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Archive for the ‘Basement & Attic’ category

Take Special Care Before Attempting Water Damage Repair

December 7th, 2010

What to do if you happen upon a bad water leak in your house? Well, the most logical and vital thing to do is, please cut off the water. The main water supply to the home must be found and then shut down. This is the first thing to avoid electrocuting yourself. Once you have turned off the water. It is then advisable to go in search of the main electrical breakers and turn off the power. These two things are things that can be done by a person. However, if you do not know how to do them, getting the help of a professional is advised. It is a definite “no” to go into water that is in direct contact with something electrical such as a light socket or power strip is.

After the main water supply and the electrical power to the home have been taken care of properly. The next step is to get the clean up started. The first step in this clean up is to get as much water sopped up as is humanly possible. If water is allowed to sit around on your walls and floors for way too long. They can cause damage in their wake. You should somehow either borrow or rent what is called a wet/dry vacuum. This wet/dry vacuum is the very thing to get the water up from the floors and walls. Getting a dehumidifier is the next step in clean up. This dehumidifier will be the very thing to get the house dry again. Running the dehumidifier should be done immediately after opening all doors and windows in the water-afflicted home. The longer you wait to give special care to water damage. The more in cost it will be to cover the water damage repair. » Read more: Take Special Care Before Attempting Water Damage Repair

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How Concrete Floor Paint Should Be Applied For Success

December 5th, 2010

A number of people are a bit puzzled and perform some things incorrectly when they apply concrete floor paint.  It can be slightly hard attempting to comprehend which paint to apply, which techniques to use to apply it, and what needs to be done while using it to obtain the preferred outcomes.  There are some things that you will want to check to do whether you are painting your garage floor or a floor in another area of your home and there are also some that you do not need to do.  Here are a number of guidelines to remember that will get you on your way to getting a fantastic looking concrete floor.

When people are painting their concrete floor they can spoil it by doing a number of various things.  Sealing the floor first and then painting over the top of it is one thing that they attempt to do. This is not right for a number of reasons.   The major reason that you should not do this is because the paint will not bond to the sealer.  All you have to do so as to detect if the floor already has sealer on it is to spray a light coat of water down on the floor. There is sealer on the floor if the water beads up and you will have to remove that sealer prior to painting. » Read more: How Concrete Floor Paint Should Be Applied For Success

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Posted in Basement & Attic, Garage

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Basement Plumbing for Beginners

November 13th, 2010

Adding a comfort room below the ground can cost you up to $15000 for a small bathroom. Large part of the expenses is from the plumbing part of the room. It is important that you lay out the pipe lines and sewerage pipe correctly to avoid problems and hassles that might arise in the future. Plumbing includes the basic lay outing of the pipe lines and the sewerage pipes which plays a vital role in your bathroom. If you want to plan a DIY basement bathroom plumbing it is very important that you know the basic part of it and the basic things that you have to plan. It is also advisable to talk to a plumber or work with them for some points that you have to consider.

In DIY basement bathroom plumbing, you must consider the toilet part and the drainage part. Defying gravity is a problem for most houses which have their main drain located above the floor level. If this is the case there are several products in the market created to help you with this problem. The sump and sump ejector system of up flush toilets is the solution to your problem. Once you flush the waste, the sump ejector system will proceed with the treatment of the waste and turn it into simpler particles that are easier to flush. The drainage can also be a problem. There are motors that can help you in flushing the water away to the main drainage system like the macerating systems that are commercially available. » Read more: Basement Plumbing for Beginners

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Mold And Mildew Removal From Your Bathroom

July 19th, 2010

Everybody knows what it is and have encountered it once in their lifetime: mold. The most common place to find mold and mildew is your bathroom. A
bathroom has the perfect ingredients for mold to grow in; it is warm, dark and moisture. What a lot of people do not know is that mold and mildew is
toxic and can cause some really bad health effects. It is therefor necessary to remove mold and mildew out of your bathroom.

First it is case to identify mold for those among us that do not know what i am talking about so far. Mold can have many colors because there are several
different mold types. You can identify mold and mildew by the dark spots that are growing on your grout.

After identifying the problem you need to learn about the source of the problem before you can remove it. Unfortunately it is not as simple as
removing the mold on the walls because then it will come back. For example when you use bleach for mold and mildew removal you will remove it but it only will be temporarily. So look further, does your bathroom have enough air circulation in it? Does it have a ventilator? If the answer is yes, does the ventilator work properly? Many bathroom that not have a ventilator does have a window in it. Make sure you open this window after and during
showering or a bath so fresh air help dry the room.

If you are going to buy a mold remover make sure to buy an organic one. Organic mold removers work better then ones with chemicals in them, the organic ones clear and prevent while chemicals only clear. Maybe the best solution for mold and mildew removal is a organic natural cleaning product combined with molderizer. » Read more: Mold And Mildew Removal From Your Bathroom

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Do It Yourself: Black Mold Removal Tips

April 2nd, 2010

Black mold is a serious health risk, and needs to be identified and removed as soon as it is discovered.  Waiting to do this can cause serious health risks for you and your family, so make sure to take the proper steps in order to get rid of mold.  If it grows, not only the risk of exposure symptoms increases, but your ability to be able to do the black mold removal yourself will diminish, meaning you’ll have to pay a company a lot more than it costs you to do it yourself.

The key when it comes to black mold is prevention.  Making sure that moisture does not accumulate, and ensuring that all of your rooms are properly ventilated are the major ways to stop black mold from occurring.  But, sometimes it happens and while you know these things now to prevent it from happening again, I am going to show you how to get rid of black mold yourself. » Read more: Do It Yourself: Black Mold Removal Tips

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Posted in Basement & Attic, Bathroom

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Basement Remodeling and Design

March 12th, 2010

Remodeling of peoples existing home is becoming increasingly more popular across the United States. Due to the decline in the economy fewer people can afford to upgrade their home so are being forced into renovating their existing one. One of the most common rooms to be redesigned is the basement. There is a common misconception however that every basement can be remodeled. This is not always the case and often a large amount of basement construction is required.

If you are looking at a new basement design you will need to check what construction needs doing. This will mean either reading up on the subject or enlisting the help of a professional. If you have little of no building experience the latter is highly advisable. Many basements will just have 4 basic concrete walls, this means you will need to construct the room from scratch. The best way is to work with the existing walls as it will limit the amount of work that you have to do.

Frame out your walls using 2×4 pieces of wood. Be sure to make the walls a little bit smaller than the concrete ones as the wood will expand and shrink due to temperature change. If the walls are made the same size as the concrete then this can cause huge problems further down the line.

Once you have completed the framework of your walls you will then need to insulate and waterproof them. This is particularly important and the room is obviously below ground. Be sure to use a good quality insulator and cover with a vapor barrier for the waterproofing. Once this is complete cover the whole wall with either a drywall or some other material, whatever suits your basement design the best.

The skilled part is next, the plastering and sanding of the walls. If you are not practiced in the art of plastering then you can either do a 2-3 day course and learn or if you do not have the time to do so then hire a professional for this part. If done incorrectly it can ruin your » Read more: Basement Remodeling and Design

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Posted in Basement & Attic, Remodeling

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Basement Remodeling For Extra Work Space

January 20th, 2010

Ever thought about going something productive with the unused space you have in your basement? With so many of us needing to find extra space in the home as the family expands or grows up, basement remodeling allow you to add an extra room to your house without spending a fortune adding an extension or moving to a larger property. If you happen to work from home then turning the space into a home office when you can get your work done undisturbed makes a lot of sense.

Retired professionals, stay at home mums and families who have a joint interest, hobby or project may create basement offices that double as work rooms, meeting rooms, storage areas etc. One of the best basement renovation ideas I’ve seen for this type of office is where the entire basement is left open, the floors are tile, the lighting is halogen spotlights or track lighting and placed all around the room where there’s a large central table with chairs or stools and open shelves for storing the hobby materials. It may be a craft or a project, either way, space to work alone or as team is the priority. Good lighting is what will cost the most if there little natural light. For brainstorming ideas or discussing projects, a small sofa is a nice final touch. Add an area rug where needed, but do not carpet the floor. Storage may be important so use the space under the stairs, around pillars or odd angle corners to build custom shelving. » Read more: Basement Remodeling For Extra Work Space

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