From the Floors Up

Home Check-Up List

By Leave a Comment

With how much time people are spending at home, we thought now would be a good time for a home check-up list. Here are five things you should do every year to ensure you’re running a well-oiled machine.

One: Replace the batteries in the smoke detector

Ever heard of the old adage “better than safe than sorry”? Yes, every year you should be switching out the old batteries in your smoke detector for new ones. Modern smoke detectors feature hard-wired backup batteries that must also be replaced. However, it doesn’t stop there. After trading batteries you should ensure that all the smoke detectors throughout the house are in working order.

In addition to the smoke detectors, you should also check your carbon monoxide detectors. Every year thousands of deaths occur due to faulty carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure you change the batteries at least every six months to a year.

Two: Inspect the chimney

Before you fire up your fireplace during the cold winter months you must fire perform a thorough inspection of your chimney. Make sure the gas logs are positioned correctly, look for cracks in the glass door and make sure the burner holes aren’t clogged.

Even when the fireplace is not in use it should be inspected because the chimney has dangerous gases that can be carried to the stove and that shouldn’t be inhaled. Be sure to clean it periodically or make an appointment to have it serviced by a professional.

Three: Gutters

Gutters that become clogged with leaves and other debris restrict the water from flowing easily preventing them from doing their job! This preventative maintenance will save you time and headaches down the road. If you aren’t comfortable on a ladder, hiring someone to do this for you will be worth it in the long run.

Four: Doors and windows

Before winter hits, you should perform an inspection of all the doors and windows in your home. Check for weather stripping around the front and back door. Look for cracks in the windows and tears on the screen. Checking for signs of wear around the window frame is important for safety issues.

Five: Rotate Area Rugs

If you have area rugs that get any exposure from the sun, you’ll want to rotate them to ensure that your rugs receive the same amount of sun exposure on each side for even fading. This is normal and natural for any material that receives exposure to sunlight. If your rugs are on top of hardwood floors, you will want to rotate your furniture where possible so that your hardwood floors receive the same amount of sun exposure for evenness as well.

We hope you find these tips useful in maintaining a healthy home. Take care of yourself and your home!

Guest Bedroom Must Haves

By Leave a Comment

When getting a guest room ready for house guests, there are some things to consider. Your guests should be comfortable which means being prepared with all of the necessities. Keep reading to get a better understanding of how to stock your guest room for comfort.

First and foremost, the bedding should be comfortable and versatile. Make sure the bedding is soft and layered. Always use the top sheet covered by a duvet or comforter. To add an extra layer of texture, it is also nice to have a throw or quilt folded up at the end of the bed. This helps guests who might get cold at night. Guests can always take blankets away, but they can’t add warm bedding if it is not readily available to them.

Make sure there is storage space for their clothing, belongings and their suitcase. Storage for clothing should be a dresser with some free drawers available. It is a good idea to have room in a closet with empty hangers. It is nice to have the option to hang clothes when traveling. Also, make sure there is enough room in the closet for guests to store their suitcase. If you are like most Americans and there’s no closet space available, add a luggage rack or a bench at the end of the bed. This is convenient for packing and unpacking, using the bed as a place to fold and get organized. Having the suitcases at the end of the bed on luggage racks or a bench makes it easier to pack. This also prevents bedding from gettings stained from dirty suitcase wheels.

Place at least one nightstand next to the bed. Guests need room for their phones, medicine, books and other personal items. Add a bedside lamp to the nightstand as well. A bedside lamp will add extra lighting for guests to use at night. If you want to go the extra mile, provide phone chargers near the nightstand for your guests.

Place clean towels on the bed before visitors arrive. Whenever possible have a place for people to hang their damp towels. It is nice to have racks on the back of the door. This allows for someone to get ready in their bedroom without having to go back to the bathroom and find a place to hang a damp towel.

Details make for an inviting space. To make the room extra welcoming add a vase of fresh flowers to the nightstand or a dresser. If there’s a television in the room, make sure the remote is easy to locate. If the nightstand gets crowded, place items like the remote, flowers or towels on a decorative tray on the bed. Visitors will be very appreciative of your hospitality if you take the details into account.

Creating Privacy at Home

By Leave a Comment

Currently, we are all experiencing a little lack of privacy! Your home should be a place of comfort and privacy, a place where you are at ease. Let us consider the layout of your home and some things you can potentially update to add privacy.

Outdoors

Your backyard can be an oasis from the busyness going on inside your home. Backyards are an escape to tranquility when you can’t take that glamorous beach getaway.

Fences are a great solution towards adding privacy in your backyard. Fences are fantastic if you have small children or pets that will be playing in your yard.

Line your yard with bushes, trees, shrubs, etc. Plants will bring life to your yard while incorporating a sense of privacy from any unwanted eyes. Planting can also be very calming and therapeutic!

Outdoor deck curtains allow homeowners to choose when they desire their privacy. These curtains will also provide an aesthetic appeal to your deck. They can provide an opportunity to add color where you did not think was possible. If your deck needs shelter from the sun, curtains or sails can provide some relief from the heat.

Indoors

If you are fighting for privacy in a space, a room divider can be a method for creating privacy. Whether you are blocking off an office from a bedroom or two siblings who share a room together, adding a room divider can be an inexpensive way to add privacy.

Curtains are an easy solution for privacy. You can actually use curtains throughout your home and not just on your windows.

Sometimes the arch design of a doorway makes it difficult to put on an actual door. Barn Doors are great for oddly shaped arches that need a touch of privacy.

Privacy may be an extremely important factor for you in your home. How are you currently creating privacy in your home? Share your thoughts with us!

Various Types of Paint Primer for Your Project

By Leave a Comment

There are so many different types of primers on the market today that it is confusing to know which one to use. To help, we have compiled a list of the kinds of paint primers and hope that this will guide you during your selection. Since there are so many types, we could not list all of them at one time. We recommend keeping a copy of this list for questions you may have at a later date, and we hope this helps!

What Is Primer?

A primer will allow for a top coat to dry the way it should naturally dry. If the topcoat dries by liquids soaking on the surface, this process will pull out the solvents in the wrong way, and the paint will dry too fast. Speaking of drywall, solvents that soak into drywall normally damage the drywall. Therefore, drywall primers don not have solvents that interfere with the drywall.

Acrylic Primer

Acrylic primer is high-quality, and the quality of the acrylic primer will reflect the price tag. Keep in mind that most high-quality primers are acrylic primers. Acrylic primers do a great job at sealing, filling in cracks, and bonding like no other.

PVA Primer

Poly Vinyl Acetate or PVA is a good primer, made to use on brand new drywall and mud finish. PVA is perfect, especially if you have an expensive topcoat paint, and you want it to cover without buying more topcoat paint. PVA primer will take a small amount of topcoat paint/tint color very well. The amount of PVA used to prime the drywall is less if a tint is added to the primer. PVA does a great job of sealing drywall and dries smoothly. Keep in mind that you might not want to use PVA as a primer in rooms that are very popular with your family, simply because it cannot compare to high-quality acrylic primers. Think about priming rooms that are less used in the home like a guest room.

Bonding Primer

Bonding primers are a good quality primer. They work great at adhering to glossy surfaces, drywall, cured plastic, masonry, wood, galvanized metal, and aluminum. Bonding primer blocks stains from knots, water damage, crayons, and grease. It is also a great primer for enamel undercoatings. If you have a problem area where the paint is already peeling, do not use a bonding primer. If you are using a good quality bonding primer when applied, it will grab onto and grip the surface tightly. If your surface is already peeling, a bonding primer will cause the peeling paint to peel even more.

We hope our research has helped to answer some of your questions, and please drop us a line with any additional questions you may have!

Capturing the Perfect Pictures of Your Home

By Leave a Comment

From uploading photos to help sell your space or just sharing pictures of your latest home improvement project over the internet, there are hundreds of reasons you may want to capture pictures of your home. Residential photography may not be professional photography; however, mastering some pro tips can help take your photos to the next level. Since a picture can say a thousand words, taking a poor picture can give a negative impression on a truly beautiful project or home. To help, here is everything you need to consider when photographing your home:

Lighting

Lighting has a very dramatic effect on the quality of your pictures. It is essential to have a well-lit room whenever taking your pictures. Make sure all your light fixtures are turned on while also allowing natural outdoor lighting to have an effect on the photos. You do not want one or the other to overpower one another, so you may need to find the perfect time of the day. Some photographers will refer to this time as the Golden Hour. This time is when the sun is just rising or just setting. Also, you should make sure to take outdoor photos during this time as well.

Composition

The composition of the photograph is what you initially capture. Try capturing the main focal point of the room directly in the center of the shot. Accenting architecture and decor can allow our eyes to wander and explore the picture. However, the demand for attention should be directly in the center of each picture!

Angles

Lights may create a glare. Taking a photograph at “eye-level” is rarely the best angle to capture a picture. Angles can portray a room to be much smaller or much larger. Make sure you are capturing your photographs at the most optimal angels. This could be from an elevated corner of the room or from outside a doorway. Mastering angles on your photography is one of the most effective ways to dramatically change a shot.

Try to adopt some of these techniques in your own photography. They can help make your photographs more than just social media worthy, but truly awe-inspiring. Just remember when posting that your photographs should truly capture the beauty of your estate.

From the Floors Up

From the Floors Up blog was created with the goal of providing a destination for consumers, designers and those interested in the flooring, design, and kitchen and bath industries. Here you’ll find, current, accurate and informative information that is always just a click away!

Recent Comments

Subscribe

Enter your email address to receive new post notifications via email.