The Next Fix

With a fresh coat of paint, the ambience of the entire house can be changed but how often do many of us think of using eco-friendly paint while on a home improvement project? Keep reading to know more about using these types of paints so that you could be a contributor to efforts that are being taken to create a green planet for us and for the generations to come.

First things first! You will need to strip off the previously applied coatings of paint and remove their traces, the best you can. Using traditional solvents, this task can be achieved simply as they are very strong and therefore effective. But this very strength of them makes these solvents harmful to our environment.
A green idea in removing traces of old paint is to use solvents that are made without methylene. Most commercial strippers available in the market contain either dichloromethane or methylene chloride both of which are not so environment friendly. Therefore, when buying a solvent, ensure that the product is free of these harmful chemicals.

Next, when it comes to purchasing the paint, look out for products that say “low” or “no VOC”. VOC stands for volatile organic compounds and these are also harmful to the environment. So if you are genuinely worried about saving the environment, go for these products that will minimize the harm that humans are creating in our planet.

Or better yet, you could avoid VOC paints altogether and choose natural interior paints that are available in the market. A large assortment of paints, finishes, stains, primers, waxes and sealers made out of natural material like natural plant oils, plant dyes and plant waxes can be brought.

Or you could opt to use clay paint that is made from a mineral in the soil. This category of paint could be used for those decorating projects that have earthy themes or if you simply need to create an earthy feature to your design. Also it has been found that these paints have the ability to adhere well to surfaces and need only a few coats to finish off the painting job. However the drawbacks of using this paint are that it is relatively more expensive and is available only in a small selection of textures and colors. Also these are better used indoors as washing the wall or even an accidentally water splatter can damage the paint surface.

Another environmentally favorable option is using lime wash that is made out of lime stone. However while these paints can be used both indoors and outdoors, they will work only on porous surfaces like plaster, brick and wood.

Finally make sure that the solvents used for the cleaning up process that follows the painting session are also eco friendly solvents. You could opt to use safe ones like turpentine.  And when disposing left over paints, do not just dump them drown any drain. The disposal should be done safely as paints are chemicals and therefore must be got rid of in a safe manner.

Environmental concern can be paired up with all your home improvement ideas so that you get double credit for creating a home that is not only beautiful but also eco –friendly. Good luck with your projects!

You’re sitting in a standard office chair, staring at a white wall, illuminated by the light of your computer monitor and you’re thinking, “Is this really better than my grey office cubicle?”

You started up a home business and thought how exciting it would be to work from the comforts of your own home. Right now, it doesn’t feel all that comfortable. The drab interiors and clutter surrounding you isn’t helping with your productivity, not one bit.

Hey, all isn’t lost. Unlike your company cubicle, this is your home office, and the power is within you to make your office space a more creative and conducive working area. You need to make your space soothing, but invigorating at the same time. Organize your clutter, but have none of those metal file cabinets that remind you of your pencil-pushing days in the corporate world. You want the power of the Ninja with the peace of Zen. The solution could very well be in a piece of furniture called the tansu.

Tansu is actually the Japanese word for “chest” or “cupboard”. In our part of the world, “tansu” refers to the traditional Japanese-style chest of drawers, made of wood materials such as elm, cedar or cypress. In practice, the use of the tansu in Japanese culture was very practical, used in the home for storing items, or stowed by peddlers carrying goods. High-quality tansu with decorative hardware adorned the homes of wealthy citizens.

There are antique tansu that can be found in the market, while there are furniture makers who specialize in creating high-quality replicas. Their craftsmanship and classic Asian-style elegance make a tansu a worthwhile addition to any room in your house.

For the office, the varied storage system of a tansu make it an ideal piece for a working space. This Asian furniture raises the style factor of the office while helping with the organizational needs. The rich wood of the tansu is at once calming and rejuvenating. Natural materials always exude a better ambiance for any space, and having at least one piece in your office not only contributes to the overall design but to your mental well-being as well. If you want it bigger, there is also the step chest type or kaidan tansu.

The tansu embodies luxury and practicality at the same time. It’s old-world class but still modern with the popularity of incorporating Eastern flavors into a Western home. Don’t let boring, drab office furniture drag your business savvy down. Invest in a key Asian piece such as a tansu and inject some energy into your home office.

If you plan to add classic look to your windows there is nothing better than Roman blinds. They are made of a single piece of material that is rolled into pleats. You can adjust the amount of light entering the room by controlling these pleats, through the attached cord. Roman blinds are perfect for bedrooms, living room, study room, bathrooms, or in short, for the entire house. They are very easy to clean and maintain, making them the best option to decorate your house.

The myth is these blinds were were invented in Rome and hence the name but others believe these were invented somewhere in the Mediterranean but popularized by the Romans. Whatever be the history the Roman blinds serve as one of the best ways to decorate your room giving it a neo-classical look. Apart from adding classic look to your rooms, Roman blinds also save electricity spent on heating and cooling your home during extreme weather conditions.

Roman blinds can be made with all kinds of fabric be it finely spun silk or the more durable linen or cotton or even paper. Roman blinds made of bamboo are also becoming popular these days. Roman blinds are available in all shapes, sizes and colors. You can customize the look of your room regularly by using different sets of Roman blinds during different seasons of the year to moderate the room temperature. Roman blinds come in all fixtures and mechanisms to fit in all kinds of windows.

If you want to add your personal touch to the blinds you can always make them at home from scratch. Many self help guides are available to help you design your own blinds. Or you have various options available in the market to choose from and add class to your home.

Color schemes, styles and decorative techniques can be inspired from all sorts of things in your everyday surroundings. Jars of sweets in a confectioners shop, a day by the beach, the back garden or the countryside all provide their own sources of color and sometimes line. Another source may be a particular theme or period in architectural history that will suggest a color and style. In every case time spent leafing through books and magazines and keeping a small scrapbook of your favorites will pay dividends in terms of how much you enjoy the finished result.

Take a pile of colored pencils, pick your favorites and see which ones you like together.

Visit a shop that sells ready-made stencil patterns and see which of them excite you. Or you may love a particular picture postcard: a Greek island, for instance, that reminds you of blue-green seas and white buildings, or the coast of Brittany and its azure skies and glorious balconies of red geraniums. Play with ideas in your scrapbook and hone down the choices until you are left with your favorites. Go to a fabric shop and ask for swatches, or leaf through magazines and catalogues and cut out the things that attract you. You will gradually start to see a style emerging, and be able to choose the best decorative styles to experiment with.

Taking your favourite colors or the themes you have chosen, play with the different paint colors and effects and practise them on lining paper, pinned to the surface you intend to decorate. It takes a certain amount of confidence to choose and create your own decorative effects – the actual doing of them is more about patience and practice. Finding your starting point is the key – and enjoy filling your scrapbook!

A good foundation will make your special paint effect or papering much easier to do. Indeed, a poor foundation can destroy the whole effect -watching paper fall off inadequately prepared walls or patches of glaze go dull where the base was not covered, can be soul-destroying.

Different surfaces require different preparatory treatments, which depend to some extent on what you intend to do later. Some paint effects work on emulsion, while others need oil-bound bases. Wallpaper requires a different preparation from paint, and so does lining paper – this is often hung as a backing to wallpaper or to give a sound surface for the paint effect. Below are some of the types of surface you may encounter and details of how to prepare them for painting, papering and special paint effects.

Walls and Ceilings:

Old or painted walls should be washed down with sugar soap solution, then rinsed oil and allowed to dry. Rout out any cracks with a screwdriver or blunt chisel and dampen the edges of cracks and pits before filling them with proprietary filler. Over-fill slightly so that you can sand back after the filler has dried. Remake chipped external corners and repair internal corners using your finger or a flexible filler knife.

When sanding the dried walls, make sure they are as flat as possible – take care to flatten patches of filler. Use sandpaper on a block for this stage. Feel with your hand to check that the surface is smooth, and brush oil or vacuum up the sanding dust afterwards. Hiring a power sander is a great time-saver for large expanses of wall.

New walls, or new plaster, need four to six weeks, according to the temperature and conditions, to dry out fully. They may still lend to crack a little, so, although they can be painted in the meantime, they should not be papered. Any new plaster needs to be sealed. Because of its propensity for absorption you must apply a ‘mist coat’ of paint before emulsioning a new wall. This is a very thin coat of emulsion paint, diluted 50:50 with water. Cover the wall completely in this mist coat and let it dry. If the mist coat is not applied, the water in the emulsion paint will be absorbed rapidly into the plaster wall and the paint will soon start to peel off.

Papered walls, and the question of whether or not to strip them, depends on what you intend to do afterwards. You can paint directly on to many matt-surfaced wallpapers. In this case check that the surface is even, that the paper is stuck down anywhere it ma)’ be lilting, such as at the seams, and that any tears or missing pieces are repaired.

If the paper is vinyl, or if you intend to paper or paint directly on to the wall surface, then the wall needs to be stripped. It is claimed that some vinyl wall coverings can be stripped off in two layers, so that you can remove the top layer and leave the backing paper underneath as a lining if you wish. In practice this is rarely advisable, as you are wholly dependent on how well the paper was hung and on the even adhesion of the original paste. What can happen is that the new paper will be fine when it first goes up and sticks to the backing paper. But some time later, wherever the underneath paper comes unstuck the extra weight will bring old and new paper off together. You are usually better off taking the time to strip it.

Soak the wall with hot water containing a liberal amount of washing-up liquid and strip the wallpaper off with a rigid metal scraper. Alternatively hire a steamer for the purpose. Remove all the paper and then treat the wall as for painted surfaces, sanding it smooth and wiping away the sanding dust.

Plasterboard walls must be dry stripped, as plasterboard will not tolerate extensive wetting. Otherwise treat as above, sanding the surface smooth when you have finished.

Woodwork: This will be either new or painted. You do not generally have to strip painted wood if you intend to paint it again, but it must be thoroughly cleaned to remove any grease and then sanded to key the surface. If there is a heavy build-up of old, chipped paint which it is necessary to strip, use paint stripper and a metal scraper or else a hot air gun. In either case, follow the manufacturers instructions carefully and take all necessary precautions.

New wood must be knotted and primed before sanding. Paint the knots with knotting solution and paint the woodwork with primer first. Fill cracks in new or old woodwork with fine surface filler. Allow to dry, then sand away any nibs until the surface is completely smooth. Where knots show through woodwork that has already been painted, treat them with knotting compound before repainting – just as if it was new wood. In this case there would be no need to prime the wood. You can repaint it after sanding.