Hot trends in kitchen remodeling (BPT) – Year after year, the most popular home improvement project for American families remains the same: remodeling the kitchen. Today, kitchen makeovers are more ambitious than ever, with homeowners willing to spend larger budgets to upgrade both the aesthetics and the functionality of what is, after all, the most used room in the house. “Many architects, designers and homeowners are specifying hardwood as an essential part of any kitchen refresh,” notes Linda Jovanovich, of the American Hardwood Information Center. “That’s because wood not only offers a wide variety of looks and design possibilities, it also exemplifies the kind of material today’s
environmentally conscious consumer wants: One that’s renewable, sustainable, plentiful, durable and easy to work with - all of which makes it an excellent return on investment.” Replacing tired old kitchen cabinets with stylish new ones is a favorite starting point, but there are several strategies to help maximize their impact. “I like to specify one type of wood for an entire kitchen - cabinetry, furniture, millwork and flooring - but use different stains and finishes on each element,” says New York designer Laura Bohn. “That creates visual interest without losing a sense of overall unity.” In one all-walnut kitchen project, for instance, Bohn painted the Shaker-style cabinets
a putty tone for a serene background. But she stained the wide-plank floor a darker shade than the granite-top island so that the latter stands out like a beautiful piece of furniture.
floorboards were lightly white-washed and given a protective coating to create the look of bare wood, the base cabinets, supplied by Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry, received a slightly darker cerused finish just different enough to distinguish them from the rest of the woodwork. The oak wall cabinets were painted white to match the kitchen’s shiplap ceiling. “It’s peaceful rather than exciting,” said the homeowner. “And that’s exactly what we wanted.” If you’re after a livelier effect, you might conIn a similar vein, sider another emerging a recently completed trend: mixing up wood 1920’s Bungalow house species and cabinet-door renovation had quarstyles. Wellborn Cabiter-sawn white oak used nets demonstrated this throughout for floors, strategy at a recent interior doors and kitchen kitchen and bath show where their Rustic Global cabinets. While the
Spice Kitchen incorporated not only two types of hardwood - oak and maple - but also three door styles each with its own stain. “To make this look succeed, you or your designer will need to find common stylistic threads running through the various elements - underlying kinships of shape, color, texture and proportion that will pull the disparate parts together into a unified whole,” advises San Antonio-based designer Melissa Morgan. “It’s takes a certain amount of confidence, but the results can be spectacular.” Visit www.hardwoodinfo.com for more about kitchen remodeling and other applications and products using American hardwoods.
Spring cleaning for spring allergies: 6 steps from the experts gens. You may want to take allergy medication beforehand and if your allergy is severe, consider wearing an N95 filter mask while dusting or scrubbing.
carpet, because it can cause dust mite eggs to hatch. If you are using diluted bleach and water solution for spot treatments or to kill mold, make sure someone other than the allergy sufferer does the cleaning because bleach can trigger asthma.
hot temperature, place items in the dryer for at least 15 minutes at 130 degrees or above. For children with allergies, do the same with their stuffed animals.
ments and tiled spaces are prone to mold, so spring is a good time to deep clean. A bleach cleaner works well to eliminate mold or make your own by mixing borax and water. Next, Step 1: Dust Step 5: Replace air help prevent mold from thoroughly filters developing through Dust all surfaces in moisture control. Always At the start of every your home with a damp season change the air fil- run bathroom fans when Step 3: Clean rag or microfiber cloth ter in your furnace. This bathing or showering, window treatments helps the HVAC system clean up any standing made for cleaning. Avoid using any kind of duster Window treatments run efficiently while also water immediately and that simply kicks dust like curtains and valances filtering out air particles use a dehumidifier if into the air. Additionally, can be a magnet for dust -including allergens - to needed to keep humidity clean vents and return and pollen yet are often keep your home’s air as below 60%. registers to limit dust ignored when it comes “Spring cleaning is clean as possible. Conrecirculating and finish to cleaning. This spring, sider setting an alarm for a great step in allergy make sure to follow the every three months as a control,” says Meadows. (BPT) – As days grow allergy symptoms,” says by wet mopping tile and other hard flooring. manufacturer’s recom“However, if you continreminder and use filters longer and new blooms Dr. J. Allen Meadows, Don’t neglect the area mendations and wash ue to suffer from allergy with a MERV rating of appear, it can only mean allergist and president or dry clean window or asthma symptoms, see 11 or 12. This is also a one thing: Spring is here of the American College under the beds, which can get dusty and should treatments. Remember, a board-certified allergist good time to clean the of Allergy, Asthma and and with it comes the be cleaned often. Elimopening windows allows drip pans in appliances to help you control your Immunology. “When task of spring cleaning. pollen and other allerinating dust helps your symptoms and live the like the refrigerator. you spring clean to reFor people with allerhome shine and also regens into your home, so life you want. You can gies, spring cleaning move allergens, you can Step 6. Control during peak allergy seamoves some of the most find an allergist near you does more than spruce breathe easier plus enjoy notorious indoor allergy son keep them closed, humidity at acaai.org/locate-an-alup a home. When done a sparkling home.” triggers. and whenever possible, lergist.” Bathrooms, basecorrectly, it removes dust, Meadows and the use air conditioning in mold, dander and other experts at ACAAI recomStep 2: Clean your car and home. allergy triggers so you mend these steps when carpets can feel your best. cleaning for allergies. Step 4: Wash Start by moving all “There are specifBefore you begin, keep bedding furniture off the carpet. in mind that when you ic things you can do Then vacuum well with a Wash sheets, pillowclean you come in conwhile cleaning that can cyclonic vacuum, which cases and blankets in dramatically improve tact with many allerspins dust and dirt away water that is at least 130 from the floor, or a vac- degrees F. This temStripping & Refinishing uum with a HEPA (high perature kills dust mites efficiency particulate air) and effectively removes CHAIR CANING • CHAIR RE-GLUING filter. Meadows does allergens. If bedding MINOR REPAIRS • FURNITURE REFINISHING not advise shampooing can’t be washed at this
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Why is my house so dusty and what can I do? Spring is a season of rebirth and renewal. As trees and flowers bloom anew, many people get renewed vigor to tackle projects in and around the house. Spring cleaning projects can take on many forms, from garage overhauls to washing the interiors and exteriors of windows. According to the 2019 American Cleaning Institute National Cleaning Survey conducted by Wakefield Research, 77 percent of households surveyed commit to spring clean projects every year. Dust is a formidable foe during spring cleaning projects. Dust is unsightly and dust mites can trigger allergic reactions. But many homeowners lament that, once they dust, dust returns in a flash. Dust may seem like a never-ending nuisance, but there are some ways
to mitigate dust for more than just a few hours.
New York-based Wizard of Homes cleaning service, HVAC filters are supposed Invest in a better to trap particles that flow through the air and vacuum cleaner the heating and cooling Vacuuming carpets can release and resuspend system. Inadequate or dirty filters cannot do that dust and allergens that were trapped in carpeting job as thoroughly as new filters. Check the filters in and throw rugs, advises the Queensland University both window and wholeof Technology. Traditional house AC or heating units and replace according vacuums may toss that to the recommended dust into the air rather schedule. Consider filters than remove it. However, with a higher MERV vacuums with HEPA (high rating, which can catch efficiency particulate air) smaller particles, suggests filters can catch particles Ragsdale Heating, Air & at .3 microns in size or Plumbing company. larger at an efficiency ratUse less cloth and ing of 99.97 percent. Another solution is to switch linen to hard-surface flooring, The cleaning service which is less likely to trap Maid to Shine Cleaners dust. suggests that textiles trap more dust, particChange the AC unit ularly synthetic fabrics. filter Replacing items around According to Kadi the house with leather or wooden furniture may Dulude, owner of the
Surviving a home renovation Homeowners invest large sums into improving their homes to make them more comfortable living spaces or to increase their odds of selling quickly. The Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University predicted U.S. spending on home renovations and repairs to peak at $327 billion in 2017. Whether one is doing a large renovation or a small remodel, life may be turned upside down during the project. Furniture may be moved out of the room, walls may be demolished, water or electricity may be turned off, and appliances may be missing or not hooked up. Home improvements often drum up dust and disarray. Such projects can try the patience of any homeowner, and things may get worse before they get better.
Keep pets brushed and groomed
alleviate some of the dust problem.
Pets bring many positive things to a home, but Dirt and debris from no matter how short their outside can contribute to coats, pet dander can be dust in the house. Remove part of the dust problem. shoes when entering the Washing and grooming house to reduce the accu- pets regularly may put a dent in the dust situation. mulation of dust.
Take off shoes
In addition to these suggestions, getting a whole-house filtration system, increasing wet dusting and checking for leaky ducts that can be sucking dust from attics, basements or garages are some other ways to reduce dust in a home.
you are not disappointed when delays happen — even when you’ve done your best to avoid them.
Plan an escape zone
Construction environments can be messy, loud, to escape the mess can elEven though remodsmelly, and a host of other eling can be taxing, the evate stress levels. Do not unsavory adjectives. The end result is often worth think about renovating chaos that ensues when it. Here’s how to look kitchens and bathrooms forward to the silver lining all at once, or you will not life is turned upside down and come out unscathed. have any working fixtures can be overwhelming, for tasks like washing up. particularly for the person Discuss the project who spends the most time Have everything in in the home while work is before it starts. place … All family members being done. Build escape Before demolition should be in agreement moments into the plan even begins, have buildbefore the first hammer and make sure everyone ing materials bought and else at home is on board. is swung. Decide on as stored, contractors and many details as you can During the real grind of ahead of time and have a subcontractors lined up, the project, a night or and see what you can firm plan in place. Estabtwo at a hotel may be a lish back-up choices for do to minimize the time tiles or color schemes in workers need to spend in welcome respite. case the items you want your home. are out of stock. Trying … but expect to make decisions under delays. duress may result in bad choices. In a world where things move at lightning Do one project at a speeds, renovations have time. not gotten the memo. It’s tempting to want Home projects take lots to improve as much as of time and will likely take possible at once to maxilonger if you are doing the mize motivation and reno- work yourself in your free vation materials. However, time. Build lots of extra having no place in which time into the project so
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