CarbonFeet

Every year millions of people all over the world take on a kitchen remodel. Sometimes this renovation is partial, but usually it is a total refit. When you are thinking about remodelling your kitchen, there are two main things that you should keep in mind. The first is functionality, after all you have to be able to cook there and the second is lighting.

Lighting is important for various reasons, but it does depend on what you use your kitchen for. You will need good lighting for cooking at all times of the day; you might need softer lighting for eating and you may like soft down lighting just so that you can find a biscuit at night. This can be achieved with a dimmer, but that would be to miss out on an opportunity of creating a fantastic lighting system.

One of the problems is that there is so much choice when it comes to choosing light fixtures and fittings, light bulbs and accessories. You probably already have an idea of what you want having seen kitchens in your friends’ houses and in adverts. However, despite the fact that you may have pre-established ideas, it is worth getting hold of a couple of home improvement magazines and manufacturers’ brochures.

The best place to start is the ceiling. If you eat or talk in the kitchen, you will most likely want a suspended light above the table concerned. If you have a pretty big kitchen, you may want to have spotlights on the ceiling pointing to the main areas where you prepare food.

Down lights fixed above the work counter are very useful and quite atmospheric. They are particularly helpful above areas that you use often for snacks or drinks in the evenings – it saves switching the main light on.

If you live in a hot locale and you want a fan, you could get a ceiling fan that has built-in lighting. Normally these fans have four lights and there is a pull-cord control in order to select no lights, two lights or four lights. This is independent of the fan’s speed control.

A variation on this theme is a chandelier, but clearly you will require a pretty high ceiling to accommodate it. Wall lighting is another popular alternative. If you throw intimate dinner parties in the kitchen, wall sconces are a means of creating a romantic and nostalgic atmosphere. These sconces can hold electric lights or just candles, which are very effective at generating an atmosphere.

It is better if you incorporate planning your kitchen’s lighting into the design procedure as early as possible. It actually is that important to get it right. If you do not live alone, organize a brain-storming session with the people who share your house to see if they have other ideas about how the kitchen should be used.

Some people might want to make it a more traditional area, where people sit and talk and eat together; others may be quite happy to eat in front of the TV or in their bedrooms. All of these considerations can affect the lighting you will need in your kitchen.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on several topics, but is at present involved with researching wrought iron floor lamps. If you would like to know more or check out great offers, please go to our website at Wrought Iron Light

categories: lighting,house,design,remodelling,DIY,energy,security,hobbies,electronics,other,uncategorised,advice,garden,environment

If you have just moved into a new, old house, one of the first things that you will probably want to do is refurbish or remodel the kitchen, especially if you like cooking or spending a lot of time in the kitchen. If you use a kitchen a great deal, you will probably already have a good idea of what you would like the kitchen to look like in the end.

One of the first decisions to make is whether you are going to do it yourself or oversee it yourself. There is a lot of work in a kitchen makeover and I have seen amateurs spend years, literally years, doing what a builder could have done in weeks. This always leads to family tensions. Once that I know of, it even led to divorce. It seems that everybody wants to brag that they are having refurbishments done, but no one actually wants to go through the hassle of having it actually done.

If you are not completely sure what you want your kitchen to look like, it is a good suggestion to visit show kitchens at home improvement stores and even pick up brochures there to study at home. You could also buy a few magazines and surf the Internet for ideas.

Once you see a few examples that you like, be sure to cut out the pages and print off the image files after downloading them. This way you can build up a folder of the things that you would like to incorporate into your new kitchen..

Once you are happy that you have all the components you like, you have to collate them. This does not have to be to scale or exact, but just as good as you can do with what you have. Take a large sheet of paper, say A3, and mark in your kitchen’s windows and doors.

Then cut out the pictures of the items you want from the magazines and brochures and stick them in place. If you think that this is not feasible, draw them in and label them unmistakably so that you can refer back to your picture file.

You need not stop at one drawing, you can play about with it. If you cut the images out, but do not glue them down, you can move them around until you are contented. You may also want to get the opinions of other members of the family and have a brain storming session

When you have finished, decide how you are going to illuminate the kitchen. Do you want a pendant light over the table? Do you want spots pointing at the cooker and the sink? Do you want hidden down-lighting to shine on the work surface? How are you going to see what you are doing? It is a very important question. Wall lights are great for ambient lighting.

Lastly, you have to choose a colour scheme and you are almost ready to begin, unless you are using a contractor and then you will have to select one first, but that will make up the contents of another article.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on several topics, but is at present concerned with researching wrought iron floor lamps. If you would like to know more or check out great offers, please go to our website at Wrought Iron Light

When you want to add style to your house, one way of doing so and adding security at the same time, is by having window shutters fixed to the outside of your house. Exterior window shutters add a traditional, Mediterranean look to a building. These days, most houses have glass windows, but before that, people used shutters to adjust the light levels, stop insects and the cold from entering and for protection.

Exterior window shutters are available in many different shapes and made from various materials, although the most common ones are wooden and oblong. The quality of the materials used will determine how long your shutters will last, because, as with all exterior goods, they will be exposed to all types of extreme weather conditions.

Plastic, vinyl, metal and wooden shutters are available at many home improvement centres. Although they look fantastic, shutters also have practical uses. They can prevent glaring noon sunlight from over heating your home as well as offering security.

Cedar wood is a good choice, as are most other hard woods. Hardwoods are more resistant to rain and sunlight and, so long as they are painted, stained or oiled regularly – at least once a year – then your shutters will give you ten or more years of effective service.

Most varieties of hardwood are very resistant to attack from insects too. This is because a lot of them contain oils that are repugnant or even toxic to insects. However, if you are unsure about the quality of the timber that your shutters are made from, you can paint them.

Painting, staining or oiling is far easier if you carry it out before you hang the shutters. If you want to use oil to protect your new wooden shutters, first stain them to the colour that you want them to be with a stain without varnish. When you have accomplished the desired shade and it has dried, pour oil linseed oil onto a cloth and rub it into the wood in circular motions. The more coats you give it the better, but it may not accept more that two or three coats.

If you want to varnish your shutters, either stain them to the colour you require as above and then seal them with clear yacht varnish or use a stained yacht varnish without the stain. Whichever way you go, thin the first coat of varnish down until it is almost watery. Paint it on and leave to dry. Rub it down with medium coarse sandpaper and then coat it again with neat varnish. Wait for it to dry and sand it down again, but with fine sandpaper. Add at least one more coat, but it is a matter of the more the better.

If you want to paint them, apply a primer or some thinned down undercoat. Wait for it to dry and sand it lightly with fine sandpaper. Next, apply a coat of undercoat that is appropriate for the finishing colour. For example, grey is good for black, brown and even green or red. Sand it down when it is dry with fine paper. Lastly, gloss your shutters with the final colour.

In conclusion, hang the shutters on apposite hinges using brass screws. Next time, you paint or varnish your shutters paint over the screw heads, although brass never looks out of place anyway.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on several subjects, but is at present involved with researching wrought iron floor lamps. If you would like to know more or check out great offers, please go to our website at Wrought Iron Light

categories: lighting,house,design,remodelling,DIY,energy,security,hobbies,woodworking,other,uncategorised,advice,garden,environment