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If you are interviewing painting companies or preparing to paint an exterior surface yourself, remember to break down the process into several steps.
The very first step that you will need to take in the process is preparing your yard, patio, landscaping and sidewalks for the project. It is vital that any flower beds, air conditioning units or shrubs planted near the building be draped in tarps to protect them from chemical cleaning agents, paint chips and spills.

Once the site has been tidied and secured, it is time to prepare the surface of the building. This begins with the removal of any shutters, house numbers, mail boxes or decorations affixed to the structure. These accoutrements will also need to be cleaned, repaired and perhaps painted before they are re-affixed to the property.

Surface preparation can be one of the most labor intensive steps; without it, you risk the possibility of poor finished results, which include sub-par pigment adhesion, premature bubbling and cracking. The tools that you will need to prepare the surface of your property include:

• Paint scrapers
• Sandpaper
• Heat gun – optional
• Power washer – optional
• Stiff bristled brushes – heavy nylon or metal depending upon the surface material
• Putty knives

Some do-it-yourselfers like to employ heat guns to help remove thick layers of paint. Others use power washers during the paint removal process. However, aggressive power washing can significantly add to the time it takes to complete your project due to the drying time involved.

All in all, nothing can replace the need for hand scraping. While power washing can make a quick job of attacking loosened, cracked and damaged paint, it cannot always safely remove sun baked resistant paint layers.

If you choose not to power wash, you can also use a trisodium phosphate cleaner. It is imperative to wash the exterior surface and remove any dirt, oils or residues that may prevent the new primer and paint from clinging to the building. Drying time, after the washing has been completed, will be dependent upon the type of paint that is going to be applied and the type of surface that is going to be painted:

• Drying time for latex applications is typically a single day
• Drying time for oil based applications is minimally a single week
• Drying time following the use of a power washer will be dependent upon the amount of moisture that was absorbed by the raw surface

Once the scraping and cleaning has been completed, it is time to seal any gaps and apply caulking wherever it is needed. Then make a thorough inspection of the surface and be sure to pound down any nails that may be sticking up. When all of these steps are completed, you are now prepared to paint.

“Why do my old stairs squeak?” The simple answer to that question that you’re most likely to hear is “because they’re old” but that”s not really fair to the old staircase. It has probably done it’s job faithfully and well for a number of years (or decades) – especially considering the number of times it has transported people (and their stuff) from one level to another. It (probably) didn’t squeak when it was installed, and it (probably) was pretty well-built, No guarantees on either of those, but let’s assume.

So why did it start squeaking? Can it be fixed, or does it have to be replaced to remedy that awful noise?

Well firstly, a squeak is caused because something is moving. When it moves, if it rubs on something else it makes a squeak (just like two tree branches rubbing together in the wind).

The whole staircase assembly is held together and the pieces locked in place by wedges and glue. There are some screws and staples involved, but their main reason for being there is to hold everything tight until the glue dries. After that, well they don’t hurt and they do help a little, but it’s the glue that keeps everything tight and stops them from moving.

Old style glue was pretty good for its day and for the most part held up pretty well but it pales in comparison to modern, scientifically formulated glues. These modern day glues are actually stronger than the wood we use them on and nowadays it’s pretty rare for the glue to fail.

This is however not an unheard of situation, especially if someone lets go of a heavy freezer at the top and lets it thump down the stairs (or if your overweight relatives decide to jump up and down on the staircase). Either of these scenarios or even just day to day (or year to year) use can break something loose, or possibly even crack something. And once it’s loose, it can move, and if it moves it will probably squeak.

So the way to fix the problem is to find out what’s moving and then figure out a way to stop it from moving. It really is as simple as that.

So now – Staircases 101; the 3 main types of pieces are the STRINGERS, the TREADS, and the RISERS.

The stringers are the long boards on each side that hold everything up. The treads are the boards that you actually put your foot down on. The risers are the up and down boards that fill up the space at the back of the treads (the ones you could kick with your toe). If any of these pieces is cracked or broken that would be an obvious problem but it’s uncommon.

Another possible problem is that if the stringers flex or move up and down when you walk on the stairs, they will probably rub on the wall and make a squeak. This can sometimes be remedied by driving long wood screws through the stringers and into the wall studs (or install supports) to stop the stringers from moving.

Wedges are used to lock the treads and risers into the stringers. They are coated with glue and driven into place with a hammer. It is possible for them to loosen up somehow but they usually stay put pretty well (anybody remember hugging the wall in the middle of the night because the stairs don’t squeak as much close to the edge?). Loose wedges can be recoated with good quality carpenter’s glue and tapped back in with a hammer (just don’t overdo it on the wedge – driving). Wedges aren’t usually the problem though.

A more likely cause is that the bottom edge of the riser is glued (and stapled or screwed) to the back of the tread and if this glue joint fails, the back of the tread will rub against the riser and that’ll cause a pretty good squeak. To remedy this one you need to somehow pull the riser far enough away from the tread to get some glue between them and then fasten them back together tightly with some wood screws.

But the most likely, number one cause of a squeaky step is – faulty squeak blocks. These very important pieces join the top of the riser to the bottom of the tread above it. They are usually a triangular shaped piece of wood that fit into that spot (seen from underneath) where the tread sits on top of the riser. They are glued to the tread and the riser to lock them together and keep them from moving independently from each other. As their name suggests, their main purpose is to stop the step from squeaking. If the glue joint breaks here (usually away from the riser), then every time you step on or off the tread, the riser, squeak block and tread will rub together as the tread flexes up and down and there’s your squeak. Some stair builders will use several tiny, or one short block and these are unfortunately prone to failure. A good stair builder will use squeak blocks that cover at least 50% of the space between the stringers (and so should you) – to ensure a positive lock between the tread and riser.

To fix this one the squeak blocks will have to come off. Clean up any glue or bits of wood left behind that will be in the way. Coat the 2 sides of your new squeak blocks that will be in contact with the stairs with a liberal amount of good quality wood glue (or even framing adhesive). Now push it into place and then attach it to the underside of the tread in such a way that it is firmly in contact with both the tread and the riser. Once the glue dries, these pieces will be solidly attached back together and the problem should be solved. And just in case I have to say it, be sure to use the appropriate size of fastener here, as the last thing you want is a screw sticking up through the top of the tread (this kind of thing tends to diminish your hero status). On older stairs you should also pre-drill before installing screws to keep from cracking anything.

Deciding to renovate your home is a big decision, and can be an expensive one depending on the type of renovation to be done. As with many walks of life, home renovations can generally be divided into those that we need, and those that we want. In life, we need air to breathe, but we want chocolate gâteau to eat. Sure, we could choose the chocolate gâteau in favour of the air, but we’ll soon start to regret it. And so it goes, albeit on a less life-critical scale, for home renovations.

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the verb “to renovate” has two meanings:

1. to restore to a former better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding)

2. to restore to life, vigor, or activity: revive

They are slightly, almost imperceptibly, different – and one definition is generally much more important than the other for the homeowner when considering how to spend their hard-earned renovation budget.

We often think of a home renovation as something which brightens up our living space, gives us more room, or makes us more comfortable. Consider an addition, or a fresh coat of paint, or a new bathroom. These renovations fall squarely into definition number two. They are restoring life to our home, and have the ‘wow’ factor which we love to share with our friends and family. These renovations also tend to add value to the price of a house, and people will talk about the return on investment that goes with them i.e. what the cost of the renovation is compared to the increase in price if the house were to be sold.

However, there is sometimes a far more important home renovation to be considered, and that, unfortunately, falls into definition number one. It is the maintenance renovation, the “restore to a former better state” renovation, the boring renovation – and the ratio of financial cost to “wow” factor absolutely stinks. This type of renovation includes things like a new roof, foundation repairs, pointing, insulation, and wiring – normally renovations you can’t see – and are generally the top priority of any home owner, no matter what situation they are in.

Take the case where the home-owner is happy in their home and they want to stay there to raise a family – they love the community spirit of the neighbourhood, it’s close to work, and there are ample facilities nearby. What is more important long-term? Stopping the basement from leaking, or getting a new kitchen? The answer should be obvious of course – renovating (restoring to a former better state) the basement is not only a necessary preventative measure from potentially significant damage to the house, but is also a requirement for peace of mind.

What about when the home-owner is trying to sell their house? It is well-known that a new kitchen has the best return on investment and can boost the value of a house significantly. It may be tempting to renovate this little profit maker first to get more money and to make the house more attractive, but there is a downfall – if there are any outstanding structural or major maintenance issues, the potential buyer, if they have any common sense, will find them when they have a structural survey performed. Depending on what the issue is, there could be one of several outcomes: a request for a reduction in price, a request for the work to be completed and re-inspected at the homeowner’s expense, or, as is quite often the case, a permanent retraction of the offer. It’s a hard pill to swallow for the seller, because typically a realtor’s price evaluation of their house has not taken into account the cost of this additional work, and yet by having the work done, there seems to be no benefit in terms of increasing the house value. In fact, of course, there is – it’s just that the evaluation was too high in the first place.

That said, there are always house buyers who will not do the proper ground work, so the required maintenance renovations are missed when the home is purchased. The seller, if they knew about the issue (as they often do), has gambled and “gotten away with one”, and the buyer has foolishly taken on someone else’s problems for the sake of the cost of a structural survey. A note to potential buyers: always, always, get a full structural survey done unless you are an expert yourself in such matters because the short-term additional cost will be far less painful than finding significant issues and having to deal with the associated heart-ache (and anger) after the purchase is complete.

So how does the average homeowner know if there are maintenance renovations that require attention? There are a few ways to find out, and sticking your head in the sand is not an option. That would be akin to not going for a regular check-up at the doctor or dentist – if no-one tells you there’s a problem, then there is no problem, right? Wrong.

The first thing to do is to call upon your gut instinct. You probably have a suspicion if the electrics might be an issue (there’s a spark when you plug appliances in, for example), or if there’s damp in the basement, or if the attic insulation is insufficient; after all, you’re the one who lives there. Take a look around the outside of the house for any signs of worsening damage – are cracks bigger than you remember them? Does the roof look patchy? Do you have an effective water management system – one that drains run-off water away from the house foundations?

Back this up by pulling out the home inspection that you had done when you first bought the home and going over it again (after you’ve blown off the dust). Make a list of the possible issues and prioritize them into those that are urgently needed and those you can live with. A very basic risk assessment would look at each item and give it a score of high, medium or low for the two categories of likelihood and consequence. Those that come out high-high, high-medium or medium-high are the most urgent and should be dealt with first.

The next step is to confirm your suspicions. It may be that you don’t need to do this if the problem is obvious – for example, if every time it rains you have a bath because the bath fills up from a leak in the ceiling, (a high-high issue in most people’s books), a call to a roofer sooner rather than later would be in order. On the other hand, there might be issues which you are unsure of such as visible cracks in the brickwork possibly due to a sinking foundation. This would rate in the medium-high category where the likelihood is unknown but has some supporting evidence (the cracks), and the consequence is financially significant (the house falling down). In a case such as this, or whatever your case might be where you are unsure of the cause of an effect, it’s time to consult with others. You may consider talking with family or friends who may have had similar issues, but this tends to leave more doubt as people’s natural reaction is to guess and err on the negative side. It is much better to talk to an expert in the field you are concerned with – if it’s the roof, talk to a roofer; the brickwork, talk to a stonemason; an electrical issue, an electrician. Go about the process as if you were intending to get have the work done (you may well have to) – get three quotes and therefore three separate opinions, and ask lots of questions. It may turn out that the cracks in the brickwork are merely superficial and become a high-low case, that is, the cracks are definitely there, but will cause no further problems. The low significance cases, regardless of the likelihood, are generally aesthetic and can be resolved at any future time you wish. As for low likelihood cases, they should, in general, not make it to your list.

A note about the risk assessment: if there is an effect you are observing you will have to think about all the possible causes and rate them accordingly. For example, a stain on the ceiling could be due a leaky roof, but it could also be due to a leaky pipe. Be sensible though (you have to stop somewhere) – it could also be spilled tea from a squirrel tea party, but it is quite unlikely.

If it turns out that there is a significant issue, don’t panic. Work on a plan and a time-frame to get it done. Talk to the contractor you choose to find out if the situation is extremely urgent or can be sat on for a couple of months or even a year or so. Understand that the money you are spending is buying you peace of mind and saving you long-term financial heartache, and know that there’s always time to have your gâteau once you’re certain you’re breathing properly.

If you want to give your home a touch of greatness and elegance, there is no other better way than buying a chandelier. A sense of stylishness will surely be added to the way your house looks, not to mention that the incredible lighting of a chandelier is really breathtaking. Chandeliers look perfect for the dining area or if you want, you can also make it as your house’s focal point. However, the real challenge is how you should choose the most ideal chandelier that will perfectly compliment not only your furniture but the whole architecture of your house as well. Some of the things that you should take into consideration include chandelier motors and chandelier cleaning.

The Chandelier’s Size

Top house designers recommend for homeowners to purchase a chandelier adjacent with the room or house’s architecture and time period. The size of the chandelier piece is also an essential factor to remember when choosing a chandelier. Make sure that you know the house space where you are planning to put the chandelier. In case you will install it in an enormous space, it will be suitable to choose a chandelier that is big and ornamented. However, if you have a small space, a smaller chandelier will be a wiser choice. Putting a big chandelier within a small enclosure will make the place look crowded while putting a small piece in a bigger space will not make it as the majestic centerpiece you are planning it to be.

The Chandelier’s Style

The chandelier’s style will greatly depend on the room d?cor. If it is of modern touch, choose chandeliers that are stylish, chic and will go perfectly with contemporary house. The most common styles include those chandeliers providing pendant lighting, island lighting as well as those bulb holders which look like frosted amber glass. You can also go for a brass or wrought iron chandelier if you want your room to have an old world and rustic charm. The chandelier’s style will solely depend on your taste and choice.
The Chandelier Motors, Cleaning and Brightness

The main purpose of the chandelier is not solely for adding a grand look to your house but to provide adequate lighting at the same time. Even if it is note sole light source, the idea will be to get the most lighting from it. Preferably, you should go for the chandelier motors using about 200 to 300 watts while 75 watts will be allotted for the rest of the lighting sources like wall scones and the likes. Wiring the chandelier to dimmer switch can also give you appropriate lighting suitable for the activity. The brightness of the chandelier will also be maintained if you will give sufficient attention to the chandelier lighting. Make sure that you are extra careful in doing so. Regular chandelier cleaning will also ensure that it will maintain its magnificent elegance.

Choosing the best chandelier for your home can surely make a great difference in its overall appeal. Go for a chandelier that has good chandelier motors and will make chandelier cleaning possible.

When most people think of home furnishings and Home Accessories, the first thing that comes to mind is a sofa or a recliner. However, there is so much more to home furnishings than just that. There are many different rooms in your home; you are going to want to decorate each of them with your unique style and flair. Therefore, you are going to want to find the most unique and high-quality items, at the best prices. Therefore, you should check out the Internet and see what kind of home accessories are available to you at great prices, and are better quality and offer more longevity than what you can find at a traditional brick and mortar store.

In order to feel your best, it is important that you get a good nights sleep. Perhaps it is time to trade in your old bed for a new one, and online you can find an excellent variety of mattresses, box springs and more. You can select from exciting styles such as a three drawer Continental set, which offers a variety of storage options in the base of the bed itself, and comes with a platform, and strong edges for support. Depending on your choice, and will provide you either firmer support with a softer feel, or less support with a soft feel, and everything in between. With a variety of styles and sizes to choose from, you can get pillow tops, memory foam, orthopedic and other types of beds.

Once you have selected the mattress that you would like, perhaps you would like to upgrade your bedroom’s look with a superior and beautiful wooden bedstead. You can find a variety of bedsteads that are created from only the most exceptionally high quality hardwood, or opt for wrought iron styling. In addition, you can find a combination of hard wood and metal, which creates a beautiful and elegant frame for your bed. You can also opt for incredibly designed bedsteads that offer sleek and padded headboards with a lower end. Created from faux leather, this bedstead offers a luxurious feel without sacrificing the environment. For the kids, you can find a superb variety of daybeds, from simple iron daybeds, to a contemporarily designed bedstead made of faux leather, you are sure to find a bedstead for every member of your household.

For the office, you can choose from a number of reclining chairs, furniture such as desks. You can find all of your lamps, chairs and mirrors here as well, to make your office the most luxurious and professional that it can possibly be. You can do all of this, all while saving time and money when you shop online. However, not forgetting the outside of your home, you can find a wide variety of tables and chairs for your garden, as well as stunning sculptures and artwork that will accent any landscape. No matter what you are looking for, from home furnishings to home accessories, you can find them all online, at great prices and are guaranteed to be the talk of the town with their unsurpassed quality and uniqueness.