Home Improvement » Hardware Store

New Home Improvement Products Can Create Big Problems For Homeowners

admin — Sat, 29 May 2010 20:34:27 +0000

I rarely buy new products that guarantee instant success for home repairs anymore. To be honest with you, I probably purchased over 50 of these items, before finally getting disgusted with myself for wasting so much money on these miserable products.

I’m not about to tell you what types of products these were, I’m just here to get you in the right mind, before you purchase any more of them yourself. If you’re looking at a product that guarantees some sort of plumbing pipe repair, find out if it has any type of guarantee. Can this item be returned if it doesn’t work?

Even if this item works temporarily, will the company who guaranteed it, cover and additional home repair expenses if this product fails in the future? For example, you fix a bathroom water supply pipe and everything looks great, but you leave for work one day, and when you come home half of your house is flooded.

I think you’re starting to get the point here, you purchase these products and they either work or they don’t. It’s like gambling at your local casino. They are painting you an illusion of winning large fortunes, but rarely deliver the product.

Whenever I walk into my local lumber yard, hardware store, home improvement center or large retail department stores, I see these products all over the place. I make jokes to myself and anyone around, but at the same time, I realize that these products wouldn’t be here if they didn’t sell.

I’m just trying to get you to think, before making some of these purchases. There are some products that give you a false illusion and you need to be aware of them.

By: Greg Vandenberge

Winter is a Great Time For Home Improvement Projects

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:38:03 +0000

The most popular time for home improvement projects is the spring and summer. After all, who wants to paint their house or put on a new roof when snow is falling? That doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t many projects you can tackle in the winter. In fact, you can even save money by undertaking jobs in the off season.

Since business slows down in the colder weather, contractors and home and garden stores often have specials this time of year. Of course, you don’t need to spend a ton of money to make your home look (and work!) better.

Many home improvement projects can be done by a homeowner with a do-it-yourself spirit and a small budget. While some jobs are best left for the warmer months, many jobs are well suited for working indoors, and don’t require you to be outside in the elements, thus can be pursued in the winter.

For example, you may want to paint the inside of your house. Modern paints are not as toxic as they once were, and they do not give off fumes as strong as in years past. You can beat the lines at the hardware store and rent the equipment you need to make indoor painting painless. Power sprayers are available for rent or borrow in every city and turning up the heat can help the paint dry more quickly.

If you can handle your own carpeting, installing a new color can be done during the winter without the aid of a carpeting crew. Carpeting prices may also be cheaper during the winter.

There are many indoor maintenance projects you might want to consider now too.

Burst pipes can cost a fortune, and the old standby of letting water drip slowly doesn’t always work. Installing heat tape on your pipes is easy to do yourself, and is cheaper than having a plumber do. The tape, which is actually a cord more often than not, wraps around exposed pipes that may freeze. You plug it into a standard outlet and it warms up the pipes, preventing them from freezing. Heat tape must be plugged into an outlet with a ground (3-plug) to work properly.

Changing light fixtures can obviously be performed indoors and provides an excellent opportunity to add higher efficiency lights and seals. Installing lights and fans is a fairly simple process and fans can be purchased on line, eliminating the need to drag them home through the snow. Simply put in the order, and they will be delivered to your doorstep.

Organization is a different type of maintenance that you can undertake in the colder months. Let’s face it: everyone can think of some area of their home that needs to be reorganized. Instead of feeling cooped-up inside, use the time to clean out closets and install shelving units or storage cabinets. Old boxes and drawers can be opened and cleaned out. Many areas have organizations that would be happy to take old coats and clothes from you during the winter as well.

As you can see, there are many ways to improve the look and functionality if your home this winter. As always, the hard part is getting off the couch to do it…

By: TC Thorn

Easy and Cheap Home Improvements

admin — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:45:07 +0000

If your home sorely needs a makeover, but you don’t have the finances, there are some cheap alternatives you should know about. Here are a few simple ways to give your home a mini-facelift without breaking your bank.

Replace Flooring- There are plenty of affordable flooring options available today that you can install yourself. Floating Floors for instance, can be installed over most existing floors by gluing the tongue and groove of interlocking panels. Some floating floors are “click together” and require no gluing at all. These engineered floors usually cost around $4-6 per square foot and can be self installed in less than a day.

Touch-Up Exterior- Repainting your front door and trim can really freshen up the curb appeal of your home at a nominal cost.

Update Your Hardware- A simple way to update your home at a low cost is to replace old faucets and fixtures. Also, try replacing outdated door knobs, drawer pulls, and other decorative hardware to add a modernize feel to your home.

Clean Up the Yard- You don’t have to go crazy with landscaping to add appeal to your yard. By simply cutting back overgrown shrubs and bushes, removing any old patio furniture, and planting some colorful flowers you can add value to your home without spending a lot of money. It is also a good idea to clean patios and walkways of dirt and debris. Try renting a power washer from your local hardware store or using a diluted bleach solution and a scrub brush to make your patio and/or walkways look refreshed.

By: M Siddique