White Roman Shades

When choosing window treatments, roman blinds are a classic and versatile option, and the most classic is a white roman shade.

You might think white blinds are a decorating cliche but you should think again. Because you can custom order or make these shades in any suitable weight fabric, and mount them either within the window casing or across the front of your window, you really have a lot of options, especially when you consider that you can hang them from almost any sort of decorative curtain rod, or use a more basic blind-type mounting. You can also combine these blinds with draperies, valances, and other decorative frames, such as dried vines and flowers.

These shades are available for every budget, and can even be made as a do it yourself project by someone clever with a sewing machine. Discount department stores often stock budget premade roman shades in a variety of materials. Or, if price is no object, custom roman shades can be made to your specifications with your choice of white fabric, and installed by professionals.

For a traditional room you might choose a white damask of either vertical striping or a floral motif. A more modern room might need a touch of texture, so burlap or linen or bamboo might be great choices. In an elegant setting a raw silk or silk moire might be the fabric of choice.

White roman shades can also be trimmed in a variety of ways, with ribbon, fringe or other types of trim of either the same color or in one of the other room colors. A matching or contrasting valance in a scallop or V silhouette can add further visual interest.

Using a drapery rod that complements the room style will enhance the appearance of your roman blinds. With the various types of curtain rods available, you can really have some fun in choosing what will work. Just be sure to choose the hardware carefully, to allow enough clearance for the folds when the shades are pulled up.

Because these shades are essentially one piece, they can be lined for extra insulation to help stop drafts and cold from entering in the winter, or made as room darkening shades for those whose schedules require them to sleep in daytime. Some premade roman shades have rubber backed insulation. You might choose to have an unlined summer set of roman style blinds, to allow filtered light into the room, and a lined winter set for added room warmth. They’re easily switched out, especially if they’re rod mounted.

Another choice for consideration is a double roman blind. This is actually two separate roman shades, one mounted atop the other, each with its own mechanism for raising and lowering. In this situation, the one closest to the window is usually the sheer summer shade, with the one closest to the room being the heavier weight shade. This type of window installation allows flexibility, since you can vary up the levels on both shades, depending on how much light you wish to allow into the room, or whether you need maximum privacy or insulation.

When determining what size shade you’ll need, you’ll first need to decide if it will be an inside mount or an outside mount. You might also use a level to determine if your windows are square prior to mounting your new blinds. Some older homes that have settled need shimming when mounting the shades, so that the blinds won’t hang askew.

Do be aware that some older roman blind styles use cords. The Window Covering Safety Council is now recommending cordless blinds for any room where small children will live. Mounting a cord bracket on older installations, and using it when children are visiting, will keep cords out of little hands.

How do you clean your new white roman shade? Vacuuming with a brush attachment will keep it looking fresh.

So if you’re looking for a great window treatment option, consider a white roman shade.

Plugin In Wall Sconce

Having a room with limited lighting can be an annoyance for any home owner. The lighting and the ambiance of your room sets the tone for the purpose of the room. Whether it’s a home office, a living room or a kitchen, direct overhead lighting can be too abrasive, while other fixtures may not provide enough lighting. One solution to this problem is the investment in a plug in wall sconce. When you take in the advantages a plug in wall sconce light has to offer, you must decide on the style, the material and the light density of the unit you are buying.

Plug in wall sconces have a spectrum of prices to choose from. If you’re looking for a great cost effective way to spruce up your home office or bedroom, you can find units for as little as twenty dollars and as much as three hundred dollars depending on the company, the style and the materials they are made of. Finding a plug in wall sconce that is within your budget and tailored for the decor of your room should not be a problem as many of them can be found through local retailers and online stores. The best thing about these units is that you can install them yourself. Many companies recommend that you install them about sixty inches off the floor and six to eight feet apart if you’re using a couple in your room. The reason for this is that when you utilize this spacing, you are maximizing the light density of the room.

There are many different kinds of plug in wall sconce lighting. One of the types is a corner sconce. A corner sconce is an efficient way to light a dark corner of your room or give a reading chair and extra boost of light. When you use this kind of sconce you bring illumination to a corner of the room and adding an interesting ambiance.

Another version of the plug in wall sconce is the wallchiere. The wallchiere is usually a longer unit that
is more like a piece of art than the simple lamp or corner sconce. This kind of sconce is a great piece for offices, hospitals and darkened hallways that do not get natural light through the windows of your home.

If your bathroom isn’t giving you the light you need for getting dressed in the morning, invest in a bathroom wall sconce. These sconces are tailor made to give you the most lighting possible against the primarily used while tiles and walls. They are usually between one hundred dollars and three hundred dollars, but can up the value of your home by replacing an old fixture.

Plug in wall sconces aren’t just for the interior of your house though. They can also be used on the outside and give you a great alternative to traditional outdoor lighting. Many of these sconces are used for adding illumination to back decks, patios and even swimming pools.

When you’re talking about the lighting your home, you’re talking about the way that you see. If you’re not happy about an overhead light that gives you a headache or a hallway that you can barely get through without bumping into a wall, invest in a plug in wall sconce. With all of the models and styles on the market, you’re sure to find something that is going to brighten your home and add to it’s decor. Don’t limit your choices to just the interior of your house. Outside lighting can bring your deck or patio back to life for those summer cookouts. When thinking about the prices involved, chose an option that is both cost effective to your budget, but is also high quality.

Tub Shower Combo

Many people dream of having a huge, luxurious bathroom with plenty of space. However, the reality is that many of us are working with a limited area. One of the ways to take full advantage of the bathroom space you do have is with a tub shower combo. This type of fixture can be seen in many homes, as it takes full advantage of the available floor space, allowing the user to have both a shower and a bathtub without making the room seem overly crowded.

There are several options when it comes to installing a tub and shower combo. The most common involves using treated “wet” drywall and ceramic tiles on the walls in the shower area. It is crucial to install the correct kind of drywall, as the incorrect type may become damaged and rot if it becomes wet, leading to costly repairs. The tub is installed underneath the tiling, and the shower head is installed separately. This type of construction is fairly durable. Leaks can be repaired by re-grouting the area, and cracked tiles can be removed and carefully replaced, provided you have extras of the original tile used. In addition, using ceramic tiles gives you greater artistic liberty when it comes to designing your shower area.

The other type of hub shower combos, often called prefabricated shower stalls, comes either in a single piece, or in a few smaller sections. The wall is usually composed of fiberglass and acrylic and should not leak over its lifetime. However, if cracks do develop, it will be necessary to replace the entire piece. The single piece shower tub combination is frequently larger than a tile shower area and may be difficult to get through the door. It is crucial to measure the width of the doorways as compared to the size of the fixture before selecting one to install. For this reason, many single piece acrylic shower and tub fixtures are installed in new homes as they are being built, rather than as a new addition to older homes.

Sectional acrylic shower tub combos solve this problem. The wall maintains the look of a single piece, but is actually installed in several smaller sections. This slightly increases the risk of leaks developing over time, but also means that the fixture will be small enough to fit through the doors, and thus can be installed in older homes. These fiberglass and acrylic shower and tub areas will usually be a single color, the intensity of which may fade with use, giving you fewer design options. However, these fixtures also often come with more shelving and are less expensive than tiled showers.

Other options for personalizing your bath tub shower combo include the type of faucet, controls, and curtain or shower door. Shower heads range from a single spraying faucet to removable, hand-held spray heads and multiple shower heads with various spray options, including massage heads. The controls are typically placed directly under the shower head, but it may be more convenient to place them further back so you do not get sprayed the moment you turn the shower on. The addition of a glass shower door may also lend a more elegant touch to your shower tub area. These doors are usually sliding, with the track installed on the rim of the bathtub. Regardless of your preferences, there are many ways to personalize this area of your bathroom.

The cost of a corner tub shower combo can vary greatly depending on what type you choose and how many extra features you want included. The faucets and controls themselves can range from twenty dollars to several hundred, depending on the functions and materials used. Prefabricated shower stalls are the least expensive and can be found for just over $1000, although better quality stalls will be more expensive. Tile is generally $1-$25 per square foot, depending on the material and design of the tiles selected. Installing a tub, if the bathroom doesn’t already have one, can range from $1,500 to $5000.

Bathroom renovations can be costly, but the shower tub combo is a good way to save space and make the most of your bathroom area. There are many different options for this project to fit all budgets and tastes.

Free Standing Closet

When buying a new home or moving into a rental, one of the first concerns that anybody is going to have is closet space. Finding a place to put all of our clothes, boxes, and other items that we do not always need handy can be a daunting task. So what do you do if you’ve found the perfect house, but the closet space is next to nothing? One of your options is buy a free standing closet organizer.

A free standing closet system can be perfect for anybody that is trying to expand their wardrobe, or might need a little extra space in their home. The free standing closet wardrobe is extremely adaptable to your bedroom space and can come in a lot of different designs. The freestanding closet comes in two varieties. The first type is a ready made unit. These can not be customized as they are already put together when you buy them. The other kind is a customizable freestanding closet and can be customized per your needs.

If you don’t really have the money to put into a customizable freestanding closet then you might want to go with a ready-made unit. These units are generally less expensive and can run anywhere from twenty dollars to seventy dollars at local retail stores. The problem with a ready made unit is that they tend to come in only a few colors and designs. This may clash with the design of your room if you already have furniture picked out.

If you have the means and are concerned about the look of your bedroom, you can go with a customizable unit. A customizable freestanding closet comes in a lot of designs. These units are great because you can tailor them for the corner or walls in your bedroom. They also come in a large variety of colors so you can be sure that you won’t disrupt the color schemes in your room. These units may also come with sliding doors or hinges to hide its components. You can find them made out of metals, wood and even glass. When going with customizable free standing closets, you can utilize them to work with the corners and walls of your room so you can maximize the space that you have. Many of these units can be bought and then added onto with different parts later. These units can run anywhere between one hundred dollars and a thousand dollars.

But freestanding closets aren’t just for somebody that has limited closet space. If you have a walk-in closet that hasn’t been equipped with hangers, hooks or shelving, you can buy a freestanding closet to put in yourself. These units are great for organization and come with a lot of features such as drawers, pull-out shoe racks and racks for sweaters or shirts.

So when you’re weighing your options about why kind of freestanding closet would work best for you, think about what you are going to need it for and how you want the unit to look in your room. If you’re looking for a great cost effective way to gain some space, go with a ready made unit and save yourself some money. But if you’re looking for a stylish unit that will be able to be tailored for any room you have now or in the future, invest in a customizable freestanding closet. With any unit that you buy, be sure that you’re going with a name brand company with a warranty. Now that you’ve got the knowledge, go out and buy a freestanding closet that is going to help you get organized and add a little flare to your room.

Garage Door Opener

Garage door openers have become an important part of life today. Garage door opening devices offers safety and convenience for anyone. Some garage door openers have an external keypad that can help you enter you garage in the case that you do not have your remote. A garage door opener can hold a garage door shut, which can add to the overall safety of your house. In addition, all new garage door-opening devices use safety sensors to ensure that the garage door does not close on a human or animal.

The garage door opener installation steps are easy. However, installation steps vary between manufacturers. However, many steps are universal. This article aims to inform you on the steps to install a garage door opener. Keep in mind that these are general instructions. In any installation, you should follow the manufacturer’s instruction manual.

Before beginning, you should ensure that you have a power receptacle with a proper ground and GFCI. It is important to ensure that the door is functioning properly prior to installing the garage door opener. Some garage doors use springs, and should be checked for proper tension.

First, ensure that the T-rail pieces are arranged in the proper manner. Some T-rails have arrows on them. It is important to ensure that all of these arrows are pointed in the same direction. You should bolt them together securely. Next, ensure that the idler pulley is aligned and bolt it in. Next, slide the trolley into the rails, this will allow you to connect the opener unit. Next, use a screwdriver to hold the trolley in its place. After accomplishing this, you should attach the drive chain onto the provided trolley.

Next, you should open the door to find out how high the door travels over the tracks. To be safe, you should add two inches to the measurement. Mark this measurement above the door. You should then find out where the center of the door is located. Mark the center of the door with a marker. You will mount the header bracket on this point. It may be necessary to attach a few 2x4s across the studs if your location is not over a stud. After ensuring that you have a sturdy mounting location, it is safe to mount the bracket.

Now, you should close your garage door. The idler pulley should be attached to the header bracket. The assembly should now be placed on a stepladder. Next, open the door and raise the rail above the door. Then, attach the bracket to the ceiling with screws. You should make sure that the opening unit is stable by ensuring that the brackets are crossed. You may now install the controls. You should attach your opening module near the door that allows you to enter the garage. You should now install the electronic sensors. These sensors are extremely important because they can keep your child, car, or pet safe in the event of an accidental closing of the garage door. You should use staples that are insulated, and should run the wires 20” along the frame. Then, connect the proper wires to the opening unit.

The final step is to attach the bracket. You must ensure that the garage door is parallel to the rail. Then, ensure that the door is closed well. Then, attach the curved arm to the bracket.

After performing these steps, you may plug in the opening unit. Test the unit by pressing the open button. You may fine-tune your opener using the onboard controls. If everything works properly, you are finished! If you followed these steps, your installation should’ve gone great.

Yard Mole

Moles are small, blind rodents. Their streamlined bodies and strong, clawed forelimbs help them move quickly and efficiently through the soil. Since they spend most of their lives under the ground, they have large lungs and blood that helps them survive under the ground for long periods of time. These little pest feed mostly on earthworms and insect larvae, especially the larvae of Japanese beetles.

While you may have holes and tunnels going through your yard, it may not be a mole. The culprit could be a pocket gopher, and gophers will take other methods of removal. So, how do you tell if your yard has been invaded by a mole or a pocket gopher?

Looking at the mounds of these animals is the best way, if you can’t get a glimpse of the animal itself. The mound that a mole makes is more circular and volcano shaped, and the soil around it is clumpy. A pocket gopher’s mound, on the other hand, is flatter with dirt thrown in one general direction. The soil around a gopher hole is also finer.

Now that you’ve figured out which animal is ruining your yard, you probably want to get rid of it. There are a few method for this task – some have been proven to work, and some are controversial.

Trapping

Mole traps are put into a mole tunnel to trap and usually kill the little invader. Although this method is not exactly humane, it is the most effective method. These can be purchased at any lawn and garden stores or large department stores. Be sure and check the traps at least daily, if not more.

Different types of traps that will most likely kill a mole are harpoon traps, scissor traps, and choker loop traps. These can be place in active tunnels and around entrances. If you would rather not kill the little bugger, but remove it, a pit fall trap can also be used.

With a pit fall trap, you can catch moles and release them far away from your home, if you’re looking for a more humane method. To make a trap of this sort, dig into an active tunnel. Dig another hole on the bottom of the tunnel large enough for a large jar or coffee can to fit in. Make sure that the jar is in deep enough to be level with the ground. Cover the hole on top to keep any light out.

Other Methods

There are a number of other different methods that people claim will get rid of the moles in your yard. These methods are not proven, so some of these methods may work and some may not.

Moth Balls

One method that some people swear by is using moth balls. Poke holes in active tunnels every foot or so and push a couple moth balls in. They can also be put at tunnel entrances. The moles should vacate the tunnels within a few days.

Hair and Urine

Moles do not like the scent of humans, so the odor of hair and urine may also make them leave. Hair pulled from a brush or hair clippings from a barber shop stuffed into a mole tunnel may work. Urine can be poured into mole tunnels, but some more squeamish people may not want to use this method, and for good reason.

Garden Hose

Some people try to flush out moles with water. This method is probably very memorable for some, as it was used in the movie Caddyshack by Bill Murray when he tried to flush the gopher. Simply put the hose into a mole tunnel, and turn the hose on full blast. In theory, the mole should leave. Many times, though, if this method is used, he may return.

Wood Refinishing

Do you have a beautiful table that has seen better days? Is there a great yard sale find that needs refinishing? Refinishing a table is surprisingly easy and can save you a bundle of money.

Finding a Good Candidate for Refinishing

If you have a table that you are considering refinishing, you’ll need to look at a few things to make sure that refinishing it will be worth the time and effort.

1. Is it wood?

This may seem like a silly question, but lots of inexpensive tables are made out of wood veneer with a MDF subsurface, or laminate. Pressboard laminate cannot be refinished at all, and wood veneer should only be refinished if it is in very good condition because the wood surface is only a very thin layer.

Making sure a table is wood is not difficult, but it does require a careful eye.

- Lift it. Real wood tends to be much heavier than veneer or laminate.
- Check for cracking, seperating, or peeling edges. This is a sure giveaway that it’s laminate or veneer.
- Check the joins. Staples instead of nails or screws are a laminate giveaway. Dovetail joints are a pretty good indicator that it’s wood, and high quality wood at that.
- Look at the patterns. Laminate has wood grain printed on the surface, but the grain lacks depth. If you look at the bottom of the table, do you see wood grain?

2. Is it in good condition?

Once you know the table is real wood, you’ll want to check its condition. Shallow scratches and small dings are fine. Deeper scratches and larger dings must be evaluated. If it is too deep to sand out, it will show in the finished piece. If you have a few dings in an otherwise excellent table, you can fill them with wood putty. Keep in mind that if they are too large or in a highly grained area, they make look strange.

Finishing Your Table

Once you’ve chosen your table to refinish, you’ll need to prepare it for finishing.

Tools you’ll need:

- Electric sander (strongly recommended). This will save you time and effort. A small palm sander works fine.
- Sandpaper, in rough, medium, and fine grits. You’ll need both sandpaper that fits your sander, and pieces for hand sanding
- Paste stripper (optional)
- Putty knife, disposable paintrbrush, gloves, and eyemask (if using stripper)
- Steel wool, fine
- Wood stain
- Paintbrush designed for staining
- Polyurethane

1. Use an electric sander and hand sanding with a rough-grit sandpaper to remove all traces of old paint or finish from the table. Be especially careful on curves and crevices — anything you miss in this step will greatly affect the appearance of your final finish. Stubborn areas can be cleared with steel wool, working in the direction of the grain.

Alternatively, you can use a paste stripper to remove the old finish. Stripper is corrosive and the fumes can be dangerous, but it may be necessary if you have intricate detail on the surface or legs. Make sure you wear gloves and an eye mask, and place the table in a well-venilated area if you go this route.

2. Fill in any dings or cracks with wood putty, if necessary. Follow the directions on the wood putty and let it dry completely before proceeding.

3. Go over the entire table with a medium grit sandpaper to smooth out the surfaces. When you are done with this step, all traces of any former damage should be gone.

4. Wipe down the table with soapy water. Wait 24 hours before proceeding to allow the table to completely dry.

5. Using a paintbrush, apply a thin coat of wood stain and allow it to dry. You’ll need 2-3 coats. Allow the finished table to dry for 48 hours.

6. Apply 2-3 coats of polyurethane using your paintbrush. Between each coat, lightly sand with fine-grit sandpaper or steel wool to remove any visible brush marks.

Your table will be ready to use once it has completely dried and is no longer sticky to the touch. Enjoy the many years of life your new table will give you.