Archive for July, 2011
Quick And Easy Shelving: Do It Like The Pros
Shelves are almost always the most useful and hardwearing “parts” of the house. Raised above the prying hands of children and unruly pets shelves provide a private storage space where food or heirloom silver plates can rest quietly until they are used again.
Old parts of the house are good
According to Shaun Myer a home improvement consultant in London:
“Taking away original features? Disaster! We’re awash with TV shows and magazine stories telling us that we should savor the past and take it with us into the future. Ripping the heart out of a property will be seen as a heinous design crime.”
Myer continues with:
“Original features are part of estate agency parlance not having them is a serious disadvantage. Original features are a steady comfort in a fast moving world of fickle tastes and almost anything new can be made to work well along side them. Never get rid!”
Add shelf space add life
Since getting rid of the old shelves arent a good idea financially DIY shelving seems to be a good recourse. The materials that you will need are 1.5inch screws for masonry walls rawl plugs for masonry walls no 8 screws for stud partitions screwdriver and shelving planks cut to your desired size and of course a small sander.
The first thing to do is make sure that your brackets are secure before you install the planks. If youre dealing with a masonry wall simply drill 1.5 inches or 1.25 inches into the wall and insert rawl plugs. Insert the 1.5 inch screws into the rawl plugs.
Extra support counts
The problem with brackets on both sides of shelving is that there is a tendency for the middle part to actually bow. According to Stefanie Mann a design artist and DIY enthusiast from Edinburgh:
“Extra brackets dont cost much but they add that strength to make sure that there are no accidents after you use the new shelving.”
Instead of putting two brackets put three or four. Make sure that the middle portions of the new shelving are amply supported. An ideal size for the planks of wood for the shelving would be between three feet to five feet depending on the location of the shelving.
For kitchens the optimum size would be three feet or even less. For bedrooms such as bedrooms with small study areas you can go beyond five feet.
Sand it correctly
Its up to you if you want to paint or varnish the planks before installation. But a deciding factor here is whether the sanding has sufficiently evened the surfaces. Sanding should be done evenly on both sides of the plank.
Begin with the corners and slowly work to the center of the plank. The rhythmic sideways movement should always have consistent pressure so that when you sand an area again the result would more or less be the same throughout.
You can use a small broom to remove the shavings from your work area. Be careful with the sander as many sanders have thick hard blades that can skin a hand if misused.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;For DIY and home improvement projects Benedict recommends Dekorbeton Decorative Concrete and Roof Bond Roof Insulation
Quartz Kitchen Countertops Tiles – Anyone Can Afford It!
Looking for a quick option that’ll enable you to easily transform any surface luxurious? Try Quartz Kitchen Countertops Tiles remodeling. It is always fascinating to watch these naturemade panels wondering about the millions of years and nature forces that created these natural panels. In this article you will be able to explore the latest ideas that can help you to easily redecorate any of your home’s surfaces.
Short background
Let’s quickly understand how it works Quartz Kitchen Countertops Tiles redecoration is created by assembling together seamless small flat stones manually sorted and then glued onto a sq/ft mesh backing. Whatever the reason is one thing is obvious most of these ‘NatureMade’ panels are originated from the same part of the world and indeed most of them are originated from S.E. Asian islands. Tiling options are numerous; here are some of the most popular ones: Bath walls shower bases amp; backsplashes kitchen backsplash countertops patios pool surfaces decks and fireplaces.
Important advantages
By now we clearly notice how this unique solution transforms our home design easier:
* Quick amp; easy installation that doesn’t require any special skills or professional background.
* Can be used for virtually unlimited applications at home in the office in restaurants hotels etc.
* Durable to any extreme temperatures such as around fireplaces and stoves for example.
Need a good advice?
* Laminate the stones with a sealer prior to installation it’ll protect it from liquids dirt and detergents transforming it even more durable.
* Use only high quality materials such as grout and sealer you don’t want your tiles to fall apart after few months just because you wanted to save a few dollars.
* When you prepare the grout avoid adding too much water in the initial mix that additional water can result in weak grout that can flake.
We could list many other important great benefits provided by this quick redesigning option simply because you quickly discover the wide variety and opportunities provided by these natural panels.
On the bottom line
It is quite fun and easy to work with this special Quartz Kitchen Countertops Tiles technique just remember to follow the manufacturer’s instructions; after all these tiles provide a permanent surface that you will have to live with for many years. As mentioned earlier installation is quite easy however it is advised to review the above advices before installation.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Get creative! Learn more about how you can easily decorate any surface at home or in the office with Quartz Kitchen Countertops Tiles.
Visit: HomePebbleTiles.com
Prescription Drugs In Drinking Water: Something Old New Filtered Or Few?
How are all these drugs getting in our water?
The experts say that when you take a medication a small amount of it does not metabolize into your system.
OK so you might be wondering where do they go? These drug particles are eliminated by the body and flushed into the sewage system.
So thats why prescription drugs in drinking water happens to be a very real occurrence.
And back in the day when sewage treatment plants were built they simply focused on removing the standard contaminants caused by pollution and nature.
So today many water treatment facilities do not remove pharmaceuticals from the waste water that gets processed and then released back into the environment. This liquid eventually finds its way into other water supply systems.
Like I hinted at earlier in certain locations of the country drinking water comes from filtered sewage water.
Particularly none of the systems in place successfully remove the pharmaceuticals from water.
The various drugs in the drinking water are not likely removed by your average massproduced kitchen water filter either.
Whats more you will be hardpressed to find truly natural bottled water.
In fact most waterbottling facilities do not test for the presence of drugs.
Just think about the fact that pharmaceutical drugs have been around for decades and you never heard of them in your water.
This might lead you to wonder is this a new discovery? The answer is astonishingly no.
In reality the low levels of prescription drugs in drinking water have been a concern for more than a decade.
Both the environmental and scientific communities did document that pharmaceuticals were found in sewage water and could possibly contaminate drinking water.
The main culprit was the drugs found in birth control pills.
Still another shocking discovery was made. This time fish in the United States were turning up with
both male and female characteristics. Scientists revealed that the marine life had been exposed to estrogenlike substances a.k.a. oral contraceptives.
Scientists began to focus on the effects of oral contraceptives but now with more drugs in the drinking water a wider scope of testing has begun.
In conclusion other than filtering your water what can you do?
Some claim that boiling your tap water can get rid of the drugs.
But you can scratch that off your list since experts say boiling your water will not solve the problem of prescription drugs in drinking water.
About the writer: Gordon Hall is fervent about enabling you and everyone to live a healthy lifestyle and is an ardent reviewer of Water Purification Systems. Visit his website now at : http://www.watersafeandpure.com to discover which Water Purification Systems Gordon recommends after far ranging and extensive comparisons.