Removing a stain can be a pain, but it’s certainly not impossible. If your floor doesn’t have a polyurethane treatment, and isn’t a no-wax floor, don’t fret thinking that you have to refinish your entire hardwood floor because of a few stains. Polyurethane floors, and floors that have no-wax treatment, have products manufactured specifically for treating their stains. But if you have a hardwood floor that can take some wax, it just takes a little scrubbing and pretreatment to get the goods looking good again according to Paul from Chicago Hardwood Floor Company. The process is just like treating stains on clothing – but a bit more abrasive.

A steel wool pad that is “grade 2” can help you with light and dark stains that are caused by water and other substances. For a light water stain, simply rub the area with a number 2 grade steel wood pad until the stain is gone. Then apply new wax onto the area. If it’s a dark stain, dip the steel wool pad in mineral spirits first, then rub the stain. After that, dip a cloth in distilled household vinegar and lay it on the spot for about ten minutes. Then take another cloth dipped in mineral spirits and wipe the area down. If the stain has disappeared, you can apply fresh wax.

If vinegar doesn’t work to lighten a dark stain, you can use “oxalic acid crystals” - which is the “oxy” in Oxydol laundry detergent and the numerous “oxy” cleaning products on the market. You can find oxalic acid crystals at a paint or hardware store, or you can substitue Oxydol laundry detergent. Make sure you wear rubber gloves. Take the crystals and mix them with very hot water until the crystals don’t dissolve any more. At that point, you have the proper ratio. Saturate a clean cloth in the solution, then let it sit on the stain for an hour. Then use a damp sponge to sponge the area dry, and quickly blot it dry. Once it has completely dried, you can add fresh wax.

If entertaining left your hardwood floors with alcohol stains, there’s a few tricks you can try. You can rub the area with a cloth that is dipped in a liquid wax that contains cleaner for removing old wax, or you can use a cloth dipped in silver polish that contains whitening. You can also try a cloth dipped in ammonia, but make sure you squeeze it dry first. If the stain can be rubbed through to the finish, apply fresh wax once the area has dried.

If the night of entertaining on your hardwood floor was memorable, and some dancing high heels left black marks on your floor, and marks from furniture being slid out of the way left streaks from black furniture casters, you can get those out with grade 00 steel wood pad. Dampen the pad with mineral spirits, but then squeeze it dry. Lightly rub the area, then apply fresh wax after it has dried.

If you have some oil and grease stains on your kitchen hardwood floor, you can doctor it up with one gauze pad saturated in hydrogen peroxide, and one gauze pad saturated in ammonia. Place the pad with hydrogen peroxide on the stain, then place the one with ammonia over it. Let them sit for at least 15 minutes. If it’s a bad stain, you can repeat the method until you see results. When the stain is gone and the floor is dry, you can put on some fresh wax.

Don’t use these methods to no-wax floors or floors with a polyurethane finish because a new finish might not take to it later. But for many hardwood floors, spot treatment and a little scrubbing can get rid of life’s little stains.

Paul S. - Hardwood Floor Refinishing Chicago

When you are discussing your home improvement specifications with the construction crew, specify that there needs to be adaptations for asthma or allergies. An electrostatic furnace filter should be replaced with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. This will prevent dust circulation. Temporary plastic walls that are manufactured to zip closed will securely seal off the room that is being remodeled. Make sure that exhaust fans are used for “negative pressurizing” - and work to move contaminated construction air from the construction zone to the outside. These steps will likely add to the cost of your home improvement project, but they are necessary if anyone with breathing problems is inside the home.

Even after the construction crew has finished, steps need to be taken to keep the air clean and free from lingering harmful particles. Make sure the house is cleaned with HEPA filter vacuums, and use only cleaning products that are free from “volatile organic compounds” (VOC) – toxic air pollutants.

There are other choices that can be made during the planning of a home improvement project to accommodate allergy and asthma sufferers. Instead of knocking a whole wall, consider a partial knock-down – and try to avoid moving walls. This can save money that can be reallocated to the cost of protecting the breathing-impaired during the construction phase. Choosing solid wood instead of particleboard for kitchen cupboards keeps the toxic formaldehyde of particleboard far away from the sufferer’s breathing passageways. To compensate for extra cost, consider not moving a sink – which entails added plumbing expenses.

Carpets can be an invisible nightmare for serious allergy and asthma sufferers. Consider making plans to eliminate carpets. A combination of Sheetrock with cork liner under a floor will even improve upon the sound proofing capabilities of a carpet. If you’re remodeling a bathroom or kitchen, keep in mind that fans that exhaust air to the outside are healthier choices than fans that recirculate air. Keeping moisture to a minimum by upgrading windows and installing water-impervious flooring is a long-term healthy investment that will improve your budget and the value of your home as well as the health of your home.

Even if you or your household members don’t suffer from allergies or breathing difficulties, a healthy home and a protective home-improvement construction process will benefit the health of everyone – and your healthy home will be a breath of fresh air for everyone that lasts long after your home improvement project is completed.

Foam weatherstripping, sponge weatherstripping and felt weatherstripping only costs a few dollars a roll (technically, a coil). In fact, one roll is less than the cost of a value meal at a fast-food restaurant. Durable vinyl rubber weatherstripping is only slightly more. Skip the drive-thru one day a week and buy a package of cheap weatherstripping. It’s as easy to install as it is to cut and tape wrapping paper for a gift – probably even easier. And you’ll start saving money on your energy bill immediately after its installed.

It’s rare for a window in a newly built home not to have weatherstripping, but the majority of homes standing today didn’t come with the luxury of having weatherstripping pre-installed. Over 10% of your energy bill can be saved just by installing weatherstripping on your windows. Of course, the exact amount of savings will vary based on your style of windows, choice of weatherstripping, and environmental factors. If you’re interested in more accurate averages to help estimate your investment and savings, there are government websites that are overflowing with statistics on household and state energy use.

Once you decide to skip that value meal and finally weatherstrip your windows, you might find yourself gawking at various weatherstripping types. Before you head to the hardware store, measure your windows and your gaps - weatherstripping comes in many different sizes. If that sounds like too much work, start with buying a package of plastic foam tape. It comes with a self-adhesive, and is the easiest and quickest to install – and likely the lowest priced. You will have to replace it in a couple years, but you can then decide whether to upgrade or continue replacing it. Plastic foam tape is meant for windows that aren’t used a lot, and they can’t handle a lot of friction or they’ll wear out. Chances are you won’t be opening your windows in the dead of winter anyhow.

To install plastic foam weatherstripping, just use household scissors to cut a piece of weatherstripping to fit the window side or sash, peel and stick. Just make sure the surface you’re putting it on is free from dirt and oily substances or it won’t stick. And the foam weatherstripping won’t adhere well if you’re trying to put it on during a cold weather, so plan accordingly. If it’s winter and you have to get something up quick, try some felt weatherstripping.

Felt weatherstripping is an old classic standby, and holds up a little better than the foam. Try and get a wool pre-shrunk felt instead of hair felt because it will last longer. You can buy felt weatherstripping lined with thin aluminum stripping for even better protection. To install the felt weatherstripping, you’ll just cut and tack it on instead of sticking it on – thereby eliminating any problems caused by dirt or grease. Of course, you can buy felt weatherstripping that has a self-adhesive just like the foam weatherstripping.

If you can spend just a couple more dollars, vinyl covered rubber strips will last a lot longer and give you more protection, so you’ll start saving more money, sooner. Vinyl rubber weatherstripping also comes with a self-adhesive and has the same easy “cut, peel and stick” installation process.

Any weatherstripping is better than no weatherstripping. Start getting ready for the upcoming seasons and put up some weatherstripping to control the outside breeze. The innocent breeze will soon learn that its welcome through an open window, but it can’t rob you of your money when your window is closed shut. Soon, your house will start feeling comfortable, and you’ll be able to afford dessert after splurging on an extra value meal.

 
Jerry K. from SMB9, inc. - Chicago Vinyl Siding Company.

Sometimes there is damage, and sometimes there is just a darkening from heat. Wash the area first to expose the true nature of the burn. If it’s a discolored piece of clothing, try washing it in chlorine bleach if you can. If the clothing is dry-clean only, try sponging on a neutral detergent solution, then rinse it off. If your clothing article is now more see-through than it ought to be, - give it up and use it for rags or cleaning up other cigarette burns. (You can also donate ruined clothing to your local animal shelter. Dogs won’t nag you as much as your mother about your smoking habits.)

If you’re dealing with a cigarette burn in a carpet, your best bet is to put on your hunting gear and try a little camouflage work. Instead of a gun or bow and arrow, your tools will be a steel wool pad, neutral detergent, scissors and a vacuum. First, try scrubbing it lightly with a steel wool pad, then vacuum up the ashes. Then rub and scrub with some detergent and rinse. If black char still remains, perform surgery and try to precision cut what charcoaled pieces are left. If worse comes to worse, find an inconspicuous part of the carpet, cut out a hole the size of the burn, and hot glue the pretty carpet piece into the ugly burned carpet piece.

If your friends and visitors are to blame for the cigarette burns in your carpet – practice saying the words “smoke outside.” Or scatter an abundance of ashtrays at your next get-together to keep your rug safe. Smoke is ugly and not your friend. If you burned your clothes and carpet – it’s time to quit smoking. You can’t hide the black in your lungs. Clean up your clothes, your carpet and your air, and you won’t have to waste time playing hide, scrub and seek with malicious cigarette burns.

Wood loves to engorge itself with water, mold, sap, rot and insects – just to name a few things. It is equally gluttonous when it comes to absorbing finishes and paint. Protecting your exterior woodwork keeps your wood from consuming rot and insects and keeps your paint from succumbing to Mother Nature’s moods. Your neighbors will likely appreciate your healthy looking home as much as you do.

Wood finishes and wood protectors are not synonymous. Some wood finishes protect, and others do not. Varnish is an interior and exterior finish that also protects. Dye is an interior finish that does not protect. However, exterior varnish can be applied over a dye finish for outside protection. You will get about 600-900 square feet coverage from a gallon of varnish, but only 400-750 square feet from a gallon of dye.

A stain finish may or may not offer protection, depending on the brand, but it is available for interior and exterior woodwork. You can apply an exterior varnish over an exterior stain to give it the protection it needs. A gallon of stain can get you anywhere from 400 to 1,000 square feet per gallon.

Don’t consider using wax for protecting your home’s exterior woodwork – it’s generally interior only. Oil can be used on interior or exterior woodwork and serves as a wood protector. Wood Preserver is an exterior-only wood protector that prevents rot and insect damage.

Small cracks can also lead to wood damage over time. If you fill up cracks when you first notice them, you’ll prevent some big problems in the future. There are pellet-shaped “wood preservatives” that are specifically made for this purpose, and you can find “wood filler” to take care of small rot problems. If your wood is exposed to heavy sunlight, sap can come out of the woodwork knots. You can use a heat gun on the knot to get the sap to bubble out of the knot until the sap runs dry. Then just sand the area and apply sealer to the knot with a small brush.

Home wood exteriors and handsome exterior woodwork trims are Mother Nature’s beautiful gift to us. Take good care of your wood exterior, and make your mother happy.

Fortunately, we don’t have to be Paul Bunyan to get our natural hardwood. Manufacturing technology has simplified the hardwood floor installation process for wood enthusiasts. You can buy ¾ inch slabs of wood and take days to lay and prepare the wood. Or you can buy real hardwood engineered floors that have baked on sealer and primer and simply “click and lock.”

It’s easy to get confused when you hear the word “laminate flooring” - and plastic laminate may easily come to mind. But laminate simply means that there are layers of material bonded together. Laminated hardwood flooring has a hardwood surface and a hardwood core typically coated with an acrylic finish that is UV-resistant. Plastic laminate flooring on the other hand is coated with melamine, has only a wood-grain print film and a fiberboard core. Needless to say, plastic is cheaper than the hardwood. But hardwood can increase your homes resale value about 6%, it can be sanded if needed, and it will last for decades. Plastic laminate won’t.

Wooden floors are laid “floating.” You have to allow room for it to breathe, expand and contract with environmental influences. Depending on the moisture levels of your home, you may want to lay down a “vapor barrier.” If you’re installing wood on concrete, you definitely need a vapor barrier. The next step is to put down the underlayment which simply needs to be rolled out and trimmed. Before you lay down your hardwood, let your natural wood breathe out of its packaging for a few days.

When you begin installing your tongue and groove hardwood, the first board should be placed down in a corner with the tongue facing into the room and the groove towards the wall. You want to leave some expansion room around the perimeter edge of the room. (You’ll fill this later.) Depending what type of laminate hardwood flooring you chose, you will either “click and lock” around the room, or you’ll join the pieces together with glue and knock each one tight together as you go along. Of course, you’ll always be able to find hardwood flooring that uses good ‘ol hammer and nails, but the process may take days instead of hours. Your thumbs will appreciate the ease of “click and lock.”

Hardwood floors aren’t that hard to install thanks to advanced engineering. You can thank them as you get down on your hands and knees and lock that last board into place – and still have your hands intact to give your new hardwood floor some well-deserved applause.

To begin seeing a clear picture of where your kitchen remodeling project is going, and where your money is going, you need to start with an itemized list of material and labor costs, and have a realistic budget. If you don’t keep an eye on your estimates and your budget, your kitchen remodeling project will go up in smoke. Think of your list of material and labor costs as a recipe to create an original kitchen with the finest goods at the most reasonable price. Tweak your recipe and budget until it has the potential to cook up the perfect kitchen.

Just as a professional chef gathers food from many suppliers, so should you gather estimates from many sources. There are proverbial “bluebooks” for material and labor, just as there are “bluebooks” for cars. Craftsman puts out a yearly “National Construction Estimator” that is 700 pages of material and labor estimates for every facet of a kitchen remodeling project. You can likely find it in the reference section of your city library. Plumbing, electrical, lumber, tile and masonry costs are just a pinch of the comprehensive resources available. Comparing these prices to the estimates from big-box retailers such as Home Depot and Lowes, as well as to local material and labor suppliers, will give you a shelf of estimates to pull from. Mix and match, put everything on a spreadsheet if you can, and you’ll find the perfect kitchen remodeling budget that will awe and inspire your kitchen guests for the lifetime of your home. You might even have enough to treat yourself to a nice dinner out.

·         Always double check your work. Great carpenters make sure to always do everything twice.  It wastes your time and supplies when you make mistakes. Make sure everything is perfect before going on to the next action.

·         When starting a new project, take your time to carefully pick out your wood. Make sure the wood is not rotten, crooked, too soft or still green.

·         When starting out the best type of saw is a simple saw. It prevents you from making any major mistakes and allows you to learn the basics of carpentry.

·         Don’t jump in immediately to using power tools. Depending on your level of expertise, you should stick to the hand held tools at first. Using a power tool before your ready can not only quickly ruin your project, but is dangerous as well. Learn to get adjusted to the intricacies of wood working first.

·         The only exception is a drill. With a drill, you should probably go power operated right off the bat. A cordless drill would probably serve you best. Make sure to still use it carefully, for a drill can still be dangerous.

·         When picking out a hammer, make sure you find one that feels good to handle. Its also smart to have a variety of different hammers depending on the project. After a while, once you start taking on more project, investing in a nail gun might be a smart idea.

·         Make sure to always plan your project ahead of time. Learning on the fly may seem like a fun idea, but it will rarely result in a quality project. Make sure to research and draw out your project before beginning on it.

·         Most importantly, is setting up the right workshop. Make sure your workshop is spacey, lighted, ventilated, has a power outlet, and most importantly safe. Try to keep dust continmation to a mininum, and the workshop far enough from others to do any harm.

·         Most importantly, remember to have fun with your projects! If you’re getting too stressed over a project, learn to walk away and take a break. To create a quality product you need to be concentrated, yet relaxed.

One of the most common problems in roofing repair are roof valley leaks. This is where two slopes to join together to create a type of “valley”. As time goes by, nature often takes a toll on these valleys, for their often the point of discarded water and take the most damage inflicted by things such as freezing/thawing and hail. Even little things like the wind and sun have a huge impact on the valleys over time. It simply seems to deteriorate as the time goes by. Decomposing organic debris may even cause the roof to rot in these valleys! With all these elements combining for their demise, it’s a modern miracle most roof valleys last as long as they do.

The first part of repairing a roofing valley is determining the source of the leak. You want to remove all branches and leaves that might be obscuring your view. You want to look for shingles that appear cracked or broken. If a shingle appears rotten ( it might seem decomposed, and it will easily pull away from the roof), then that too might be the cause of your problem. Once you have located your problem, you can move on to fixing it. Remove all damaged or rotten shingles in the area of the leak. Make sure to not damage any of the good shingles or the base of the roofing with your tools.

Once the old shingles are gone, replace them with new ones. Make sure they correlate to look the same as the other shingles, and place them down with nails and base cement. Make sure to leave no gaps open, or your just begging for another leaking problem to develop. If done properly, you will have just accomplished in saving hundreds of dollars and a huge confidence booster to your self-esteem!

If you want to bring life to a space, provide a great background for your family, or to create a more enjoyable atmosphere in your house, one should always look towards the use of color. Every color has influence on our emotions, either by adding on to an existing inherent physiological emotional response or by causing a brand new personal response, based on a person’s past experience, memories, and to a degree, genetics. Learning the magic of colors allows oneself to enhance the emotional support in every room of your home.

Yet you must also always remember that interior and exterior design are not fashion statements. Fashions ebb and flow and will eventually go out of style; you should seek to establish a pleasant color scheme that you could be happy with for a lifetime. All of these should be based on your current emotional needs. Most importantly, just remember that color design should be fun! Be creative and have fun with it; go with your heart. If you learn to understand how color effects peoples mood, especially in regard to temperature, you’ll have the confidence in yourself needed to make the best possible choices you can.

Colors are neutral, cool, or warm. Warm colors are associated with happiness and comfort. Warm colors produce inviting, warm, happy feelings. They include: orange, red, yellow, magenta, and yellow-green hues. Yet because these warm colors tend to speed up our perception of time, they make us feel restless. Warm colors, although considered happy colors, are often instead mind-numbing and tedious unless they’re balanced with a cooler shade.

On the flip side, cool colors give space a professional feeling, and their coolness often calms people. Cool colors, especially lighter shades of blue, tend to recede into the background. Cool colors are: violet, blue, green, light blue, and cyan. These colors slow down the perception of time, and work great in contrast with warm colors or neutral colors.

Neutral colors brown, gray, white and black usually have undertones that make them not truly neutral. This is even more flagrant to see to the open eye when affected by lighting. Be careful to not have too many neutral colors for this will exhaust your eye and create a dull atmosphere in your house.

Choosing colors should always be your first consideration for a room. How colors affect our perception of things and temperature are key to establishing the perfect harmony in your house. Take special consideration when considering such things, and best of luck on your remodeling project!