Liquid floor finishes are easily applied to a garage floor with a roller or brush, straight from the can, and are the most inexpensive option. They bond to the concrete and fill small cracks and open pores, creating a smooth surface that makes sweeping or mopping up less of a chore, and finding dropped tools and parts less of a challenge.
Concrete sealers are usually clear acrylic or polyurethane. Floor paints may be oil-based, modified acrylic or water (latex) based. A minimum of two coats are required to ensure coverage, but because raw concrete is porous and tends to suck up finishes, especially first coats, you may need to buy and apply more than you think you'll need.
Surface finishes on concrete are problematic. They look great at first, but both paints and sealers wear off over time, and they wear unevenly. They also can be very slippery when wet. Sand may be sprinkled onto a wet finish to offset this, but it will wear away before long, too. A big problem with most floor paint is that a car's hot tires will lift it right off the floor, no matter what the paint manufacturers claim, or how well they are applied. Solvents also attack most types of paint, and in a garage much of what is spilled usually contains some type of solvent.
Finally, if your garage floor has a water problem--that is, if water seeps up through cracks or mysteriously appears under items left lying around--surface finishes are probably not a good option for you. The hydrostatic pressure that forces underground water up through the floor will also prevent the finish from adhering.
By:HomeTips.com
Because garages are typically much larger than sheds, building permits are usually required and the structure must be built to code. In many ways, garage construction is very similar to that of a house.
The foundation for the garage is usually some form of slab. Walls are typically built in sections and raised one at a time. They are braced temporarily upright and secured to the foundation with a mudsill that's attached with concrete anchors.
Rough openings are placed wherever doors or windows are to be installed; headers at the top replace the support that would have been provided by the wall studs.
Ceiling joists span the walls and hold them together; rafters are attached to ceiling joists and the ridge board to form the roof. The rafters are covered with sheathing, roofing felt, and shingles.
Windows and doors are installed, and exterior sheathing, siding, or shingles are added, along with the exterior trim to complete the garage.
By:HomeTips.com
A traditional fireplace heats by radiation. Radiant heat from the fire warms objects in a room, not the air. Heat is retained by the walls of the fireplace, too, and released slowly into the room.
Unfortunately, most traditional fireplaces are notoriously inefficient at heating. They may actually increase drafts in a house by drawing room air through the mouth of the fireplace and sending it, along with as much as 90 percent of the heat generated by the fire, up the chimney.
To cut heat loss and drafts, some contemporary fireplaces have glass doors; in addition, they draw combustion air directly from outdoors so the fire doesn't try to steal it from the room. Some efficient models also have vents that pipe room air past the firebox so it can be heated and then return it to the room. And some fireplaces are specially designed to maximize radiant heat delivery and retention.
A zero-clearance fireplace, prefabricated from metal, is installed in a standard, wood-frame wall. Fresh combustion air is brought in from outdoors through a duct. Room air is warmed as it circulates through a heat exchanger and is blown back into the room. A metal double- or triple-wall chimney flue typically carries smoke and combustion gasses up through the house and out the roof.
A fireplace's hearth and facade may be made of brick, rock, concrete, marble, granite, tile, or other related, non-combustible materials. Codes and common sense restrict how close to the opening combustible materials—such as wood paneling, wood flooring, or wallboard—may be located.
By : HomeTips.com
You want your family and your property protected from any harm, be it a home intrusion or fire. Fortunately, home protection has become simpler yet more sophisticated.
House alarm systems are about peace of mind, ensuring the safety of your family and your property while dissuading potential intruders. Unfortunately, most people only consider a house alarm system when they’ve just been robbed.
The most common type of home protection is the house alarm. Security alarms have sensors that are connected to a control unit via either a high-voltage hardwire or narrowband radio-frequency signal, which interacts with a response device. The most common types of security sensors indicate the opening of a door or window or detect passive smoke. Most infrared sensors are for indoor use only. Outside sensors are available but are costlier and are not false alarm–proof.
If there is an unauthorized entry, an active alarm system sends a signal to a central monitoring station, which monitors systems every minute of every day. If necessary, the central monitoring station alerts local police to send an officer to your home.
Quality alarm systems combine audible and silent alarms triggered by sensors placed throughout the home, not just on doors and windows. It is recommended to use a combination of both hardwired and wireless sensor technologies for fewer false alarms. Some alarm companies do not offer the wireless option, even though it is the easier of the two types to install.
Entry-level wired systems utilize a “star network” topology where the panel is placed centrally and all devices “home run” their wires back to the panel. Installation of a hardwired system is obviously much cheaper if wiring already exists in the home.
If no pre-wiring exists, wireless is a less costly option because installers do not have to drill any holes, lift any carpets, nor string any wires throughout the house. Wireless systems, however, do require frequent changes of lithium batteries, and the system is less effective without this diligence. One or two wireless repeaters may be required to get the signal reliably back to the alarm panel. Wireless systems are also easier to expand outdoors because they do not require any ditches to be dug.
The main control panel for an alarm system is usually hidden in a closet or garage because hiding the “main brains“ lowers the risk of a burglar disabling the system. A keypad is placed inside the house, usually by the front door, where residents can easily arm or disarm the system as they come and go. Another keypad placed by the bedrooms allows for convenient arming of the system at night.
By : HomeTips.com
When summer rolls around, a swimming pool often becomes the focus of family activities. Unfortunately, most children lack a healthy respect for the water's potential danger, and curiosity draws them near. In states where pools are numerous, there are even more fatalities to young children from drowning than from traffic accidents.
For this reason, it makes sense to teach children how to swim as soon as is possible. Do not rely on baby's swimming lessons, though.
Throughout childhood, whether or not they can swim, children should be watched at the pool by an adult capable of rescuing them'one adult per each nonswimmer.
Safeguarding the pool area. Kids, by nature, try to foil whatever barriers adults set up. For safety's sake around a pool, create several backups to ensure that neither your child nor neighborhood kids can gain access to your pool.
Among your choices are fences and gates (a building code requirement in many communities), a pool cover, and an alarm that gives a last-minute warning.
Pool covers. Designed to keep kids out, pool covers are probably the surest barrier if designed and used correctly. A good pool cover must be able to support an adult's weight.
To keep children out of the water reliably, the pool cover should attach securely in place. If rainwater collects, pump or drain the water away immediately; just a few inches of water in a sagging pool cover can endanger a small child.
When people are swimming in the pool, remove the cover completely to eliminate the chance someone could become trapped under it. And whenever adults are not at poolside, lock the cover in place.
Fences. A standard cover may not fit a pool that is very large or irregularly shaped. Even with a cover, a child-safe pool should be fenced to keep it securely off limits between supervised swims. Keep furniture and any similar objects that could be used for climbing away from the fence.
A self-closing, self-latching gate assures that the gate won't be accidentally left open. A lockable gate provides extra security.
Pool fences are often regulated, sometimes stringently, by building codes. Usually, the fence must be 5 to 6 feet high, with slats or uprights spaced no wider than 4 inches. If a side of the house or other building serves as a portion of the pool area fence, it should have no doors or windows. Fencing must also stand far enough from the pool's edge to allow safe passage'at least 3 feet. Check with your local building department for other requirements.
Alarms. One type of pool alarm screeches when a heavy object, such as a person, falls into the water (the wave that results sets off the alarm). But you would have to be relatively close in order for the alarm to provide a safe warning. And the alarm needs regular testing. Also, the sensitive mechanism may give you heart-
wrenching false alarms.
Another type of alarm system for pools shoots a light beam around the water's perimeter (the same method is used at the entrance to some stores). The sound activates if the beam is broken.
Again, you must be close enough to hear the alarm, but this kind gives you a warning before your child plunges into the water. False alarms can be a nuisance.
Pool equipment. Locate the pool heater, filter, and other equipment behind sturdy fencing or walls at least 5 feet high. Keep pool chemicals far from children's reach, preferably locked away.
Pool area upkeep. Have the pool deck repaired promptly if damaged. If it's especially slippery, coat it with a nonslip surfacing material. Move away steps to an above-ground pool when the pool is not in use.
Use only unbreakable plates and glasses at poolside, never glass. Keep all toys'particularly balls'away from the area.
Protect all electrical outlets and equipment, as well as circuits for support equipment, with ground fault circuit interrupters. Test your GFCls monthly. Inspect electrical equipment frequently and do not use the pool until any needed repairs are made. Do not allow electrical appliances inside the fenced pool area.
Keep a telephone near the pool so you don't have to go indoors to answer a call. Keep emergency numbers posted on the telephone.
TIP: Inflatable rings and other similar water toys should not be considered reliable life preservers.
Safe Pool Use
When small children are in the pool area, watch them continuously; never leave, even for a minute. Mark the pool's deep end with a rope supported by floats and don't allow nonswimmers or young beginning swimmers to go beyond the rope.
Another sound safety measure is to insist that young nonswimmers wear life preservers, also called personal flotation devices, or PFDs, while in the pool area. When buying a PFD, look for "USCG (U.S. Coast Guard) approved" on the label. If there are several children or you're having a party, protect all the children'including those who can swim'with a PFD even while you're standing nearby.
Post pool rules near the pool (see below). Keep a first-aid kit handy as well as life-saving equipment'life ring with 3/16-inch rope and a 10-foot rescue (shepherd's) hook. Learn lifesaving and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from a local hospital, American Red Cross chapter, or other community resource.
Make sure that the pool's water has been correctly treated so that it's clean but not irritating from concentrated chlorine. Never use the pool when an automatic pool cleaner is operating because its hoses can entangle a young swimmer.
Spa & Hot Tub Safety
The hot, bubbly fun of a spa can delight children as much as it does their parents, and a family soak is a cozy experience.
But, besides the possibility of drowning, the water in a hot tub or spa poses another danger to young children. Even at a temperature moderate for adults, water can scald young, sensitive skin. For infants and young children, keep the water temperature no higher than 95' F. and the soaking time no longer than 10 minutes. Introduce the child slowly to the hot water to be sure there's no discomfort or fear.
Also keep in mind that the strong circulating action of the pump can quickly pull a child off balance, so your safest option is to turn off the pump while soaking with your child. Beware of some older spas, which have floor drains that create such strong suction that small children can be pulled underwater (see your dealer about replacing the drain). Maintain the spa's cleanliness as rigorously as you would the pool. A spa also needs the same protective fencing or sturdy locking cover.
Suggested Pool Rules
Listed below are a few rules that will help ensure the safety of young children in or near a swimming pool. But they also apply to anyone using a pool, no matter what the age or skill level.
* Nonswimmers must be accompanied in the water by an adult who can swim'one adult to each nonswimming child.
* Children may not enter the pool area without an adult who can swim.
* No one may ever swim alone.
* No running, pushing, or rough play is allowed in or near the pool.
* No diving is allowed unless the pool has an area designed for it.
* Glass and electrical appliances are not allowed in the pool area because of the risks of injury or electrocution.
* No one may swim if ill or injured; bacteria can contaminate water.
* No swimming is allowed during a thunderstorm because water attracts lightning.
* Night swimming is not recommended unless children are closely supervised by adult swimmers in a well-lit pool.
TIP: Make sure to post pool rules--as well as CPR instructions--where they are easily visible.
By : HomeTips.com
Have you been thinking about repainting your home’s exterior? Here are seven tips that will make your work easier, safer, and more likely to produce pride-inspiring results.
1) Evaluate doing it yourself
Painting is one of those jobs that requires only a moderate level of skill and a few basic tools. By doing the work yourself, you can usually save more than half the cost of the job. But should you do the work yourself? That depends on a number of factors, including your experience, fitness, available time, and the difficulty of working on your home’s exterior walls.
2) Buy quality paint
Choosing high-quality paint is critical to a long-lasting paint job and can make the work far easier. Not only will quality paint weather the years durably, but it is also easier to maintain, and it covers the walls more quickly and easily in the process. Just think about the effort and expense of painting your house—this should make it clear that you don’t want to have to do the job again in four or five years.
3) Repair and prepare
Even high-quality paint won’t guarantee a lasting paint job if you don’t prepare the surfaces properly. Start by repairing damaged siding. Peeling, blistering, wrinkling, and flaking paint must be removed from wood siding by scraping and sanding, ideally with a power sander. Be advised that this is difficult, tiring work, and you must do it carefully so as not to gouge the wood. Always wear a dust mask, gloves, and protective goggles.
4) Mask off
Avoid painting roofing and other surfaces by masking with plastic sheeting and 3-inch masking tape. Use dropcloths to protect walkways, shrubs, and other surfaces from dripping paint. You’ll be painting the siding first and then the trim; after the siding is painted, mask the siding around the trim. Be sure to remove the masking tape immediately after painting, before it forms a stubborn bond.
5) Paint surfaces from the top down
Begin with the gutters, fascia, and eaves and work your way down the main surfaces, painting in 3- to 4-foot-square sections. Use a high-quality 4-inch brush. If your home has lap siding, first draw the bristles along the bottom edges of three or four boards and then paint the surfaces in line with the boards. Regularly check for and correct drips and streaks; they are much more difficult to clean up after the paint dries.
6) Paint trim in the proper order
Use a 2-inch angled trim brush to paint trim, always working in line with the wood’s grain. With a window, begin with the muntins and then paint the stiles, rails, head casing, side casings, and the sill. Sometimes it’s easiest to paint a door on sawhorses, after removing it. Otherwise just paint it in place, over a dropcloth. Start with the inset panels, panel moldings and recesses, horizontal rails, and then vertical stiles and mullion. When painting along glass, don’t bother to mask it if you have a steady hand. Just let the paint lap onto the glass by about 1/16 inch and then remove the wet paint from the glass with a rag wrapped around the end of a putty knife. Use a razor blade to remove any residual paint after it dries.
7) Clean up properly
Use soap and water for latex paints or paint thinner for alkyd paints to thoroughly clean your brushes and gear right after painting. Don’t pour paint thinner or excess paint down the drain or onto the ground—this is a serious source of ground water pollution. Keep it in an old sealed paint can and dispose of it at a toxic waste collection site.
Both the dictionary and botany experts define herbs as plants grown for flavor, fragrance, or medicinal purposes, often including spices such as cinnamon and even edible flowers in their descriptions.
When most people think of herbs, though, it’s the culinary herbs that come to mind. From the parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme of song to the basil and oregano that are staples of Mediterranean cooking, herbs are the plants that add seasoning to food.
Herbs are among the easiest plants to grow. They’re generally not fussy, nor are they prone to many pest or disease problems. They also don’t need a lot of room to spread out, making them ideal for small spaces.
While herb gardens used to be formal affairs, laid out in elaborate geometric patterns, in today’s gardens you’re just as apt to find herbs mixed into a vegetable garden or planted among flowers and shrubs in a bed or border. Herbs like thyme and chamomile can be used as a ground cover or to form a path or even a “lawn.”
Taller herbs, such as an upright rosemary or lavender, work well as a low hedge. Or, you can plant a large container with a variety of herbs to have handy by the kitchen door. In fact, mint is so invasive that it’s best to keep it confined to a pot.
Choosing herbs
Deciding which herbs to grow depends mostly on your personal preferences. Popular choices include basil, mint, oregano, parsley, sage, and thyme. Among these, you’ll find any number of varieties, including Greek oregano, lemon and conehead thyme, and both curly and flat-leafed Italian parsley. A garden comprised just of these favorites can give you a surprising amount of culinary flavors.
If you’re more adventurous, you may want to try growing some more-unusual herbs, such as cilantro (also called Chinese parsley, and its seeds, coriander), chives, dill, marjoram, and tarragon. Venturing even further afield, you can grow herbs for tea, like chamomile and sweet woodruff (a good choice for a shade-loving ground), specialty seasonings such as chervil, lemon balm and lemon grass, and sorrel, or even those feline favorites, catmint and catnip.
And don’t overlook adding some edible flowers to the mix. Lavender, cloves, cottage pinks, feverfew, scented geraniums, Johnny-jump-ups, nasturtiums, pot marigold (calendula), and sweet violets are all fine additions to any herb garden.
By : HomeTips.com
Before you begin painting an entire wall or ceiling with a roller or a brush, cut in the edges with a 2- to 3-inch trim brush. (Use a foam brush for glaze.) If the wall and ceiling will be different colors, you can mask the edges of whichever surface you are not working on or use an edge guide to keep paint from straying.
If you are using flat or eggshell latex paint, you can cut in the entire room before painting the open spaces. For semigloss or gloss latex or for any alkyd paint, you will get better results if you cut in a small section and then fill it in before moving to the next area. Also, do not let the edge of one section dry before starting on another; this will leave you with a demarcation line.
If you are using the same paint for the ceiling and wall, you can paint several inches out from the ceiling-to-wall connection on both sides. If you are using different colors or types of paint, cut in and paint the ceiling first.
For a ceiling, cut in first where the ceiling meets the wall, working all the way around the room. Then cut in around any hanging fixtures.
For a wall, cut in first along the ceiling. Next, move along the vertical edges and above the baseboard, then around the door and window frames, and finally around any light fixtures, outlets, or other fixed items on the wall.
Wood is preferred more for its natural look, affordability, and easy tooling than for its durability.
Because wood expands and contracts and can warp and crack as it weathers, it demands regular maintenance--repainting or refinishing every couple of years.
The easiest to build and most affordable type of door is a tilt-up wood door. In many cases, it can be built right in the driveway by applying a skin of exterior plywood--usually 3/8-inch thick--to a frame of Douglas fir, spruce, or a similar softwood.
Or the frame and plywood can be covered with siding to match the house. This type of flush construction is quite strong, stable, and affordable: For a 16-by-7-foot flush wood door, you can expect to pay from $400 to $700.
Sections of roll-up wood doors may have either flush or panel construction. Flush sections are made by fastening a plywood panel over a wooden frame, like a small version of the flush door described above. For panel doors, manufacturers fit several separate, rectangular panels into a wooden frame. The skeletal framework is built of fir or some other common softwood; panels are made from a variety of materials.
Panels for a door meant to be painted may be flat surfaces of plywood, hardboard, or they may be three-dimensional raised or recessed panels. Cladwood, made from composites with resin-impregnated overlays, or wood look-alikes like Masonite's SureWood raised panels are commonly used for the three-dimensional variety.
Cladwood composite panels come with a 20-year warranty, but most wood doors are warranted for only one year). Installed, an average-sized (16-by-7-foot) paint-grade sectional door normally costs from about $800 to $1,000.
Appearance-grade wood doors--those meant to be stained rather than painted--have solid-wood panel inserts. These doors may be all cedar, redwood, or may have softwood frames with oak, mahogany, or other hardwood panels. When buying one of these, be sure to find out whether the panels are made from a single, solid piece or made from several widths edge-glued together (the joint between glued-up lengths may show).
Appearance-grade wood doors are the most expensive garage doors available. One with redwood panels will run about $1,500; an all-cedar or oak-paneled door may cost $2,000 or more.
By : HomeTips.com
Having a house alarm doesn’t mitigate the need for responsible watchfulness. Following are some tips to ensure your home is safe and protected:
1. Be particularly vigilant during the holiday season because burglars know there are gifts in the house and also know homeowners are more distracted than usual.
2. The summer still rates as the most opportune time for thieves due to homeowners taking extended vacations and leaving windows open when someone just runs a quick errand.
3. Lock yourself out (leaving someone inside) and see if you can get into the house without the use of a key—if you can, then so can a professional thief.
4. If you like dogs, consider getting one, because thieves will be less likely to break into your home if they have to deal with one.
5. Make sure all outside entrances are well lit at night.
6. When you go out for the evening, leave on a few lights as well as a radio to an all-talk radio station.
7. Do not put the packaging for your new HD 40-inch TV out on the curb; instead, take it to a recycling center.
8. Close the curtains when you’re out. If you want to display your lovely Christmas tree, you could also be showing a thief all the gifts stashed under the tree.
9. Don’t leave valuables in the obvious places, such as the underwear drawer; instead, invest in a safe or leave your valuables at your bank.
10. Have deliveries go to a neighbor if you can’t be home to receive them, or arrange to pick up packages at the delivery station’s main office.
11. Keep hedges trimmed so you don’t give burglars better cover. Gravel beds around the house also make it easier to hear anyone lurking outside.
12. Foster good relationships with your neighbors as they will be more likely to call in something suspicious. Also, give trusted neighbors a spare key rather than planting one in a flowerpot.
13. Make sure your doors are as strong as your locks. Entry doors should be made from solid wood or metal, not foam core. If you have sliding glass doors, place a pin or bar in the track.
14. When on vacation, arrange to have someone pick up your newspaper and mail, mow your lawn, and/or clear snow from your driveway and sidewalks. Consider also leaving a car parked in your driveway while you’re away.
15. Secure existing windows with removable eyebolts in the locks (built into the sash), locking scissor gates, or fixed metal grilles.
By : HomeTips.com
