Everyone can use more storage and one of the best places to add storage to is the bedroom. What with all your clothes and personal items cluttering up the closet and bureau, the bedroom can sometimes seem like a messy catch all for all your household clutter. Here's some ways you can clean up the bedroom and get some extra storage space too boot! Your Closet One way to gain a ton of space is to install a closet organizer. It doesn't have to be a fancy expensive one (although feel free if you want one). You won't believe how much extra space you can get from when you use one of these systems. The metal rails systems for closets are great. You can get acrylic shelves, chrome baskets and special slotted pieces for shoes and hats. The slotted systems are good as they provide ventilation which helps your clothes to breathe and are easy to maintain. These adjustable components come with a non-chip and non stick coating. When choosing a closet organizer, make sure you pick a system that allows you to double up your rack space. This way you can hang shorter clothes like shirts and skirts on top of each other and literally double your closet space! Hidden Storage In Your Bedroom You might already have some storage space in your bedroom that you don't even realize you have! Do you have space under the bed? Are you using it to it's fullest? Clean out all the dust bunnies and throw away the socks and junk that has accumulated under there and use this for long term storage. You can put off season clothing, camping gear, toys or whatever under there when it is not in use. Store the items in Tupperware containers (you can buy the low ones on wheels for easy retrieval) or space bags to protect the items and create a neat storage space. Another overlooked storage area is a room divider. If you have one sitting in the corner as a decorative item, you might want to look at the space behind it. This can be used to store items that you don't need to get at every day like craft supplies or maybe even cleaning supplies. Storage Baskets Storage baskets are a great place to store various objects and can also add decorative touches to your bedroom. You can use them for small stuff like keys, holding bills or correspondence, toiletries, towels, jewelry and just about anything else that will fit in the basket. You can buy large baskets for your laundry and smaller ones to use as catch alls. When buying baskets to use as storage in the bedroom, make sure you pick ones that match your bedroom décor. There are many types of storage baskets available in the market in many different sizes and shapes and colors, and in different materials. Some are utility oriented, while some are meant as decorative items. You can choose from willow, woven ash, rope, wrought iron, woven sea grass, bamboo, woodchip and a variety of other types with all different kinds of embellishments so you should be able to find a basket that matches any bedroom décor. Adding more storage to your bedroom can help you get better organized and even help you remove some of the clutter from other rooms in the house. Now you just need to remember to put that stuff away in the right place! Author Bio Lee Dobbins writes for Bedroom Designs And Decorations where you can find more tips on decorating your bedroom. Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com #bedroom #storage #space #rack #basket #organization

Japanese kitchen knives have many different shapes and styles. To cook efficiently and diligently with Japanese knives, you have to choose the suitable type of knives for your cooking purpose. There are most recognizable Japanese kitchen knives: BUNKA (MULTI-PURPOSE) Multi-purpose knife used for cutting vegetable, fish and meat. Bunka knife has a flexible profile that is wide enough at the handle, a gently designed belly of the blade suitable for making either long or short cuts. Blade length: 165mm ÷ 195mm Thickness of the blade: 1.5mm and up to 9.0mm DEBA Deba knife mostly used for filleting fish and trimming meat. A heavy, classic Japanese knife for rougher tasks. Blade length: 165mm ÷ 210mm GYUTOU (CHEF'S KNIFE) Multi-purpose knife used for cutting vegetable, fish and meat. Gyutou knives were originally designed for cutting larger pieces of beef, which is where their name came from - it literally means 'a cow sword'. Blade length: 150mm ÷ 390mm. Mostly used dimensions: 210mm ÷ 270mm Thickness of the blade: 1.5mm and up to 5.0mm NAKIRI Nakiri knife used for cutting and chopping vegetable. Nakiri has a rectangular thin blade designed for cutting vegetables (similar to Usuba) only much thinner and mostly intended for home use. Blade length: 165mm ÷ 180mm PETTY KNIFE (UTILITY KNIFE) Petty knife used for paring fruit and vegetable. Petty knife, sometimes also referred as paring or utility, is a smaller version of the Gyutou (Chef's knife). Blade length: 120mm ÷ 150mm SANTOKU (ALL-PURPOSE) This is all-purpose knife used for cutting vegetable, fish and meat. Blade length: 160mm ÷ 180mm SASHIMI (YANAGIBA) Sashimi knife used for slicing raw fish. Yanagiba a specific purpose, traditional Japanese knife with a long and thin blade, which was originally used for cutting thin slices of raw fish. Sashimi knife similar to Yanagiba, but its blade narrower and thinner than that of Yanagiba. Blade length: 240mm ÷ 360mm USUBA Usuba knife has a rectangular thin blade designed for cutting vegetables. Usage & Care Every time, before using a knife, you have to wash it with dishwashing liquid. Always dry blade throughly after washing. Do not use scrub brushes or abrasive cleaners. To sharpen your knives use whetstone on flat hard surface. Dampen whetstone before use. #knife #kitchen #japan #sashimi #petty #santoku #deba #nakiri #gyutou #sharp #usuba

From automating lawn sprinklers to customizing lighting, smart technology can improve our lives. You may already have a smart assistant or use smart speakers, but smart technology isn’t just for humans. Smart tech can help our pets too - and help us take care of them better. Pet tech can help keep our pets safer and healthier, while offering us new ways to connect and play with them. Learn about some of the top pet tech you can use for your dog or cat in our guide. Smart Pet Doors You no longer have to get up to let your dog or cat out—a smart door can help. Smart pet doors can allow your pet to go in or out, according to your schedule, while keeping other unwanted animals, like raccoons, out. Smart pet doors are usually triggered by a microchip or an RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag that broadcasts a signal from your pet’s collar. Without the activation of the microchip or RFID tag, no other animals can get in your smart pet door. Smart pet doors are usually powered by batteries, have weatherproofed features, and allow you to create rules around selective entry or exit and scheduling. Fortunately, smart pet doors come in various sizes and types, so you can find a door that fits both the size of your pet and the area where you plan to install it. Some smart pet doors, like SureFlap, connect to WiFi and have an app you can control on your smartphone so you can remotely open or close the pet door. Smart Trackers & Monitors Did your pet get out of the backyard? A smart tracker can help you find them again. Pet trackers come at a variety of price points and offer unique features in addition to monitoring your pet’s location via GPS. For example, smart pet trackers, like Whistle, monitor your pet’s health by tracking and analyzing behaviors like excessive licking or scratching. The FitBark even connects to your own smart tracker, like a FitBit or Apple Watch, so you can view the activity from your daily walks for both of you. If you need to watch your pet while you’re away from home, a pet camera like the Furbo Dog Camera allows you to check in on your pet. Think of it as a nanny cam for your dog. This smart device allows you to check in on Fido remotely, even allowing you to give them a treat. The device also monitors and detects potentially dangerous situations, sending you alerts in real-time. For anxious dogs, the ZenCrate is a good option. It works to create a comforting and safe space for your pup by turning on calming music when they enter the crate. The space is designed to dampen the sounds of fireworks or thunder and has a mobile app that connects to a camera so you can monitor your dog. Finally, a smart litterbox, like the Litter-Robot 3 Connect, can help you monitor your cat’s health, while automatically cleaning up after them. With app-connectivity, you can monitor the litter box and your cat’s usage history for important health insights. Smart Feeders and Drinking Fountains You no longer need to keep track of who fed the cat or dog. A smart feeder allots the right amount of food for your pet at the intervals you select, which is handy for pets on a weight management diet. All it takes is a connection to your smartphone, and you can create feeding schedules or deploy a meal from your phone. Some of them even integrate with Alexa so you can use voice commands. The Instachew Fresh Element Smart Pet Feeder Gen 3 is a great solution for feeding Pet especially when you are not free for your pet. Pets of all sizes have a feeder that can adjust to their needs while keeping their food fresh. Pets can feel satisfied with portion-controlled feedings in a stylish metal bowl. Using the interactive app (iPhone & Android), create a feeding schedule for your pet uniquely tailored to their needs, while an emergency power supply ensures your pet never misses a meal. The Fresh Element automatic smart feeder dog feeder is the perfect companion for the responsible and careful pet owner. The Petkit Eversweet Smart Pet Water Fountain is designed for longevity and care for pet health. The pump has been redesigned to be silent, durable, and replaceable. The water tank is made with safe materials. Lastly, the fountain can be powered via multiple sources (outlet, power bank, batteries) giving pet parents comfort in knowing their pets will always remain hydrated. Smart Toys Pets need to play to stay healthy, and smart devices can help keep them active and engaged. Unlike traditional toys, which pets can quickly get bored of, smart toys use a variety of methods to keep your pet entertained, such as reacting to your pet’s actions or allowing you to customize movement via app. The PupPod Rocker is an interactive puzzle game toy for dogs and gets more difficult as your dog plays. It’s also designed with blind and deaf dogs in mind, and you can pair it with their Feeder to reward your pup with a treat when they successfully complete a puzzle. Keep your cat entertained with the PetCube Play 2, which doubles as a pet camera. The built-in laser toy allows you to play with your pets remotely via app—just drag your finger across the screen of your smartphone to move the laser in your home. You can also set the laser to autoplay if you’re busy. The PetCube Play 2 is also Alexa-enabled, which allows you to order treats for your pet or turn on music or an audiobook for them while you’re out. Smart Houses for Dogs and Cats The Petkit Cozy Gen 2.0 Smart Cat or Small Dog House designed for the pet that likes to relax in style! The Cozy Smart Pet Cave is a cat house or small dog house engineered to provide impeccable comfort and temperature control. Using the interactive PETKIT app, create a unique profile for your pet in order to track their sleep cycles and resting periods. Customize the internal temperature of the Cozy to provide insulation in the winter and seamless air conditioning in the summer. If you're planning a traveling, a Smart Pet Carrier will be the best choice for your pets. Perfect for travels such as biking, hikes, or whenever your hands are not available to carry your pet (up to 8kg/17.6lbs) the Breezy Pet Carrier Backpack for Cats and Dogs will help you. It also can be used as an in-cabin under seat airline capable carrier with an extra pliable frameless top that easily compresses. #pets #smart #gadget #home #dog #cat #feeder #water #carrier #travel #petkit

Wood countertops are becoming popular again in modern kitchens. We now know that wooden countertops, when properly cared for, are both long lasting and sanitary. The modern adhesives are strong enough to keep the wood staves bonded together even the butcher block is submerged into the water. The finishing oils (mineral oils) are safe in contact with food products and preserve the wood surfaces. The solid wood, as a material of choice for counter tops, exhibits incontestable advantages such as: Aesthetics Imparting a warm, relaxing feeling, the wooden top is the natural complement of any solid wood or veneered cabinetry. The wooden tops will wonderfully go together with hardwood floorings, moldings, cornices and mantels, conferring a genuine sense of balance to your kitchen space. Functionality A hardwood top is very easy to cut to templates and even easier to install. Unlike the solid surface or laminate, wood tops have a minimum of chemical components, which make them extremely safe in contact with foods. Unlike the other countertop materials, any occurring scratch can be easily removed by sanding the area; the wood tops actually constitute the only known surface that can be renewed without employing special tools or requiring special skills. Hardwood surfaces can be used as kitchen island tops, inserted sink covers, sections of countertop, or as butcher block hidden under the countertop that can be pulled as drawer or cart. Your imagination will surely find plenty of other interesting, visually attractive applications. Durability If properly sealed and installed, a wooden top can literally last a lifetime. Unlike marble, granite or tile, the wooden tops have a great shock absorbing capacity that further assures considerable life span. Hygiene For a quite few decades, the plastic and laminate surfaces, due to their non-porous structure were considered much safer than wood for applications such as chopping meat or slicing vegetables. The wood, because of its porosity was thought an ideal surface for harmful bacteria like Salmonella, Staphylococus or Escherichia coli to thrive. However, a study undertaken in 1993 by the microbiologists of Wisconsin Food Research Institute and another one carried out in 1998 at university of Florida discovered the strong antibacterial properties that wood surfaces exhibit, properties that no other cutting surface appears to possess. According to these studies and to others that followed them, on wood surfaces, bacterial populations disappear quite fast, without external intervention, while on plastic surfaces they persist and actually multiply. Although these properties vary among wood species, the wooden cutting surfaces are increasingly accepted as the first choice of health-conscious individuals. Price Hardwood is usually priced higher than laminate but are far less expensive than stone, granite, solid surface, tile or steel. The butcher block counter tops supplied by Lafor Wood Products (www.hardwoodcountertops.com) come in beech wood, cherry, walnut, oak, whitebeam (hickory look), acacia (black locust) or hard maple with a large variety of dimensions and grades. Mineral oil is supplied for free along to the purchase and helps to finish and preserve the butcher blocks. Availability is immediate and they offer samples of butcher blocks free of charge. Details at www.lafor.ca Author Bio Adrian Laza, Sales manager at Lafor Wood Products www.lafor.ca #countertop #kitchen #wood #modern #canada Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

Kitchens are one of the most popular rooms in the home and probably the number one room where remodeling can add tremendous value to your property. House flippers will focus a large portion of their budget on the kitchen as it is the biggest draw for house shoppers. What if your kitchen is in need of a face lift but you don't have the major budget of a seasoned house flipper? You can benefit from a strong first impression by simply refacing your kitchen cabinets. Essentially this requires a redo of the front faces of the cabinets and the hardware. This includes the doors, drawer fronts, cabinet handles and the cabinet body fronts. One of the most common methods (and probably the cheapest) is to repaint all cabinet surfaces and doors. This doesn't have to be a time consuming process, usually you can accomplish the entire job in 2 or 3 days. It does make a bit of a mess so it's advised that you do all the door and drawer painting outside or in a well ventilated area of your home. For the cabinet body fronts you'll paint them where they stand so put up plastic sheeting over the doorways to prevent excess paint and fumes from leaking into other rooms of your house. The other most popular method is to simply replace all the doors, drawers and hardware while leaving the cabinet bodies in place and either painting or refinishing those. This method allows you the fun and freedom of shopping for new cabinet doors but also saving hundreds or thousands of dollars over the price of entirely new cabinets. Cabinet refacing also allows you a lot of creative freedom. Crafty individuals will often cut out the middle section of cabinet doors and replace them with all sorts of materials including punched copper, shiny objects between panes of glass, or even dried food materials in colorful arrangements. Simply using glass insets will provide a more open space visually, but be sure you're on the neat side as visitors will see the entire contents of your cabinets! Before starting your cabinet refacing project check out various kitchen remodeling photos on the internet and in your local home improvement stores. They will have hundreds of great ideas to suit any budget. Most of all, have fun and enjoy the pick-me-up! #kitchen #cabinet #paint #remodeling #refacing Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

Here are 15 stunning design ideas for kitchen in photos. #kitchen #design #cabinet #photo #idea

When it comes to the bedroom we all know that bedding and accents are important, but a key area of bedroom design that is often overlooked is the flooring. Many people have wall to wall carpet in their bedroom and, therefore think that they are "stuck" with that color or design. The truth is that you can jazz up your flooring by simply laying a carpet on top of your wall to wall carpet. Beautiful and durable, oriental rugs can add warmth and charm to almost any bedroom. This type of rug goes with many bedroom design styles, romantic, Victorian, shabby chic, Tuscan, Morrocan, oriental and many more. Oriental rugs come in many different designs and colors so you should be able to find one that suits your bedroom décor. You can buy them in different sizes so you can add a splash of color and elegance to any part of the bedroom. You can buy them in a variety of price ranges as well, but as with anything else, the more you spend the better quality your rug will be. A real oriental rug is hand tied - that's right each piece of wool is tied onto the backing by hand. These rugs are really works of art, and you might think they are fragile but they are actually quite durable. I have been to many antique auctions where rugs that were over 100 years old have survived to look almost as good as they day they were made. When selecting an oriental carpet for your bedroom, you should only look at carpets that are 100% wool as these will be the best quality. To determine if the carpet you are looking at is hand or machine made there are a few things to take into consideration. First off it's good to be able to compare two rugs - one you know is machine made and one you know is hand made. Look at the backs - the hand made rug will be much more colorful than the machine made. The machine made rug will have an overall stitch pattern across the back and you won't see any knots since only hand made rugs are knotted. Another thing to look at is the fringe. On a handmade rug, the fringe is made up of the wrap strings from the end of the rug, on a machine made it is simply sewn on. When selecting your oriental rug, make sure to choose colors that go with the colors in your bedroom. If you are placing the rug over wall to wall carpeting, it is best to choose smaller throw rugs that you can use as splashes of color around the room and avoid putting furniture on them unless you buy a large rug that covers almost the entire room. Love the look of oriental rugs but don't want to put them on the floor? Why not try using one as a wall hanging? You can use it to jazz up a large boring wall or hang it behind the bed in lieu of a headboard. No matter how you use them, oriental rugs add warmth and character to your bedroom or any room in the house! Author Bio Lee Dobbins writes for Bedroom Designs And Decorations where you can find more tips on decorating your bedroom. Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com #rug #bedroom #romantic #style

If you’ve hung a picture or a shelf on the wall and you decide to remove the fixture, you’ll be left with one or more holes. In a rental property, knocking into the wall is a problem and must be repaired to spare your security deposit! Fortunately, there are DIY ways of fixing walls in your home that won’t cost much and only requires a bit of time and effort to repair. You can also use some of the ingredients in your kitchen to fill and smooth a hole in the wall. Let’s start by taking a closer look at the everyday materials you can use to fix holes in the walls. A small-sized hole of an inch or two can easily be repaired with DIY. In most cases, you can use the everyday goods in your kitchen or bathroom cabinet to smooth the wall. Remember, the following suggestions will work best for drywall and brick. If you notice any cracks stemming from the hole, it’s best to call on a professional for a lasting result that won’t include extra damage! Tiny holes fixture (less than an Inch) For small holes caused by nails, you can use some of the items in your pantry. If you have baking soda and some white glue, you can mix equal parts together to make a thick paste. Use just enough of the paste to fill the hole and remove the excess with the back of a knife or a card. Allow it to dry and if there are any uneven areas, use fine sandpaper to smooth the area. Give it paint and your wall will look brand new. Tile cement If you need to repair a hole quickly you can consider tile cement. If you’ve completed a tile renovation and you have some cement left over, you can fill a few holes with it. Again, once the area is filled, remove the excess and smooth it. You can sand over the hole to ensure it is flush with the wall. Paint once dry and forget about it! Use a Wall Repair Kit If you visit your local store, like Home Depot or Lowe's, you will find plenty of hole repair kits. It is best to use the proper mixture for holes of a few inches wide. Before concealing the hole, use a small knife to remove the loose edges and wipe the excess dust. If you have a very large hole to fill, you can apply a peel and stick the paper to the surface. Fill the hole with the paper and then apply the gauze to the surface. Using a trowel or even a plastic card, if you don’t have the proper tools, smooth the area. Wait until dry and finely sand with sandpaper. Paint over the surface and enjoy your newly primed wall. #diy #tips #repair #wall #patch #cement

While looking for doors, you will find two completely different styles: slab doors and prehung (pre-hung) doors. This difference mostly goes to light as you plan to buy and install the door by yourself, without calling specialists. In fact, if you purchase not the proper door type, it will not suit your doorway. A prehung door is a door slab with frame, which is already connected by hinges to a doorframe and ready to be installed into a doorway. Manufacturers usually sell it as a full and complete package. However, the customer can add some features and accessories later. A prehung door is usually more expensive than a slab doors that features a self-contained piece with a frame that can be installed in a prepared doorway. Before selling, pre-hung door is properly packaged and tightened to the frames. Usually, a polyester tension straps used for packaging. Plastic spacers also prevent the doors from twisting and damaging in time of delivery. Prehung door installation is a demanding and sometimes difficult process. It is even more difficult with the entry pre-hung doors, as they need a precise tightness due to extreme weather conditions. Entry doors are usually heavy to transport, move and install into prepared doorway. Today, you can find modern and retro style exterior and interior door models come in a format of pre-hung door. Please note: If you already have an installed doorframe you need a door slab. The exception can only be if you plan to remove it to the bare studs. Door opening Prehung doors are made to fit rough openings 2 to 2 1⁄2 inches bigger than the corresponding dimensions of the jamb. The jamb’s depth should match the thickness of the wall, including the plaster or drywall. If the opening already exists, check that the trimmers are plumb, parallel, and square to the wall and the header. The swing direction Before ordering you have to know which way you want the door to swing, and/or left-hand or a right-hand door you need. In other words, which side you want the knob to be on when opening the door toward you. Installation Check the rough opening - place a level on the floor in the doorway. If the hinge side is lower than the latch side, slip shims under the level nearest the hinge jamb. Adjust until the level's bubble is centered. Check the walls and the trimmer studs for plumb using a level or plumb bob. Also, check the trimmers' faces with a framing square to see if they are square to the wall. Check that the trimmers are parallel by measuring between them at the top, bottom, and middle of the opening. Shim the trimmers - on the hinge jamb, measure from the bottom of the jamb to the center of each hinge. Mark the hinge locations on the hinge-side trimmer by measuring up from the floor. Fit door into opening - lift the door into the rough opening and push the hinge jamb tight against the shims tacked to the trimmers. Adjust the gap between the door - check the horizontal gap, or "reveal," between the top of the door and the head jamb. It should be uniform from left to right and 1/8- to 3/16-inch wide. Open and close the door to check that its leading edge, the one that rests against the stop, clears the jamb by a consistent 1/8 inch. Anchor the jamb - slip a pair of shims between main jamb on the latch side and the trimmer, near the top of the door opening. When they are just touching the back of the jamb without putting any pressure on it, nail them to the trimmer with finish nails. Nail additional pairs of shims a few inches above the base of this jamb, as well as just above and below the strike plate. Replace hinge screw - remove the center screw from the top hinge leaf and replace it with a screw that's long enough to penetrate the trimmer. This prevents the door from sagging and binding. Attach the split jamb - from the bottom part, gently push the edge of the split jamb into the groove in the main jamb. Tap the two jambs together using both hands. Mount the latch hardware. Pros of prehung doors Prehung option makes the newly installed unit work simple and quick. In case if the planned area for the door is exposed and open, you are going to find it simple for installing a pre-hung door. As its package is already complete – with its own frame. In case, you were considering a purchase of a slab door, you would need to complete all the framing work by yourself. While it is not really a difficult task, you will spend more time and effort for the entire project. Cons of prehung doors A prehung door can weight from 40 to 120 lbs. so, they are heavy and difficult to install. The pre-hung door with a hollow core – the lightest pre-hung door you can purchase. In case if the weight is not a problem for you, a pre-hung door is usually big and inconvenient to move. Usually, two workers are required to install such a unit. The other problem is the size of a transportation vehicle. You must have enough room to place a whole slab with framings. The installation process is simple itself, but it also can be difficult to position the door correctly. Tips: During the installation of a pre-hung door, don’t unwrap the packaging materials, including tensions straps, till the unit is already installed. We also recommend to keep the pre-hanging clips so the door does not open when you are installing it Use 8d finishing nails through the frame, through the shims and into the studs #door #installation #diy #prehung

Monitoring your home security system has never been easier but there are several things you need to consider before committing yourself to a long term monitoring agreement with any alarm company. Alarm companies don't make the majority of their profit from selling security systems; it comes from accumulating a large base of alarm-monitoring contracts. If fact, these monitoring contracts are so profitable that they are frequently bought and sold like mortgage notes. Tip #1 Ask if they are an authorized alarm dealer or represent a marketing company. Marketing companies have learned to flood a market with fantastic offers on security systems with the sole purpose of selling the contracts at a profit. They often use any sub-contractor available, which can lead to poor customer service once the marketing company leaves town. Once you find a reputable alarm company, ask them to come out to your home and give you a quote. You'll find that most will quote you a basic security system at a reasonable price. These basic security systems generally include a control panel, keypad, motion detector, a couple of door contacts, inside siren, a yard sign and warning decals. Tip #2 Make sure the equipment can be monitored by any alarm company, not by just the one selling it to you. If they use proprietary security equipment, you could be left in a bind should you become dissatisfied with their service for any reason. Ademco, DSC, & Caddx are well known manufacturers and can be monitored by any one. Some companies offer a low installation charge of $99.00 or will give you a "FREE" security system. Many do so if you put a security sign in your yard for advertising purposes and commit to a long-term alarm-monitoring contract. Since the installation charge doesn't cover the true cost of the equipment and labor, you are charged a substantial monthly fee to recoup their investment. These "deals" or equipment leases aren't necessarily bad but make it hard to evaluate the true cost to you over time. Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content #security #home #safety #alarm

There is no doubt that radiant floor heating is a superior method of heating your home. Its popularity is steadily increasing as people discover that not only is it the most comfortable form of heating, but also the most cost efficient. Though comfort and cost are the two biggest benefits of this heating system there are many others: Silent operation - no hum or whistle of a forced air system. Inconspicuousness of the system - you don't see vents or air blowing. A healthier home - forced air systems can spread dust, pollen, and germs. Even, quiet warmth: even with wood, tile, or uncovered concrete floors. Also, radiant heat is less likely to dry out your breathing passages and skin. The warmth of the floor on a cold winter morning would probably be enough to convince a lot of people that radiant floor heating is the best thing since sliced bread. However, after discovering the cost savings, there is usually no going back. Radiant floor heating concentrates the heat in the lower half of a room where the human body needs it most. Since heat is evenly distributed in the floor, the thermostat can be set 2 - 4° less than a forced air heating system. This can reduce energy cost by 10-30%. Homes and building with high ceiling will save even more in heating costs as heat generated by forced air systems quickly rises to the top of these structures, where it is of little use. Whereas a forced air system delivers heat which quickly rises to the ceiling - a radiant floor heating system radiates heat from the floor and delivers the heat evenly throughout the rooms. In a radiant floor heating system warm water circulates through tubing beneath the floor. This turns the flooring into an efficient, low temperature radiator. Though Radiant Floor heating is not a complicated system, there are components which are required, and that the homeowner should be aware of - The Heating Source, The Boiler, The Pump and the Tubing. The heating source can be electricity, solar, natural gas, propane, oil, wood, or any other heating source. The boiler, with a certified efficiency rating houses the water to be heated. This same boiler can also be used to heat the pool, snow melting, heating a hot tub, or and domestic hot water needs. A Pump is required to circulate the water though the tubing located under the floor. The tubing for a radiant floor heating system is located either in the concrete, under wood subfloors, or on a subfloor of wood, precast concrete or concrete slab-on-grade, then covered with gypsum. Once a homeowner makes the decision to install radiant floor heating system, contacting the right installer is imperative. Some companies who design radiant floor heating systems may also install the system. A qualified System Designer and a qualified System Installer will work together and know which components work well together, capacities of various systems, special considerations for installations in your area, and manufacturers' warranties and reliability. The designer should do a room-by-room heat loss analysis of your home or building done as well as a step-by-step system sizing process. Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com #flooring #radiant #comfort #heating #efficient #home

When you redecorate your master bedroom, don't leave the master bath out in the cold! You can add some zing to your bathroom too and create a cohesive theme between the two rooms that will give you a real sweet master suite. One thing you need to do when redecorating your master bath is to be sure to tie in some of the elements from your bedroom. You don't have to make it an identical match, but using a common color or theme will really unite the two rooms. If your bedroom has a cottage theme, carry this over into the bathroom by putting out some shells in dishes on the vanity. If your bedroom is more shabby chic with big floral wallpaper, then think about carrying the color of the flowers into the master bath. One of the big design elements in the bathroom is the hardware. Faucets and spigots, in addition to tubs and toilets are made in a variety of shapes and materials which can be the centerpiece of your design. Open showers are currently popular with the younger upwardly-mobile crowd, and claw-foot bathtubs are almost always considered to be classic and attractive. When selecting hardware and figuring out a floor plan, think about privacy issues and don't put the toilet and tub too close together. Another big element in the bathroom is the tiling. The more expensive tiles should have durability, aesthetic value, and a non-porous surface. Make sure your tiles can be easily cleaned and sanitized, and that it is easy to install and does not require special adhesives which can become costly. When choosing tile, think out of the box. You don't have to use only porcelain tile, consider marble, clay and anything else you see in the store that catches your eye. Once you have the design down and selected the major elements, focus on decoration accessories to bring out personality and individualism. The bathroom doesn't have to just be functional and putting interesting items on the walls or shelves is a great way to give the room some character. Don't be afraid to use your own ideas and put what you want into the room when redecorating your master bathroom. Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content #bathroom #remodeling