in higher resale value for your home, a frameless shower dresses up your bathroom more than other types of shower stalls. However, frameless glass showers are more expensive than framed glass showers or other shower stall units. If a framed shower unit can work for you, consider how much the extra cost of a frameless version is worth to you. This applies across the board with natural stone counters, quartz counters, stone floors, solid wood cabinets, designer paint, and a host of other premium products.
Maybe the tile shower surround just needs regrouting rather than a full replacement. Or the vanity can be painted rather than ripped out and replaced. Everything is more difficult to replace when you are remodeling a bathroom. For one, bathrooms are embedded deeper into the house than other rooms, making it harder to extract demolished materials. Similarly, it is much harder to bring new building materials into the house. And you often have to carry items through rooms that you want to keep clean.
Bathroom materials, too, tend to be more expensive. So, if you can keep any item and refurbish it, you save money. Some examples include the following:
A bathroom fan is often the last on the list of priorities when remodeling a bathroom. But poor ventilation has a domino effect. Moisture-laden air in the bathroom can cause pervasive mold or mildew that can ruin other remodeling work. Newer bathroom ventilation fans are a vast improvement over old ones. They are quieter, more powerful, and more effective. Heat lamps are another way to reduce moisture in your bathroom.
When remodeling, think in terms of flooring that is appropriate for bathrooms. Ceramic tile, porcelain tile, luxury vinyl plank, and sheet vinyl flooring tend to work best in the bathroom because they shed water. Solid hardwood, engineered wood, and laminate flooring rarely are your best options for bathrooms. In a pinch, site-finished wood flooring can be made to work for a while, but decay is inevitable. Any kind of stone in the bathroom will need to come pre-sealed or be sealed by you. Plus, natural stone will need occasional resealing to keep moisture from permeating into the surface of the stone. Choosing the wrong type of flooring for bathrooms compromises not just the flooring, it compromises the underlying structure of subflooring, underlayment, and joists.
If you are handy with common household tools, you can probably take on projects like installing bathroom flooring, laying ceramic tile, painting walls, installing a bathroom vanity, adding a GFCI outlet, and even running branch circuits.
But when it comes to advanced activities such as building an entirely new shower stall, installing whole-bathroom wiring, or doing a premium-quality tile surround job, consider whether you are truly up to the job. Many bathroom remodeling projects will, in the end, be less expensive and less frustrating if you call in the professionals from the start.
If your house has two or more bathrooms and all need remodeling work, it makes complete sense to begin with the largest, most heavily used master bathroom. Or does it?
Unless you are a highly experienced do-it-yourselfer, your first bathroom remodeling project will be a learning experience. Mishaps will happen. Paint will spill. Toilets will leak. Instead of starting with the most visible bathroom, start with a smaller one: a powder room or a kid’s bathroom. The smaller spaces in these bathrooms mean that they are easier, cheaper, and faster to remodel.
Need help with your bathroom remodel? We’re just a click or a phone call away:
This article originally appeared on The Spruce.
Installing real insulation in an existing house is tough. That is actual between-the-wall fiberglass insulation. Not many options exist for you.
If you’re tearing out plaster or drywall–well, go ahead. Walls are open, so it’s just as easy as installing it in a new construction building. Roll it out, cut it, staple it, and there you have it. If you’re not opening walls, blown-in insulation is a distant second. This entails opening holes in your exterior and pumping it in with a blower.
But even the experts can’t ensure 100% fill. Wall interiors have all sorts of funny things inside that are difficult to anticipate: firestops, crisscrossing wires, oversized plaster “keys” that invade the space. So how about insulating paint?
There are several types of insulating paints, the prominent of which are Nansulate, Insuladd, Hy-Tech, and others. The way they work is that you either apply the insulating (or thermal) paint to the interior walls or you mix an additive into your existing paint. Multiple coats are recommended.
The first and most important point to note is that any kind of paint coverage will add insulating properties to your house–insulating or thermal paint just takes it beyond. Far beyond.
Hy-Tech says that its ceramic-based paint creates a tight, thin vacuum layer that deters the passage of heat or cold. Microscopic ceramic beads no bigger than a grain of flour form this vacuum surface. As you may know, vacuums hinder thermal properties.
That’s why double-paned windows often have a vacuum layer between the panes or a gas such as argon or krypton.
Exactly how well it works is debatable. Different manufacturers claim different results. Hy-Tech says that since “R” values can only be measured on materials one-inch thick or greater, paint cannot legitimately be compared. They say that in their own tests, comparing their additive with one-inch thick insulation, both hindered heat transfer by 35%.
Insulating paint will not replace a good thick layer of R-19 fiberglass between your walls. But if you have no other choice–and if you have a fat wallet, because thermal paint and additives are expensive–you may want to try it.
Need help with painting or insulation? We’re just a phone call or a click away:
ally appeared on The Spruce.
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