Whether you have a floor that is old and in need of a facelift or a one that you’re yearning to touch up, refinishing your floor isn’t as hard as you think. With the right materials and a willingness to put in some hard work, your dingy, dirty wood floor can be gorgeous and elegant again.
There are a number of things you’ll need for this job before you get started:

1) First and foremost, protective plastic gloves and old clothes you don’t mind ruining;
2) Wood Stain;
3) Stripping Agent;
4) Your choice of wood stain;
5) Sand Paper;
6) Putty Knife;
7) Steel Wool;
Buffing Paper;
9) Special squeegee for spreading the stain. Ask at your local hardware store if you’re unsure;
10) Polyurethane;
11) D-natured Alcohol;
12) Aluminum pan;
13) Good mask or face cover.

Once you’ve gotten all your materials together, you can begin by removing all covers or carpeting. If the rug doesn’t come up clean, you’ll need to scrape it with a putty knife to get rid of the excess.
The floor doesn’t have to look perfect, but it should be relatively clean. This includes getting rid of any tack stripping along the floor edges. This is most easily achieved by using a flat head screw driver to pull the tacking up.
After you’ve finished clearing the old materials and debris from the floor, use the stripper and spread it on an area of around three feet. It seems tedious, but you want to be able to clean the area quickly. Let it sit for five minutes.
Then pour the D-natured alcohol into the aluminum pan and clean the area you just treated with steel wool. As alcohol does evaporate, use it in small bits. Repeat the process from the beginning of stripping until you’ve covered the whole floor. Smooth any rough spots with sand paper and follow it up with a buffer.
When you’ve completed this process, apply the stain you chose to floor, allow it to dry completely, and apply two coats of polyurethane. Keep in mind that it will take up to a day and a half or two days for the polyurethane to dry.
The process can take anywhere from a week or longer, but if you work quickly, or with a partner, over several days, you can finish the project without a problem. This also depends how large the space is; if you’re doing your house, expect quite awhile. If you’re doing the dining room floor, expect significantly less.

fastfloors.com www.fastfloors.com

fastfloors.com fastfloors.com

Once you view a HDTV program on a LCD TV screen, you will probably be hooked for life. The colors are so vivid and the resolution so sharp that it just makes TV viewing a pleasure.

But one of the big advantages of a LCD TV monitor is it’s ability to be mounted almost anywhere thanks to it’s thin configuration. Televisions have normally been viewed as a piece of furniture that takes up floor space in your home. That’s because the old CRT TV screens were very large and bulky, especially in the larger screen sizes, and just not conducive to being mounted very easily. But LCD TVs are changing all of that. They can actually be mounted on any flat surface that is capable of supporting their weight, even the ceiling. So what do you need to wall mount a LCD TV?

Thankfully, LCD wall mounts are becoming much more popular and available as the sales of LCDs continues to grow. They can be found both online and offline and come in a variety of sizes and price ranges. You can get a simple wall mount that mainly consists of some metal brackets that attach to the wall and then the TV is mounted on them, or you can get more sophisticated and buy a wall mount that has arms that allow you to slide the TV in and out from the wall and even adjust the viewing angle as desired.

The biggest caveat with LCD wall mounts is to be absolutely certain that the one you choose will indeed support the full weight of your particular TV monitor. To find out consult the TV specifications for your monitor in the user manual or online and determine it’s weight first. Then as you shop notice carefully how much weight each mount is capable of handling. If the supported weight statistics are not shown, don’t even bother with that mount.

Once you have the type of LCD wall mount that you want, the most important step is to actually install it. If you choose to do this yourself, be sure to follow the directions from the manufacturer very carefully in the installation process. It would also be a very good idea to be familiar with doing some kind of home improvement beforehand that involves wall mounts. After all, this mount will be holding a very expensive piece of equipment and if it fails, you will stand a good chance of destoying the TV altogether. If you don’t feel qualified to install the wall mount, hire out the job to someone who you know can handle that kind of job, and factor in the installation costs to make sure that it still fits into your budget.

Once installed correctly a LCD TV will be a joy to watch for many years and will also probably be a topic of conversation for whoever visits your home.

Jim Johnson is a successful author and publisher on consumer related matters. You can find out more about a hdtv.consumerreviewsonline.com/index.html lcd tv wall mount and hdtv.consumerreviewsonline.com/lcd-hdtv.html lcd tv reviews by visiting our HDTV website.

Regardless of what theme you’ve picked for your bathroom, bathroom vanities are designed to look good and should provide practical function including ample storage space. Ladies, if you demand good light and adequate facilities to put on your make up, then it is important to design a bathroom vanity for just that purpose! In addition to putting your makeup on in style, your bathroom vanity is ideal for helping keep the counter top free from clutter and other items that tend to accumulate in a bathroom. When it comes to choosing plumbing fixtures for your bathroom, try to choose quality fixtures, such as delta faucets or moen bathroom faucets.

There is a wonderful selection online to choose from, all from the comfort of your own home. If you have a particular theme in mind such as antique, contemporary or even traditional you can find bathroom vanity furniture to match. If you’d like to make your bathroom vanity the focal point of your bathroom, consider such touches as arched skirts and other decorative items such as fancy table feet.

Try to coordinate your bathroom shower stalls and shower curtain rods with your theme. Consider installing a cultured-marble vanity top, as they are very stylish and will last forever! Or, you may even want to consider having a look at granite depending on what is important to you and your personal tastes. There is a huge selection, as well, of quality wood vanities. You can choose from maple, oak or cherry wood and you have the option to buy it unfinished if you prefer to put the finishing touches on yourself or purchase them already glazed and painted. Your new bathroom vanity can add a touch of class to your bathroom and give it a complete new image that you never thought was possible!

Terry Price is a successful web publisher & expert author and is a regular contributor to bathroomvanitiescurtains.com/shower-curtain-rods.html bathroomvanitiescurtains.com/shower-curtain-rods.html How about some ceramic bathroom shower decorating ideas? bathroomvanitiescurtains.com/ceramic-bathroom-shower-decorating-ideas.html bathroomvanitiescurtains.com/ceramic-bathroom-shower-decorating-ideas.html

The garage workbench is an indispensable part of any garage. There are many choices to make starting with the decision to purchase a portable workbench for small projects, all the way to building one as an integral part of the garage.

The different kinds of garage workbenches

Workbenches can be purchased in many different sizes and designs, and can be found in most home improvement stores. Below we present a brief review of different workbench designs for the garage that you might find available at your local retailer.

1. The Table Workbench is a very common type, and for the most part looks like an every day table. The materials used in a table workbench are what differentiate it from a normal table. Tough durable materials like steel or hardwood are used to withstand the punishment.

2. Cabinet workbench - as the name implies, combines the utility of a workbench with the convenience of cabinets for storage and organization. These types of workbenches will cost a little more, but the extra cost is perfectly offset by the added value. Cabinet type workbenches provide a compact workspace where tools and chemicals can be safely stored.

3. More of a feature than a workbench type - the power strip workbench provides plenty of outlets for electrical tools needed for most any hobby. Often combined with utility drawers, these can be very compact, handy workbenches for light duty hobbies.

Building a garage workbench yourself.

When store bought solutions don’t fit the need, there’s always the option of building your own workbench. Garage workbench kits can be purchased at most any hardware store. These kits contain everything needed to build a great light duty workbench for the garage or lab.

Then there’s the hardcore method - building your own garage workbench from scratch. You purchase, cut, and shape the lumber materials into the workbench that fits your exact needs. Plans and blueprints are readily available for free download off the internet, or they can be purchased at any good hardware store.

If you go with the hard core workbench method, be sure to purchase the best quality materials you can afford. The workbench top should be at least 3/8 of an inch thick plywood, preferably 1/2 inch. Polyurethane is a good coating to protect the workspace from moisture. Always use screws, not nails, never compromise on quality, and always take pride in your work.

Buy or build, a workbench is an indispensable part of any garage. So clear out the paint cans, the boxes and bags to make some room. Happy cobbling.

D Marx writes for

The look of a garage door is important to accentuate the look of a house. Many people would never consider this to be the case because the garage is the traditionally overlooked and forgotten part of the house. It’s where the biggest mess is, where the most dirt is and where people rarely spend a lot of time.

As true as that is from the inside, from the outside the garage is a huge deal. This becomes truer with each passing year as architectural trends and consumer needs drive the need for bigger garages. These days a three car garage is quite common in a lot of areas and that means three garage doors spanning the front of the house.

Even one garage door can draw attention away from the outer house’s other features. When two of these are these garage doors are placed side by side it seems to take up at least half of the house. Going on three it’s easy to see how the house’s otherwise beautiful look can be swallowed up—unless the doors are thought through carefully.

This is why the manufacturing of garage doors has become a booming industry. Different manufacturers bring different things to the table. Some offer heavier steel or a sturdier design. Some boast doors that can withstand high winds while other garage doors are meant to maintain themselves through varying climate conditions. The better in the business manage to offer it all.

With houses getting bigger and more lavish, though, the best garage door is one that not only has the aforementioned physical strengths, but a look that compliments the house without taking away from it. Because of this need we are now able to walk a street without seeing the same color and style of garage door twice.

Van Whitsett has published a number of articles, both online and offline. To learn more about garage doors, please visit: garage-door-site.net Garage Door

Usually, people who choose to build or buy a log home are unconventional souls-”free spirits.” The decor inside their homes is as unique as the outer appearance. Not long ago, decorating such a home was a challenge, since the pieces sold in a typical furniture store didn’t fit-either in size or style-the interior of a log cabin. However, as log cabin homes have become more popular, specialized furniture, as well as floor and window treatments have evolved to fit this decorating niche.

Simplicity and natural ambience are key factors in log home decorating. With an increasing number of choices in log cabin style today, it can be easy to go overboard with rustic pieces, resulting in a cluttered, busy look instead of the simple, peaceful feeling most homeowners want. Creating the right balance takes careful consideration of each purchase.

You will want to offset each intricate piece with a more plain counterpart. For example, if your wooden bed frame has exquisitely carved detail, a simple single or two-toned quilt will show off the handiwork better than a busy-patterned Native American blanket. Pay careful attention to the balance of plain and complex patterns in the living room, too. Often, log cabin homes have very large living areas, so they can handle a number of woven patterns. Offset them, however, with simple clay or carved wooden bowls on natural or distressed look tables and rusted-metal lampshades.

Windows treatments in a log cabin should be simple. Typically, log cabins in pioneer days had very plain window coverings. Their main purpose was to control the amount of light and heat/cold that came in. Because today’s log cabin homeowners usually hold nature in high esteem, and windows are ways of bringing the outdoors in. So, window treatments are simple so as not to distract from the natural light or view outside the window.

Natural fabrics are the most popular choices for decorating a log cabin home. They range from single-colored muslins to heavy-textured woven blankets and rugs. In between is a wide variety of coarseness of cloth, prints and grains of leather. Using one main type of fabric in a room allows you to accessorize simply by substituting a different texture, and maintains the simple feel so right for decorating a log cabin home.

Americana folk art fits the log cabin decorating theme perfectly. In addition to human-made art, many people make the most of Nature’s artwork. Birch wood frames for photo collections, leaf-prints and pressed flowers under glass blend with antler coat or mug racks to highlight living in harmony with the natural world, the spirit that lies at the heart of all log cabin home decorating.

© 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard. Want more decorating tips, ideas and advice? Please Visit DIYHomeDecorating.com DIYHomeDecorating.com where you’ll find articles about a variety of diyhomedecorating.com/Decorating-Styles/ home decorating styles, indoor and diyhomedecorating.com/Outdoor-Decorating/ outdoor decorating ideas, decorating photos and much more!

Pictures and photographs are the best means to keep memories from fading. A fitting frame to any picture makes all the difference. Picture frames are found to date back to a long time in history. The art of framing pictures or paintings is thought to have begun in the renaissance period when creative work was at its peak. Bamboo is one of the types of material that is used to build frames for lending support and protection to a work of art.

Real bamboo frames are magnificently hand crafted and are available in a plethora of unique styles that individualize and enhance creative works. Bamboo frames are typically known to evoke the casual feel of tropical islands. Bamboo frames can be simple or more elaborate based on the liking of the individual and the type of artwork that has to be framed. It is important to ensure that the frame matches the artwork and the décor. A bamboo picture frame typically lends artistic credibility to the owner?s efforts and accentuates colors, features, and locale of the shoot.

Pictures have to be protected and preserved, and bamboo frames provide the best protection against direct light and moisture. An unframed picture is always at a risk of being spoilt by frequent touching. Bamboo after seasoning forms a very hard wood that is light and extraordinarily tough. Hence, it is an ideal material for making frames that are supposed to last for a long time.

Bamboo frames are easily available in the market at affordable prices. It is also possible to shop online for these frames and take advantage of some fabulous discounts. Bamboo frames are also available at wholesale rates that suit different needs and budgets.

It is, however, important to keep in mind that wood-boring insects easily infest bamboo frames. Hence, it is necessary to treat these frames with preservatives or keep them in extremely dry conditions, away from moisture.

z-Frames.com Frames provides detailed information on Frames, Art Frames, Photo Frames, Poster Frames and more. Frames is affiliated with i-FramedArt.com Cheap Framed Art.

Let’s look at some of the basics of bay windows:

1. How to Recognize Them

This basically is what the definition of a bay window is. Bay windows are combinations of three or more windows projecting outward from a room. There are also different variations of bay windows; for example, bow windows are a variation of bay windows that is made up of four or more window units joined at equal angles to form a curve. So, a bay window is basically any window that extends out from the house and forms a bay.

2. Why to Choose Them

There are many reasons why you would want to choose a bay window for your home, so let’s just look at a few of the most obvious ones. Bay windows are great, and you should get them because they maximize space and take advantage of multiple views. A bay window will also make a room appear more open and spacious, increases the flow of light into a home, and can add counter area to a room. So in other words, you get more space, light, and distinction.

3. When to Use Them

The real question should be when not to use them. Bay and bow window units can be used in many different architectural settings to add class, and ambiance. Because they extend outward from the home, they tend to alter the basic configuration of a structural style, adding uniqueness and appeal. So, if you are looking for a little something more in the look of your house, a bay window is a great way to achieve that. If you want to add to the living space of your house without increasing the footings and foundation size (so more for less) then a bay or bow window is the way to go. If you have a great view off your house, whether it is of a lovely mountainside, lake, river, sunset, oasis, whatever it may be, a bay or bow window is a great way to capture that.

4. Where to Place Them

There are some rooms in the house that are more suited to a bay or bow window. For example, a bay or bow window in a bathroom is probably not the best placement. Bay and bow windows work particularly well in rooms where you are trying to create a greater sense of spaciousness, or in rooms where lots of people will be spending significant amounts of time in. They are popular choices in living rooms and master bedrooms. Another great place for a bay or bow window, depending on the layout of the room, and how formal you intend it to be in the kitchen and dining room area of the house. For many the kitchen acts as not only the room for food preparation, but also acts as the place for family gatherings, homework, etc. This is a great place for a bay or bow window.

5. What To Look For

When you go out and shop for your bay windows, besides the things you will determine through your personal choices and tastes (such as materials) you will want to get a bay or bow windows that has good NFRC ratings. So when shopping, compare NFRC ratings.
These ratings are important because they indicate the efficiency. When it comes to U-Factor, the lower the better, and the lower number also means the less you’ll spend heating and cooling. It’s an easy, accurate way to compare the energy efficiency of windows and patio doors. So use these ratings to help you determine which bay window is going to be the best for your house.

HomeBuildingRemodeling.com is your source for top quality homebuildingremodeling.com/ home building, remodeling and homebuildingremodeling.com/home_decorating/ home decorating information. For free articles delivered daily by email, visit HomeBuildingRemodeling.com/ HomeBuildingRemodeling.com and enter your name and email under the Free Home Building and Remodeling Updates section.

The air pollution outside our homes may be a cause for worry, but the air inside may not always he quite as pure as we’d like to believe it is. Enter air purifiers. These units are designed to remove a variety of pollutants - including smoke, dust, pollen, mold, animal dander, and some chemical odors and gases from the air. Do they work? Yes and no. Studies show that some types of air purifiers are effective against some types of pollutants. The key to buying one is knowing which pollutants you want to target and how much money you want to spend; prices and maintenance costs vary greatly.

Choosing the right unit

To rid your home of noxious odors particularly those that emanate from formaldehyde, pesticides, perfume, and tobacco smoke the best choice is a unit that uses an activated carbon filter. (Note: Air cleaners that do not contain special media, such as activated carbon, will not remove gaseous pollutants, including radon, or reduce their associated health effects.)

Electronic air purifiers may also reduce cigarette smoke, but they may not eliminate the odor. Different varieties, called electrostatic cleaners, electric cleaners, and negative ionizing cleaners, charge particles in the air so that they can be collected, either by a special filter or by your walls, floors, and furniture. These units neutralize some offensive odors but won’t remove odorless gases like carbon monoxide. Neither will they alleviate your allergy to cats, pollen, or dust.

If allergies to dust, pollen, and mold are your biggest complaint, look for a mechanical filtration system that traps large particles. A so called HEPA filter (high efficiency particulate air filter) is a good bet. But there’s a catch: these units filter only particles that are airborne; most allergens quickly settle on surfaces, where air purifiers can’t touch them. (In fact, you may not even need an air purifier to filter allergens from the air; at least one study showed that air conditioners do the job almost as well.)

To remove gases and odors in addition to pollen and dust, you’ll need a hybrid unit that uses more than one type of filtration system. If you have central heating or air conditioning, you may not need to buy an air purifier at all: you can have an electronic or mechanical filter installed in the ducts.

Recognize the drawbacks

Electronic air purifiers and negative ionizing cleaners may produce ozone, a lung irritant, especially if they are not properly installed and maintained.

And negative ionizing cleaners, especially those that lack a collection system, may eventually create an ugly black film on your walls and furniture. Also, many even most units designed to remove gases may actually send the gases right back into the air over time. And some devices fool you into thinking that they work better than they do by releasing scents in order to mask odors. Know which pollutants you want to remove.

Match the purifier to the room size. Look for the CADR (clean air delivery rate) to learn how many cubic feet oft air per minute the unit can clean.

Tabletop units are relatively ineffective, unless used in small areas. No air purifier is 100 percent effective on its own. You must also control the source of pollution. For people with allergies, an air purifier with a HFPA system is a fair bet but not a surefire solution.

Joshua Poyoh provides independent views of home improvement at homeimprovementview.com homeimprovementview.com.
More information on homeimprovementview.com/indoor_air_purification_home_systems.php Indoor Air Purification Home Systems.

Most of us have favorite places to keep our hammers. At times, placement is based on convenience, other times as a matter of organizations, and sometimes we just stick them somewhere in the hope we will remember later where we put the hammer. Here are some examples of hammer storage that seems to fit most of us.

A fact of life for many of us is that the hammer often ends up in a drawer in the kitchen. There are actually some pretty good reasons for this. The hammer, like the screwdriver, often is needed for a quick job, such has hanging a picture, removing a nail from the wall, or similar one-minute duties. Instead of having to dig around through all the tools in order to find the hammer, we choose to keep it in a handy spot where we always know it will be.

Another popular hammer storage spot is in a portable toolbox. We may choose to keep the toolbox in a closet or in the garage. Either way, we can grab the box, take it to the site of the job we need to do, extract the hammer, and get to work. When we are done, the hammer goes back into the toolbox. As with the kitchen drawer, we have the convenience of always knowing where the hammer is when we need it for a job.

The real at home do it yourself type will have a garage outfitted with a workbench and tool racks. This type of person probably has several hammers, each of them occupying a special place on a tool rack. When a hammer is needed, one simply looks over the choices, selects the right one, completes the job, and hangs the hammer back on the tool rack.

Of course, there are those of us that have to hunt for a hammer whenever we need one. We may find it in a drawer, under the bed, in the garage and some places that make no sense whatsoever. In some cases, we have forgotten what we needed with the hammer by the time we find its location. This is an example of one who needs a hammer storage plan very badly. If you know someone like this, buy him or her a tool box or introduce them to the wonders of the kitchen drawer. You will be saving them hours of frustration.

Mayoor Patel is the writer for the website hammers.wares-are.us/ hammers.wares-are.us/. Please visit for information on all things concerned with hammers.wares-are.us/Articles/Hammer_Storage.php Aromatherapy