Posts in category: Kitchen Home Improvement

Submitted by: Scott Thompson

Whether you’re looking to put together a great southern-style kitchen or simply need a solid floor installation around the home, hardwood flooring is a durable, strong choice. The Atlanta metropolitan area is home to dozens and dozens of flooring providers: the only trick is finding the one that’s right for you. Whether your priority is your budget or simply the aesthetics around the house, this article will help you to find the right flooring for your needs.

Step #1: Before you start, write down your highest priorities.

Chances are that installing a new floor won’t be the cheapest decision you’ve ever made. That’s why it’s necessary to make some preparations before you take a look at the market. What are your priorities? Is budget your biggest concern, or is money no object? Do you want to find flooring that lasts as long as possible? Rank your priorities from most important to least important.

Step #2: Conduct a local online search.

Even if you’re not a Google veteran or a Yahoo professional, you can conduct a local search very easily. How? When you search for “hardwood flooring,” simply add the word “Atlanta,” or even a closer city like Smyrna. Don’t be afraid to be as detailed as possible: if you can’t find anything relating to your search, simply make your search broader.

Step #3: Visit Web sites and write down phone numbers.

Now that you’ve conducted a quick search, make sure to click on the Web sites of businesses that most appeal to you. You might find yourself clicking “back” quite often, but that’s simply a part of the process. Make sure to write down phone numbers for later reference.

Step #4: Call each of the hardwood flooring providers.

With a list of 2-5 hardwood flooring providers in your area, you should be ready to give each provider a call. Make sure you ask them upfront questions about cost, durability, and installation time – go back to your priority list and make sure you know which factors count the most.

Step #5: Don’t be afraid to bounce providers off of each other.

These businesses are competing for your job – don’t be afraid to set your own prices. Let them know that you haven’t made a final decision yet and see if they can provider you with better service.

Finding hardwood floors in Atlanta, or any other location shouldnt be difficult. With a little bit of research, and with the help of online services like Yelp and LocalPrice you can get details of installers, learn about types of hardwood flooring, and learn the cost (LocalPrice only). Its important to ask about things like warranties, time to install youll want to know how long theyre going to be in your home, durability of various woods, and how the woods will change color and texture with age.

Thanks to the Internet buying and having hardwood floors installed in your home is easier than ever. You can learn most everything you need to know online before you ever step foot in a showroom if you step foot in a showroom at all.

About the Author: Scott Thompson is the co-founder of LocalPrice.com where consumers can compare prices and features of various services like hardwood floor installers and find details for these services like the

cost of hardwood floors in Atlanta

, the bonding status of installers, how long the companies have been in business, and other useful information about local hardwood flooring companies.

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By Ben Weissman

Choosing a new bedroom set can be difficult, especially when you start focusing on how important your bedroom really is! The door to the bedroom is usually the first to be shut when company is over and the bedroom itself is the last to be shown to trusted friends and family. Some people take years agonizing over which bedroom set to purchase, while others do a few moments of browsing and come up with the perfect style for them. So how do you choose what type of bedroom set to purchase?

Here are a couple of criteria you can use for choosing the perfect bed. You may have other factors that you use, but let’s try to find the perfect marriage between form and function, comfort and beauty, aesthetically pleasing and a great place to get a good night’s sleep.

Functionality

There is one big question you need to ask yourself about getting a new bedroom set: do you want functionality or beauty? A functional bedroom set would include pieces that allow you to move around easily. They’re not fussy or overly ornate and generally use straight lines. Some wood bedroom sets are made for functionality over beauty. One classic type of bedroom set that is seen more for functionality than for beauty is the missionary style bedroom set. These sets are known for straight lines and clean looks.

Missionary bedroom sets are reminiscent of a time when people had very little. Some families had very little on purpose, others were struggling just to get by. When you see the missionary style bedroom sets, the first thing you may think of is the Amish. These bedroom sets are truly like something that you would find in a devout Amish person’s home. In all likelihood, the set in an Amish home was handcrafted by their ancestor. Missionary pieces are built for functionality, but are beautiful too, in their own clean-lined way.

Beauty

Some bedroom sets are made more for beauty than for functionality. After all, how functional is a canopy bed? Do you really need to have cloth stretched out over you in a perfectly dry room? Of course not! A canopy bed is, however, extremely beautiful. Most bedroom sets that are created for beauty have curving, fluid lines. They are often ornate pieces that took hours, or even days to create, and are always a focus piece in any bedroom.

A four poster canopy bed is one example of an ornate piece of bedroom furniture. The large posters stretch up, almost to the ceiling, and a flimsy canopy decorates the top. Some people choose to put silk scarves through the winding canopy top instead of the traditional canopy, creating a sensual and mysterious air in the room.

If you’re lucky, you can make functionality and beauty meet. Bedroom furniture that is functional as well as beautiful is priceless and can swiftly become a family heirloom. Some metal beds and metal day beds are the perfect blend of function and style. They have fluid curves, yet don’t call too much attention to themselves, instead being happy to sit on the sidelines, ready to do the job they were designed for.

About the Author: Ben Weissman writes about decorating with Iron Beds, Platform Beds, Headboards, Hillsdale Beds and Bar Stools.

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By Ed Terran

Your bathroom can often be one the simple luxuries you enjoy every day at an affordable price. In fact, a well styled bathroom can add value to your house. A well selected bathroom is central to the utility and ambience of your bathroom, so think carefully before you buy one.

When it comes to bathtubs, if you thought they were all about the same, you have never been more wrong. The types and styles of bathtubs vary about as much as the types of toilets, bidets, and sinks do.

There are oval free-standing bathtubs that you can set up in the middle of your bathroom floor. Remember how all bathtubs normally are right up against the wall and usually the way a bathroom set up does not vary by much. Forget that for todays bathtubs. You can have them anywhere you want to put them.

The roll top slipper type of bathtub is a popular tub that many people are choosing when they decide to update or remodel their bathrooms. This is a very sleek, contemporary bathtub that goes well with just about any bathroom dcor. They are a good size; not oversize but they are not small either. The great look that they give your bathroom is easy to accessorize.

Of course if you want just the plain standard bathtub, you can get those as well. If you want to spice it up a little you can always buy a different type of side panel to change the color scheme to match your bathroom. These are basically just your standard bathtub, standard size, and they are not expensive. They are a modern style that is easily matched to the sink and toilet.

If you are the type of person who likes to have an oversize bathtub, these are available in many different sizes. The oversize tub is great for relaxing and they are quite the look in your bathroom, especially when you set them up and accessorize them. This type of bathtub has become more popular over the past several years. This may be due to the increase in the benefits of relaxation. If just feels better to stretch out in a big bathtub than to cramp yourself up in one that is too small to stretch out your legs.

There are many styles of bathtubs that include different colors. Depending on what you want to add to your bathroom, style and size are best ways to decide what you are going to use for the main bathroom in your home. The size of the bathroom is an important factor because it will determine what size bathtub you can install. Also a deciding factor is the style. Certain styles will not fit in certain size bathrooms no matter how you try to put them.

One thing you want to make sure of when planning your new bathroom is to make sure the floor will support a bigger bathtub if you decide to go with one that is a bit larger than the old one.

About the Author: Ed Terran is the pen name for the editor of

My Furniture shop

and

house fitting listings

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By Colleen Langenfeld

Have you been investigating a closet organizing system that will set your budget back to medieval times? Are you wondering why you should spend more on your closets than on your kitchen cabinets?

Or maybe you’ve looked at several closet organizing systems and are frustrated because they are not as customized as you would like?

My spouse and I have been involved in do-it-yourself projects for years and recently completed a major remodel on our own. If you’re wondering if a do-it-yourself closet organizing system is the way to go for you, here are some facts you need to consider that will help you decide.

— Compare costs.

There was a time when do-it-yourself always meant saving money. But that’s not true anymore. Do-it-yourself projects have become immensely popular and therefore, the options and costs have increased dramatically.

Do your homework. Figure out the type of closet organizing system you’ll need, then compare:

— the cost of purchasing one custom-made and having it installed by professionals.

— The cost of purchasing one ready-made and installing it yourself.

— The cost of building your own organizing system from scratch.

The good news is you have a lot of options available for this type of project so make the most of them.

I recently did an online search for “closet design” and “closet design software” and found some useful sites. If you need help getting started with the preliminary design portion of your closet makeover, this is a good place to start.

— Do you have the tools?

If you already have a garage full of tools, a do-it-yourself closet organizing system makes a lot more sense. If that’s not your situation, you’ll need to take that fact into consideration. Tools are not cheap and it doesn’t make sense to acquire a lot of them for only one closet makeover.

However, your tools (or lack of them) can help you make your decision about what type of closet project you can tackle. A pre-made closet organizing system that simply needs to be installed in your closet will only require simple hand tools such as screwdrivers, a drill, a level, etc. But a from-scratch, fully customized closet system will require several power tools and the space to use them.

Which one sounds like you and your situation?

— Enlist help.

I’ve read several do-it-yourself books on all kinds of projects and I always chuckle when I see the pictures of a person doing the project alone. Unless you’re an octopus, you’re going to need some help! An extra set of hands is often smart and always handy! Make sure you have a willing helper on board before you commit to doing your closet makeover on your own.

— Customize.

The beauty of do-it-yourself is that you can often customize your work to fit your needs exactly. Or at least MORE exactly than off-the-rack solutions. Using unfinished pieces will allow you to coordinate your final project with the room’s decor. For example, custom means you decide how many shelves and where they fit…plus how much weight they can support.

The internet offers a wealth of do-it-yourself information and it’s simple to locate an appropriate forum and find out what solutions other do-it-yourselfers have discovered works. The library is also a great resource that costs nothing but your time. Some excellent resources I can recommend for do-it-yourself closet or storage projects are the following.

— “Reader’s Digest Storage and Shelving Solutions” with the editors of “The Family Handyman” magazine. (Copyright 2006)

— “Black and Decker Build Your Own Custom Closet”. (Copyright 2007)

— “Sunset Smart Closet Makeovers” by Cynthia Overbeck Bix (Copyright 2006)

These books also offer excellent advice about the planning and designing of your closet organizing system and will give you a good feel for the tools you’ll need to complete your closet project.

Frankly, even if you end up hiring out your closet make-over, books like these will help you talk intelligently with your closet contractor and ensure you end up with a final project you love.

A closet organizing system can be an excellent do-it-yourself project if you take the time to properly plan your tools and costs, enlist help, and decide on the level of customization you want.

And the satisfaction of saying “I did it myself” isn’t bad either.

About the Author: Colleen Langenfeld has been parenting for over 26 years and helps other moms enjoy mothering more at http://www.paintedgold.com . Visit her website and learn more about the basics of a

closet organizing system

today.

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By Alyssa Davis

Typically leading out to the patio or backyard, sliding doors or French doors allow plenty of sunlight in while giving you a private view and access to the outdoors. Sliding glass doors are simply designed and perform the basic functions but may be seen as outdated and commonplace. A pair of French doors opens fully to the outdoors and adds charm and elegance to a space. Follow these steps to replace your sliding doors with French doors.

1. Take measurements of your old doors and purchase your French doors.

It is a good idea to purchase your French doors before you begin any work to remove your existing doors, since you may have to wait a couple of weeks or longer for the new doors to arrive. In order to purchase the right size of replacement doors, you will need to measure the height and width of your existing sliding doors. French doors come in standard sizes, so if you take your measurements to any reputable lumber yard or home improvement store, they should be able to order the correct size of a set of pre-hung French doors. If in doubt, you may remove the trim from the outside to obtain the measurements for the rough door opening, without removing the old door. It is best to choose a door with dimensions a quarter inch smaller on each side than the rough opening.

2. Detach your old sliding doors.

Once your new doors have arrived, you can get to work replacing your doors. Pry the existing trim and moldings loose with a hammer. The track and the rest of the sliding door unit will be exposed. Unscrew the nails on the side jambs, the top header, and the bottom track that secure the door panels in place. Pull the fixed panel away from the track and remove, followed by the sliding panel. You may need to pry the fixed door panel out of the side jamb if it is stuck.

3. Remove the rest of the sliding door unit.

Unscrew all the nails holding the jambs, header, and track in place. The unit should easily come loose. The side jambs tend to require more work to remove, and you need to be careful not to damage the wall surrounding the door frame. Starting at the bottom, pry the metal jamb away from the side wall.

4. Place the French doors in the opening and assess the fit.

Do not remove any clips or straps that hold your new doors aligned and closed. Center the door unit in the opening and position it into place. Using a level, assess if the door unit is even and plumb. You may need to get a friend to help you hold the door in place while you use shims to adjust the fit of the door. Start with the top and bottom corners and then behind the hinges, making sure to assess for levelness after each shim.

5. Secure the new doors into place.

Attach the frame of the unit to the opening using three nails for each jamb. Nail any shims into the jambs or the frame. Secure the doors on the hinges, remove the clips or straps attached to the doors, and test out their swinging motion. Fill the cracks between the jamb and frame with insulation. Install the interior casing and exterior molding, and apply caulk along the exterior to seal out drafts. Complete your door replacement by following the manufacturer’s finishing instructions.

About the Author: Alyssa Davis, who writes exclusively for Metal-Wall-Art.com, offers many suggestions for creating bold interiors with wall art and large wall sculptures.

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