Posted on January 27, 2012 by islandhome
If you feel like it is time to change your bathroom then there are many steps that you can take to improve it, whilst still keeping within your budget. The many types of bathroom furniture, accessories and suites available will enable you to find something that is stylish, affordable and to suit your personal needs.
If you do not wish to replace your bathroom suite, then you can consider improving the look of your bathroom by carrying out simple tasks such as tiling, installing extra cabinets or simply changing the position of certain items within your bathroom. Bathroom cabinets are easy to install and are a particularly useful addition to any bathroom. Adding a few stylish cabinets will enable you to upgrade your bathroom and be provided with extra storage space without having to spend too much.
If you are willing to spend a little more, then there are a wide selection of stylish Burlington bathroom suites that will enable you to completely transform the look of your bathroom. From white modern suites to elegant wood suites, there are designs to suit all tastes. The wide range of bathroom accessories available will enable you to add items that will compliment your chosen bathroom suite.
You can also improve your bathroom by adding extra items such as soap dishes and bath racks. Simple items such as these are now available in a wide variety of styles, allowing you to select something that will help to keep your bathroom look stylish as well as tidy and organised. Chrome or brass soap dishes or bath racks are a great choice for those wishing to add something more modern and elegant to their bathroom.
Exploring the many types of bathroom furniture and accessories available will enable you to find stylish and affordable items that will help you to upgrade your bathroom.
Posted on January 26, 2012 by islandhome
A prerequisite to good DIY work is a decent, basic toolkit. Being in possession of an adequate DIY kit will prevent a homeowner from making unnecessary trips to their local DIY superstore when carrying out the most minor of household repairs.
Many of the tools found in DIY stores can be used to perform a variety of tasks. However, a few tools are specific to particular types of DIY work, such as plumbing and woodwork. A good tool kit will feature an adjustable spanner opening to a minimum of 25 millimetres. This piece of equipment will take care of most plumbing jobs. An electrician’s screwdriver with an insulated handle, meanwhile, can help to protect a homeowner against contact with live wires. A set of pincers and pliers, both square-nosed and narrow, and at least one with a wire-cutter, will prove handy for pulling nails, wiring plugs and installing fiddly fittings.
Many small DIY jobs revolve around fixing things with screws. A bradawl can be used to make starter holes. A set of screwdrivers with flat heads and cross-section heads can also prove useful. Try to attain a variety of screwdriver head sizes suitable for a range of screw heads as using a small screwdriver to fix a large screw will prove impossible and vice versa.
A portable workbench, general purpose saw, mini hacksaw, craft knife with disposable blades, claw hammer, pin hammer and lump hammer are all required for a range of DIY tasks. To ensure that shelves, pictures and TV brackets are level, a steel measuring tape, steel rule, soft pencil and spirit level are essential.
Finally, wood needs cutting everywhere in the home. Necessary saws are tenon, crosscut and floorboard saws. Other essential items include a pair of fine blade chisels (12 and 25 millimetre) and a sandpaper block for finishing.
Posted on January 24, 2012 by islandhome
The loss of heat from the home can lead to ever increasing bills while continually chasing an optimum temperature. Insulating the home aids heat retention by preventing it from leeching out into the atmosphere and it can be achieved in a number of different ways.
Cavity Wall Insulation
The walls and windows offer a large surface area from which heat can escape. While heat lost through glass can be reduced with double-glazing, the walls can still be the cause of dissipated heat. Cavity wall insulation can help to reduce this problem and can insulating foam can be sprayed into an opening where it spreads and hardens.
Loft Insulation
Loft insulation can be made from a number of different materials such as glass wool or foam, and it can be purchased in rolls from do it yourself suppliers. Laying the insulation between the beams in the loft will reduce the amount of heat that is lost through the roof.
Floor Insulation
Insulating materials laid between the joists beneath floorboards can be supported with netting. This reduces the level of draughts and prevents heat from escaping alongside wood filler used on cracks.
Posted on January 22, 2012 by islandhome
Are you an artist or a musician? Do you struggle to create your work in your normal home environment? If so, a garden studio may be for you. A garden studio is a building in your back garden, usually made of wood and measuring anywhere between nine and 50 square metres, which can be specially adapted as a music studio or art space. For musicians, this can mean lining the walls with soundproof material in order to allow the room to be used as a recording studio or rehearsal space. For artists, it takes the form of concealed wiring to power a potter’s wheel or the lights on a drawing board. The rooms are light and airy, providing enough natural and/or artificial light to enable visual artists to create without the distraction of not being able to see their work properly.
A purpose built music room in your garden can be a place where teachers give music lessons in a specialist, professional environment, or where bands can practice to their heart’s content without disturbing the neighbours. Even if your involvement with the arts only extends as far as watching movies on your state-of-the-art home cinema system, soundproofing can allow you to crank up that subwoofer without having to worry about keeping the kids awake with the bass rumble of the 7.1 channel digital surround sound system. A garden room also offers privacy and peace and quiet when needed.
Posted on January 20, 2012 by islandhome
The purpose of a splashback is to protect the section of wall behind a sink from getting wet, as moisture would ruin the plaster. The easiest way to make a tile splashback is to only use full tiles, which will ensure there will be no cutting needed.
To begin, measure your sink and put a mark on the wall precisely in the middle. Put a full tile on each side of the mark; use spacers between each tile, and work outwards. Keep going until you reach the sink’s edge, or are just past it. Repeat the same procedure for a second and /or third row of full tiles (depending on how high you want your splashback to be).
It is a good idea to set the tiles out before actually fixing them to the wall to see if they end where you want them to. If the tiles fail to reach both ends of the sink, or extend further past the edge of the sink than desired, simply move the middle tiles; instead of starting on either side of the centre line you drew, place the first tile on the line, and then work outward. When you are satisfied, apply adhesive to the wall, and fix the tiles.
When tiling a splashback it is important make sure the tiled area sufficiently covers the portion of wall that will be exposed to splashing. It is also important to ensure your rows of tiles line up perfectly and have a neat and accurate border on both side edges.
Posted on January 19, 2012 by islandhome
Compression joints are made with a fitting that clamps a compression ring onto a pipe and at the same time wedges it into the fitting. There are a few basic rules to follow when attempting to form a sound compression joint.
First, push the nut onto the pipe, and then push the brass compression ring up against the nut. The end of the pipe then needs to be inserted fully into the fitting, ensuring as you do this that it reaches the stop.
Next, push the compressing ring along the pipe to the mouth of the fitting before winding the nut onto the thread in a clockwise direction. This will have the effect of pulling the compression ring right into the fitting, but the compression nut should not be too strongly tightened; otherwise, the compression ring inside will become distorted and possibly cause a leak.
The joint should be tightened only enough to hold the connection firmly. It can always be tightened later when the water has been turned back on, but if it is too tight at the outset, it will not be possible to tighten it further should a leak develop.
One of the advantages of compression joints, apart from their reliability, is that you do not need to use any jointing materials with them. This makes them less messy to form than some other pipe joints. Plumbers sometimes wrap polytetrafluoroethylene tape around the joint, however, or apply some jointing paste, especially if the compression ring is old and somewhat worn. The jointing paste will make up for any blemishes, and the overall effect will be the same as forming a brand-new joint. The paste is not applied directly to the threads of the fitting because these do not actually form the seal but only pull the joint together.
Posted on January 15, 2012 by islandhome
Erecting a garden fence is necessary for home security and may take two or more days to complete depending on the size of the area to be enclosed. A fence should also look attractive enough to enhance your property.
First, it is important to clear the area and to remove the old fence. Remove all debris from the site in order to have a safe work area for your project. It may also be necessary to tidy any vegetation and apply weed killer to the area to kill any undergrowth.
Mark where the new posts will be placed, bearing in mind that the panels themselves are typically six feet wide. Old posts are removed by digging out. If the posts were secured by a large amount of concrete it may be necessary to hire an electric breaker machine to facilitate the removal of it.
A nine-foot long post needs a two-foot deep hole that is wide enough for precise and stable positioning. The hole should also be approximately two feet deep. When the posts are in, distance them accurately. Apply stone hard-core or ram in broken brick to support the posts in position.
Use a length of string to line up the posts. Position the upright posts with a spirit level and use old bricks to wedge into the final position.
When all posts and panels are positioned mix a three to one ratio of ballast to cement, and fill the hole. Do the same for each post.
After each post has been firmly concreted in place you can fill up below the bottom of the panels if necessary. Do this by using gravel boards or decorative stone chippings.
Posted on January 12, 2012 by islandhome
There is a wide selection of stylish bathroom furniture available. By selecting the right furniture, you can easily transform your bathroom into a stylish, comfortable retreat. From modern white cabinets to sleek steel units, there is furniture to suite all tastes. Browsing through the many styles of bathroom furniture available will enable you to find something that suits your needs and budget.
Bathroom furniture such as cabinets and vanity mirrors not only enable you to improve the look of your bathroom but also help you to keep it more organised. Bathroom cabinets are ideal for those wishing to create more storage space in their bathroom. If you have limited space for a mirror and cabinet, then there are many types of mirrored cabinets available that will create extra storage space without taking up too much room in your bathroom.
If you wish to create a brand new look for your bathroom, then there are many types of bathroom furniture that offer something stylish and unique, such as tall cabinets and wall mounted basins. Whatever your needs, you are sure to find something stylish, practical and affordable amongst the many types of bathroom furniture available.
Posted on January 11, 2012 by islandhome
Some blind manufacturers sell blinds made from FSC certified wood. This means that the wood has been approved by the Forest Stewardship Council as having been obtained from an ethically and environmentally sound source. Some wooden blinds are made from real wood and stained to look like different types of wood and named accordingly, for example ‘oak’, ‘mahogany’ and ‘cedar’. Other ‘wooden’ blinds are actually made of faux-wood, a plastic-like material that, has natural wood particles in it, and coloured to look like wood. Faux-wood blinds may be more durable than those made of natural wood as they are warp resistant.
Aluminium is a popular material for venetian or vertical blinds, but used more commonly in offices than in homes. Aluminium is lighter and more durable than wood and the silvery grey colour suits the business-like appearance of commercial buildings. More robust aluminium roller blinds are used on the outside of doorways and windows for security purposes and operated electronically.
Synthetic blinds, or blinds made from man-made materials may be more durable as well as being waterproof, and therefore suitable especially in kitchens and bathrooms. Blinds made from plastic, PVC or acrylic can be manufactured in a wide variety of different colours.
Roman blinds, which are made of fabric attached to thin wooden slats, and austrian blinds that are simply made of fabric, are both typically made using lightweight fabric such as silk or linen. These blinds can be lined to give them extra sturdiness and opacity, and the lining material is usually a less expensive fabric such as cotton.
Posted on January 8, 2012 by islandhome
If the sealant around your bath has a dirty, mouldy appearance and water runs down the sides, it is time to remove it and replace it with fresh sealant. This is a straightforward job within the capabilities of most DIY-ers.
Your first task is to remove the old sealant or silicone. Using a sharp craft knife, run the blade along the edge of the bath, cutting away the old sealant. Pull any remaining stray pieces away using your fingers. Be careful not to scratch the surface of the bath surround with the knife.
If this proves difficult there are specialist sealant removal products available that are simply applied over the sealant and it soon comes away easily. Ensure that all the silicone or sealant is completely removed.
Fill the bath with water before applying the fresh sealant as this helps to weight it down. Using soapy warm water, degrease and clean the area to be sealed thoroughly. Allow the area to dry completely, use a cloth if necessary.
You are now ready to apply the silicone bead. Best results are obtained using a silicone gun. Run the gun smoothly and slowly along the line to be sealed, applying even pressure to ensure a consistent flow of silicone. Afterwards, put a small drop of washing up liquid on your finger and run it along the sealant line to give a smooth finish.
Leave the water in the bath until the sealant has dried (check manufacturer’s instructions for details.)
