23,600 Reasons to Have Your Chimney Serviced

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, reports that some 23,600 residential fires in the 50 states were related to solid fuel appliances and equipment in 1996. An additional 5,500 fires were attributed to chimneys and chimney connectors serving heating systems burning liquid and other fuels. As a result of these fires, 130 people died, 230 people were injured, and total property losses were set at more than $184.4 million. In addition there were a minimum of 119 deaths from carbon monoxide and at least 4,700 "injuries" reported for the same time frame, though most estimates range much higher.

The root cause of most of these losses is that most U.S. homeowners are unaware that chimneys are an integral part of a home heating system and that they require regular evaluation and maintenance. In a great many European countries - including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Germany - chimney-fire damage statistics have been reduced to negligible numbers because national coalitions of government, insurance companies, fire and building officials, and chimney sweeps have developed tough regulations mandating regularly scheduled chimney inspections and cleaning. The citizens of those countries understand the hazards of unmaintained chimneys, and their chimney sweeps are regular members of their home safety team. Tag:Chimney Caps Wood Stoves Fireplace Sweep Gas Logs Fireplace Accessories Stove Copper Caps Liners Fireplace Tool Set Vent Firebacks Dryer Vent Brushes Gas Stoves Hearth Brush cleaning sweep fireplaces relining gas woodstove repair caps regency masonry dampers inspections repairs sweeping relining masonry repairsdryer vent cleaning certified sweep oil wood flue clay brick

Home Repair - Deep Woods Decor In Your Home 2008

Deep woods decor is one decorating style that has stood the test of time. It is a wonderful way to add beauty and warmth to any room in your home. Deep woods decor is a popular choice of many homeowners, including those who tend to live a more active and contemporary life. You can live anywhere that you want, from the country to the city, and use deep woods decor in your home. Nothing else can add quite the same warmth and appeal to a home as taking elements from nature to decorate your room.

You don't have to use the deep woods decor to the degree where your home resembles a rustic wood cabin. You could choose to just use the decor in one room or you can use just a few pieces to add a touch of nature to a room, whichever you choose. You may want to start with a less used room, like a guest room or half bath to see if you enjoy the look of deep woods decor in your room. By following just a few guiding tips, you can add deep woods decor to your home in a classy and beautiful way.

To create the deep woods look in a room, you want to start with painting the walls. You could choose to paint the walls a dark green or burgundy or you can paint just one or two walls to use as accent walls. The bedding or other furnishings that you choose will help you to determine which color will work best for your room. The bed and furniture can be tools for your decor as well with the many different log beds and wooden furniture that you can find in all different styles and stains. Tag: Home Hvac Home Improvement Air Conditioning Home Inspection Bathroom Remodeling Basement Do It Yourself Home Remodeling Companies Home Foundation Repair Handyman home repair do-it-yourself home improvement house plumbing maintenance help advice electrical remodeling tips painting contractors tools install handyman cabinets bugs water how-to expert broken toilet carpet gutter repairs roofing cleaning disaster interior exterior flooring renovation countertops professional

Garage Decorating Trends Ideas

Building a Garage - Nailing and Positioning the Wall
It will be easy to nail the wall together if your layout marks are accurate and your pieces have been cut to the proper size.
Most Common Mistakes:
1. Not nailing exactly flush where pieces come together.
2. Not squaring the wall.
3. Not having enough people to lift and hold the wall in position while bracing.
4. Not nailing braces securely.

Construction:
1. On the garage floor slab, separate the top and bottom plate slightly more than a stud's length apart with the bottom plate positioned nearest the wall's final location, place the different pieces in position.
2. It works best if two people can nail - one at the top plate and one at the bottom plate - to prevent the wall from jumping around. Drive two 16d CC sinkers into each stud through each plate and into all studs in the corner assembly as well.
3. Nail the headers in place with all adjoining pieces exactly flush with each other. The studs should not protrude from the plates nor should the header protrude from the sides of the king or trimmer studs.
4. After everything is nailed together, check the wall for squareness first by measuring across diagonally from one corner to the other, then measuring the opposite diagonal. Adjust until the two diagonals are equal and the wall is square.
5. Temporarily nail a 2" x 4" diagonally across the wall to keep it square and lend rigidity during moving.
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Kitchen Trends – What's Hot in Decorating Style Kitchen Design

Storage : One of the biggest and hottest trends in kitchens is increased and stylish storage. From oversized pot racks that hang from the ceiling to drawers built to stow away the microwave oven when not in use, storage plays a huge role in kitchen design. Frosted glass, veneer, and metal accents are all making a comeback, featured on shelf doors, drawers, and racks of all kinds. Drawer and cupboard inserts used to arrange everything from cookware to drinking glasses are also popular.

Appliances : Put a cook-top, refrigerator, or microwave oven in a kitchen island that can be moved around as needed, and you've got a veritable kitchen on wheels! These new roll-around appliances can be plugged in and used where needed, giving you complete freedom to have extra cooking surfaces right nearby. Move the unit into another room to keep dishes warm during a dinner party, or have a refrigerator handy. The newest ovens and refrigerators on the market feature French-style doors, which take up less space when opened. They also give the kitchen a new and updated feel, as the doors add a decorative touch to your appliances. Oven hoods are also making a comeback, creating a focus on the oven as the central part of the kitchen.

Countertops : New materials are being used in countertops now, such as laminated plastic and even hardwood. Sealed hardwood adds warmth and sophistication and can draw together other elements of you kitchen like the cupboards or dining furniture. Layer colored or printed fabric, naturals like dried herbs or flowers, or other items between layers of laminated plastic for an eye-catching appearance on your countertops.

Colors : Long gone are the days when kitchens were done in dull, monochromatic hues. Splashes of color are not only trendy but very much in demand. Light blues, sharp oranges, and deep corals are especially popular.

Contrasting Colors and Shapes : There is a significant move away from symmetry and sameness in kitchens at the moment. Contrasting colors from both the cool and warm palettes used together are becoming fashionable, as well as opposing textures like smooth metal and uneven stone. Cabinets and cupboards are displayed in varying sizes, from tall, narrow standalone shelving units to long and wide cupboards.
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kitchen remodel Cabinet Refacing and Refinishing

Advantages and Drawbacks of Cabinet Refacing
If you're thinking about remodeling your kitchen but are daunted by the cost of new cabinets, all is not lost. Cabinet re-facing may offer an alternative worth exploring. Keep in mind, however, re-facing is not for everyone, and there are some definite advantages and disadvantages to the process that you need to consider.

Re-facing is simply the process of covering the old exteriors of the cabinets with new wood to give them a fresh, clean look, and it can make a good do-it-yourself project for the patient carpenter. Your existing cabinets need to be in good condition structurally and you need to be happy with their size and layout. If so, then re-facing them may offer a faster, lower-cost option to complete replacement, which also allows you to save the countertops.

The re-facing process is fairly straightforward, although it sounds a little easier than it is. First, all of the drawers are removed from the cabinets and set aside. Then the doors are removed and discarded. Any crown or scribe molding is also removed and discarded. All of this can theoretically be done with the contents still in the cabinets, but it's definitely easier and cleaner to box up the contents and store them temporarily. Prior to starting on the re-facing, the door openings are measured and new doors are ordered. Tag: Bathroom Vanity Drawer Pulls Custom Doors Cabinet Hinges Entertainment Center Door Hardware Cabinet Hardware Vanity Bathroom Door Kitchen Island Cabinet Doors Kitchen Remodeling Kitchen Design Door Knobs Kitchen Furniture Bathroom Remodeling Hinges Bathroom Cabinets kitchen cabinet refacing custom countertops kitchen cabinet remodeling design drawers cabinetry laminate renovate flooring affordable thermo foil renovating

Building Kitchen Cabinets Decorating Trends 2008

Building Cabinets - Building Doors and Drawers
Building the Doors and False Front
The doors and false front will overlap the openings by 3/8" and are rabbetted along the edges so that they are inset into the openings by 1/4". You may choose not to make your doors inset but rather sit entirely on top of the face frame. Another choice is to buy ready made doors out of the same kind of wood that you build the cabinet out of. The doors and false front are made the same way that we made the face frame. Use dowels at each butt joint and when you cut your stock make it long enough for the amount of overlap that you desire.

1. Rip and crosscut your stock to length.
2. Dowel, glue and clamp the rails and stiles together and allow to dry.
3. Cut the rabbet along the edges for the inset. To make a rabbet cut, you can use a router or a table saw.
4. Rout out the back so the door panels can be inserted. As a suggestion, use a scrap piece of wood to check your cut. Advance the router slowly, so as to not to splinter the wood and move it in the proper direction, you can feel the difference if you are moving against the cutting bit.
5. Make rabbet cuts on the back side of the door and false front to insert the panels in exactly the same way.
6. Use a table saw or a circular saw with a straight edge to cut the door insert out of 1/4" oak plywood. To compensate for the small curved corners use a saber saw to cut a small radius in the corner. This provides a perfect fit.
7. Use a 1/4" round over bead to shape the doors false front, and door front. Note: Shaping is a personal design choice, there are many different shapes you can choose from. You can use a shaper or a router for this process. Tags: Bathroom Vanity Drawer Pulls Custom Doors Cabinet Hinges Entertainment Center Door Hardware Cabinet Hardware Vanity Bathroom Door Kitchen Island Cabinet Doors Kitchen Remodeling Kitchen Design Door Knobs Kitchen Furniture Bathroom Remodeling Hinges Bathroom Cabinets

Cheap Counter Top Renovations

Stenciling and painting are the two best ways to renovate your counter tops in the most cost effective manner. Painting a counter top is not difficult, and no matter what is your skill level in do-it-yourself projects, you can do it very easily. If you want to achieve a type of counter top that you usually find in magazines, it will always be great to blend your painting skills with the wonderful features of stencils to create eye-catching multi-colored patterns.

Types of Stencils Available
Stencils are available in many different types. You will find craft stencils in both simple and complex forms. The simple design includes the cutouts of some specific objects, such as flowers, fruits, carrots, rabbits, seashells, etc. These stencils look good but not very realistic. In order to achieve a 3-D appearance or realistic look, you will have to go for the complex ones. For example, if done properly, the multiple overlay stencils of flowers will help you achieve the look of a real garden. It is not very difficult to work with overlay stencils, but yes, it does take time because you need to wait for the paint to dry before you proceed to the next overlay.

Some Bold Decorating Ideas
• If you want to achieve a custom look for your counter tops, one good idea is to extend the stencil pattern up a wall. The backsplash between the countertop and wall cabinets also makes a good place for stencil patterns. However, if later you feel that the look is not that great on the already painted walls, you have the option to cover the patterns with a fresh coat of paint.
• If stenciled patterns do not attract you, you may like to go for the faux finish look. You can achieve this by using multiple paint colors and sheet plastic, sponges, newspapers etc to create textures within the paint.
• By using the multiple paint colors with stencils, will definitely help you achieve a stunning finished look.
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Made in Italy: classic style furnishing complements in solid wood

In fact, the tradition of the northern Italian furniture factories (particularly those in Veneto and Lombardy) is a significant baggage and know-how that has reached an important expertise.

So what is the actual risk for these companies?
The main difficulty consists in being able to make the most of these precious inherited competences and sell them in the right terms, in the right moment and in the right way. Nowadays, where the modern society doesn't assess the quality of an item almost anymore but its production costs and time, a craft-made good expressly made on measure, incurs into the risk of being declassed and considered too expensive compared to the industrial competitor goods of East and North Europe Countries.

Therefore, it is necessary that traditional furniture-makers, specialized in handicraft furniture production, offer their goods and furnishing complements with the right approach, that is emphasizing their distinctiveness in tactile features, strength and accuracy not even comparable to the industrial low-cost correspondent products. For instance, the marketing solution adopted by the Zilio Group could be reported as a suitable reaction to this matter: a creation of a website that gathers either Zilio Mobili's traditional products either those complements of furnishing presented by Elisa Mobili. Italian, furniture, design, massive, furnishing, home, furnishings, classic, company, contract, manufacturers,