Four Innovative Design Styles

As home owners are planning their home renovations, they should consider the current trends. Below are four of the more popular trends for 2011 in home decorating.

Bold Color:
Color can make a more traditional piece look fresh and new. The new American way uses dynamic color paired with sensibility. Together, it will bring a mixture of elegance and vibrance to a room.

Gathering Place:
Many families tend to gather in the kitchen of a home. This being said, the newest trends for kitchens, involve creating a cozy family space. It is a cross between a coffee house and a cocktail lounge. It is comfortable and versatile, informal for family dinners but chic enough for a dinner party.

Soft Modern:
Industrial and severe is out and the softer side is in. The newest trends include clean lines and geometric shapes. It involves organic materials and handcrafted details. Soft modern brings in trends from the kitchen as a gathering place and is considered warm and tactile.

Mixed Design Styles:
The final trend includes a mix of design styles. A coherent assemblage of different styles from different periods of time. It has an air of improvisation, such as blending coastal, modern and antique.

5 Remodeling Myths Revealed

Many home owners find themselves in need of renovating parts of their homes. Whether it be dated cabinets or mismatched hardware, updating a home can almost always encourage a larger resale value. Unfortunately, there are some myths surrounding home renovation that owners should be aware of before entering into a project.

Myth: Any remodel is a good one
Fact: Most home owners think that any remodeling project for a home is a good one yet this may not necessarily be true.

Not every home remodeling project is beneficial. It is important for home owners to research how the renovation will effect their home and weigh their options before entering into an expensive and timely project.

Myth: Interior improvements are better than exterior ones
Fact: Just because we spend most of our quality time indoors does not mean that the outside should be ignored. Both the interior and exterior are equally important.

Myth: Always follow the latest design trends
Fact: Many house owners think it’s a good idea to always fit in with the latest design trends. Home owners should try to think more carefully about how the remodel fairs in the future.

Flat roofs are among today’s common roof design trends but the engineer says that although this is fashionable, flat roofs may not be fashionable in ten years. Also, flat roofs do not fair well and are not safe for areas with large amounts of rain.

Myth: Cracks in walls indicate big problems
Fact: Most cracks are a result of expansion and contraction and are a sign of structural failure, especially if a proper dump proof course was not used while constructing the foundation of the structure. The expansion and contraction is natural for many houses and in most cases once the crack is fixed the problem is solved. However, if the crack continues to expand there could be a structural or foundation problem.

Myth: Retail hardware shops are cheap and better places to buy home improvement materials
Fact: When it comes to buying small hardware like bolts and locks, retail hardware shops offer a wide selection to choose from.

However, when it comes to large scale home remodeling projects, retail hardware shops may not be the best place. Home owners should consider consulting a construction professional as well. Some materials found in most retail hardware shops are substandard; only a construction engineer or material testing laboratories can rule out counterfeit products.

Bathtub Reglazing

When home owners are looking to spruce up dated bathroom tile, reglazing the tub and shower is an option. For many bathrooms, to 'gut' and refurbish the room would be upwards of several thousand dollars. Reglazing the tile in the bathroom will pull it into this decade without breaking the bank.

Typically, reglazing will cost approximately $1,000, but has the ability to transform the old into something new. Reglazing a bathroom should be performed by a professional. The process uses many chemicals that are too toxic for an amateur to handle safely.

The reglazing process should take a professional roughly about 10 days. The video below shows the drastic change that reglazing can offer.

Renovate Your Kitchen Cabinets for Less

When considering renovating the cabinets in their kitchens, many home owners are presented with two options.
Option A: Tear down all cabinets and replace them with new ones
Option B: Strip the paint from the original cabinets and repaint them with either matching color or wood stain
While option A may sound great, it is the more expensive of the two. When this is out of a homeowner's budget, they should look towards option B. Option B allows for older cabinets to be freshened up with a new coat of paint and can bring new life to your kitchen. Although it is the less expensive of the two choices, it is also the more time consuming.

If your cabinets are made of wood and you enjoy the craftsmanship then perhaps a new coat of wood stain would be better. Either way all cabinets will need to be sanded down to remove previous paint or stain and to allow the wood to be porous to new color. Below are a few tips to choosing option B.

Cabinet Painting Tips:
1. Take all doors off of the cabinets and remove all of the hardware
2. Clean everything with a household cleaner, for paint to apply well all dirt needs to be removed
3. Sand down all surfaces where paint will be applied
4. If painting the cabinets a color, prime every surface. If you are applying it to wood, use an oil based primer.
5. Paint away! Depending on the wood's original coloring and the color of paint or wood stain you use, the cabinets will need between 1 and 3 coats of paint.
6. Wait till all paint is dried to hang the doors again. This can take up to four days.

How to Use Lighting

Fluorescent lighting is made in many different levels of brightness. Each level is acceptable in different areas and arenas. For decorating purposes it is important to match the light color and level of brightness to the home or business. Fluorescent lighting color is described by the Kelvin rating or how cool or warm the light is. There are six different levels of fluorescent lighting and all are listed below with suggestions for rooms to use the levels in.

• 2700
This level is a warm white and a lower level of brightness. Lighting at the 2700 level should be used in private rooms in the home, counseling offices and restaurants. It presents a more intimate level of lighting and promotes trust.

• 3000
Lighting of 3000 Kelvins are called soft whites and mostly used in home furnishing stores and waiting rooms. This type of lighting allows for people to feel comfortable, but is less intimate that lighting at 2700 Kelvins.
• 3500
This lighting is in the middle of warm to cool lighting and should be used in commercial, retail stores and offices. This color temperature performs well when paired with a silver lens. It will brighten the flatness of the fluorescent light.

• 4100
This level begins the cool white lighting. This temperature represents the lighting of an overcast, winter day. This level is not often used.

• 5000
The 5000 Kelvins lighting is most used in hospitals, laboratories and doctors office. The lighting is crisp and harsh.

• 6500
This is the bluest and coldest of the lighting. The 6500 level of lighting used mainly in jewelry and accessory stores where specific and minute details of the product need to be seen.

3 Tips for Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring has become increasingly more popular for both economic and ecological reasons. This type of flooring can be used in multiple rooms and is a cheaper compliment to wood flooring. It is also one of the easiest home renovation projects to do yourself. To install the flooring yourself, you will save hundreds of dollars on installation but will need to be prepared. Below are three tips to better prepare you to install your laminate flooring.

1. Be Organized
Plan out what you want to accomplish and check that you have the necessary tools and accessories at hand to complete the job. You will need enough flooring to cover the square footage of the room, proper underlayment, transitions, moldings and glue. Be sure you have a complete understanding of the project and the expectations before starting.

2. Inspect the Flooring
Inspect the flooring before installation to ensure you have the correct pattern, style and color you want for the room. Check all laminate planks for visible defects. Do not install laminate planks with obvious damage. Your flooring may come with a manufacturer’s warranty and the company may be willing to replace the damaged planks.

3. Basics are Important
○ Check your subfloor prior to installation
The subfloor will need to be in proper condition before installation. Replace damaged areas that are loose or have been damaged by moisture. Clear all loose debris and dirt before laying the foam underlayment.

○ Acclimation
Laminate flooring must be conditioned for at least 48 hours before installation. This type of flooring will constrict or expand depending upon the moisture in the air. Cross stack the unopened boxes in the room where the flooring will be installed. Do not allow the temperature in the room fall below 65 degrees.

○ Use proper underlayment
Laminate flooring will need proper underlayment installed underneath. Use regular underlayment when installing laminate over wood sub-floor. Use vapor underlayment for cement sub-floor, wood subfloor over crawl space, in manufactured houses, vinyl installed over concrete and radiant floor.

Feng Shui Home Renovation Tips

When remodeling your home consider following feng shui tips. Feng shui allows the home to have a balanced space for each family member.

Feng shui allows those who use it to attain positivity in their homes and lives. The focus of this Chinese philosophy is to control the flow of energy. When using this concept it will help home owners to arrange their rooms and furniture in a way that will help to gain positive energies in the home. Below are four tips to help home owners utilize feng shui.
1. Balanced space for each family member:
It is important to establish balance in spaces such as the children's bedroom. Children's rooms should be of equal size. This will avoid fights of inequality between the children. Using this technique will also establish an equal amount of love among the children.

2. Location of the kitchen:
The kitchen is the heart of the house, meaning the location of the kitchen is a vital part of the house. In order to achieve a positive flow of energy the kitchen should not be seen directly after entering through the front door or from a bedroom. It should be more centrally located.

3. Figure out the lighting:
Another essential of feng shui is lighting. When performing a home renovation, consider the lighting and the arrangement of the lighting fixtures. Focus on areas inside the house that is not endowed with natural light. This will help to light your house evenly.

4. Know the basics of feng shui:
Familiarize yourself with other aspects of feng shui, such as ba-gua. Ba-gua helps to analyze the energy of a certain space while using feng shui. Also, consider introducing five elements wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Be aware of the colors that fall within these elements, such as red, orange and pink which are fire colors.