Putting Some Zing In Your DIY Ding A Ling

February 6th, 2010 by pongsak

Do you like to get your home and garden maintenance work completed by professional work men or are you a DIY enthusiast who will tackle any job themselves and astound the neighbors with the results?

There are so many different ways you can improve your home, you can get new kitchen tiles, put in a new bathroom, have the place rewired or install air conditioning.

If electrics are involved I would always get professional help from an electrical contractor, even the most experienced DIY enthusiast would be well advised to get the input of an electrical contractor before doing any electrical rewiring.

When you think of your home you should not only think of the inside and how the rooms look you also have an outside room that families love, the garden should be treated as an additional room not an after thought, if you have a lawn area ensure it is correctly treated and has a professional irrigation system installed to keep the law fresh.

These improvements will not only make your house a more pleasant place to live but they could add value when it comes time to sell your home, people looking to buy a new home are often willing to pay a premium for a place that needs no new work done to it.

Periodic cleaning and regular maintenance is the best way to improve your home’s energy efficiency. For example, cleaning your refrigerator coils and your water heater’s tank maintains maximum efficiency. Perhaps you’re concerned about a few trouble-spots that make your house uncomfortable. Maybe you have a furnace that needs replacing, or windows that make your home drafty and cold.

Homeowners who want to borrow money are more of a sure bet to Lenders. Many homeowners dream of making their home the best in the area – a subject of pride and precious possession. Homeowners in the UK seem to have a love of DIY or at least the bank holiday crowds at the local DIY stores make it seem that way. There is no doubt that a well-maintained property will be worth more than a run-down one, but more serious home improvements like loft extensions and conservatories can add several thousand pounds to your home’s value.

diyhome.blogetery.com diygardennetwork.wordpress.com relocatingnetwork.wordpress.com

Tags:
Posted in diy home | No Comments »

Closet Hamper – DIY Project

February 5th, 2010 by pongsak

Laundry can quickly get out of control when you need to keep it in the closet. Before you abandon the idea of keeping your laundry out of sight, consider this DIY hamper project. It will make your laundry easy to access and out of sight. It keeps the dirty clothes from piling up on your closet floor and it is easy to get to when it’s time to do the wash.

There are a few goals of this hamper project. One, you want to make it easy access so that you don’t just bypass it and toss your dirty clothes beside it. So, you will want an opening or swinging door so that you can easily push your clothes inside. The swinging door should be hinged from the top and swing inward. You can push your clothes inside and it’ll swing back shut. You may decide to leave a space between the cabinet and swinging door so that children do not smash their fingers. The space also adds extra ventilation.

Speaking of ventilation, you don’t want your laundry hamper to smell or encourage mildew growth in your closet. For this reason, you should use cedar to build or line your hamper. Cedar is a natural deodorizer. It absorbs moisture from the air and inhibits the growth of molds and mildews. The fragrant smell of the wood will make your whole closet smell fresh year round.

You will also want to include a cabinet door to cover the laundry basket inside the hamper. You can use a regular cabinet door, or you may choose to use a roll-top door. These are really nice if you have limited space for opening and closing a cabinet door inside of your closet. The roll top will also catch clothes that people may put in the hatch while you have the basket out. When you close the basket back inside of the hamper, the roll top will drop the dirty clothes into the basket.

You can build your closet hamper with slats on the sides instead of solid wood if you would like a more open look. You can also add other closet organizers to the hamper. For example, a few wooden shelves off of the sides make for great shoe racks. Use the color stain and varnish that you like to make the hamper match your furniture. You can also use paint to finish your project.

When you’re done with the hamper, update other areas of your closet to make it all look great. Your hangers are a good place to start. Your clothes hangers can also be cedar to keep down odors and moisture in your closet. This is especially useful in a closet that contains laundry. You can find a good wood hanger or coat hanger made from cedar online directly from the manufacturer to save money. Remember to be creative and patient while you work on your new closet hamper project!

diyhomemade.wordpress.com

Tags: , ,
Posted in diy home | No Comments »

Mosaic Tiles – DIY

February 4th, 2010 by pongsak

When one thinks of installing your own mosaic tiles, there are strong assumptions of complicated, lucrative designs of the Roman Empire. I am not suggesting that the mosaics you have in your home have to be like how the Romans did. When installing your own mosaic tiles in either your bathroom or kitchen, you open yourself up to a world of unlimited designs and possibilities of how you want your room to look. The power of doing it yourself enables you to create your very own patterns and layout of the design. However, this would be a very hard and complicated task, which is why new style mosaics are made in sheets for easy tileing and DIY purposes.

To install mosaic flooring yourself is fairly simple. The key fundamentals one should remember when installing mosaic tiles is that it is imperative the sub floor is clean and dry. This will give a strong foundation to the tile and enable it to stick. If the floor is covered in dirt and debris there will be less cohesion of the tile and cement, which will inevitably loosen the tile. The adhesive you use is imperative. By using a good quality adhesive you will know the tile will stick and not fall apart, which is something you most definitely don’t want happening with mosaic tiles because once one piece breaks the rest will follow. There are two different mainstream types of mosaic tiles that that can be purchased: glazed and unglazed. When one uses glazed tiles it is important for safety that they are not used on the floor because they tend to be very slippery when wet, therefore should be used on the walls. Non glazed tiles grip more when wet and should be used on the floor. Finally during the installation of the tiles is it imperative that when laying down the especially in showers and wet- rooms is that they are level. This is because if they are not made level water will not flow where you indent it to. On many occasions it is known for some rooms to flood and not drain properly because of the way in which the tiles are laid.

The maintenance of mosaic tiles is not a complicated process. By being single tiles they are subject to entrapping more dirt; however a simple once over with a vacuum or damp cloth is sufficient. These types of tiles are very easy to clean and maintain which is why they are use mainly in kitchens and bathrooms where there is a constant flow of mess from cooking and soap etc.

From this article it is possible to see that installing mosaic tiles yourself is not as complicated as you may have thought. With the correct tools and making sure the foundations are right enables you to create any floor or wall design you want. Furthermore, the maintenance of these tiles is as simple as cleaning a normal floor, there are no extra cleaning utensils required because these tiles are made from strong durable materials.

diyhomedepot

Tags:
Posted in diy home | No Comments »

DIY Hardwood Floor Refinishing For Beginners

February 3rd, 2010 by pongsak

If your once beautiful hardwood floors are starting to look worn, scratched, and damaged, it might be time to try this type of refinishing. If you’ve been wondering, “can I refinish hardwood floors myself,” don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be difficult if you have the right tools and knowledge, and it can make your floors have the glow of brand new wood again!

First, before you begin the refinishing process, take a look at your old floors. Fill any large cracks or gouges. If your floor is not in good shape, you can use a commercial paint stripper and some kind of putty knife to scrape off the old finish and begin again. This is a great option when there are many stains on the old floor.

The second step in this is that you will need to sand down your floors. You can use a drum sander or orbital sander for the main part of the floor, and you will also need an edge sander for the area around the walls and corners. To get beautiful, well-sanded floors, start with heavy grit sandpaper and sequentially work your way down to lighter grit sandpaper. You will need to do several sandings.

Next, it is time to stain the floor. You can achieve practically any color using stains, but pick the color carefully. Another option is to keep the natural color of the floor, in which case you can skip this step. Follow the instructions on the can of stain and make sure to let the stain set for the recommended time period.

The next step in DIY hardwood floor refinishing is to apply a finish. Once again, you will want to follow the instructions on the can. Generally, at least two coats will need to be applied, and you will need to leave time for the finish to dry properly between coats. A special brush or roller is used to apply the finish smoothly and evenly.

Do it yourself hardwood refinishing requires some basic experience in DIY home projects as well as the right equipment. However, it is a simple and rewarding job that will increase your home’s value and make your hardwood shine with its natural beauty. Make sure you have recruited some people to help, because the sanding and finishing process can be time-consuming.

diyinhome.blogspot.com

Tags: , ,
Posted in diy home | No Comments »

DIY Mosaic Tile – How to Get the Most Out of It!

February 2nd, 2010 by pongsak

If you look for an easy to use tiling method try Diy Mosaic Tile remodeling – it provides an easy coating technique that enables you to virtually decorate any surface at home. When it comes to contemporary surface coverings, it’s the natural look and feel of these tiles that makes them so special and popular. Searching for new ideas that will help you on transforming your home contemporary and luxurious? Read this article.

Some background

What makes this special tiling solution unique is the fact that Diy Mosaic Tile redecoration is made of a set of similar looking small flat stones selected by hand and then fixed onto a sq/ft mesh backing seamless tile. The largest source of these special tiles is undoubtedly the exotic islands of Indonesia, and to be more precise, it is the Island of Bali. The most common applications with this tiling method include the following: Bathroom and kitchen walls, flooring, shower bases and backsplashes, patios, wine cellars, pools, and fireplaces.

Quick advantages

This solution quickly brings immediate and clear advantages:

* Easy to be cleaned and maintained.

* Easily adjusted to almost any surface size especially when it comes to tiling around taps and small narrow areas.

* Durable to any extreme temperatures such as around fireplaces and stoves for example.

Quick Tips!

* When you prepare the grout avoid adding too much water in the initial mix – that additional water can result in weak grout that can flake.

* Measure the designated area first, and then add 5%-7% more to your order just as a backup for future use and in case you may need to repair or cut small tile pieces in order to tile small /narrow spaces.

* Most recommended grout is sanded grout – it is suitable for both internal and external use.

It won’t be that difficult to find other great advantages provided by this easy diy method simply because once you explore and understand how it works, you quickly find endless redesigning opportunities that could fit any space at home.

Conclusions

What this Diy Mosaic Tile technique can do for you? It can easily turn any plain area whether in the inside or in the outside into a beautiful living space at minimal cost and effort on your side. For a successful installation it is advised to keep in mind the following advices as you are ready to begin with the installation process.

diyhome.blogdetik.com/

Tags:
Posted in diy home | No Comments »

DIY (Do it Yourself) – Is it the Main Cause of Our Stress?

February 1st, 2010 by pongsak

A few years ago, a work colleague was lucky to be alive after he fell from his roof where he was doing some work. Today, he still suffers side effects from the fall. Last year one of my friends spent every second of his spare time during the summer, painting his house. With the job still incomplete, he started painting again this summer, but as fate would have it, he fell and broke his arm. He is now shopping around for a painter to complete the job.

OK, so like me, you have two left hands and would not be caught doing house repairs or painting to save your life. Nonetheless, aren’t we all doing “stuff” that we either don’t like to do, don’t do well or could avoid doing? Last weekend I watched my mother slave over an iron board all day, ironing, among other things . . . polo shirts! This is fine by me; it’s her time, and she can do what she pleases with it. However, as the weekend drew to a close, she started complaining that she was tired and had not had time to rest all weekend. Sounds familiar?

Here’s another example: one of my clients used to drive 2 hours one-way, every week, to do grocery shopping for his mother, a senior with Alzheimer’s; and the worst part was, when he visited, she was usually upset with him, because he never spent any time with her. Now that we are caring for his mother, he can spend quality time with her when he visits and is not rushing to beat the traffic back home.

Why do we choose to clutter our lives with so many “things to do”? I know: someone has to do it, but does that someone have to be you? Is it really cheaper to do it yourself? Did you factor in the cost of your time, injury or stress-related illness – time not spent with your family and friends?

Think for a moment about what important or critical things you could accomplish, if your entire day wasn’t cluttered with the many trivial tasks to be completed.

Large companies are getting back to their core operation while outsourcing supporting tasks; small business entrepreneurs are learning that they can’t do it all – they must outsource so they can spend their time growing their business. As individuals are we any different? Personal success guru, Brian Tracy, applies this to the 80 / 20 rule. Most people spend 80% of their time preoccupied with tasks and activities that are not ultimately the most important – for your life or your business.

Those who have become iconic in their success, devote 80% (or more) of their time to the 20% of activities that produces the most value or income. The remaining 80% of activities are handed off to someone else, so they can focus (like a laser) on the most important and crucial elements of life or business.

Shouldn’t we be managing our time efficiently by outsourcing tasks that we don’t do well or can’t do efficiently, leaving us with time to do the things we really enjoy doing – time to relax and de-stress, time to make more money doing the things we do best?

Athletes do well because they have a core of people supporting them, leaving them to focus on their sport; during the recent US election, President Obama got a myriad of people from all walks of life to assist him in any way they could. Being successful does not mean doing everything for ourselves, it means knowing when to get help. We all have 24 hours in a day; no more, no less than anyone . . . let’s make the best use of it.

remodeling-tutorials.blogspot.com

Tags: ,
Posted in diy home | No Comments »

Turn Your Kitchen Renovation Into a DIY Project

January 31st, 2010 by pongsak

You only want what is best for your home, and the most important area in the house is probably your kitchen. This is the case for most homeowners. It is the favorite, most used area where families and friends gather to socialize and eat. Of course, since you only want what is best in your house, you want to fill it with the most comfortable, best looking interior. If the budget allows, you would also prefer state of the art appliances available to you.

But, if you are looking to remodel your kitchen on a tight budget, there are so many ways in which you might upgrade the look and convenience of it. Many home stores exist that provide corporate help to you if you are thinking about how best to change the look of your kitchen for less.

DIY: On Your Own

One of the greatest ways to save cash when you are thinking of how to remodel your kitchen is to do it all by yourself with the help of dutiful family members and willing friends who you know would be willing to help you through the process. Doing the entire job, even the unpleasant tasks, will not only provide you a new look in your kitchen but will also give you plenty of time to bond with those you care about.

When you think of how you can update the look of your kitchen without much money, what you should do first is take the time to write down all the improvements you have in mind for your new kitchen. Think about what you would like to see in it when a project is finished. In doing this, you can then decide what appliances would best complement the updated look of your new space. Also, you should then decide if you want to replace your old cabinetry or simply renovate your existing cabinets with a fresh coat of paint. You could freshen things up with a new color that could make the room more inviting.

Another thing to consider in kitchen renovation is that plumbing costs a lot of money to replace. If you go with a design that allows you to keep your old plumbing as it exists, you will not have to hire a professional. By cutting costs here, you will not only save money on materials and labor: you will save a lot of time, hassle and effort that comes with tearing up your home.

Finally, make full use of your neighborhood Lowe’s or Home Depot. These stores are there to help you and give you ideas as to what would be best as you are trying to figure out how to budget your time, money and materials. For some helpful information, and to get you started with a list of the materials you will need for your project, go to their websites: http://www.lowes.com and at http://www.homedepot.com.

http://diyhomedepot.thailandspace.com/ diyfashionnetwork.wordpress.com

Tags: , ,
Posted in diy home | No Comments »

Dos and Don’ts of DIY Projects for Home Renovations

January 30th, 2010 by pongsak

How often has it been that your glorious plans for a dream home makeover keep gathering dust just because you’ve got daunted by either the high costs or the amount of efforts involved? With the general cost of living spiraling out of hand, the home renovation prices have also shot up considerably, making home makeovers quite inaccessible for the most of us.

Though laden with lack of expertise and other such dampeners, yet the concept of DIY projects at home have been gaining immense popularity in the recent years. So much so that today, you will be able to find a number of specialty DIY centers that supply materials, tools and gadgets to the DIY enthusiasts willing to take on the task themselves. Whether you are installing corner curtains, or building a new countertop, get lots of advice!

The Checklist

Before you embark on a DIY journey yourself, it is always advisable that you first do the spadework so that you are well prepared and know what to expect in the DIY tasks. To begin with, earmark the areas you plan to work upon. For instance, if you wish to take up the renovation of your living area, then you need to look for fixtures and tools accordingly and so on.

Moving on, now you need to analyze the level of complexity involved. Experts suggest that if any single task carries a risk of turning out to be more complicated than expected, it is always advisable to seek professional help beforehand. You can ideally be trained in the task to be done and in using the gadgets or tools involved. Alternatively, you can simply outsource the entire task instead of the DIY initiative to an experienced professional.

The Hazards

Lack of foresight and planning is the most critical hazard involved in taking up the DIY projects for home renovations. There have been cases where enthusiastic individuals have literally opened up a Pandora’s Box by starting on renovation projects, which later become too messy to be handled by the homeowners themselves.

In such cases, you carry the major risk of incurring heavy losses in the terms of money, time as well as efforts. The professionals you hire after such blunders are likely to charge you all the more for first correcting the mess you have created. Hence, if you change your mind in-between the DIY projects or fail to estimate the implications beforehand, you might end up defeating the original purpose of saving on the costs and incurring double the expenses instead.

http://diyhomedepot.thailandspace.com/

Tags: , ,
Posted in diy home | No Comments »

DIY Bathroom Plumbing – Sewer and Septic Odor

January 29th, 2010 by pongsak

One common problem many homeowners run into is a sewer or septic odor in their bathroom. It may not be strong, it may not be constant, and it may only occur occasionally but it can be annoying and/or embarrassing when it does happen. Often the first inclination of the homeowner is to attempt to use a cleaner or deodorizing agent to stop the odor. While this may mask the problem, it usually will not address it. One important note for homeowners with septic systems – be careful of what chemicals you put down your drains – bleach and other cleaners can harm the normal operation of your septic system – check with a professional first.

Every drain in your home plumbing system should have a trap installed as part of the line. This is simply a curved section of pipe that “traps” water in it. If you look under your sink you should see an example of a trap. This will usually be a straight portion of pipe from the sink connected to a curved section that dips down and then back up before connecting to another horizontal section where the water exits. If you were to look inside your wall you would see a “T” section where the pipe goes down to your septic/sewer and up to an external vent.

The purpose of the trap is not to capture jewelry or other object dropped down the drain as many think but to hold water to prevent sewer/septic gas (and odor) from entering your bathroom. Every time you use the sink, shower, or tub some water collects in the trap blocking the gases and odor. If a component of your bathroom is not used frequently (i.e, the bath in a guest bathroom) then the water can evaporate and allow some gases to escape back into the bathroom. The good news is that this is very simple to prevent and/or fix. The solution: pour water down the drain. If you keep the trap full of water by running the water periodically you should not have any problems with odor. If this was the cause of your problem then the odor should dissipate in a short period of time once there is water in the trap.

Another possible cause for odor is the build up of slime, mold, hair, etc in the tailpiece (the portion of pipe that comes out the bottom of your sink) or overflow of your sink. The popup stopper in many bathroom sinks and tubs can also build up this “gunk”. Use a small flashlight to check and see if you do have any buildup. If you do, clean the buildup out (remember to use a cleaner that is safe for your sewer or septic system) and see if that addresses your odor problem.

If the odor persists, it could indicate a more serious problem and you may want to consult a professional – they will have the tools to correctly diagnose and fix your problem.

home-security-tutorials.blogspot.com

Tags: , ,
Posted in diy home | No Comments »

DIY Solar Panels – Can Be Built For Less Than $200

January 28th, 2010 by pongsak

Except for saving money on your electric bills, there are also some other reasons to use solar panels. With the solar panels, you don’t have to be restricted to use some appliances. It’s also beneficial to the environment. Instead of getting electricity by burning fossil fuels, we should try to use renewable energy because solar power or wind power is renewable and available in any where.

Solar panels can be purchased in many places but the price is extremely high because they are made up of high quality materials. There is no need to buy a very expensive solar panel because you can make a cheaper solar panel by yourself and it will work as same as a ready-made one.

The materials you may need are electric stove or hotplate, sheet metals, electric drill, sand page, salt and solar cells. Making a solar panel can be very easy since there a re many guides available on the internet and they won’t cost you too much, around $40. Therefore you don’t need to worry about this. Even you don’t have any experience, you still are able to make one.

Solar cells are the main parts of a solar panel. The steps to build it are simple. Some of the steps are using sheet metal shears to cut copper and connect the solar cells together. After you finish making your own solar panel, put it on the roof or in your backyard, then you can start to get free electricity with the solar panel.

The estimated expense to build solar panel can be less than $200.

diyfashionnetwork.wordpress.com

Tags:
Posted in diy home | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »