Painting
Spring is a popular time to stain the deck, fence or other wood in your backyard. Keep the task simple and buy a good quality stain to have the best looking wood in the neighborhood.
Timing Is Key
Make sure that you will have decent weather for the duration of the project. Most brands recommend looking for 24 hours of a steady temperature above 41 degrees Fahrenheit with no forecasted precipitation.
We're pleased to announce the launch of 5 more blogs which will focus on Kitchens, Paint, Green Building, Tools and Home Security.
The depth of these categories is huge so we felt they needed their own websites.
You can reach these other blogs from the navigation bar at the very top of the page and don't forget the content on every blog is also segmented into specific categories which you'll find along the right-hand side of the website.
We can now offer direct advertising opportunities across our entire network or on a single blog within the network.
We'd like to thank Maggie Hong of Pixrelated for creating our great crest logos and Chad Everett for his Movable Type mastery in developing the back-end of our blogs.
We'd also like to thank our bevy of bloggers who pump out great content on a daily basis, Katy Ryan, Tabatha Muntzinger, Laura Serino, Diana Dart, Deren Monday and Jennifer Volland. You can also check out the rest of our team here.
If you're interested in blogging for Charles & Hudson or have a product or service announcement you think would be a great fit for our home improvement blog network please contact us.
Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy our new blogs.
Living in an older home comes with many things you can see as "charm" or "obstacles" depending on the situation at hand. You have less-than-stellar plumbing and electrical, uneven floors, creepy crawl spaces, dank and dark basements, inefficient windows, doors that don't hang straight, mismatched millwork, etc. One of those situations in my home is our plaster walls.
As our home has aged and settled (and actually been moved from one location about a mile away to where it is now) over its 112 years of life, our walls have been worse for the wear. Cracks are apparent everywhere, and seem to be reproducing and spreading at an alarming rate. Dents become huge dusty messes to repair and camouflage. And in the case of two of our rooms, just began falling off in sheets due to fire and water damage and general rot. So while we've torn down and drywalled in its stead what was necessary, we're not keen on creating that kind of mess any time soon again.
However, our foyer-stairwell-upstairs landing area leaves much to be aesthetically desired. Removing a broken banister and plastic wainscoting (that was GLUED to PLASTER WALLS for added angst) caused us to partially repair with drywall and partially ... just cover it with paint. Unfortunately, the color isn't what I had hoped for, and our first foray into drywalling isn't pretty. (Mental note, if your spouse tries to convince you that spackle and wall mud are the same thing, STOP THEM. It's not, and I have the unsightly wall to show for it.)
A lot of consideration needs to go into the flooring you choose for your home. Other than considering your personal design aesthetic and the use of the space, you have to think about what's going to work best for you and your family - especially when it comes to refinishing, replacing, or painting hardwood floors.
I remember agonizing over what to do about the wood floors in what is our master bedroom in progress. There had been peel-and-stick vinyl tiles from approximately 1976 on top of hardwood, and though the tiles were so old they just popped right up, the residue from the glue seemed to damage the wood. Living in a 110+ year old house, we knew restoring the hardwood would not only look gorgeous, but it could potentially add to our home's value.
After a lot of discussion and realization that we hadn't the faintest about wood floors, we had a local wood flooring expert known for his expertise in the historic neighborhoods in the area come out and tell us his opinion on an appropriate course of action.
Before painting a room or a wall you need to determine how much paint you will need. We always go with just a bit more as it's always frustrating to return to the hardware store for more paint that you hope they still have or that they are still open in the middle of the night when you finish your project. It's also handy to have a little extra paint to cover drywall patches or nail holes.
1. Measure the length of the wall in feet.
2. Measure the height of the wall in feet.
3. Multiply the length times the height to get the square footage of wall area.
A gallon of paint will cover roughly 400 square feet. Make note that if you need two coats then double the amount of paint needed.
We've been long time advocates for small space living and foresaw the backlash to McMansions that consume more energy, resources and materials than any house should.
Apartment Therapy grew out of a tiny NYC apartment (most are) but their mantra of "saving one room at a time" can apply to any home regardless of size. We even applied the "cure" to our own New York apartment (that's our kitchen in the photo).
With home design magazines continuing to play catchup, the legion of home design websites continue to gain traction. Loving. Living. Small. from Rebecca Orlov, focuses on "living small with style".
We asked her for a few tips for living in small spaces and she came back with some great answers!
C&H: What does living small mean to you?
Rebecca: To me, living small doesn't really have to do with the actual size. It's more about embracing your own style and being thoughtful about your things. Sometimes stuff is just more stuff and when living small, you have to consider all of your furniture and decor. It makes material items more meaningful.
C&H: I've got a big room, can I still apply "living small" themes? How so?
Rebecca: Absolutely! In fact, applying small space solutions to larger rooms will often provide balance and scale to a space that may feel overwhelming and hard to tackle. A few to consider are using:
-Using your walls to go vertical in a space will draw the eye up. Art galleries, tall furniture, shelving - all of these items will work in larger rooms as well and will provide balance in the space.
-Layering furniture is a great way to use your space will create depth in the room. Don't be afraid to place furniture in front of other furniture. Place matching chairs in front of built-ins or angle a chaise in front of the tv. This also applies to floating your furniture - just because you have walls doesn't mean you have to place your furniture right against them.
-Consider using furniture with legs. Credenzas, sofas, armoires with longer legs will allow the eye to continue to go past the furniture and the space will appear bigger.
-Painting an accent wall. I often encourage painting one wall in any sized space to create depth and texture. And consider your colors - warm colors will make a (large) space feel more intimate while cool colors can make a room appear to expand. In the case of a large space, go with the warm.
After you've selected a paint color the next step is determining the finish and sheen. Here's a quick reference guide to help you choose.
Range of Sheens
High-gloss finish: very shiny, stain-resistant, great for kid's rooms and often times used for painting furniture
Semi-gloss finish: medium shiny, withstands frequent washing, good for trim and moldings, kitchens and bathrooms
Satin finish: great for any room and dries to a soft velvet look with a bit of a sheen, washable
Eggshell or Satin finish: works for interior walls and has a bit of a shine but is considered low luster
Flat finish: matte results that are often used for cutting and filling bare spots, opaque and absorbs light, not great for high-traffic areas, does not clean well
Paint Finishes
Paint is available in a variety of finishes ranging from flat latex to gloss enamel. Gloss enamels dry to a shiny, reflective surface and are used for surfaces that will be washed often like bathrooms and kitchens. Flat paints are most commonly used for wall and ceiling applications in family rooms and bedrooms.
Today is skill #3 that he wants to pass along to his kids from Deren S. Monday.
It seems like I am always spraying something around the house. Paint, primer, lacquer, etc... And it seems like each time I do, I feel a bit silly. Why? Because my Dad taught me what I affectionately refer to as Ninja spraying techniques.
A Ninja is graceful, low to the ground as he moves, fluid in movement and deadly in purpose, calm and quiet as he goes in for the kill. Well, this is how you should spray.
1. Crouch down low.
2. Get on the same horizontal plane as the surface you are spraying.
3. Start your hand movement before starting the stream of spray.
4. Gracefully coat back and forth, applying an even coat of the material to the surface.
5. At the end of a spray cycle, keep your hand moving even after you stop the spray stream.
Old homes are not the only ones likely to be contaminated with lead paint. Any home built before 1980 should have it's interior and exterior paint tested for lead. The older the home the more likely a significant amount of lead was used in the paint.
In the mid-19th-century lead was used extensively by the more wealthy homeowners. So if your old home is of better construction and condition it could be more likely toxic. Children are much more susceptible to lead absorption and the consequence is irreversible brain damage.
Lead can be absorbed via fumes but also from paint chipping off and going into the soil or floors. This lead can be picked up in dirt and toys and ingested by children unknowingly.
Lead is most dangerous when sanding and scraping are going on. This ambient lead hazard is caused by lead particles hanging in the air and can be inhaled or settle on skin and clothes.
We typically leave the beauty tips to Dahlight but she shared one that the frugal DIY crowd may find interesting.
Loew-Cornell Paint Brushes are an excellent alternative to standard makeup brushes. We haven't tried it but maybe the ladies can chime in here. Is it worth it?
