Give You Furniture an Easy Makeover

Tired or worn out furniture can bring down the look of your room. Even if your furniture is in quite a good condition, if it doesn't fit in with the style of the rest of your home or it is just a plain item with no colour or character, it can look out of place.

It's easier than you think to liven up furniture and add your personality to it, and this can instantly give your room a lift. Here are some tips for "upcycling" old furniture or simply giving a boring item a makeover.

·         Painting is the most obvious way to give a piece of furniture a new lease of life. It's particularly easy with wooden furniture like oak. Get a better finish by sanding the wood to get rid of rough patches. You might need to prime it as well if the wood is bare and untreated – this will vary depending on the wood so do a quick bit of research. Use waterbased paint as this dries quite quickly and doesn't smell as bad as oil paints.  If you're feeling creative you can paint patterns, or just paint certain parts, for example the fronts of drawers, or paint two clashing colours. If you want to create a "shabby chic" look simply rub a candle on corners and edges and then sand these parts when the paint's dry. You'll give it an instantly aged effect.

·         

          Decoupage might look tricky, but it is really just something that requires time rather than skill. Get a load of old magazines and cut out images or bits of colour. You'll need to use varnish to stick them onto the furniture with a paint brush, but you can be really creative and just stick as you feel like it, to create something really personalised and funky. You could use pictures with a theme, like cakes for a kitchen table, or just random pictures to create a new pattern.

·          

      If you want to do something really dramatic and stylish and feel that rustic furniture isn't really for you (and you don't mind potentially incurring 7 years bad luck) get a cheap mirror and smash it. Do this safely, on a controlled surface, and make sure you thoroughly clean the area afterwards to get rid of little pieces of broken glass. Using a strong adhesive to fix the broken pieces of mirror onto a flat surface like a wardrobe door will give a modern and eye catching design, which will play with the light in interesting ways.

·          

      If you are brave enough to re-upholster furniture, then you can use your own fabric. You could patchwork pieces together, or embroider some material to give the furniture your own style and make it unique.

Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and create something unique to you which you can treasure.

Style and Storage: Modern Bathroom Furniture

In recent years the fashion in the bathrooms of most modern homes has tended towards the idea of crisp, clean minimalism. White walls and tiles, little to no bathroom furniture and only one or two minor design flourishes.

However, in recent months, modern designers and bathroom furniture suppliers have been bringing back, rekindling, a love of bold statement furniture, and doing away with the sparse, waiting-room feel that has become the norm.

Bathroom furniture has many varied benefits: Not only can it provide elegant storage solutions for all the bottles and supplies we tend to accumulate, but with only one or two pieces, it can lend the modern bathroom a designer, thought-out, decorated feel.

It’s often advisable to start simple. Consider your own needs. Many bathroom furniture companies are now producing wall mirrors with built-in shelving, which is a great option for ease of access, as well as dividing your toothbrush from your shampoo, your mouthwash from your soap dish.

If you are reassessing your bathroom design and considering adding some furniture, do not be afraid to employ darker woods. Walnut or oak cabinets or lavatory units will provide a rich, warm quality, whilst still remaining subtle and fashionable. A combination of light coloured walls and flooring, coupled with dark wood furniture, since as a basin unit, or bath surround, will result in a winning combination of style and storage.

It is worth noting that in recent years, the budget-conscious choice of wooden furniture has tended to be lighter in colour. Many MDF storage units are now available in dark wood finishes, so it’s much easier to achieve that elegant designer appearance without breaking the bank.

Towel racks have become far more popular in recent years as well. A heated chrome towel rack can instantly give a bathroom a boutique, luxury feel. A stand-alone shelving unit in a bathroom is also a great idea for storing towels. If you frequently have guests at your home, it can be a sophisticated way to clearly show where all the necessary towels or facecloths are stored, and arranging them in size order or colour coding them to match the colour scheme of your bathroom is a simple, effective, storage solution.

So bathroom furniture can be utilised to de-clutter your bathroom, for a more relaxed, modern feel. It can also allow you to make a simple, elegant design statement, and can lend your bathroom a higher value appearance, all through the use of only one or two well-chosen pieces that needn’t cost too much.

Retaining Independence with Walk-in-Baths

There comes a time in everybody’s life when we simply aren’t as mobile as we used to be. Whilst in the past this would inevitably have resulted in carers being brought in or moving to a nursing home, there are now several home design alternatives to allow us to maintain our independence for as long as possible.

Two of the biggest innovations in home mobility in recent years have been the growing use of stair lifts and walk-in-baths. Climbing stairs and getting in and out of baths has always proved a notoriously difficult and dangerous task to the elderly and less mobile, however stair lifts remove the issue of climbing stairs altogether, whilst walk-in-baths allow you to regain control whilst bathing, making it a safe and even enjoyable time again.

With well-placed supportive handles, slip resistant floors, a built in seat and extremely low-entrance points, walk-in-baths allow you to get in and out of baths with unparalleled ease – providing you with the independence you crave.

Walk-in-baths, as well as from a safety aspect, can also benefit the user with hydrotherapy, with many models now having air pumps and water jets pre-built into the baths to provide the ultimate relaxation and massage experience – which can, in turn, help improve mobility by reducing muscular tension as well as other aches and pains.

Wibtrac, walk-in-baths and showers retailers, are currently one of the most popular in the industry with a large range of models available – all of which are available for wholesale prices without those pesky add-on costs found with other companies. To find out more about walk-in-baths and showers and the various specifications available from Wibtrac, click here.

TV Beds – The Ultimate Bedroom Cinema Experience

TVs are now common place in bedrooms across the country. Usually fitted to a wall or placed on top of a cabinet or chest of drawers, watching TV in bed can be a great way to spend a lazy Sunday, watch a late night film or catch the early morning news when you wake up.

If you like a minimalist design in your bedroom however, a TV, along with their many wires, can make a room look rather untidy – not to mention that finding a space in your room where the TV is at a good angle to your bed often providing a layout nightmare!

However, with a TV bed you can have your TV built into the bed itself. So with just the touch of a button you can have your TV appearing at the end of the bed ready to watch and, when you’ve had enough, you can make it disappear just as easily. TV beds are a minimalists dream; sleek, stylish and discreet, they provide the ultimate entertainment experience in your bedroom without the unwanted clutter.

TV beds are available in all manner of shapes, sizes and styles, with cheap TV beds easily available to buy online, including great beds on finance options available from specialist providers, such as TVBed.co.uk.

Tips on Keeping Your Boiler Healthy Yourself

A pinch of prevention is worth an ounce of cure. This not only applies to human health. Machinery and equipment can break down just as well, if maintenance is lacking or inadequate. But, as the saying goes, doing regular maintenance will save the owner a lot more money than conducting extensive repairs. Take your boiler for example, it needs cleaning and inspection from time to time. A respectable HVAC service would probably charge up to $100 for boiler maintenance; while this would seem steep for some, it is far lower than spending $3,000 to replace a broken down boiler, one that would probably serve you for years more if only you didn't skimp for maintenance.

However, if you're an inveterate penny pincher, perhaps a little DIY know-how will serve your purposes better. Here are a few tips on keeping your boiler healthy yourself:

1. Examine the vent pipes for blockages or disjoints.

If an artery blockage could potentially cause heart attacks in humans, the same principle would apply for the vent pipes of your boiler. Check if debris have somehow made their way inside, making the passage of air difficult if not altogether impossible. Metal pipes should be checked periodically for signs of rusting as well. Joints should also be inspected to check if they are still properly connected.

2. Check if the vessel contains excessive quantities of residue or show signs of rusting.

Before checking the interior, make sure that the power to the appliance is turned off. Shine a torch inside and if you see dirt there in large quantities, vacuum it off. A boiler free from residue will work more efficiently and with less power than one with a dirty interior.

3. Gauge to see if oil levels are adequate.

Older circulator pumps need oiling to work efficiently, so check this next. Replenish as required. The main motor itself may need to have its oil levels checked, so include that in your replenishment efforts.

4. Determine if the thermostat is working properly.

Boilers that have seen a fair share of winters often have mechanical thermostats installed, which are less accurate than current digital types. Consider replacing them if they prove tricky to calibrate. Digital thermostats are fairly inexpensive, if only for the benefits they provide as an accurate device for preventing blow ups or breakdowns in your machine.

5. Inspect the Radiator.

A working radiator is required if you don't want your boiler to overheat quickly. Usually, the air vents present a problem, especially if these vents are of the manual sort. Test it by increasing the thermostat settings and letting it run for a few minutes. Shut it off, and then check the vents. Bleed air off these vents until it is water that you see coming out of the vents. You need to this for each and every one of those vents. As with mechanical thermostats, manual air vents have fallen out of favour and have largely given way to float-type vents, which perform better.

6. See if the CO detector is still functional.

If your carbon monoxide gauge is not working properly, you run the serious risk of having your family and yourself exposed to dangerous gas emissions. Better be safe than sorry.

So there you have it: six tips to make sure your boiler is in tiptop shape for the next heating engagement.

Fixing Sash Windows to Keep the House Warm in The Winter

Your home can become unbearable and inefficient during winter due to extremely low temperatures that can sometimes go below freezing point. It can be difficult trying to keep a room warm during the cold season if you have worn-out Victorian sash windows. A room can lose heat through draught leaving you cold when the glass panes of the windows become lose. Draught can make the windows noisy and make it impossible to have restful sleep as well. The windows can be damaged by elements such as the weather, general usage and central heating. Fixing sash windows that have suffered wear and tear can help in keeping the house warm, improving the condition of your windows, reducing household heating bills and minimal usage of heating fuel.

Draught-proofing strips such as rubber and plastic among others can be purchased in many home improvement stores to be used to seal between the window sash and frame. Plastic or metal weather-stripping can also be used to seal cracks in glass and lose panes. Draft strip can provide maximum protection from air and water penetration as well while providing good ventilation. Draft proofing prevents a typical window from letting warm air to leak from your home. If drafts are present through the molding you can gently remove the trim and inject foam insulation, which expands and makes a tight seal.

Replace sash windows in case of timber decay and rot. You can also carry out repairs such as replacing missing putty, cords and broken glass. Replacement and restoration of existing sash windows improves energy efficiency and operation. In addition, such window treatment can rattles and reduce loss of heat from your home. This DIY solution is necessary if economic repair of the deteriorated window is not a viable option.

Your sash windows should function properly in the winter. Paint can hinder the performance of the windows especially when opening and closing. During winter, you need to keep your windows closed all the time to keep your home warm. Scrape any loose, flaking or built up paint to ensure your windows close well. Other than scraping, you can service the windows by tightening any lose joints, re-alignment and balancing sashes by removing sash weights and by fitting new parting and closing beads.

To ensure you stay warm in the winter season you can secondary glaze your sash windows. Victorian sash windows that are secondary glazed reduce heat loss while preserving the integrity and character of the original architecture. Installing secondary glazing involves forming a double window to increase efficiency in reducing heat loss. Double glazing increases insulation creating an effective barrier that reduces condensation. It is a long term investment option and the cost of installation may be a big determinant.