Home Painting Guide

Archive for March, 2010

Whatever your homes exterior is finished with, paint, vinyl, brick, stucco or anything else, chances are that it will need a little lift sometime in it’s life. Short of completely re-doing it, there are a few options for cleaning and brightening up your home’s exterior.

Pressure washing is an option for many homes. As well as your home, it can clean your driveway and walkways as well. However, it does take skill. The high water pressure can make pressure washing equipment hard to handle and also destructive if the handler isn’t careful. Spending too much time in a delicate area can result in erosion or even more serious damage to your home. But take heart, a bit of research and practice can help you become a skilled pressure washer. On the other hand, for the time it takes to perfect your skill, it might be worth paying a professional to wash your home.

Pressure washing works for almost any finish as long as the surface is not damaged. Chipped paint may flake off and loose bricks may get worse. However, going over your home for a thorough cleaning is a great way to assess any damage that needs repairing. Often, water is enough to clean a home. If you have stubborn areas, most pressure washers come with a detergent attachment. Some people find a need for bleach to clean their home. For a more environmentally sound approach, use vinegar instead of bleach. It doesn’t have the same whitening power, but it does deter mold and algae growth. Chances are you don’t have a real stain that needs bleaching, but some organic growth that just needs to be removed, (for which the pressure washer should suffice) and further growth prevented (that’s where the vinegar’s handy).

If you have wood or vinyl panels, be careful when pressure washing not to spray water at an angle that gets moisture under and between your siding. Trapped moisture that doesn’t have an easy way to evaporate can really cause problems inside your walls.

If your home’s paint is fading or peeling, or is a bit cheaper, pressure washing can damage it. In this case, a fresh paint-job just might be a necessity.

Keep in mind some of the other details that make your home look fresh. I already mentioned driveways and walkways, but don’t forget washing the windows. Also, keep gutters clean, as leaking gutters can contribute to stained exteriors. Landscaping is the final frontier of your home’s exterior. Planting some bulbs and doing pruning will assure your home is bright and beautiful come spring-time.

Is your swimming pool safe? Here are some facts to consider:

• A person can drown in a few inches of water within a few seconds.
• Most child drowning accidents (and deaths) occur while the victim is being supervised.
• In most instances the child was out of sight for less than 5 minutes.
• Most drowning victims are under the age of 5.
• More than 300 children, under 5 years of age, drown in swimming pools, in the U.S. each year.

A drowning typically happens very quickly and without warning. When the safety of loved ones is left solely to the watchful eyes of humans, the chances of an incident are far greater. Implementing mechanical swimming pool security precautions can’t completely guarantee against accidental drowning, but it certainly can minimize the risk. Security fencing and a wide variety of alarms are readily available to assist with swimming pool security.

Perhaps the most simplistic and most commonly overlooked security feature is fencing. Fencing can be permanent or removable. In its simplest version, one can purchase mesh nylon fencing that can easily be attached to existing columns or attached to decorative posts that are placed around the perimeter of the pool. Prefabricated metal panels are also an attractive and affordable option.

Assuming you have fencing in place, gate alarms are a very effective safety feature. The alarm is mounted directly on your pool’s gate. They are battery powered and emit a loud alarm when the gate is opened and the magnetic field is broken. The alarm can be temporarily disabled by when an adult presses an override button. Installation is simple. One minor drawback would be the need to constantly monitor the battery strength to ensure the alarm is functional.

When the pool is accessed by a door leading from the house, an audible door alarm is a valuable security item. As the door opens a loud beep or chime is heard. Door alarms can be powered by batteries or the home’s electrical current. Sometimes these alarms become a nuisance due to the fact that they’re activated every time the door opens. This can be annoying when adults or older children create the primary flow of traffic. Consequently, if the alarm is disengaged to avoid the annoying sound, you’re left with an unsecured entry point for your pool. Window alarms operate in similar fashion and might be of use if the pool could be accessed by opening a window.

Perimeter alarms use laser (infra red) light to create an invisible beam of light around the pool. When the beam is broken, by someone (or something) walking through it, it will cause the alarm to sound. The installation is very flexible but appropriate measures should be taken into account. It should be mounted low enough that a crawling child would activate it. However, be mindful that if a large pet has access to this area, it will constantly trip the warning device. Perimeter alarms can be rather expensive.

Wrist alarms are a relatively new product. These alarms are placed on the child’s wrist and locked into place. The wrist alarm communicates with a base station. The alarm on the base station is activated when the wrist alarm becomes submerged in water. A single base unit can support several compatible wrist alarms, making them reasonably inexpensive. Be warned, however, that these units are not operable in salt water.

Certainly any one of these security measures will help to create a safe swimming environment. However, it might be wise to consider a combination of these safety measures. Losing a child to a drowning accident is a horrible tragedy, but the odds can be greatly reduced by utilizing some of these options.

Tired of the same look of your boring and used kitchen cabinets? Before you ditch them and get new ones, you may want to try repainting them for a fresh and new look.

The most popular type of cabinet is the kitchen cabinet. They are very important since they give more space in the counter where food items are stored. You may also use these cabinets to store dishes, appliances and silverware.

Kitchen cabinets vary depending on the size and layout of the room. They may be found on top of the sink where dishes can be stored or in drawers under the sink where pots and pans can be hidden.

The traditional design of kitchen cabinets is made of wood and is attached to kitchen walls. The more modern and contemporary designs are mobile and often stand-alone. They are made of glass or strong plastic. You may even paint them to conform to the theme of your kitchen.

If you want to give your used kitchen cabinets a new look, repaint them. It is an inexpensive and an easy way to remodel your kitchen. When you apply a fresh coat of paint, it will give your kitchen a whole new look. All you will need for the job is painting tape, paintbrushes, rags or paper towels, protection for the floor and a can of glossy paint and bonding primer. Use tables to spread out old newspaper and place the cabinet doors on the paper to paint.

Wait at least one day for the paint to dry before re- attaching the cabinet doors. Place the hinges back on the doors and make sure that they are tight so that they hang evenly. Your kitchen will have a brand new look, and no one will know that you did it yourself.