PVC Fascia Boards – Expansion

PVC Fascia Boards have many advantages over their traditional timber alternatives.

They are virtually maintenance free, they come in a variety of shapes, styles and sizes and when correctly installed they will not split, warp, bow or crack. One feature that is present in all PVC Fascia Boards though is that they do expand and contract, according to the ambient temperature conditions.

This is actually a common occurrence amongst many plastic extruded products. Stand next to a low level gutter system just as the sun comes out and you will hear a definite clicking noise – this the noise of the guttering catching on the fascia brackets as it expands through them.

All professional installers are aware of this and make allowances for expansion and contraction by ensuring that the gutter is fitted precisely in line with the insertion marks that are marked on the fittings by the manufacturers. This allows the gutter to safely expand and contract along its length without fear of buckling or pulling out of the fittings in any way.

Whilst it stands to reason that PVC Fascia boards should react in the same way as PVC Guttering, not all fitters are aware of this fact. All board manufacturers recommend that an expansion gap is left between each joint and corner piece. The gap size may vary very slightly between manufacturers, but it usually 5mm per 5m board, meaning that there should be a gap of 10mm between two full length boards. This gap is never actually seen as it will be covered by a corner or joint trim. To ensure that the expansion gap is not compromised, the corner or joint trim should only ever be glued onto one board – the other board should be simply sealed with a silicon sealant which is flexible enough to allow the board to move.

Dark colours tend to expand slightly more than white fascia boards; this is the reason that more fixings are required on a wood grain fascia installation when compared to a white system.

PVC Fascia boards that are butted up tightly together with no provision for expansion will almost certainly buckle and warp in warmer temperatures.

This post was provided by PVC Cladding the leading supplier of specialist building plastics.

Hot Taps for Kitchens

Water is an essential part of life. In today’s society, accessing pure, odour-free water can often prove to be a tricky (and expensive) endeavour. Thankfully, there are a few alternatives to continually buying water bottle after water bottle – this is when kitchen hot taps come into play. As the name entails, hot taps provide hot filtered water at an affordable price. They come in many models, some of them offering chilled water.

What are hot Taps?

Hot taps prove to be the ideal solution for anyone wishing to incorporate clean, odour-free water in their daily life. Most often used in kitchens, they are also very popular in work environments. Kitchen hot taps are useful for cooking, cleaning as well as making hot drinks such as tea. The simpler models usually dispense hot water, while the more advanced ones are also known to provide chilled water and a wide array of other benefits.

Why buy a Hot Tap?

There are many reasons why a person should buy a hot tap for kitchen – not only does it provide a sense of security by dispensing clean and filtered water, it also facilitates the process of cooking as well as brewing hot beverages. Someone with a hot tap saves lots of time; after all, they merely have to press a button and hot, steaming water comes pouring out. Those thinking of buying a more advanced hot tap that offers chilled water as well as boiling water will also get the benefits of drinking fresh, tasteless water. UK families that do not drink from the taps and instead buy bottled waters usually enjoy this benefit the most.

Latest hot Taps

One of the latest hot taps comes in the form of the InSinkErator Hot Tap available from Water Coolers Direct. The latest can be purchased for only £312.50 on Water Coolers Direct. On top of being affordable, this kitchen hot tap is able to dispense water at a temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to ensure the water tastes as clean as possible, the InSinkEratorHot Tap filters chlorine and any other causes that are behind the bad taste of regular UK tap water.

Advanced hot Taps

Also available from Water Coolers Direct is one of the most advanced kitchen hot taps includes the Zip HydroTap. Available for £2,815, the Zip HydroTap is one of the finest hot taps that can be found on the market today. Offering an unlimited supply of chilled or steaming water, this hot tap for kitchen is small enough to fit under any sink. It is also able to dispense up to 160 cups of boiling water and 125 cups of chilled water per hour. The Zip HydroTap is also available at Water Coolers Direct.

Not only are kitchen hot taps an absolute must have; they are also are an investment. The benefits they provide to people go beyond what most of them expect. Cooking with fresh, clean water is absolutely priceless, as is drinking odour and taste-free water. Hot taps prove to be useful to countless families all over the United Kingdom everyday.

Bring Style Back To Your Bathroom

The bathroom is a vital part of your home and is considered to be a primary room along with the kitchen. Over time, tiles can become damaged, suites can start to discolour and the overall style may be out of date in a matter of years. So why don’t you think about transforming your bathroom? A new stylish bathroom can reinvigorate your whole home and increase the value of your property.

Picking a Colour

Colour schemes in most rooms can be easy to change with a lick of paint and few changes to accessories. However, in the bathroom this can be slightly more difficult as suites and tiles can be very expensive to replace. Choose a neutral colour such as white or cream as a base. If the majority of the fixtures and fittings are one colour then you will be able to add accessories of a different colour. These can later be interchanged if you need to update the look.

Brighten Your Mornings

Tiles are a great way to bring in light to the room as they will reflect the incoming sunlight and give a gleaming effect. You can choose to tile your bathroom from floor to ceiling or maybe only around the shower area to keep it water tight. Either way, there are many designs and sizes that can create a spa atmosphere. Large tiles are currently very popular due to their sleek appearance. However, you may wish to play it safe and stay traditional with small square tiles. These do not need to cost the earth and there are many stores which will have discounted tiles in stock. Lighting is also key as this can create a relaxing ambience. Adjustable lighting is ideal so that during the winter mornings you can wake yourself up in a bright bathroom, but yet unwind in a romantic setting in the evenings.

Make Life a Little Cleaner

The redesigning process isn’t all about how it looks. Obviously that is an important factor but you should consider the practicality too. A glass splashback can instantly transform your bathroom. It can add style and save you a lot of time with cleaning. Splashbacks are water and thermal resistant so can be placed anywhere in your bathroom. They are created to take any splashes of water so you don’t have to worry about constantly cleaning water marks. They just need a simple wipe down with a cloth once in a while so this will save you hours of cleaning time.

Don't Overdo It

Simplicity is key in a modern bathroom and it is important to remember not to go overboard. Too many accessories and knick-knacks around the place will make the area far harder to clean. Psychologically it will also have an effect when you walk into the room itself. You should feel relaxed and in a soothing environment, however if there are many colours and objects around this is far less likely to be the case. A bathroom should be a place to unwind and let go of the stresses of the day with a hot bath so keep this image in mind when you are choosing the design.

This post was written by Amy Bennett who has recently redecorated her dreary old bathroom. She ordered a beautiful made to order splashback in her favourite colour from UK Splashbacks. They not only delivered a great product but also a great service too.

Vinyl Flooring from EveryFloorDirect

Vinyl flooring has been available as a flooring option for many years and a pretty good one at that. It can provide a highly cost effective solution for those looking for a stylish interior revamp at minimal costs. Vinyl flooring has been gaining immense popularity over the past few years which now holds a very significant place in home décor and can be seen in kitchens and bathrooms quite frequently. Appearing on hit shows like Channel 4's Sarah Beeny, Grand Designs & 60 Minute Makeover more and more people are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of it.

The durability and sturdiness of this type of floor has been among the few most important reasons why it has been used over and over again from DIYers, home owners and interior designers. It makes a practical choice where hygiene is concerned as spills, muck and dirt can be easily wiped or moped clean. Cushion flooring can also be a wise choice for those who have pets and children and any debris can be swept up instantly without any costly stain removable solutions which other floor coverings may need.

Many people who have installed sheet vinyl flooring in their homes have complemented on the fact that it is very comfortable to stand on especially when walking barefoot. Most vinyl's are backed by either a sturdy foam backing, felt or PVC. This greatly improves the durability and wear life too. The surface of the floors in question is water resistant and anti-bacterial unlike other flooring materials such as carpet. Carpet tends to harbor large amounts of bacteria or can get moldy and smelly over time.

We do however, recommend regular maintenance is undertaken such as mopping, cleaning and sweeping to ensure your vinyl floor remains in optimum appearance at all times. This will increase the life of your new floor by up to 33%.

Cheap vinyl flooring has advanced so much in the last 5 years within the flooring industry, as it has been made possible to have a number of different textures, a wide range of vibrant on trend colours and designs that can mirror and look identical to almost any traditional floor coverings, such as stone, marble, granite, brick, wood etc. Giving a realistic, natural and comfortable look and feel to your interior project.

Choosing vinyl floors is by far the easiest, most sensible and the most economical choice. It might cost a little more than carpets or any such traditional flooring alternatives initially but truth be told, in the long run, it is the most economical choice of all. Carpets require costly maintenance and even then they only have a short life as traffic, spills, stains and general wear and tear will soon scuff it back up for you to repeat the process of cleaning over again. Vinyl flooring on the other hand, requires the least amount of TLC and lasts a lot longer. You can clean off that ink you dropped from a vinyl surface, even after a week using merely a wet cloth, but there is no way you can get off the same stain of that ink from a carpet even after an hour it was dropped no matter which cleaning chemicals you use. Even if you manage to get it off somehow, the carpet will never look the same.

If you are looking for kitchen vinyl flooring or any sort of cushion floor please visit Every Floor Direct today. We always have huge cost saving discounts with up to 70% OFF from high street prices. Free samples & Free delivery are also available.

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall…

It is fair to say that, nowadays, the rudiments of the bathroom suite are pretty firmly set in stone. You have your bath, naturally, as well as the absolute essential that is the toilet. Throw in a shower and a basin, and you’re pretty much there, bar the other smaller complementary pieces such as taps and towel rails.

Another one of these required accessories is the humble mirror. Representing a solid, if usually unspectacular piece of glass, a mirror doesn’t usually inspire too much thinking beyond ‘will it reflect?!’ In recent times though, the mirror has undergone something of a design review, with this overhaul resulting in a number of mirrors that do not just set out to be a design piece in their own right but which feature additional attractive functions, too.

The first of these is the simple addition of lights. It sounds a bit trite, but a little illumination really does make all the difference. This is especially true as many designs now feature backlighting, some with an LED array. This leads to a variety of configurations that let your mirror make a truly eye-catching design statement. These LEDs – or fluorescent tubes, if used - will also serve to put money in your pocket and help the environment, as manufacturers now tend to use low voltage models. Of course, all of this is in addition to the more workaday benefit that a brightened mirror is a lot more useful to you with regards to its original reflective use.

The functionality angle is covered by a single word: ‘sensors’. Many mirror frames now are not just for decoration, with these little electrical pieces fitted unseen inside them. One of the main uses for these sensors is to flick on the lights. This also fits in with the above, as there is no chance you will leave the lights burning as they will be automatically switched off as you leave.

More excitingly, another type of sensor removes the main frustration when trying to use your mirror - namely, that it constantly steams up! Specialist demister pads are now fitted to some mirrors that constantly monitor and regulate the temperature of the glass. This ensures the condensation that comes from the steam does not form on the mirror’s surface, keeping it completely clear. Anyone who has ever tried to shave after a shower will realise this is definitely a bonus! It also precludes the need for daily cleaning, as there are no greasy finger marks left from people wiping and re-wiping the mirror itself.

In short then, as you have sourced contemporary, cutting edge bathroom furniture for your bathroom suite, why would you then team that with a plain, drab mirror? With so many fantastic options available to you, you are sure to be able to find one that suits you.

The Art of Heating

There are those who would say that radiators are a functional necessity for any centrally heated building. To put it technically, they are heat convectors transferring thermal energy from one medium to another in order to heat a specific space. When a radiator is unexpectedly cold, it sends a shudder of panic through your system, but as a rule they go unnoticed from day to day.

Design-wise, radiators have barely changed in the last 150 years. The early Victorian loop designs are still popular today, whether they be reclaimed antiques or reproduced designer radiators. The standard panel radiators that the majority of us grew up with are still responsible for heating most of our homes and they are designed to be discreetly tucked away under windowsills and behind doors. But what if we were to embrace our need to heat by making features of our heating systems, creating bespoke radiators that are not just judged by their thermal unit capacity but that are to be admired and featured within a room.

The art of heating is taking on many new interesting and exciting forms. Swedish designer, Hedvig Af Ekenstam's knitted radiator is created using heating cables looped together like a piece of knitting. It forms a flexible and lightweight heated transparent screen, that's adjustable in size and thus is adaptable to any room. It is, therefore functional and easy on the eye.

In May this year, artist Tian Ye created an Installation at the Beijing Art Expo called ' Red Piano', which was a large scale grand piano made entirely of red radiator tubing. Now this was not designed to be used as a source of heat, but it is an interesting concept to produce art from function.

Heated pipes can take on many shapes and forms and a designer radiator can be created to give the impression of piece of wall art, whether it be minimal and modern or baroque and antiquated. Radiators are to be admired by dinner guests as would a fine painting or statue. One can even recreate your favourite view in photographic panels that will provide you with a warm glow, literally.

So maybe the next time we are looking to heat a room or an office, we should steer away from discreet and compact and take the plunge with a piece of bespoke radiator art that says a little more about who we are.

Author Bio:

Kate is a home improvement enthusiast, she has a particular interest in modern cast iron radiators and historic radiators.