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Everything For The Home, Issue #004 -- Saving Money With DIY-Friendly Products April 18, 2009 |
Hi, Time for another issue of Everything For The Home, the newsletter that keeps you in touch with the latest information about products for your home, courtesy of www.HomeStyleChoices.com. If you're new to this newsletter, welcome! If the newsletter was forwarded to you and you'd like to receive it regularly, you can sign up here. It's free, there's no commitment required of you and you can unsubscribe at any time.
What's In This Newsletter Saving Money With DIY-Friendly Products Product Focus - Chemical Free Real Wood Decking Material What's New At HomeStyleChoices.com
Who among us doesn't want (or need) to improve their home? Even if it's just a very minor upgrade of a faucet or changing the decor of a room? But in today's economy, and perhaps with a revised mindset on saving more and spending less, letting go of those dollars doesn't come as easily as it might have a few years ago. So how do you bridge the gap between the upgrade you want and the desire to save as much as you can? Try the DIY route, also known as Do-It-Yourself. Going DIY essentially saves the money that you would normally pay someone else to do the job, including any product markups that might be tacked on too. You'll also avoid having to search for a reliable and competent contractor, a process that takes time. Lastly, there are multiple kinds of products that are available that make it easy, sometimes easier than you think, to DIY, and achieve stunning results to boot. Products That Are DIY-Friendly Laminate Flooring Today's click-together laminate technology allows you to simply measure and cut the pieces to fit your floor and click them together. You're not limited to just wood styles either. There are varieties that mimic the look of stone and tile too. Prefinished Wood Flooring Rollout Cabinet Shelves "RTA" or Ready To Assemble Cabinets Wall Panels Most of what this project entails is either attaching wood furring strips to the wall (depending on the existing wall type) or simply gluing the panels to the wall. Tile Kitchen Backsplash But you're not limited to tile. Easy to install backsplash panels that mimic the look of tile or pressed metal tin are available in kits like Fashion Wall's EZ Backsplash Kit and ACP's Fasade Backsplash. For the ultimate in an easy DIY backsplash project, install a ready-made unit like the Broan pre-made kitchen backsplash that you hang like a picture frame. The point in all of this is that there are plenty of products out there that can actually have a big impact on improving the look or style of your home that aren't difficult to achieve. Anyone that's even somewhat handy can usually accomplish many DIY projects. I've done a number of my own home upgrades but I've never been trained in any of the building trades. I'm no carpenter either. Most of my time is spent in front of a keyboard. The satisfaction you get from tackling a DIY job is twofold - the satisfaction of achieving the result by your own hands and the money you save in the process. DIY Websites That Can Help To give you a head start, take a look at these DIY websites. You might find a project that calls to your inner handyperson. DIY Network DoItYourself.com TheNaturalHandyman.com Easy2DIY.com As one final resource, don't overlook the "old-fashioned" DIY books that you can find at your local hardware and home center stores and even the public library. I like the Black & Decker series of books which cover virtually any type of remodeling and home improvement subject. They offer great pictures including cut-away pictures of projects in progress and good "how-to" instructions. You can also find them at Amazon.com at a pretty good discount over Black & Decker's retail prices. So don't be afraid to roll up your sleeves and put a little sweat equity into your home. There are products and how-to instructions for just about any skill and budget level.
If you're thinking of adding a new deck this summer and want it to be made from real wood, you're probably aware that you'll need to use treated lumber to avoid decay and deterioration. For many years wood processed with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) was the mainstay of treated wood but the downside of it's decay resistance was its health hazards. It's no longer produced for use in residential applications. What's available today is better and less toxic but there are downsides with these products too (either copper based or borate based). They still contain chemicals and you have to choose the right fastener and bracket materials so that you don't end up with corroded fasteners and joist hangars. If you're looking for a more natural alternative, you can check out PureWood™ Decking, a real wood that's free of any chemicals but resists rot and decay like "treated" wood. PureWood is made by Bay Tree Technologies USA, LLC and is thermally modified to produce its decay resistance. It's a derivation of the thermal (heat-treatment) processes used by the Japanese to treat wood, combined with additional technology that's been in use in Europe for over a decade. By using a process that employs heat, time and moisture, the wood undergoes changes whereby wood sugars are changed, making them impenetrable by bugs and other natural predators. From my perspective it seems like a rational approach to making a 'greener' decking material. I find it funny how many of today's more natural and green products and processes have elements of natural treatments that were used for centuries, before the advent of synthetically-developed chemicals. You can learn more information about PureWood at their website, www.purewoodproducts.com. The site has a lot of information including a dealer locator. FAQs about the product can be found here on their site.
Here's what's new at the website: The Latest Blog Entries
"Choosing The Right Bathroom Sink"
"Is It Time To Renovate?"
"Considerations On The Kitchen Backsplash"
"An Interview With TheCabinetFolks.com
New Web Pages and Articles
The Kitchen Backsplash-Art & Function Combined
Buying Online Cabinets-Demystifying The Process
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