How to Clean Cement

Posted on January 31st, 2012

Before you clean your cement, the first thing that you need to do is to get the area clear of furniture or other things that can be in the way of your cleaning. Using a broom, clean the floor by sweeping the concrete to remove dust and debris. To protect plans and other furniture when cleaning cement, make sure to cover them with tarp or something that cleaning solutions cannot penetrate. Make sure to cover electricity outlet and cords too.

To create your own cement cleaner, mix 5 gallon of water with oxygen bleach. Put it in a bucket then pour it on a tank sprayer. Spray the solution all over the concrete, making sure that you cover each area. Spray enough cleaning solution making sure they won’t dry out easily. After you spray on all area, wait for about 20 minutes and allow the cleaning solution to do its thing.

After you let the oxygen bleach and water solution to sit on the floor for a couple minutes, you then need to scrub it with a long brush. Scrub all areas including the small corners and make sure to sweep off small dirt and debris.

The next thing you need to do is scrub, scrub, scrub! You can u way to do this is either a brush with a long handle or a push broom. Make sure, if you’re in the garage, to get the corners really well. Debris and grime have a tendency to build up there.

To completely clean concrete, it will be good to have a pressure washer. If you do not have it, you can rent one or borrow from someone you know. Adjust the nozzle and use its fan function to sweep the floor.

Posted in Cleaning | Tagged as: , ,

Home Flooding Causes Billions Of Dollars In Damage Every Year

Posted on January 30th, 2012

Those who live near rivers and beaches know how raging flood waters destroy everything in its path. One of the most damaging recent events was the flooding in New Orleans from hurricane Katrina. Residences were underwater for weeks at a time. Clean up and repair was a massive undertaking.

Even just a few inches of water can ruin carpets and furniture. Wood, fabric, cloth and paper have a characteristic called wicking. What this means is that fabric with just the ends in the water continues to draw up water until the entire fabric is soaked, not just the part touching the water. Water damage services not only get rid of the water but can treat the area to prevent further damage.

Water damage occurs to areas not immediately apparent. For example, sheetrock, also called gypsum board, absorbs water which weakens the walls but you might not notice that the sheetrock is wet because it’s behind a finished surface.

Water damage on the roof from rainstorms could lead to the ceiling collapsing for the same reason.

After flooding, whether from bad weather, a river overflowing its banks or a pipe breaking in the house, inspect the residence for any damage. Get bids from several companies that provide water damage services. Start the repairs as soon as possible to avoid further damage.

Posted in Remodeling | Tagged as: ,

It’a hot and muggy: Consider an air conditioner

Posted on January 17th, 2012

During the dead of winter you might only be worried about keeping the furnace going. While the northern hemisphere is freezing the southern hemisphere is experiencing summer. Summer means hot, humid, nights when the sweat just soaks the sheets and sleep is out of the question. Days are blistering and even the breezes seems to raise the temperature instead of bringing it down. Australia’s outback is dusty and so are its residents.

You can drink ice cold lemonade, eat spicy dishes to cool you down and turn on a fan, but the only real solution is air conditioning. A fan circulates the air. That air evaporates the sweat on your skin. The evaporation makes the air next to your skin drop a few degrees.

The problem is if it’s humid, the rate of evaporation slows down and a breeze or fan doesn’t cool you off. High powered fans, portable fans and ceiling fans work well in the shoulder seasons when it’s not too hot or humid. That works in desert climates like the Sonoran desert in Arizona and parts of Australia.

An air conditioner not only cools the temperature of the air but also removes moisture. You might think you have to spend a fortune on air conditioning but that’s not true. cheap air conditioners are available.

Select one that fits the size of the area you want to cool. An air conditioner with a cooling capacity smaller than the size of your room won’t cool the room down enough and has to work overtime. It will stay on too long. An air conditioner that’s too large will keep cycling on and off too much wearing down the motor.

Air conditioning can take the sting out of summer in any hemisphere.

Posted in heating and cooling | Tagged as:

A Do-It-Yourself Standing Indoor Waterfall

Posted on January 3rd, 2012

Waterfalls look lovely in the garden catching the sunlight as the water tumbles over the rocks. The sound of splashing water soothes the spirit and calms the soul. Bring those feelings inside with a standing indoor waterfall. Build a smaller waterfall for a tabletop display for practice before you tackle a larger water feature. The techniques and materials are relatively the same. Whether large or small, the waterfall will become a decorative accessory for the room.

Plastic acrylic sheet, 1/2-inch thick, 24-inches-by18-inches
Waterproof adhesive spray
Glass tiles enough to cover the acrylic
Clear flexible tubing
Nail
Lighter
Acrylic plate display stand
Watertight tray
Waterfall pump
Glass pebbles

Use a smaller piece of acrylic for your first waterfall. A small waterfall of no more than 24 inches high and 18 inches wide is versatile and won’t be as difficult to move as a large one.

Lay the acrylic flat in a well-ventilated area. Spray a small area with waterproof adhesive. Lay the colored glass tiles on the adhesive as closely together as possible. Continue spraying the adhesive and laying the glass tiles until the acrylic sheet is entirely covered.

Lay the acrylic flat in a well-ventilated area. Spray a small area with waterproof adhesive. Lay the colored glass tiles on the adhesive as closely together as possible. Continue spraying the adhesive and laying the glass tiles until the acrylic sheet is entirely covered.

Puncture the tubing at the top of the sheet every few inches with a nail heated with a lighter. The water will spill out the holes and down the sheet. Plug the end of the tube with a clear waterproof sealant.

Place the glass tile-covered sheet into a sturdy plate holder, the kind used to show off collectible dinner plates. Put the sheet and plate holder into a waterproof tray. The basin needs to be deep enough for the pump to be completely submerged. The plate holder will hold the tile-covered sheet at a slight angle backwards so the water flows down the front.

Cover the bottom of the tray with a few inches of glass pebbles.

Use thicker acrylic sheets for larger waterfalls. Construct a stand for the larger sheets from copper tubing you solder together

Don’t cut the acrylic sheet yourself unless you have the proper saw. It melts easily under heat.

Posted in Decor | Tagged as:

How to Turn a Twin Daybed From a Full Headboard

Posted on January 2nd, 2012

Turning a twin bed into a daybed is as simple as turning the bed so it sits lengthwise against the wall rather than jutting out into the room. If you have a spare full headboard use that in back of the twin bed — rather than as a headboard — to add focus to the bed.

Remove the headboard from the bed frame. Exactly how you do this depends on the headboard and bed frame. The frame may be metal and the headboard wood or fabric. It most cases you’ll probably be able to do it with a screwdriver. Do not dismantle the headboard into pieces. Keep it whole and detach it from the bed frame.

Locate the twin bed in its permanent position in the room against the wall. It will go lengthwise against the wall. Mark the wall at each end of the bed.

Center the headboard in between the marks. Twin beds are 75 inches long. Full beds and headboards are 54 inches wide. There will be a gap of 10 1/2 inches on either side of the headboard. Push the twin bed up against the headboard. You may not need to extend the headboard to cover the full length of the twin bed, if you put toss pillows across the back of the bed and headboard. If it looks odd or unfinished, add to the headboard so it goes the full length of the bed.

Extend the headboard 11 inches on each side, the additional half inch won’t be noticeable. Use fabric that goes with the headboard if it’s fabric. Wrap a piece of balsa wood that’s 10 1/2 to 11 inches wide and as long as the headboard is tall, with batting. Secure on the back of the scrap wood with upholstery tacks you nail in. Cover the batting with fabric. Secure with upholstery tacks.

Use wood, if the headboard is wood. Stain it to match the headboard. Match the style of the headboard by adding decorative wood molding. Glue the molding to the wood before staining.

Attach the headboard to the wall behind the twin daybed with brackets at the bottom about 6 inches off the floor and about 24 inches off the floor. the brackets should not be visible above the twin bed mattress so you may have to adjust a few inches shorter than 24 inches.

Attach the fabric panels to the wall with double-stick tape. Balsa wood is light and shouldn’t require much more for support.

Attach wood by screwing the panels into the wall 6 inches and 24 inches from the floor.

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