July 13, 2015 in Home Improvements, Idea Corner
Ready for a revelation? Well, Lifehacker has given one! Below is a graphic for those home renovators who relish in the look rather than the labor. Check out some simple home improvement ideas that have all the design and none of the sweat equity.
July 10, 2015 in Home Improvements, Idea Corner
Not every necessary utility in a home is cute to look at. Fire alarms? Thermostats? Security systems? Those clunky squares aren’t a good look.
Luckily, The Third Boob has a great idea to hide those unsightly objects, a hinged canvas of any painting or photo. In just a few steps, the walls will look great and these systems will be easily accessible.
Start by gathering these materials:
After picking out the perfect painting of a sunset or photo of the family, attach two flat hinges the top and bottom of one side of the canvas. Once attached to the canvas, secure the hinges to the wall. Make sure to screw the hinges tightly to ensure the safety of the system and stability of the canvas.
And that’s it! Enjoy large scale beauty without any of the nuisances of utilities cluttering up wall space.
July 8, 2015 in Home Improvements, Idea Corner
There are many reasons why people are opting for laminate over hardwood flooring these days. Setting aside cost, laminate has more durability over most hardwood options. And it doesn’t hurt that laminate is as easy on the eyes as it is to install. And for the simplest installation of floating laminate flooring, look no further than this tutorial from One Project Closer.
Here’s what’s needed to get this project done:
This may seem like a long list, but don’t let the length fool you, this project can be done by most novice home improvers. Let’s get started!
Begin by preparing the subfloor, making sure that the surface is level and acclimated to the climate of the room. Then plan out how the boards will lay in the room, making sure the planks will be uniform and equal.
Now it’s time to lay the plastic sheeting. These sheets should be running tight along the walls and secured with the adhesive on the bottom of each sheet.
Time to lay the boards! Make sure to leave a 1/4″ gap around the perimeter for any expanding or contracting that might occur in the wood. It’s important to have tools on hand to cut the pieces to size, especially when it comes to door jambs and doorways.
Once all the locking tongue and groove floor boards are in place, focus on the shoe molding and threshold pieces.
For the shoe molding, use a nail gun, making sure to nail into the baseboard. For the threshold pieces, only gluing with molding adhesive is necessary.
When complete, marvel not only at the time and money saved, but the sophisticated look achieved! Are you in need of Flooring installation in Chicago for laminate, hardwood or LVP, Give us a call or scroll to the top to fill out out estimate form.
July 6, 2015 in Home Improvements, Idea Corner
Ready to renovate a home? Well, check out Fixr’s graphic on what Americans spend their home improvement budgets on before pulling out the ladder and paint brush. Scroll down for details!
July 3, 2015 in Home Improvements, Idea Corner
Some chairs have beautiful bones but need some help with aesthetics. Well luckily Camp Clem has a solution for any homeowner: a simple, inexpensive upcycling project for any thrift store chair find.
These are the required supplies to take any chair from drab to fab:
The first step is to sand down the chair lightly. Then, prime the chair completely.
Once primed, paint the chair with tan to show through for that aged look. When dry, apply a coat of aqua with a sponge brush.
For that distressed look, utilize a sand block on the surface of the entire chair. This will cause the tan and original wood color to show through. To show extra wear, locate the areas of most wear on the original chair before beginning this project.
When completed, this project will result not only in a pop of color but a dash of vintage as well!