House Renovation Tips

Old chimneys were built without flue liners. The mason simply applied a layer of plaster to the inside of the chimney as he built it. If you have an old chimney that’s in need of repair, consider adding a flue liner instead of rebuilding the chimney. The former approach is much less expensive than the [...]

Paddle fans like this require much more support than a light fixture. Most fans are far heavier than the average light fixture, and the motion of the fan weakens standard lighting supports. In this installation, 2-by-4 blocking nailed between ceiling joists supports a ceiling box approved for fan support. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
Electrical connections [...]

An easy way to color a room without painting it is to have the plasterer add a little lime-fast colored cement powder (available from hardware stores) to the plaster. This is faster and easier than painting, and the effect will last a long time on low-use areas such as ceilings. The technique is good for [...]

Red vibrates with intensity, physiologically speaking, by increasing blood pressure, heartbeat and energy in most people. It instills feelings of intimacy and passion. Red can also stimulate the appetite, which explains why it is so often used in restaurants and is a good choice for a dining room.
Orange, like red, tends to warm a room, [...]

Is privacy a primary concern?
For example, you may wish to cover first floor windows facing the street so the entire neighborhood doesn’t watch your family eat dinner. A second floor window overlooking a wooded backyard, on the other hand, probably has little need for privacy.
Is light control a high priority?
Large windows can let in a [...]

Painting suppliers would usually allow you to “try on” a color before you commit to the time and expense of painting an entire room.
Interior designers and professional painters do a “brush out” when deciding on color. This entails applying paint to a small section of the wall or several walls to see how the color [...]