Explore tips & tricks to improve and transform the specific aspects of your home for the better – from home exteriors, furniture, walls, and ceilings to garage, flooring, and outdoors.
Home Improvement
If you want to decorate around a wall vent to help make the overall space more aesthetically pleasing, there are a number of ways you can do this, for example by installing floating shelves nearby, or hanging wall art alongside a vent.
Baseboards bridge the gap between walls and floors, fulfilling both an aesthetic and functional purpose. There are advantages and disadvantages to caulking baseboards, so it all comes down to personal choice. This guide explores the most common pros and cons of caulking baseboards to help you determine whether you should caulk this architectural feature in your own home.
Caulk is a sealant commonly used in home renovation projects, especially in bathrooms and kitchens. It helps seal the gaps around fixtures to make them watertight, for example around the edge of a bathtub or a kitchen sink. Caulk can also be used to create a neat line to give a more professional finish. If you’re getting stuck into a home renovation project, you’ll need some caulk at some point. Here we explore the different types of caulk and what scenarios they are best for, and we also investigate whether caulk is better than sealant.
Appliances
If you want to figure out what is going on with your vacuum, then first you need to get to grips with the different parts of a vacuum, what they look like, what they are called, and how they work. Here we address all of these points.
Understanding the size of gas line you need for your stove is probably going to be the trickiest part of the job since there is no standard size for gas lines, and instead, you need to select a size of gas line that is compatible with the energy required by your stove. Here we look at how to calculate the size of gas line you need to ensure your new stove works as it should and is safe to use.
A cooler is a perfect addition to many different types of outdoor scenarios, such as tailgating parties, cookouts, boating trips, camping trips, hunting and fishing trips, picnics, and even just daily use for enjoying a packed lunch at work.
Basements
The basement is often the most overlooked part of a home regarding design value. This extra storage room is incredibly versatile and can be used for a variety of purposes, including as a games or entertainment room, additional living space, storage, or home office. But when it comes to redesigning your basement, the floor color you select will give your area a fresh and clean feel.
The color you choose should reflect the type of feel you want to achieve in your basement, and of course, this depends on what you intend to use the room for. Here we look at some stylish basement ceiling paint colors and explain how they can affect the atmosphere in your basement.
It’s nice to have a basement where you can take a shelter, set up a home office, or store out-of-season items. And if you’re going to renovate your basements or looking for ideas for some types of basements for your new home, this guide is for you. Here we’ll discuss the many basements types and what you can do with your basements.
Ceilings
Cathedral ceilings are a controversial topic amongst many designers since they offer a wide range of advantages and disadvantages to the homeowner. Here we investigate exactly what a cathedral ceiling is and look through the history of the cathedral ceiling. We also explore the pros and cons of cathedral ceilings to help you gain an understanding of whether this type of vaulted ceiling would work well in your home.
If you’re able to paint your ceiling before you move into a new property, this is always the favorite option because you won’t need to worry about getting spills and splatters on furniture or being restricted in terms of movement because of bulky items. However, most people who need to paint their ceilings will do so while they are living in the home, which brings us to the common question of how to paint the ceiling without moving furniture.
When your room is small, it can feel cramped and dingy. By painting the ceiling a bright coat of paint, you can open up the space. But it is important to choose the right paint color in order to trick the eye into thinking the room is larger than it really is.
Doors
Door rough opening sizes are typically 2 inches wider and 2.5 inches taller than the door size. For instance, the rough opening for a 36 × 80-inch door should be 38 × 82.5 inches.
The way a frameless shower door is installed means that there will be a slight gap between the glass door and the shower wall it’s fitted to. This should not result in any leaks, providing the door is installed and used correctly.
Gloss paint looks great on doors, but if you make a mistake, the glossy surface can highlight your error. Below, we’ll cover how to get the best finish using gloss paint.
Entry
Hallway runners typically come in two width sizes of 2 and 3 feet, and they come in a range of lengths ranging from 5 feet to 14 feet. Here, we explore the various standard hallway runner dimensions and explain how to measure for a hallway runner.
If you’re thinking about giving your hallway a makeover, it’s worth putting some real consideration into the hallway paint color, because it can set the tone for the rest of your home. The hallway is the first room that visitors will see when they come to your home, so think about the kind of first impression you want to create.
The staircase wall is one of the largest areas of blank canvas in most homes, yet it is also the most underused. The great expanse of the wall along the side of a staircase will usually be double height, making it a prime spot of real estate for creating a feature. Here we explore ways to maximize your staircase wall’s potential with several decorative ideas.
Fasterners
Brad nails are used for the final detail of a project and have a smaller head than their cousin. The length of your brad is generally determined by the thickness of wood you’re fastening together and its intended use.
When framing interior walls, you need to choose the right size nails to ensure the framing is strong and that your job isn’t too physically strenuous. This means you will want a nail that is large enough to be sturdy and robust while being small enough that it isn’t difficult to drive into the wood. You should also stay away from nails that are too bulky because they can split the wood upon entry, rendering your framing weak and unsuitable.
To effectively attach drywall to studs, you’ll need to select the correct size of screw. While there is a huge variety of screw sizes available for building work, there are only a handful of sizes that are suitable for use with drywall.
Flooring
The standard depth of carpet pad is 7/16 inches, but the thickness you need will be dependent upon a number of factors, including the type of carpet you have, and your budget. Carpet padding typically varies in thickness from ⅜ an inch to ½ an inch, and thicker is better in some scenarios, while thinner and firmer is better for others.
While brown isn’t the most popular color for the walls, fortunately, it is versatile enough to complement many lighter and darker carpet colors without clashing. If you’re unsure of the best carpet color pairings for your light or dark brown-walls, here are some suggestions that work well with this earthy color:
There is nothing like a beautiful blue carpet to bring a calming vibe to the room. But when it comes to deciding what wall colors go with blue carpet, you must ensure the flooring doesn’t become an eyesore. There is also the size of the room to consider as darker shades can cause a small room to feel dreary.
Furniture
There are so many different colors of sofa that will look great alongside a white wall, depending on the type of style or atmosphere you want to achieve. In this article, we examine the perfect sofa shades that harmonize with white walls.
A bookcase can serve as a focal point in any room thanks to its sheer size. Such an accent piece has become a necessity in every home, not just for storing books, but also for holding your souvenirs, crafts, and other knick knacks. By painting the back of a bookcase an attractive color, you can completely transform this essential book storage item. But what colors work best for the back of the bookcase? To give the shelves a new look, you can paint the back part bold or neutral, but it must be complementary to the rest of your room’s decor.
There are many ways you can customize your outdoor table decor to suit your party, and determine the type of vibe and atmosphere of your event. From casual, coastal themes, to glam and glitzy styles, there are many different ways you can utilize items you already have at home to stye your outside space.
Garages
What garage wall paint colors should you choose, and how should you paint them like a professional? We will give you some ideas as well as step-by-step instructions on how you can paint your garage walls in a fast and affordable way. Let’s get started!
If you have a roll-up garage door, you might be wondering if this needs to be approached in a different way than painting a regular garage door. Here we look at the process you will need to follow to properly painting a roll-up garage door.
The average cost to build a garage is $50 per square foot. A 24-foot by 24-foot garage will have a total square footage of 576, which brings the average cost of building out to $28,800.
Green Living
When warmer months roll around, many people find it difficult to stay cool in their own homes. This can make it especially difficult to sleep at night or even to concentrate during the day. If you have children in the home, they can become very uncomfortable and irritable if they overheat, and this can actually be potentially dangerous for babies. So, why is your house so hot?
Since the times of the industrial-chemical boom of the 1950s, when all chemicals were regarded as beneficial, we have come a long way in understanding how even everyday household cleaning products can adversely affect our environment and our health.
Our homes have high energy needs. To satisfy them, we have been burning massive amounts of fossil fuels, which produces greenhouse gasses. The greenhouse gas buildup has created the current climate crisis – probably the largest threat and challenge humanity had yet faced. Let’s dive into the innovative world of green building together and get some answers!
Home Exterior Remodel & Improvement
Some colors of siding, like green, will make tan brick pop, while other colors, such as warm neutrals, will make the tan bricks less of a prominent feature. Here, we explore the best siding colors with tan bricks depending on the effect you want to achieve.
You can contrast against your red brick home by choosing a green-colored door, since red and green are complementary colors. Alternatively, embrace an entirely warm color palette by opting for an orange or wooden door. There is also the option of using neutral colors such as beige or white to try to tone down the effect of the red bricks if you find the color to be too harsh.
White and black are classic accent colors for a gray house, creating a contrast with shade rather than hue. For a brighter or bolder choice, red and yellow are both excellent accent colors for homes with gray exteriors.
Painting
The standard length measurement of a paint roller is 9 inches, though paint rollers also come in smaller and larger sizes for specific projects. The pile or ‘nap’ of a roller will also come in different measurements, and it’s important to pick the right roller nap for the job to get the best results.
If you’re able to paint your ceiling before you move into a new property, this is always the favorite option because you won’t need to worry about getting spills and splatters on furniture or being restricted in terms of movement because of bulky items. However, most people who need to paint their ceilings will do so while they are living in the home, which brings us to the common question of how to paint the ceiling without moving furniture.
Gloss paint looks great on doors, but if you make a mistake, the glossy surface can highlight your error. Below, we’ll cover how to get the best finish using gloss paint.
Porches and Patios
Having your own swing set in the backyard is every child’s dream, transforming a basic garden into a fun playground. If you’re interested in adding a swing set to your garden, the first thing to think about is how much space you need to accommodate the swing set.
Houses that have been painted white, or have white siding, are one of the easiest to coordinate with because you’re guaranteed that any colors will go with white. Decks in neutral colors will work well with white, and even brighter or dark colors can be good options.
We have compiled a few practical porch roof designs with pictures to give you inspiration. But before we start, let’s delve a little into roof overhangs in case you’re not familiar with this topic.
Tools
Rental pressure washers at Lowe’s start at just $6 an hour for a minimum period of 4 hours, so you can complete quite an extensive task during that time for a really reasonable cost. By comparison, you can expect to pay a professional around $80 per hour to come and pressure wash your driveway, so that’s a significant saving.
Having an electric nail gun is beneficial, especially if you have a do-it-yourself home improvement or construction project. Compared to hammering nails by hand, using an electric nail gun is easier and safer. Plus, it offers greater precision. However, what type of nail gun should you use?
Knifemaking is a process that’s been around for hundreds of years. To make a knife, one has to follow a series of processes, and all of these processes require tools. The earliest knives were made from such materials as flint, obsidian, brass, iron, copper, or bronze.
Walls
If you want to decorate around a wall vent to help make the overall space more aesthetically pleasing, there are a number of ways you can do this, for example by installing floating shelves nearby, or hanging wall art alongside a vent.
Baseboards bridge the gap between walls and floors, fulfilling both an aesthetic and functional purpose. There are advantages and disadvantages to caulking baseboards, so it all comes down to personal choice. This guide explores the most common pros and cons of caulking baseboards to help you determine whether you should caulk this architectural feature in your own home.
The color of the walls in a man cave is going to heavily influence the overall feel of the space, so determining the right color requires a lot of thought.
Windows
Choosing a front door with a window in it is a popular way to allow more light into the entryway, and some people also like to see who is at their door before opening it up to visitors. However, there are also some drawbacks to having a window in your front door, such as a lack of privacy or light flooding in early in the morning and waking you up.
Window sills are routinely painted white, as this is a popular, inoffensive color choice. However, window sills do not have to be white, and instead you can paint them in a color to coordinate with your color scheme, or to blend in with your walls.
Should bedroom curtain length be long or short? The length you choose can turn your bedroom into a casual or formal space, so it comes down to personal preference not to mention the size of the bedroom.