Color at Home: Creating Style with Paint

Selecting a paint color, whether for a home’s exterior or the bedroom walls, can feel like a perilous venture. For good reason. Like no other aspect of our environment, color has the power to profoundly affect our feeling of well-being. And taste in color is an extremely personal matter: to choose a color—a saturated red, an understated ochre, a sizzling-hot pink—is to say something revealing about oneself. It’s no wonder that committing to a color demands an act of bravery.

With Color at Home, the Echo Design Group’s Meg and Steven Roberts aim to inspire and encourage you to jump into the exhilarating world of color. Illustrated with more than 150 images of color-infused homes across the country, the book will bolster your courage as you develop a color vision for your own home.

Color at Home insightfully explores the emotional territory mapped by each hue—aqua’s refreshing oasis; orange’s warm radiance; the stark, urbane chic of black and white—while providing essential practical advice on topics such as coordinating colors with a home’s architectural style or historical period. The innovative color grids included in the book help you define your preferred palette.

Available at Amazon.com.

How To Sharpen Your Pruning Tools

Keep your pruning tools sharp for optimum plant health and to insure that cuts heal properly.


How To Sharpen Your Pruning Tools

Popular Woodworking's Arts & Crafts Furniture: 25 Projects For Every Room In Your Home

Simple and beautiful, Arts & Crafts furniture designs offer an excellent learning medium for furniture building. The Arts & Crafts style allows the craftsman to build a quality piece of furniture in a reasonable amount of time while providing a very successful and satisfying experience.

This book offers a collection of twenty-five Arts & Crafts furniture projects for every room in your home. Some of the projects are accurate reproductions of the original furniture pieces, while others are loving adaptations of the style. In addition to the projects in the book, we've included a Bonus CD-ROM with ten furniture projects and ten technique articles to provide even more information on construction and finishing.

This book represents a collection of projects that the Popular Woodworking staff considers to be some of most visually appealing pieces of furniture ever created.

Available at Amazon.com.

How and When to Use a Vise Grip

A vise grip is an inexpensive and useful tool that you will make your life a lot easier. See how to operate a vise grip.

Outdoor Kitchens

Eating out can be done right at home! Dine outside every night with help from Ideas and How to Outdoor: Outdoor Kitchens by Meredith Books. This book will provide you with inspiration and planning ideas on how to construction your ideal outdoor kitchen and make it into a reality. Whether it's a basic cooking center or a full-function kitchen, this book will complement your house, lifestyle and eating habits!

Available at Amazon.com.

Skew Chisel Techniques

Brian Simmons demystifies the skew chisel with three basic-but-beautiful cuts.

Green Remodeling: Your Start toward an Eco-Friendly Home

Ultimate Guide to Green Remodeling goes beyond other home improvement books in that it shows homeowers how they can take part in the "green" revolution when remodeling his or her home. Through common remodeling projects, such as replacing kitchen cabinets and installing new countertops, readers are presented with choices for using green, nontoxic building materials and techniques. Some of the topics covered include reducing home energy use, selecting nontoxic materials, saving water, and supporting the environment through the use of products that are manufactured responsibly or that come fromsustainable natural resources.

Available at Amazon.com.

Paver Possibilities--Landscape Pavers Go Green

Stylish and versatile, landscape pavers can add tremendous utility and value to a home. But now, landscape pavers have gone green and can not only be used to beautify your home, but also help the environment.

Permeable pavers, such as Belgard’s Subterra stone, are a type of green landscape paver. They are made of concrete and separated by joints filled with small stones. Water enters the joints between the pavers and is filtered through crushed stone layers. The water, with pollutants reduced by the filtering, is then absorbed back into the soil. Using permeable pavers is an important component in low-impact, environmentally-friendly development.

“Permeable pavers aren’t just sustainable, they are beautiful, versatile and durable,” says Ken O’Neill, vice president of Belgard. In fact, Subterra stone is stylish enough to be used in the 2007 Home and Garden Television (HGTV) Dream Home.

There are many advantages to using green pavers. The experts at Belgard offer a few of the many benefits of using permeable pavers in your next outdoor project:

Versatility

These green pavers can be used for patios, driveways, walkways, pools and more. Whether you are looking for a specific color, texture or pattern, paver options are endless in function, material and design. If you would like a traditional, rustic or modern style in your outdoor space, there are architectural masonry products and applications to make that happen.

“Permeable pavers provide years of protection and beauty in all climates, have a long history of successful residential and commercial applications and now, help the environment,” says O’Neill.

Low Maintenance

Installation is simple and straightforward. Belgard pavers can be purchased and installed in as little as a weekend. Pavers are also durable and easy to maintain. An occasional sweeping and rinsing is virtually all that is needed to keep them looking as good as new.

Great for the Environment

Permeable pavers can be placed in areas where traditional pavers may create an unnatural volume of runoff from snow and rain. This can lead to flooding and standing water problems in addition to soil erosion.

Pavers such as Belgard’s Subterra stone allow water to absorb back into the soil, filtering out water pollutants in the process. This can also reduce the amount of water washing into storm drains.

Beauty

Pavers allow for modular and random installation. Random patterns appear more like natural cobble stones, while grouped patterns allow outdoor living spaces to appear to be a part of nature. In addition, Belgard products come in multiple shapes, colors and patterns that fit in naturally and harmoniously with the surrounding landscape. Unlike other materials, pavers can create raised patios and walkways, steps and rounded edges that organically blend in with the environment.

For project ideas on landscaping with permeable pavers, to receive a catalog or to locate a dealer near you, please visit www.belgard.biz.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Rout Perfect-Fit Dadoes

WOOD Magazine Techniques Editor Bob Wilson shows you how to rout perfect-fit dadoes of any width using what may be the world's simplest jig.

Woodworker's Guide to Veneering & Inlay

Woodworkers will learn how veneer is manufactured and how to choose glue, adhesives, and substrates; band-saw their own veneers; cut, match, and tape veneer panels; accomplish complete four-way matches; and other procedural skills in this expert guide. These techniques are demonstrated through a series of step-by-step exercises that culminate in four finished projects: a dining room table, a wall mirror with shelf, a marquetry picture, and a parquetry design. Complete with a troubleshooting section for repairs and problems and featuring contemporary methods and materials, such as hammer veneering with PVA glue and vacuum pressing of flat and curved panels, this reference is the most inclusive resource for working with veneer and inlay designs.

Available at Amazon.com.

Make Rounded Corners With Your Router

WOOD Magazine's Bob Wilson shows you how you can make rounded corners of any radius time after time with a simple jig.

How To Kill Mold With Vinegar

Mold can be unsightly and can also pose a health hazard. Using harsh chemicals to get rid of mold could be dangerous for you and your family. Follow these easy steps and find out how to kill mold naturally and organically using vinegar.


How To Kill Mold With Vinegar

Source: www.videojug.com

Cobalt Drill Bits

Don talks about the advantages of using cobalt drill bits, instead of having to buy different drill bits for each job.

Vermont American Cobalt Drill Bit Sets are available at Amazon.com.

Perpendicular Holes Without a Drill Press

Get drill press accuracy from your portable drill using inexpensive jigs. WOOD Magazine's Kevin Boyle demonstrates in this free video.

Tiling Complete

Written with the DIYer in mind, this all-encompassing manual takes a head-on approach to every home tiling situation--except those best left for the pros. Loaded with photos and laid out in an intuitive, accessible format, Tiling Complete makes it a snap for even the most hesitant of novices to get the job done right the first time. The authors begin with a thoughtful introduction and move to tile styles and shapes, tools, preparation and installation, plus grouting, sealing and caulking. There is a complete project section and a stress-reducing chapter on Problems and Troubleshooting. Also included are tips on maintenance and repair so that the finished product will shine for years to come.

Available at Amazon.com.

How to Fix Contrete Cracks

Don shows how you can use a concrete repair epoxy to repair cracks or holes in your drive or walkway.

Illustrated Cabinetmaking

Featuring each piece in highly-detailed, exploded drawings and applying time-honored dimension and ergonomic standards, this comprehensive visual sourcebook takes the guesswork out of furniture joinery, assembly, dimension, and style. Woodworkers of any skill level will benefit from more than 1,300 crisp and detailed drawings that explain classic solutions to age-old problems, such as hanging a drawer, attaching a tabletop, and pegging a mortise. Covering hundreds of pieces of furniture, including kitchen cabinets, dining tables, desks, bookcases, and chests, readers will unlock the mysteries of legs, moldings, separate braces, and dozens of other subassemblies.

Available at Amazon.com.

Gluing and Sanding Panels Flat

Solid-panel construction is within your reach. Jeff Mertz shows you how using a few clamps and a random-orbit sander.

Top Tips to Ease Common Bathroom Pet Peeves

He leaves the toilet seat up. She scatters make-up on the counter. If you’re like most Americans, you love your mate – but you don’t always love their daily bathroom habits. So what are the things that really drive men and women crazy in the bathroom?

Moen Incorporated found out. During an online consumer survey, Moen’s research team pulled back the shower curtain to find out consumers’ pet peeves in the bathroom and what they’d most like to change about this room.

Luckily, with a few updates in the bath, you can easily remedy many of these problem areas and create a more harmonious bathroom situation.

Paper Pet Peeves

Although there is a battle of the sexes on many fronts, both men and women united in citing their number one pet peeve is not replacing the toilet paper when it runs out. In fact, 42 percent of women and 31 percent of men stated this as the single biggest complaint.

Eliminate the frustration of empty paper rolls by adding a pivoting paper holder. Designed by Inspirations by Moen, this innovative accessory features a spring-free, pivoting arm allowing you to simply lift the arm and drop on the roll. This quick and simple step will help eliminate your paper pet peeves and allow you to start your day “on a roll.”

Clean Up Clutter

Men just don’t understand the need for all of women’s “stuff.” In fact, 20 percent of men surveyed cited the second most annoying thing in the bathroom is wasting valuable counter space by leaving toiletries and cosmetics scattered about. Additionally, when asked what they’d like to change about their current bathroom, 36 percent of respondents cited they would like to increase storage space.

Luckily, reducing clutter and increasing storage doesn’t have to involve a major renovation. The addition of accessories, such as shelves, towel bars and towel rings can take toiletries and towels off the counter and onto the wall. Plus, with stylish collections available in a variety of on-trend finishes, such as the new Addington and Ridgedale collections from Inspirations by Moen, you’ll also add a beautiful style update to your bath.

Free the Floor

When it comes to messy floors, it’s the bottom of the room – but not the bottom of the survey. In fact, 19 percent of men and 22 percent of females state that leaving dirty clothes on the bathroom floor is a top annoyance in the bath. And for households with children, leaving wet towels or dirty clothes on the floor are the two top responses (33 percent each). Freeing the floor can be simple. Choose coordinating towel bars and robe hooks for each person who uses the bath – ensuring that the hooks for children are hung low enough for them to reach. By assigning a spot for each towel and providing an easy spot to hang clothes, bathroom users will be encouraged to hang these items up – keeping floors free and clean.

Add Size to the Shower

When it’s not people providing the pet peeves in the bath – it’s the bathroom itself. In fact, 85 percent of respondents said they’d like to change their bathroom. And, topping the list of bathroom woes was the size of the bath (45 percent want to make the bathroom larger) and the shower (37 percent want to enhance their shower). By adding one product to your shower, you can relieve both bath ailments! Curved shower rods, previously only seen in luxury hotels, are simple to install and can add up to 7 1/2 inches of elbow room in the shower – while also adding elegant style to the room. Inspirations by Moen offers a curved shower rod that adjusts to fit enclosures from 54-to-72 inches wide. The rods are available in today’s hottest finishes - Brushed Nickel, Chrome and Old World Bronze.

While this small room can add a large amount of annoyances, with just a few minor updates you can ease bathroom pet peeves and create a beautiful and enjoyable bath.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Precision Cuts With Basic Tools

Glue-joint-ready cuts don't require expensive tools. See how you can make an easy guide for straight cuts and jointed edges with just a circ saw and router.

From Cabinets to Countertops – Creating a Kitchen on a Budget

It is the busiest room in the house and often needs the most improvement: the kitchen. A remodeled kitchen increases the value of the home and makes it more enjoyable to cook, live and dine in. However, many homeowners are left wondering how to create the culinary oasis of their dreams on a budget.

“Just about everyone has cost concerns when it comes to remodeling. Very few people have unlimited budgets, so doing research on various options will go a long way to stretching your dollars,” says Connie Edwards, certified kitchen and bathroom designer and director of design for Shenandoah Cabinetry. Edwards offers some valuable tips for controlling costs when remodeling the kitchen.

* Do as much of the work yourself as you can. Wallpaper removal, light demolition, and cleaning up after subcontractors require hard work as opposed to skill; there is no point in paying skilled contractors to clean up.

* Buy stock cabinets. Instead of having cabinets custom-made, find a line of stock cabinets that you like. Shenandoah Cabinetry, sold exclusively at Lowe’s, is a stock cabinet manufacturer that offers a wide range of premium construction features and accessories at a value price.

* Use alternative materials instead of costly marble or stone. Laminate countertops and vinyl flooring create rich-looking surfaces on a modest budget. When choosing faucets, brushed and polished chrome is vastly less expensive than more exotic finishes, and basic white fixtures are budget friendly and won’t look dated in a decade.

* “Wow” the island. The island is the first thing that people notice when they walk into the kitchen, so keep the main cabinets simple and put the emphasis on the island. Make the island pop by increasing the thickness of the countertop, using a premium finish or glaze on just the island cabinetry, or illuminating the island with inexpensive but attractive pendant lights.

* Work within your existing space. Annexing space from an adjacent room or removing a wall can be costly, so add storage and organization features to new cabinets to utilize space you already have. Many of these accessories are now factory installed, such as those offered in Shenandoah’s OrganizationOptions program, making things simpler for the consumer and easier on their wallet.

* Use moderately priced items in an interesting way. Small splurges in small spaces like a glass tile backsplash behind the oven range will spruce up the kitchen and is the best use of your dollars.

* Consult a design professional. A design professional can help you avoid costly mistakes and ensure the job is done efficiently.

Visit your local Lowe’s and talk to a kitchen design specialist about the options that are available to fit your lifestyle and your budget. For more information and to view an assortment of kitchen design ideas, visit www.ShenandoahCabinetry.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

How To Start Seeds

Techniques for starting seeds that will insure good germination and vigorous plants.


How To Start Seeds

Build Out Your Basement, Tone Up Your Body

Did you know there’s a home improvement project that not only enhances your home’s value and your enjoyment of your house, but can also improve your health by toning up your body? Finishing a basement to make space for a home gym is a popular trend in home improvement, and it’s not limited to large, expensive homes.

With nearly 26 million people choosing to exercise at home, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association (SGMA), is it any wonder that the National Association of Home Builders reports that a third of homebuyers cite a home fitness room as necessary or desirable? The number of people choosing to exercise at home, rather than in a fitness club, increased 30 percent between 2000 and 2006, according to Mike May, director of communications, of SGMA.

Aside from finding the time to exercise, finding the space is the biggest challenge of working out at home. While many new custom-built homes are being constructed with space dedicated to home gyms, having an older or more modest home doesn’t mean you can’t create a home gym.

“If you don’t want a treadmill sitting in your bedroom or free weights in the living room, a finished basement can be the ideal solution for workout space challenges,” Scott Kranz of Certified Home Improvement in Cincinnati, Ohio says. “In fact, a home gym is the third most popular remodel of a basement.”

If you’re considering creating a home exercise space in your basement, keep these pointers in mind:

* You don’t need a lot of space. Many contractors who are installing exercise rooms in homes report that the facilities are usually about the size of an average bedroom – around 12 feet by 12 feet.

* You don’t need a lot of money. Industry pros report that the average cost of converting a basement into a home gym is less than the average cost of the other two most popular remodels – kitchens and baths.

* Finishing a basement can be a complex and difficult job, and unless you’re a well seasoned do-it-yourselfer with a lot of carpentry experience, you’re probably better off hiring a pro to do the job for you. One of the quickest and easiest ways to finish your basement is with a finishing system, like the Owens Corning Basement Finishing System. A specially trained professional installs wall panels with built-in thermal and acoustic insulation around the room. The panels are mold and mildew resistant, and are durable, dent- and stain-resistant as well. Best of all, instead of the months-long disruption and mess of a traditional drywall remodel, you can have your home gym up and running in about two weeks. Visit www.basementfinishingsystem.com to learn more.

* Windows are nice, but not necessary. In a basement setting, you may find it more beneficial to hang a high-quality flat screen TV. “That way, while you’re working out you can tune in to your favorite nature show, sporting event or workout program,” says May. “You can choose the scene and mood on your high-tech ‘window,’ rather than settling for the same view from a regular window.”

* Keep it simple, with a few comforting touches. “You don’t need to recreate a fitness club in your basement in order to get a good workout,” May says. Choose equipment that you know you’ll use and that fits your space well. Throw in a mini-fridge to keep your water cool, and you’re ready to tone up in the comfort of your own home.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Doweling Jig

Automatically centers itself on round, square or irregular shapes. Handles stock up to 2" thick. Drill-hole sizes are 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", 7/16" and 1/2". Six hardened steel bushings are provided: 2 each of 1/4", 5/16" and 3/8". You can drill two identical parallel holes without moving the jig. Easy to use!

Available at Amazon.com.

How to Use a Biscuit Joiner

Learn How to Use a Biscuit Joiner in this free woodworking lesson from our expert carpenter and furniture maker.

Garden Superstars for Spring 2008

From show-stopping roses to containers rich in history, Spring 2008 promises to be an exciting year for garden lovers.

“Gardening this year will be easier than ever before, and a lot more fun, thanks to exciting new plants and smart new garden products scheduled for release this spring,” says Susan McCoy, owner of the Garden Media Group, a lawn and garden public relations agency.

As spring approaches, McCoy reveals a few of her favorite garden superstars for spring 2008.

New Stars in the Garden are no Divas
Looking for a great low-maintenance flowering shrub for your garden? Try the new Drift series of landscape groundcover roses for year round color with little to no effort. A cross between full-size groundcover roses and miniature roses, Drift Roses have a low, spreading habit that makes them perfect for container gardening, hanging baskets and small gardens. Highly disease resistant, they require no spraying except in the most black spot prone areas of the Deep South. Bred to be “chemical-free”, Drifts resist rust, mildew, Japanese beetles and black spot, while blooming for months on end. To find out more about these and other fine Star Roses, visit http://www.starroses.com/.

Outdoor Living Takes on New Rooms
As we expand outdoors to entertain, cook and just relax, more of us are taking refuge in custom built gazebos to add an extra “room” in the backyard. New from Amish Country Gazebos (www.amishgazebos.com), the nation’s leading retailer of custom crafted Amish structures, is the 2008 Lancaster Collection. Named after prominent Pennsylvania cities, this series features three stunning handcrafted models: The Manheim, Carlisle, and Devon. Headquartered in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, this family-owned business uses only the finest materials for each and every special order and offers a lifetime guarantee on every gazebo they produce. For more information or to order a catalog, visit www.amishgazebos.com or call (800) 700-1777.



Garden Tropics for a Great Escape
Gone are the days when gardening in colder climates meant using only boxwoods, hostas and cold-hardy perennials. Thanks to advances in breeding, tropical beauties like the Bahama Bay Hibiscus collection can be successfully grown in gardens situated well above the Mason-Dixon Line.

Nearly two dozen hibiscuses with enormous bi- and tri-colored blooms accented with lush, dark green foliage are in the collection. With names like ‘Goin Steady’, ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Big Bird,’ the plants have personalities all their own, and are a perfect fit for gardeners who have caught on to the tropical explosion. Gardeners in tropical climates, zones 7 to 9, can enjoy the hibiscus’ massive, multi-colored blooms almost year round. For those gardening in cooler climates, Bahama Bay will bloom abundantly during the summer months when grown in a container. For more information, visit http://www.bahamabay-hibiscus.com/.

Garden Accents Inspired By American History
A touch of class for any garden can be found in the new Williamsburg Collection from Campania International (www.campaniainternational.com). The collection features an extensive range of garden containers, including cast-stone replicas of urns in the Governor’s Palace gardens, part of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. Birdbaths, an elegant window box, and a stepping stone round out the product line.

This historical collection features the rich designs of Colonial Williamsburg, offering today’s gardener an exceptional array of historical American garden accents. Try one of these elegant accents inside or outside your home to achieve the latest “designer” look from Campania.

Healthy Gardens from the Ground Up
Start your container garden off right this season with high-quality planting soil that feeds the plants and keeps the soil moist longer. The new organic potting soil, called Organic Mechanics (www.organicmechanicsoil.com), is an all-purpose, peat-free, potting soil that is 100 percent organic and promises to improve plant performance. Gardeners can pick up Organic Mechanics potting soil at Whole Foods, Wegmans and Wild Oats or the new 1.5 cubic foot bag at fine garden centers.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

What Is a Biscuit Joiner Used For?

Learn What projects a Biscuit Joiner Used For in this free woodworking lesson from our expert carpenter and furniture maker.