It’s not easy to choose the right wall paint for your home. Standing in the paint shop looking at that giant wall of paint chips can seem overwhelming when trying to choose the right paint color. There are so many different colors and finishes to choose from that you might be tempted to not paint at all. Learning how to choose the right paint can make that dreaded trip to the paint store a little less confusing.
Never buy paint based on how it looks in the store because it will always look different at home. Grab as many paint samples you can find in the color you’re interested in. Choose shades that are both darker and lighter than what you think you might want because you’ll be surprised how different they’ll look when you get home. If you have an inspiration piece, coordinating fabrics, or wallpaper that you’re trying to match, bring those with you as well to compare to the paint chips.
Spread out all of your paint chips out in your room to get a general idea of which ones work and which ones don’t.Immediately eliminate the ones that don’t, set them aside, and don’t look at them again. Trust your instincts and keep moving forward rather than backwards. Tape the remaining samples to the wall and stand back to look at them. Study them over the next couple of days at different times. Look at them with the lights on, lights off, curtains open, and curtains closed. Look at them at night with various lights on. Eliminate colors as you go until you get down to your top three choices.
Go back to the store and buy small sample sizes of each color. Most paint stores now will mix a small tester size and some paint brands are even selling prepackaged tester packets right off the shelves. Take these testers home and paint a large square of each on the wall to see how they look over a larger area. All paints darken when they dry, so they’ll look slightly different. Analyze them again over the next couple of days in different light.
Once you’ve chosen a winner, you’ll need to decide on the finish. Interior paints come in five finishes: flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and glossy. Flat finishes have no shine, a rough texture, and are great for hallways or rooms that don’t get too dirty. Eggshell finishes have a slight sheen, like an eggshell, and can be used in bedrooms with light traffic. Satin finishes have more shine to them, a smooth texture, and work well in most rooms, especially kitchens or bathrooms because of their durability. Semi-gloss finishes are very reflective, easy to clean, and work best in kitchens, bathrooms, or kids rooms.
Always make sure the wall surface is flawless before you paint with semi-gloss because it highlights imperfections. Glossy finish is the shiniest paint you can get, so it’s rarely used on walls. Glossy paint is best used on furniture, cabinetry, or trim.
Choosing the right wall paint may be affected by the type of paint you have to use; for example, paint that are specifically designed for use on rough exterior wall come in a limited range of shades, while there is a huge variety of colors to paint a room, available for use.
Decorative painting patterns do have one thing in common: because they are all carried out by hand, the finished result will always be absolutely unique, giving the surfaces that you decorate a personal touch. The way you manipulate the glaze, with plastic or rags, and with subtle or bold ragging technique will determine the final texture you create.
Choosing the right wall paint creates a unifying backdrop to harmonize an eclectic group of furniture. Use a contrasting white for the furniture and artwork to let individual pieces stand out and take on greater importance. When used together, soft beiges, tans, whites, and grays will never clash.
Paint, colors to paint a room cost as little as ten dollars a gallon and as much as one hundred dollars. The success of your painting project depends greatly on the care that goes into selecting the paint and tools and preparing the walls. With a little creativity and some decorative painting patterns you can make a masterpiece for your home.
If you thought buying a shower tray was simple, think again.
You’ll want as much showering space as is possible to squeeze into your bathroom, but the size and shape of a tray can impact the position and size of other fittings, and can vary in cost depending on what material it’s made from and what sort of screen is required.
Check out our top tips for buying the right shower tray.
SQUARE
This standard shape is a versatile option – sizes range from 76sq cm to a more luxurious 90sq cm – and it can be positioned in a corner, along a wall or even in the middle of the room.
Cast stone resin tray (W76cm x D76cm x H5.5cm), £39.98, B&Q
PENTAGONAL
This tray fits neatly into a corner and is designed to take up as little floor space as possible – the ideal choice if you want to squeeze a separate shower enclosure into a compact bathroom.
LA Genta low-profile pentagonal shower tray (W90cm x D90cm x H3.5cm), £120, Bathroom Heaven
QUADRANT
Thanks to the curved front of this design, there’s a little more showering space than the pentagonal tray but it needs a curved shower screen, which is more expensive than a flat screen.
Quadrant acrylic capped stone resin tray (W80cm x D80cm x H3.5cm), £109, Flight range, Mira Showers
RECTANGULAR
Got a large bathroom? Go for maximum showering space with a rectangular design. They start from around 120cm long, but you can get them the same length as a bath (170cm).
Superplan XXL steel enamel tray (W170cm x D75cm x H4.7cm), £523, Kaldewei
DRYING AREA
A tray with its own drying area allows you to towel off before stepping out of the shower so you don’t need to use a bath mat or duck board – handy if you’ve got the space for it.
Tefeli stone resin tray (W123.5cm x D88.5cm x H18cm), £275, Vogue Bathrooms
LOW-LEVEL
Usually available in square or rectangular shapes, low-level trays are recessed into the floor and are increasingly popular as they create the feel of a wet room without the expense and hassle of having to waterproof the entire floor area. Tile up to the edges for a smart finish.
Sculptures low-level tray (W120cm x D80cm), from £325, Roman
Check out our top tips for buying the right shower tray.
Which material?
Acrylic and plastic are common types of tray as they’re lightweight and affordable, but they can chip and crack. An increasingly popular option is stone resin, which is strong, luxurious-looking and easy to install. Corian is also an extremely durable material, but is more expensive than stone resin. Ceramic is hard wearing and resistant to even the most abrasive cleaners, but is heavy and difficult to install. If money’s no object, natural stone gives a spa-style finish, but is extremely heavy and may not be suitable for some floors.
Where can I put it?
Almost anywhere, although obviously it depends on the position of windows and doors. The direction the joists run will also affect where you can put the waste pipe – ask your plumber for advice.
What size tray?
As big as you have space for. Draw a scale plan of your room and try different tray shapes and sizes, not forgetting to factor in the added dimensions of false walls to house pipework for the shower and trajectory of the door.
What colour?
White is the most popular colour, but trays are also available in cream and a pinky colour called pergamon. Some stone resin trays can still be ordered in ‘discontinued’ colours such as champagne, avocado and turquoise – visit www.tubz.co.uk for details.
Are all trays suitable for all enclosures?
Not necessarily. To ensure your tray and enclosure fit well together, buy both from the same retailer.
Painting is one of those jobs that most homeowners will tackle themselves before paying a professional. It’s also one of those jobs that looks easier than it is. Anyone can slop paint on a wall, but not many can make it look like a professional job. Here are some tips to make your next painting project look like it was done by an expert. It may take a few more steps, but it’s well worth the effort.
1. Wipe down all woodwork with a cleaner. Paint adheres better to a clean surface. Sand all the trim, doors and windows and vacuum and wipe with a tack cloth.
2. Before using your paintbrush soak it in water (if being used with latex paint), or paint thinner (for use with oil-based paint). Flex the bristles to spread the liquid right into the base of the brush and spin or shake it dry. This step will make your brush easier to clean later. When you open the paint can, use a nail to drive holes in the U-track around the top of the can. This allows the paint to drain back into the can after pouring.
3. Prime any bare woodwork before applying final coat. When molded doors, paint the rails first, then the inside panel, and finally the stiles or outside frame. Allow to dry overnight and sand with a 220-grit sandpaper. Vacuum and dust once again.
4. Use Dap or spackling compound to fill any nail holes or cracks. Once dry, sand lightly if necessary and paint with primer.
5. Caulk all the gaps between the trim or baseboard and the walls to create a nice clean line. To smooth the caulking, wet your finger and run it along the the line.
6. It’s time to paint the ceiling. Cut in or paint a 2 to 2 1/2 inch stripe along the outside edges of the ceiling. Wipe away any paint that touches the walls. Using a roller, complete the rest of the ceiling by dividing your strokes into a 3-foot section. Work your way across the room, one square at a time.
7. Now begin the finish coat on your trim, windows, and baseboard. Once dry, sand lightly and dust with a tack cloth. Next, apply your finish coat. When painting window trim, if you get paint on the glass, let it dry and then scrape it off. Dampen the glass first to prevent scratching it with the window scraper.
Some use the paint as a sealant from moisture. To do this, hold the edge of a wide putty knife blade against the glass, flat side against the wood, and scrape up to it. You’ll end up with an even strip of paint on the glass about the thickness of the blade.
8. Once the baseboard is dry, cover the top of the trim with blue masking tape. Using a brush, cut in around windows and door trim, then along baseboard and finally at the ceiling or crown molding. Use an extension handle on your roller to paint the walls. Just as with the ceiling, envision a 3 or 4 foot square and fill in working from the top down. Use a putty knife to remove any paint nubs on the wall once the paint dries. Finish with a final coat and remove the masking tape as soon as the paint has set. Don’t wait too long or you may pull off some of the drywall with the tape. Resist the urge to yank the tape, but instead pull it slowly and evenly to avoid ripping it.
It’s not easy to choose the right wall paint for your home. Standing in the paint shop looking at that giant wall of paint chips can seem overwhelming when trying to choose the right paint color. There are so many different colors and finishes to choose from that you might be tempted to not paint at all. Learning how to choose the right paint can make that dreaded trip to the paint store a little less confusing.
Never buy paint based on how it looks in the store because it will always look different at home. Grab as many paint samples you can find in the color you’re interested in. Choose shades that are both darker and lighter than what you think you might want because you’ll be surprised how different they’ll look when you get home. If you have an inspiration piece, coordinating fabrics, or wallpaper that you’re trying to match, bring those with you as well to compare to the paint chips.
Spread out all of your paint chips out in your room to get a general idea of which ones work and which ones don’t.Immediately eliminate the ones that don’t, set them aside, and don’t look at them again. Trust your instincts and keep moving forward rather than backwards. Tape the remaining samples to the wall and stand back to look at them. Study them over the next couple of days at different times. Look at them with the lights on, lights off, curtains open, and curtains closed. Look at them at night with various lights on. Eliminate colors as you go until you get down to your top three choices.
Go back to the store and buy small sample sizes of each color. Most paint stores now will mix a small tester size and some paint brands are even selling prepackaged tester packets right off the shelves. Take these testers home and paint a large square of each on the wall to see how they look over a larger area. All paints darken when they dry, so they’ll look slightly different. Analyze them again over the next couple of days in different light.
Once you’ve chosen a winner, you’ll need to decide on the finish. Interior paints come in five finishes: flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and glossy. Flat finishes have no shine, a rough texture, and are great for hallways or rooms that don’t get too dirty. Eggshell finishes have a slight sheen, like an eggshell, and can be used in bedrooms with light traffic. Satin finishes have more shine to them, a smooth texture, and work well in most rooms, especially kitchens or bathrooms because of their durability. Semi-gloss finishes are very reflective, easy to clean, and work best in kitchens, bathrooms, or kids rooms.
Always make sure the wall surface is flawless before you paint with semi-gloss because it highlights imperfections. Glossy finish is the shiniest paint you can get, so it’s rarely used on walls. Glossy paint is best used on furniture, cabinetry, or trim.
Choosing the right wall paint may be affected by the type of paint you have to use; for example, paint that are specifically designed for use on rough exterior wall come in a limited range of shades, while there is a huge variety of colors to paint a room, available for use.
Decorative painting patterns do have one thing in common: because they are all carried out by hand, the finished result will always be absolutely unique, giving the surfaces that you decorate a personal touch. The way you manipulate the glaze, with plastic or rags, and with subtle or bold ragging technique will determine the final texture you create.
Choosing the right wall paint creates a unifying backdrop to harmonize an eclectic group of furniture. Use a contrasting white for the furniture and artwork to let individual pieces stand out and take on greater importance. When used together, soft beiges, tans, whites, and grays will never clash.
Paint, colors to paint a room cost as little as ten dollars a gallon and as much as one hundred dollars. The success of your painting project depends greatly on the care that goes into selecting the paint and tools and preparing the walls. With a little creativity and some decorative painting patterns you can make a masterpiece for your home.
Bare spots rarely form in your yard for no apparent reason. To fix a bare spot, you first have to know why it’s there. So, the first step to repair the spot is to take care of what caused it in the beginning.
If you have a dog, there’s a good chance that your pet may be contributing to the bare spot. Should you happen to already know that’s the reason, you can’t fix the bare spot permanently until you do something else with your dog. You have a similar problem if the bare
spot is the result of over activity from your family’s use of the yard. Unless you’re willing to change their play and recreational habits, you’re most likely stuck with a bare spot.
Moles can be another culprit. They push up the earth and expose the plant roots to air. This dries the roots and kills the grass. In order to repair the yard, you will have to either poison or trap the mole. There are several excellent products that will do one or the other.
You may have that spot from too much of something natural occurring. It might be too much shade from a tree. If the spot has tree litter covering it too often, you may have a soil problem from things that leach from the leaves and sticks decaying there. A low place that keeps standing water too long can do in the grass that tries to grow there.
Weeds can take over a patch of your lawn and when they die in the summer heat, a bare spot is left behind. You may just be unlucky enough to have poor soil in a small area that needs some attending. It may be where you burned leaves last fall and now the grass isn’t coming back because you changed the soil composition.
If the problem is from an animal or excessive use and you’ve eliminated the problem, take a rake and loosen the top inch or two of soil over the whole area. Sow a generous amount of the correct type of grass seed over the area. Cover with a thin layer of straw. This will keep birds from consuming your new seed.
How to Decorate a Small Room
Very few things are more complicated than decorating a narrow space. Such experience can make you spend a long time only to bring into the house all the things you need, without thinking to a way for them to look good.
Here are some tips that will help you in your attempt to decorate a very small room. First, you must know that the light is very important and the overall look of the room, especially the room’s size, depends on it. The mirrors reflect the light from a room and make it look more spacious.
Placed on the wall in front of the window, the mirror will have a greater effect.
Assess the degree of illumination of the room and examine well the room’s corners, taking care that they are not shaded. For more light, add lighting objects on the wall, preferably suspended. Also, make sure the windows are decorated in bright colors.
It is essential to keep cleanliness in a narrow space, although this can be a challenge: anywhere you sit down, the things seem crowded and the mess appears quickly. Therefore we recommend you to use furniture and accessories that fulfill several functions at the same time (a coffee table with drawers, as it has a storage space; beds with drawers).
It is preferable the furniture’s division in small groups, than using a large space that gathers all the objects. Also, the room will be more attractive if the furniture is placed at a certain distance from the walls and not stacked on them. Regarding the bulky furniture- the bed, the sofa, the desk, and the closet- it is appropriate that they be placed in angle in front of the wall.
Establish ‘tracks’ over the room and arrange the furniture and the other accessories around them. Let a larger space around doors and windows and try to always keep free the shortest way to reach them.
Finally, get rid of ornaments (try to use them in line and depending on the season), minimize the number of art objects, use a single color for all the walls of the room (preferably a light or a warm one), move the photo collection to a special place (such as the walls that are up the staircase, which leads in the room) and, last but not the least, use shades in the room that ensure a harmonious environment.
If you have a small house or a small closed in room, a great way to make the space feel larger is to open it up visually with an interior window. You can find old windows at garage sales, second hand stores and old house parts stores. If you are handy or have access to someone who is, this would be a great project that could completely transform the feeling of your space.
- Adding a window to a solid wall in a hallway, closet or small bath can make a space feel less claustrophobic.
- Dividing walls can define a space, but by adding a window you don’t block all the light plus you add a charming detail to the space.
- Even if you don’t actually put in glass, cutting out openings or avoiding a solid wall gives a more open feel.
- In a windowless room, you can add a window to take advantage of the view and light coming from a room that does have a window!
- Change out solid cabinet doors for glass and you’ll be amazed at how much roomier your space will feel!
- Vellum sheets, curtains, shutters or stained glass can be added to interior windows if privacy is desired!
- Changing out a solid interior door for a glass door is another way to make a big impact by visually expanding your space.
- If you want a quick or less permanent fix, a mirror can always stand in for a window.
And if you place it across from a real window, the impact is doubled! - You can even create “windows” outside to expand those dark corners!
Put mirrors on the outside of your house, hang them on fences and above potting tables!
Make the most of the space you have with a few interior windows to increase the visual size of your room, magnify and reflect the light and even give your room a brand new view!
Buying furniture for the baby nursery is a very big project for new parents.
Until the third trimester of pregnancy, mom gets too tired to enjoy in making the space to welcome the new baby to the home.
It is better for new parents to plan the baby nursery as soon as they know that a new baby is going to come. Here are wonderful tips that help you greatly in decorating your baby’s nursery.
Tips to buy baby furniture:
1. Select the right theme and colors. If you are not aware of the gender of your baby, then it is better to plan the nursery all in white color and once after the arrival of your baby you can add splashes of color to it or you can also choose neutral colors like green and orange.
2. Search on the internet for various brands and styles of the baby furniture like changing table, cot, pram and chest of drawers. So, you will get a clear idea on what you like and understand the various choices that are available.
3. Remember one thing, spend more amount of money on long lasting items like the baby crib, changing table, pram, and save as much money as you can on baby accessories.
4. It is very confusing to buy the correct pram that suits to your baby, because you will find so many varieties to choose from. Here are the things you need to consider while choosing the pram:
* Want to go jogging with the pram or quiet walks in the park?
* Do you want to use the pram for shopping?
* Do you want a huge storage space?
* Want to buy the pram that fits in your car’s boot?
5. Once after selecting all the baby furniture items, the next thing you need to consider is how to decorate the baby’s nursery. Select wonderful wall arts, g, big wooden letters, photo frames and various other room accessories to brighten up the nursery.
6. While selecting the baby stroller, first you need to decide which style of the stroller you want before searching the individual brands. Once you get better idea about for what purposes you want to use the stroller, then it will be easy for you to select.
7. It is not necessary to buy the baby monitor, but it is great to offer piece of mind. Select the monitor based on the things that you are going to use it. You need to move around a lot, so ensure that the monitor is portable.
8. Choose the crib based on the size and length of your baby and is well constructed, because crib is the place where your baby is going to spend his most of the time.
9. Baby bedding accessories is another item on which you need to spend lots of money. You can easily find cute and gorgeous designs for your baby bedding. Most of the cribs and bassinets use standard sized beddings. A good idea is to buy only the necessary accessories for your baby and keep all the less necessary things on your baby shower gift list.
10. Baby bassinets are only useful for your baby from the birth to 4 months age. When the baby starts rolling from side-to-side, it is the time to keep him in the crib. So, choose the bassinet according to the budget and get it if that is necessary for your baby.
Taken from: http://www.newbornbabyzone.com
Your guide to buying the best mattress - from budget to luxury - we offer tips and advice on what to look for in a bed!
Mattress types
There are so many mattresses on the market that choosing a new one can seem overwhelming. Each manufacturer bedazzles with new technology and marketing speak, making it practically impossible to weigh up comparable products between brands – unless you bring it down to basics. Keep in mind there are predominately four types of mattresses to choose from, so once you know what you like you can limit your search to that style and then select the appropriate bells and whistles.
Inner-spring
These are the most common mattresses sold in Australia. It’s the spring system that provides support, so it’s important to check the quality of the springs and the way they’re arranged. Pocket spring systems, where the springs are independent of each other, are generally considered the best. It’s the padding surrounding the springs that supplies the comfort. Many manufacturers will use the same spring system and then vary the padding to provide a range of different mattresses. Confusingly, a particular model produced by a manufacturer may be listed under different names at various retailers, making it hard to compare prices.
Latex
Latex is a natural hypo-allergenic material made from the sap of rubber trees. Good latex mattresses have pin-core holes incorporated into the design that allow them to breathe. Latex mattresses curve to the shape of your body, minimising gaps between you and the mattress and providing a great cushioning experience. Quality latex matresses are expensive, but can last up to 25 years. Plus, they’re good for allergy sufferers as they are much less attractive to dust mites than traditional spring styles.
Memory Foam
Also known as viscoelastic foam, memory foam was originally created by NASA to be used in astronauts’ seats to soak up g-forces. It’s made from polyurethane and conforms to the shape of your body. It takes about 15 minutes to fully respond to your body’s warmth and doesn’t spring back like regular foam. Some testers have reported lying on this type of mattress felt like floating, as it supports high-load areas such as hips and shoulders, while others said the experience was more like being bogged in wet sand. There is concern that memory foam may retain too much heat to be comfortable, but some manufacturers are incorporating new, ‘temperature neutral’ materials into their designs.
Pillow Tops
Pillow tops are inner-spring or latex mattresses that have a top layer of another material, such as feathers, memory foam or latex, to provide a luxurious cushion, which they undoubtedly do – at first. The problem with pillow tops is the upper layer tends to wear out faster than the mattress. Consider buying a separate pillow top, known as a mattress topper or overlay, and fitting it onto your mattress if this is the way you want to go. Pillow-top mattresses are not to be confused with memory-foam ones, which are designed to have two layers and will wear evenly.
Sizing
Standard Australian mattress sizing is as follows:
- Single: 92cm x 188cm
- Single extra long: 92cm x 203cm
- King single: 107cm x 203cm
- Double: 138cm x 188cm
- Queen: 153cm x 203cm
- King: 183cm x 203cm