Make the Most of Your Home Restoration

Since the turn of the century, few industries have experienced the success of the home improvement industry. As people take more and more pride in their homes, home improvement contractors have grown more integral to furnishing a home with a new or refurbished look.

While some projects can be handled by a capable do-it-yourselfer, others are best left to the professionals. Such is the case when restoring a home, particularly an older one. Older homes are often in need of the most work, and that work typically requires the skill of a trained professional. But that doesn't mean homeowners should trust everything to the contractor. In fact, knowing about a successful home restoration can help ensure the vision of the home that's in your mind is the same vision you'll see once the restoration is completed.

* Avoid mixing and matching. Many contractors find older homes are the most fun to work on because they present the greatest challenge. That challenge, however, lies in completing the project and not overhauling the entire home. That's because a complete or even partial overhaul disregards an older home's period and style, depriving it of its uniqueness in the process. While it might seem like a great idea to add today's most modern trend, in 10 years that trend might not be as popular, and the home's unique and original architectural elements will very likely be unavailable. When restoring an older home, embrace its history and the period it represents.

* Emphasize more effective and efficient insulation. The majority of older homes in need of restoration are also in dire need of better insulation. To put this into perspective, today's homeowners should recall childhood trips to Grandma's or Grandpa's. Such trips, if taken during the winter months, no doubt required packing an extra sweater or two to survive a house that always seemed cold.

Chances are, that cold house was not because Grandma and Grandpa were averse to heat. Instead, they likely just lived in a home with outdated and inefficient insulation. Today, a restoration project should employ a solution such as Comfort Foam(R) from BASF Polyurethane Foam Enterprises when addressing and replacing outdated insulation. Comfort Foam allows homeowners to maintain their home's unique interior style while adding structural strength, insulation and air barrier material in one convenient step. An easy-to-use spray-installed product, Comfort Foam fills voids that are hard to seal with traditional insulation.

* Save your home and some money. When fixing up or restoring a home, it's best to look for ways in which you can save both the home as well as some money. This doesn't mean fixing a home on the cheap, but instead looking for products that can help save money long term. 

To learn  about BASF products, visit www.basf-pfe.com. 

Kangas Home Improvements Specializes in historic restorations and renovations

Decorating with Paint HELPS YOUR BUDGET!!

Double Your Decorating Potential

An expensive redecorating project is not likely a priority this year -- at least as far as your household budget is concerned. While we're all tightening our belts a bit, it's easy to refresh a room without breaking the bank.

Here are a few tips from the color experts at Rust-Oleum:

* Take stock of what you own. Pull all of the furniture out of your room so that you can take an inventory of what you'd like to keep. You may be surprised to find that an old item once tucked into a corner could provide new inspiration.

Look around your house for other furniture items and accessories. Be sure to "shop" for your new items in the attic, basement or garage. Ask neighbors or friends or shop flea markets and garage sales. Don't worry if the items don't match just yet. Paint can bring the room together.

* Choose your new color palette. Choosing color is often the most daunting task when redecorating, but here's a tip for finding the perfect color palette. First, think about what you use this room for. Is it a peaceful place to read? An inspiring area to create? A room dedicated to family fun?

Next, pick a word or two that describes how you want that room to feel -- calm, peaceful, bright, warm, or inspiring. Now close your eyes and visualize that word. You may visualize the ocean when you think of calm or a bright outdoor place when you think of inspiration.

Write down one or two colors from the scene that you've visualized. Maybe it's a Spa Blue of the ocean along with the Khaki color of wet sand. Or, if your inspiration is a bright garden, you may want to use colors like Sun Yellow, Deep Blue or Apple Red.

* Recycle, refresh and renew your existing furniture. Use paint to bring unlike pieces together. You may find six unique dining chairs with different styles. Painted a rich Kona Brown, these very different chairs make up a beautiful and eclectic dining set. This same strategy works well with picture frames, vases, baskets and other accent pieces.

Bringing a mix of different styles together with paint is even easier with Rust-Oleum's new Ultra Cover 2X. Its double cover technology offers twice the coverage of other spray paints and is available in the most popular colors. Twice the coverage means that you'll need fewer coats of paint to complete your project so your room will be ready in half the time. Spray paint has many advantages over brush paint. Most notably, spray paints provide a smooth finish for items with a lot of texture like wicker or wood with detail.

For more inspiration and project ideas, visit www.paintideas.com. There are hundreds of easy, inexpensive projects that can help you transform any living space. And, when you've finished your own room makeover, be sure to share it with your new friends at paintideas.com.