Home Flooding Causes Billions Of Dollars In Damage Every Year

Posted on February 3rd, 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: ,

Getting more out of your space with bunk beds

Posted on February 1st, 2012

It doesn’t seem to matter how big your home is, or how organized you are, space seems to be constantly dwindling. Even the best organizers say that, particularly for a growing family, eventually you just run out of space. For those that have a difficult time maintaining a good amount of space for your home there are a few things that you can do that can help. One of the biggest solutions that you can find is to add in bunk beds.

Although we often associate bunk beds with activities like summer camp, spending the summer with family, or other temporary situations, when it comes to the bed rooms in your home there is no greater way to free up a lot of space. What may surprise you is that not only does this give you more room, but there are also accessories that can be added to the bunk beds to give them many more useful options.

For example, you might not have known that you can actually find attachments that will give your bunk beds shelving or drawer options. In addition to these, you can also get accessory additions that include remarkable pieces such as a desk, for those who really want to maximize their space.

Even though these aspects are great by themselves, you can also do even more with just bunk beds on their own. For example you can rearrange the way many of these useful beds are assembled to fit how you need them to in the space you are using. This means there are some that can be extended in unusual ways so that they can go over existing furniture or run in the corners of the walls. In addition to this, bunk beds can also typically be easily taken apart to form two separate beds in case you need to have people sleeping in different locations.

Maximizing your space can be simple when using something as versatile as bunk beds. Not only are they useful, but they have become quite comfortable as well.

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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.

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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.

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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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