• How To Effectively Clean Hardwood Floors 

    image provided by Yes! Air Conditioning & Plumbing – hvac technician

    Hardwood floors are a great addition to any home. It is hard to beat the look and feel of natural wood in your home. This type of flooring tends to feel warmer than artificial wood or tiles and will generally last much longer.

    However, you do need to take care of your hardwood flooring and that starts with effectively cleaning it regularly. 

    It should be noted that it doesn’t matter what style of hardwood flooring you have, whether it’s the latest herringbone flooring or simple planks, the cleaning routine is the same.

    Vacuum Regularly

    The first thing you should be doing is vacuuming your hardwood flooring regularly. Ideally, you should do this every day but in lower-traffic areas, 2-3 times a week will suffice.

    You will need a hardwood flooring attachment for your vacuum. This is effectively a soft nozzle that won’t leave light scratches on the wood as you clean. Make sure the nozzle is clean and not worn before you use it. 

    Using the power of a vacuum you’ll be able to get into all the crevices between the wooden pieces.

    Sweep Often

    Alongside vacuuming, you can sweep the hardwood floor. This can be done to deal with specific spills or instead of vacuuming some days. You will need to use a soft-headed brush as you don’t want to scratch the floor.

    An angles broom will also help you to sweep the floor faster, reducing the amount of time spent looking after your hardwood floor.

    The Cleaner

    Your next step is to invest in a quality hardwood cleaner. You can get this in spray form, allowing you to lightly spray the floor and then wipe it clean. It’s best to use a clean cloth that attracts the dirt and dust when doing this. 

    Spray cleaner is an effective approach to dealing with spills and other localized issues.

    If you wish to clean the entire hardwood floor you’re better off adding a little of the cleaner to a bucket of warm water and using a mop. It should be noted that hardwood flooring doesn’t like getting wet. 

    In other words, wring the mop out so that it is only damp when it comes into contact with the floor. Work your way methodically across the room to ensure every part of the floor has been lightly mopped.

    Sealing the Floor

    The best approach is to purchase a hardwood floor polish. This can then be applied to the floor in accordance with the instructions on the container. 

    For most, this means rubbing a little into the floor with one cloth and polishing it with another. You will need to work your way across the entire room but the good news is that this only needs doing a couple of times a year.

    The polish adds shine to the floor, it fills light scratches and helps to protect the floor against dirt and spills. With a little love and care your hardwood flooring will last for years!

    partnered post • cc-licensed image by Boa-Franc

  • Bathroom Remodeling Ideas to Increase Your Property Value

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    So, you’ve decided to approach remodeling as a way to increase the property value of your home. That’s the first step, and an excellent choice for any homeowner who wants to see a little return on their investment. The next step in that process is choosing which parts of your home to remodel and finding ideas that fit your budget, timeline, and aesthetic.

    If you do a quick search to look for ideas, you’ll find thousands of options, ranging from modest costs to millionaire budgets. You’ll probably want to narrow those options down a little, and the best way to that is to figure out where you’d like to start. Research shows that bathroom remodels are a surefire way to increase the value of your property.

    Below, we’ll talk about five great ideas for remodeling your bathroom, while shooting up your property value at the same time.

    #1 Did Someone Say Walk-in Showers?

    An updated or renovated shower can change the look of your bathroom entirely. Sure, you can always go with a fancy jet tub or the classic clawfoot tub for that vintage look, but if you’re looking for a direction, there’s nothing that can tick up the curb appeal of your bathroom as much as an updated walk-in shower. From waterfall showerheads and multi-directional water streams to heated floors and glass doors, a new walk-in shower can become a statement piece in your newly remodeled bathroom. 

    The materials you use are crucial, like polished chrome fixtures and durable glass, but the shower walls may be the most essential choice you’ll have to make. A dingy tile wall can make even the most enthusiastic buyer turn away. 

    If you go with a solid surface corner shower, on the other hand, you can cost-effectively transform your bathroom. These showers are made with materials generally associated with kitchen countertops. However, you can use this material on shower walls with great results. They’re nonporous, can be cleaned and refinished with ease, and look fantastic.

    #2 A Bathroom Counter that Shines

    Speaking of counters, your bathroom counter is another part of the bathroom that can affect your property value. Just like with shower walls, the materials you use are probably the most important decision you’ll have to make when considering this particular remodel. 

    Solid-surface countertops, which are designed to look like stone, have a high-end, beautiful look while remaining nonporous and easy to clean. A porcelain tiled counter is both cheaper and can be more durable than granite alternatives. Or you can go with quartz bathroom counters, which are designed to look like limestone or marble but are more durable. They’re also nonporous so they won’t absorb moisture and they’re easier to clean.  

    #3 Pull Up Those Old Tiles

    Some bathrooms have floors that are three decades old, stained and chipped, and that kind of damage or degradation can negatively affect your property value. There are plenty of options for remodeling your floors that can be both cost-effective and look great.

    Stained concrete floors, for instance, are an ideal option. A lot of the time, you can pull up those old tiles, and there will be a perfect concrete floor sitting right underneath it. A little polish and staining and your bathroom floors will look luxurious and expensive. Of course, concrete can be a little cold when stepping out of the shower, but that’s nothing a small bathroom rug can’t fix.

    #4 A Fresh Coat of Paint

    This may go without saying, but a fresh coat of paint can do wonders for any bathroom. It isn’t a complicated process, either, though it can be tricky. Choosing the right color scheme, the appropriate tools, and the best quality paints are paramount. When in doubt, go with neutrals. 

    Plus, the best thing about this option is that it’s very cost-effective, and you can do it yourself. 

    #5 When in Doubt, Go Green

    Energy efficiency and water conservation are so crucial in our society, and if you remodel your bathroom with that in mind, it can skyrocket the value of your home. Water-efficient toilets, showers, and sinks are perfect options for updating your bathroom and increasing the value of your property. These options not only decrease the amount of water you’re using; it can also lower your water bill. Any prospective buyer is going to see this as a great benefit and added value.  

    Remodeling is the Key to Increasing Property Value

    The options don’t stop there. There are so many ways to increase the value of your property by remodeling, and it is one of the best ways to guarantee a return on your investment. Your bathroom is the perfect place to start because it’s an integral part of your home.

    You can’t just wait for the housing market to swing your way. Relying on the ebb’s and flows of the market can be a waiting game nightmare. Instead of letting time determine the value of your home, fix it up. Change it. Spend a little on remodeling and renovation, and you’ll thank yourself later. And above all, make sure who you hire – whether it’s contractors in Olympia WA or elsewhere – has great recommendations & experience.

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  • Tips on How to Light Up Your Living Room

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    From time to time, we allow a company or craftsperson we know and trust to place a sponsored post here at Hewn and Hammered. This particular piece is from Bunning's Warehouse, a dependable supplier of lighting for a wide variety of residential projects.

    Lighting is a very important element when it comes to creating the atmosphere of a room. Here are some tips to assist you light up your living room.

    Planning and preparation is a big ingredient when it comes to a successful project. Some people decorate a room and only late in the piece, do they think of lighting, but if you can have it in the equation at the beginning, it will assist you greatly. Not just in terms of fixtures, but in terms of having an electrician set up the wiring to accommodate your needs.

    Your lighting needs are going to be contingent on how you use the room. This will be determined by things such as the amount of people in your family, their age and the way you entertain. As the living room is a room that requires versatility so too, the lighting in the room will need to be able to fulfill a variety of functions. So bear this in mind.

    As opposed to pendant lighting which a lot of people have traditionally gone for, wall lighting will make the room rich in light. This is great in terms of making the room very friendly and warm as well as creating an atmosphere which is conducive to entertaining.

    If there are things in the room such as a piece of art that you would like to draw attention to, don’t be afraid to highlight it or them with a spot light. Strategically placed spot lights can create a very powerful affect.

    As can lamp shades, which apart from providing light can help contribute to the aesthetic of the room. High quality lamp shades can be very expensive so pick one that is within your budget. The same applies to chandeliers which will add depth to the room. Certain pieces can become the centre piece of the whole room and depending on the atmosphere you want to create, this could be one way to go.

    If there are times when you don’t want all of the light on, you may rely on some smaller more subtle plug-in or task lights. A table lamp work wells for this scenario and be very effective. Something that people fail to remember is to avoid placing a lighting fixture next to a wall. If you don’t, you will find that much of the light will be wasted.

    Feel free to utilize as many different types as you need. Blend task and ambient light as well as lamps to form the combination you are looking for in order to create that right feel for the room.

    Remember that installing a dimmer provides you with instant flexibility and is great if you would like some mood lighting.

    While you may be blending different types of lighting, you need to be sure that the theme you are working on creating is consistent. All of the fixtures need to be in-sync with each other. If you are doing it yourself and without a decorator, make sure you keep this in mind.

    Another great way to add some color to an otherwise bland room – or, alternately, to complement a very colorful theme that you already have – is to use custom-sized perspex sheets from Simply Plastics. Often overlooked, these sturdy and archival plastics – which are really more like glass in that they don't fog, bow or deform over time – can be used as window inserts or in a wide range of other places to add a splash of bright color. They come in a wide range of colors, transparency/opacity levels, and can even be pre-cut to almost any size you can imagine.

    You shouldn’t be afraid to experiment and change things up. Trial-and-error is a sound way to find the successful living room lighting combination you are looking for.

    sposored post • image by acrylic online