The Future of Countertop Surfaces

Richlite counter top products are making their way into middle Tennessee.  Richlite is a company that produces durable, green and natu ralcounter top products.  Their secret lies in an environmentally sound manufacture philosophy.

Richlite counter tops are a green-classified, beautiful and earth friendly alternative to cold hard stone and impersonal solid plastic surfaces.  Richlite counter tops add utility, life and warmth to any workspace or counter top area.  Whether office, workbench, bathroom or kitchen, Richlite has the color, size and style to fit any need.  Richlite owes a lot of its versatility to its revolutionary building material, FSC-certified and other recycled paper fibers.

Richlite began using resin treated, pressure-baked paper fiber in the 1940s to supply Boeing with materials.  Later in the 1950s, before manufacturing counter tops, Richlite also began producing their unique material for the marine industry, building boats.  Over the decades several industries have realized the virtues of Richlite paper fiber based surfaces.  Today Richlite also produces the material that builds professional skate board ramps, commercial food service work surfaces, and counter top surfaces for a wide variety of residential applications.  This revolutionary material has proved itself time and time again for over half a century.  Today, homeowners everywhere can take advantage of the strength, style, and quality of Richlite counter top products.

Richlite counter tops are great for kitchens because they are extremely durable, not to mention heat and stain resistant.  Richlite counter tops are excellent for bathrooms and workspaces because they have a sanitary quality and require very low maintenance.  They bring a soft, comfortable tone to any room, in a way that a stone or laminate surface can not.

Richlite counter top surfaces can be catered to a broad range of design tastes.  Richlite counter tops are made primarily of post consumer paper fibers that are treated with a phenolic resin.  The fibers are formed into layers that are cross linked to the layers above and below them.  Then the resin “paper cake” is cured and baked into a solid, permanent single piece of rock hard Richlite.  The process of treating and baking long, cross linked paper fibers creates counter top sheets that are as elegant and attractive as wood, but hard as stone.  Because of Richlite’s unique manufacture process, these counter top sheets can be customized for extended cantilevers and long spans, eliminating seams in your counter top.

Richlite counter top products are now available in middle Tennessee, through professional contractors like Nashville’s <a target=”_new” href=”http://www.buildingcompanynumber7.com/Kitchen-Remodeling/“>Building Company Number 7</a>.  Call you local contractor and ask about the details and benefits of Richlite counter top products.

Year-Round Home Maintenance Guide

Home maintenance  is a necessary and year round process for prolonging the life of your home.  Regular
home maintenance  keeps a home clean, valuable and comfortable.  Home maintenance covers a wide array of concerns from pest control, to weatherstripping, to gutter cleaning and beyond.  Concientious preventative maintenance is more cost effective than repairing a problem that gets out of hand.  This brief guide breaks up
home maintenance into two general categories, interior and exterior.  You will find that many of these tasks you can take care of yourself.  For others, it is a good idea to call a local handyman.  A professional handyman will have the tools, time and experience to help you maximize the life of your home.  A good handyman can perform routine inspections in the spring and fall, while taking care of minor repairs year round.

Exterior
Roofs, gutters, and downspouts.  Roofing needs to be inspected while the weather is nice.  Look for damaged or missing shingles, bubbles, blisters or areas where the gravel has eroded.  Tree branches that touch the roof need to be pruned back.  Gutters need to be cleaned and checked for leaks and blockage.  Look for spots that need re-securing due to rust or other erosion.  Check the seams of downspouts for any splits.  A downspout with a split is usually blocked with debris.  Inspect eaves, soffits and fascia, for peeling paint, rot or vermin damage.

Walls, foundation walls, and siding.  Check all walls for signs of the house settling.  Inspect stone walls and foundation walls for any brick and mortar deterioration.  With wooden walls, look for rot, damaged boards and areas of contact between wood and soil, which will accelerate deterioration.  For stucco, look for cracks and separating.  If any surfaces are painted, and the paint is blistering or bubbling, it can mean that moisture is seeping out of or into the house.  Examine the siding of the home for any loose or missing parts.  Trim back trees, vines, and other plant life.  Vines especially will work their way into the smallest gaps in siding and spread them open.

Doors, windows, porches and decks.  Replace any damaged window panes.  Check frames and window sills for deteriorated paint.  Repaint as needed.  Make sure the caulk and weatherstripping are intact and functional.  Clean out window wells.  All wooden parts of porches and decks need periodic inspection.  Make sure railings and steps are secure.  Look for rot or evidence of insect infestation.  Re-stain the wood as needed.

Outdoor wiring.  Make sure exterior outlets have proper covers and ground fault circuit interrupters.  Wires leading away from the house or out to buildings like the garage need to be inspected for any loose wiring or frays.

Interior

Walls, ceilings and doors.  Look in dead air corners and nooks for evidence of mildew or condensation.  Inspect for cracks or signs of water damage on interior finish.  This can be evidence of high humidity in the house, which leads to rot.  Look for bulges in ceilings and walls.  Examine door frames, looking for any that are out of square.  A door frame that becomes out of square within six months is considered fast movement in structural terms, and may indicate a larger structural problem.  Make careful notation of movement or changes to be able to compare it in the future.

Main electrical panel and indoor wiring.  This maintenance should be done by a qualified electrician at least once per year, for the safety of the home and the homeowner.  Check the main electrical panel for any signs of moisture penetration.  Test all breakers to make sure none have stuck.  Label the circuits.  Look for burnt wires.  Tighten fuses and aluminum wire connections.  Test the ground fault circuit interruptors.  For indoor wiring, replace any frayed or damaged wiring, including appliance cords and extension cords.  Tighten loose switches and electrical outlets.

Water heaters and plumbing.  Use the test lever on the water heater’s pressure relief valve to make sure that the valve is not stuck.  Depending on the region, sludge may gather at the bottom of the hot water tank.  Drain a small amount of water from the tank to make sure there is no sludge.  If there is, regular draining will be in order.  Grab a bucket if the hot water heater does not discharge near a drain.

HVAC systems.  This includes all heating and air conditioning in the home.  Check all filters monthly.  Clean or replace filters as needed.  Listen for noisy blowers and note them to a technician.  Lubricate circulation pumps and drain expansion tanks.  Whether an oil, gas, or electric system, have a technician inspect furnaces and boilers to make sure they are working properly and all connections are snug.  Examine exhaust pipes for corrosion or loose sections.  For cooling systems, recharge as necessary.  Check the condensate drain line for leaks during the cooling season.  Check the outdoor unit, to make sure it is level and running properly.  Listen for any fan noise that may indicate a failed bearing or poor alignment.  Inspect refrigerant lines for any problematic insulation.  Clean up debris and trim plants away from the outdoor unit.

Attics.  Inspect the attic once or twice a year.  Look for water stains, rot, mildew, or fungus.  These are clues the attic has high humidity.  Make sure insulation is dry and that attic vents are unobstructed.  Look for any bird nests or evidence of pests in the attic.  If so, call an exterminator.

This guide is meant to get a home owner started thinking proactively about preventative home maintenance.  Preventing problems is a lot cheaper fixing them.  Recruit a handyman and develop a yearly or twice-yearly maintenance inspection schedule.  The extended life and comfort of your home will be well worth the trouble of periodic home maintenance.

A Primer on Interior Painting

Most people are familiar with the old adage “a fresh coat of paint.” Painting anything imbues it with new life and vitality, from a car to a living room. Interior paint jobs are an indispensable and, let’s face it, messy part of home ownership. Painting must be approached with meticulous care and extensive preparation. If a paint job is not properly prepared and executed, the simplest error will become obvious and permanent, catching your eye for years to come. The best way to avoid such mistakes is to plan thoroughly and take your time with a paint job. This brief informational guide illustrates some of the basics of an interior paint job, from the shopping list to the clean up.

Flip through some catalogs and home improvement websites to choose a paint color that’s right for the room. Visit a hardware or paint store for some color samples and paint chips. Take the samples back home and compare them to your old color and your furniture. Choosing colors is a fun way to begin a painting project.

Once you’ve chosen a color, that means you are ready to begin shopping for your project. The painting trade is a highly developed industry, so you will discover that there is more painting equipment out there than a typical DIY buff ever needs to know about. To simplify things, use this basic shopping list to help you make your own.

Painting project shopping list
*Brushes and rollers
*Roller covers
*Paint trays and tray liners
*Drop cloths
*Clean up rags
*Painters tape
*Sandpaper
*Paint pail for brush work
*Paint removers
*Razors
*Paint can openers
*Ladders
*Furniture moving pads
*and of course paint

How much paint will you need?
Measure the square footage of the surfaces you will be painting. That means grab a tape measure and add the width plus the height of all the walls that will get a coat of paint. When buying the paint, read the labels or ask a professional how much square footage a particular gallon of a particular type of paint will cover.

What type of paint will you need?
The type of paint depends on the room. If you’re working on an interior paint job, the paint will need to give good coverage coupled with stain resistance. The paint should also be able to withstand occasional scrubbing so you can keep it clean for a long time. The two basic families of paint are latex paint and oil based paint. Most modern day oil based paints are actually made with synthetic resins called alkyds, that are less toxic than traditional oil base. Latex paints have excellent gloss retention and give the longest lasting finish. Latex paints are also quick to dry and very durable. Oil or Alkyd based paints are known for good adhesion and stain resistance. Oil or Alkyd based paints are great for trim in high traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms.

Flat, Satin, Semi-Gloss, or Gloss?
Both latex and oil paints come in a variety of finishes. Flat finish paint softens a room, smoothing the look of walls. Flat finish is not hard to clean with a damp sponge and is great for adult rooms like dining rooms, living rooms, and bedrooms. Satin finish has the benefits of a flat finish but because it has a slight gloss, it is even easier to clean. Satin finish is good for high traffic spots, like children’s bedrooms, family rooms, and hallways. Semi-gloss paint is best for areas that will be cleaned often, like kitchens and bathrooms. Gloss paint has a rich finish and is very durable. It is an ideal finish for trim and doors.

Be prepared!
Painting preparation is probably the most important part of a painting project. Remove all wall art, area rugs and furniture from the room to be painted. Then clean the room. You don’t want dust bunnies interfering with your fresh beautiful new paint. You must lay out drop cloths to cover the entire floor. You must scrape chipped and loose paint. You must clean the walls to be painted with a mildly abrasive cleaner like TSP to remove the dirt and prepare the surface to stick to a new coat of paint. Using painter’s tape, tape all edges and glass that you want to protect. If you are using a different color or gloss for the trim than you are for the walls, make sure to tape off all the trim before you begin. Make sure the room is ventilated. Open windows and doors. Have all of your tools, including painting clothes in the room to be painted. Once you finish preparation and begin acutally painting the walls, you want to avoid having to leave the room for something you forgot about.

This brief DIY guide to painting can not cover all of the details of the job. There are many types of brushes and rollers that were not discussed. Painting techniques include what order to paint in, from ceiling to floor, and how to use brushes and rollers to avoid spatter and runny application. This guide should serve as a starting point. As your painting project develops, seek out the help of painting and home improvement professionals for best results. Good luck!

Matthew Millsap is a home improvement expert. He believes in consumer education. If you need more information on general home improvement or painting in particular, please visit Building Company No. 7

Screened Porches and Decks Make Prime Outdoor Living Space

On a balmy spring day or a hot summer weekend, one of the greatest joys of home ownership is relaxing on your deck. A back deck or a screened porch creates the perfect refuge from hot weather, by creating shade and keeping out insects.
Some decks and screened porches develop in phases. Often your home already has the outdoor space, but it needs fine tuning, perhaps an expansion of the space, or some more windows. Enclosing a porch in screening creates a barrier against animals, insects, and detritus like leaves and twigs. Screening in a porch gives you a shaded sitting area to sip lemonade and while away a hot afternoon.

Often the porch is not quite big enough to do a sitting area justice. A deck is the answer for a home where the porch is too small. Incorporating the outdoors into the livable space of your home is a wise and satisfying home improvement that benefits everyone, from your family to future buyers. Not only will a deck make your home dramatically more valuable, it will bring a smile to your face every time you step onto it and see the dappled sunlight playing across the floor of your outdoor living space.

Building a deck is a more involved and exciting project than screening a porch. You get to choose what sort of shade structures and traffic flow you would like on your deck. On the hottest of days you can still enjoy a refreshing light breeze. You can even create a custom cookout nook. Kick back on your deck during a long, bright summer day reading a book by natural light.

Beyond the beauty a deck or screened porch adds to your home, consider the value. A recent survey by Remodeling Magazine found, in 2007, that a wooden deck is the most cost effective home improvement you can perform on a mid range home. Installing a moderately sized, pressure treated deck can raise the value of a home so much that the deck may be over 80% paid for by the time it is completed. Screened porch or full size deck, an enclosed outdoor living space immediately adds several thousand dollars to the value of a home. That home could be yours.

Many people love the idea of a deck but feel that screens compromise the open-air feeling of a deck or porch. Though this can be true, there are many innovations in screening that will remedy the problem. Let’s say your deck is surrounded by a garden, for example. You want to enjoy, without barriers, the beauty of the plant life on your property, but during the hot times of the day, the bugs start buzzing around and invade the deck. There are several types of removable screens, even convenient Velcro-mounted screens that can be quickly put up or taken down according to daily needs. Using methods like removable screening you can convert your screened deck into an open-air pavilion and back again all in the same day.

A deck sounds great! Where do I start?

The best time to start is before spring and summer actually arrive, so your deck will be ready when you are. Of course, any well-executed home improvement project begins with research. Before buying any materials or calling in any professionals for an estimate, you must call your local city government. Check with zoning and building officials in your city to make sure you can get approval to build the deck you envision. Most zoning codes will allow you to install a patio near your property lines, but not an open air structure with a roof.

After checking in with the city, find a professional remodeling contractor. If you’ve never built a deck or screened porch before, you may find it challenging to draw up plans, and prepare a shopping list for materials. Call around town and speak with several contractors. Find someone you can communicate with, who is willing to answer your questions and help guide your design. An experienced builder will be versed in the conventions of decks and screens. This way you will get the best materials, maintenance, and product for your time and money. Even if you still would like to build the deck yourself, get a couple of free estimates to give yourself a ball park sense of the scope of your project. Good luck!

Greening Your Home With Replacement Windows

Replacement windows are an excellent green remodeling option for any home. Old, inefficient windows create a significant energy drain on your home, significantly increasing the cost of utilities. Drafty windows with poor seams and seals bleed energy out of a warm home on winter nights. In hot climes, bad windows make it harder to keep your house cool.

Beyond the economic and environmental sense, replacement windows can give a home a renewed aesthetic appeal. Replacement windows can brighten up and dramatically increase the sense of space in your home. Though it is not a simple job, many experienced DIY buffs have changed their own windows, especially if the existing window frames are intact. It may take a few days of dirty work, but the improvement to your home and utility bills is well worth it.

If you don’t have the tools or the time to take on a window replacement project yourself, there are many talented and qualified green remodeling professionals who can expertly dispose of your old windows, re-frame if needed, and install functional, beautiful and energy efficient replacement windows.

ARRA tax breaks are still in effect
Additionally, the federal energy efficiency tax credit has been extended. This makes 2010 a great year to move on your replacement windows project. The government is rewarding Americans all across the country for simply installing energy saving residential windows. On top of the tax break, your heating and cooling bills will be reduced by up to 25%, and you will have the pleasure of beautiful new windows that slide, swing, or latch snugly and securely. Replacement windows can also increase the value of a home. Many home-buyers are willing to pay thousands more for a home with energy efficient cosmetic improvements.

How to approach replacement windows
If you plan your green remodeling project correctly, installing replacement windows can pay for itself in a relatively short period of time. Before you get started, do some homework about the types of windows available. After that, look up a short list of local contractors, preferably professionals who have green remodeling experience. To begin your replacement windows primer, here are some basic facts about replacement windows, including their materials, styles, and levels of quality.

These days, typical windows consist of two or three panes of glass with air inbetween that acts as insulation. Higher grade windows are manufactured with an inert gas like argon between the panes, which insulates better than plain air. Advances in technology have produced several other insulation methods, including “low-E” special coating, which uses microscopic particles of metal to slow heat loss in cold months and prevent heat gain in warm months. When shopping for windows look for a label from the National Fenestration Rating Council. The NFRC is a reliable guide to energy efficiency windows, doors, and skylights.

Window glass is mounted in a variety of sashes. The main materials for window sashes are vinyl, metal, and wood. Wood is the most energy efficient of the three materials. The highest quality wood windows are clad with metal or vinyl on the outside of the window, utilizing a combination of materials and reducing the maintenance requirements of the new windows.

Window styles
Windows come in a large variety of styles. Single-hung and double-hung windows are the most common. These are the popular windows that slide up and down to open. A single-hung window only opens from the bottom up. A double hung window will open from the bottom up, or from the top down. Beyond these common styles, there are many more artful and versatile window styles that are suited to different uses. Awning windows are great for ventilation while keeping out the elements. Hopper windows are very useful for creating ventilation and a sense of space above a doorway in a room with a high ceiling. Bay windows can help create a breathtaking view while bathing a room in natural light.

Replacement windows are a refreshing and potentially elegant way to green your home. Whether you do it yourself or hire a green remodeling professional, replacement windows are one of the most significant improvements you can make to your home, both in the senses of energy efficiency and aesthetic appeal. The money saved on utilities, recouped in the increased value of the home, and combined with the ARRA tax credit, makes replacement windows one of the smartest and most cost effective home improvement projects on the market.

Green Remodeling Benefits and Incentives

Many have heard the phrase “green remodeling” floating around the home improvement industry and are not sure exactly what it means. While it is true that “green remodeling” has to do with making your home more energy efficient, the idea covers more ground than that.
A green remodel is like a philosophy you can apply to your home. From weatherization to waste disposal to choosing recycled and reclaimed building materials, green remodeling can be practiced on several facets of your home. It does not just mean making your home energy efficient, it also means making your home, and consequently your daily life, more environmentally responsible.

The United States Department of Energy reported that buildings use up 40 percent of all the energy consumed in America. According to the Department of Energy, a large-scale greening of homes can save more money, and reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions more than hybrid cars do.

Greening your home takes many forms, from installing new windows to purchasing Energy Star appliances. If you want to green your home, search out a green remodeling professional. What does that mean? Well, a green remodeling professional is one who takes sustainability into account at every stage of your remodel. A green pro is skilled at responsibly maximizing resources, both your own and mother nature’s.

A green professional knows that green remodeling is also a way of thinking, not simply a way of buying. For example, if you are thinking of replacing your kitchen cabinets, your professional may suggest carefully removing your old cabinets and donating them to Habitat for Humanity for reclamation, rather than simply adding them to the waste stream.

The professionals meet a lot of clients that are skeptical about the quality and value of greening a home. The truth is that most green homes do not look different from conventional homes. Most green remodeling elements, like improved air quality or increased energy efficiency, are part of the inner structure of a home. Furthermore, most recycled products, like floors and counter tops, look the same as their non-recycled equivalent.

These days, green is getting a lot more publicity than usual, and that is a good thing. There are many benefits to green remodeling, from the pride you can take in your beautiful new, environmentally responsible home to the direct savings in energy costs you will notice after your remodel is complete.

Since money talks, here are three tangible economic reasons why now is a better time than ever to invest in green remodeling your home.

1. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, also referred to as the Stimulus bill, offers significant tax credits to homeowners that perform a green remodel. If you want to install, for example, a solar water heater or a new energy efficient HVAC, the stimulus bill qualifies you for a tax credit. This tax credit was approved in 2009 and has been extended all the way to the end of 2010. If you get some green remodeling done this year, the government will pay you to do it.

2. If you are thinking of selling your home, a green remodel will pump up the value of your home. Because of the potential long-term energy savings of a green home, homebuyers are willing to pay a lot more for homes that already have these improvements.

3. For those of you who just bought a home or are planning to live in your home for a long time, a green remodel is just as valuable, if not more so. It will improve the energy efficiency of your home. The investment you make in a green remodel will start coming back to you right away in lower monthly energy bills. Over the years, these savings will pay for your remodel, then start paying you.

Look into green remodeling. Find an informed green remodeling professional. Ask them questions and gather knowledge about energy and water conservation, renewable and recycled materials, and the potential for drastically improving the living quality in your home. All of these benefits, coupled with the economic breaks outlined above, make this the best time yet to green your home.

Need A Trim Carpenter But Not Sure What To Look For?

When remodeling your home, the little things can make all the difference between a professional finish and a sloppy job. Imagine installing a beautiful new kitchen countertop only to have shoddy craftsmanship on your trim work.

Trim carpentry, also called finish carpentry, is the art of minor yet intricate woodworking that makes a house into a home. Trim carpentry adds appeal and character to any home. Trim carpentry creates a sense of completion and proportion.

From baseboards to window and door casings, trim carpentry is everywhere in a home. Crown molding in your living room to give it an elegant accent is typical trim carpentry. A new hand railing along your staircase is an excellent example of advanced trim work. Finish carpenters even build and repair roofs. Nearly any home improvement project you begin can not be finished without the services of a trim carpenter. A trim carpenter’s job is to make the doors, windows, and cabinets work smoothly while making the home look good.

Any woodwork that a homeowner can see in a home is the handiwork of a trim carpenter. The framing of the house was done by other carpenters, and all of that stuff is behind drywall anyway. Veteran trim carpenters will tell you that trim work is essentially a visual exercise. The carpenter must be able to clearly visualize the finished project and move incrementally toward that goal. Interior doors must hang parallel to the floor. The casing around doors must appear level and flush, even if it is not. Tiny gaps at the edges of wood flooring are made invisible. Baseboards and crown molding are used to cover imperfections in drywall as well as add an elegant accent to a room.

Some basic pieces of trim carpentry advice are commonplace. For example, when nailing hardwoods, avoid nailing knots in the wood, as this can lead to splitting. Also, never nail to close to the edge of a piece of wood, as this will cause splitting also. A good trim carpenter also matches their trim woods. Even the same species of wood can have a large range of colors and variations in wood grains. Matching the color and grain of your trim wood will give you a superior finished product. For perfect measurements with small pieces of wood, set the wood in place and mark the wood itself. This is more exact than using a tape measure.

In the end, unless you have professional experience, trim carpentry is not a do-it-yourself job. Most trim carpenters have graduated up to trim carpentry from more basic work, like frame carpentry. It takes an aesthetic sense coupled with honed skill. There are many jobs you can do on your own to improve your home. The bulk of home remodeling can be done by a dedicated amateur. But when the time comes to finish your project, do some homework and find yourself a skilled trim carpenter. You be glad you did.

How to find a good trim carpenter.

First, determine the extent of your trim carpentry job. Do you need door and window casings? Do you need more basics like molding? Or do you need more advanced trim carpentry like raised panel wainscoting, a new stairway handrail, or some built in shelving? Perhaps you would like to install hardwood flooring in a previously carpeted room. Look over your project and get a good sense of how much and what type of trim carpentry you will be needing.

Next, acquire a working knowledge of the materials you will need for your project. Price different kinds of wood for your trim carpentry. Keep in mind that woods come in less expensive paint grades and more expensive stain grades, like oak.

Then find a trim carpenter. Ask friends and business associates for some recommendations. Invite several contractors over to your home to give you an estimate. Speak with each contractor in depth. You are not just looking for the best price here. You are looking for a professional that is skilled, informative and a good communicator. Find a trim carpenter that will go over your plan with you and work out any potential misunderstandings about the scope of your project. Look at samples of the contractors work. Ask for a list of previous customers as references for the contractor. Go ahead and give these customers a call. Ask them how they like the carpentry and the carpenter. In the end, you will be glad you made an informed decision.

When you’ve chosen your contractor, draw up a contract that includes a start and finish date for the job, a complete description of the work to be done (including materials to be used), the cost of the job, and the payment schedule. If you stick to these basic guidelines you’ll be on your way to a finished remodeling job with the kind of artful trim carpentry that makes you proud of your efforts.