Category: Home Improvement

Why Is Silestone so Popular

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Silestone, the flagship brand of the Italian natural stone supplier, Cosentino, includes a variety of quartz slabs that distinguish themselves from competitors with their extraordinary quality and the availability of not only toned-down colors, but also of bold color combinations and design options, just perfect for making a statement in a space that features an unusual design.

Silestone has been around for quite some time, but the popularity of the products belonging to the brand has taken off only for a few years. However, what is important is that homeowners all over the country are already the happy owners of Silestone countertops and countless other homeowners are looking for their own Silestone solution.

silestone countertops

Here are some of the features that to account for that immense popularity.

Countless Design Options

Most manufacturers of quartz countertop solutions limit themselves to classic colors, usually in the range of white, off-white, grey beige and the combinations of these hues. Offering clients a selection of over 90 different colors, Silestone also offers these classic shades, but the manufacturer is aware of the importance of providing solutions for those looking for bolder statements and has included products that feature green, blue, red and other, more or less unusual color options. The manufacturer also offers three different textures to suit the requirements of kitchens in any style.

Hardiness

Silestone products are manufactured using the most advanced technologies that combine the qualities of natural stone with the features of synthetic materials. Silestone Products consist of quartz in a proportion of around 96%, the rest being made up from synthetic resins and adhesives. The special combinations used are engineered with resistance and durability in mind and they make products resistant to all the stress that they can be possibly exposed to in a kitchen. As a result, Silestone products are resistant to spills, impact as well as to heat, being the perfect option for kitchens used by many people, each of whom practice a different style when it comes to cooking and using the kitchen.

Easy Cleaning and Maintenance

Silestone products feature surfaces that can be cleaned with the help of a soft cloth and some multi-purpose cleaning substance, without requiring any harsh cleaner or the use of abrasives. Silestone slabs require no special maintenance either, allowing the owner to enjoy the strengths are and the beauty off their counter top without having to pay attention to regularly re sealing or polishing the counter top surface.

Superior Safety for The Entire Household

Depending on the mining area, natural stone might emit radon gas. The fact that Silestone products are not mined, but manufactured in a factory ensures that the risk of such harmful emissions is eliminated completely. The material’s resistance to heat and the possibility of placing hot pans and pots onto the surface directly also increases the safety of the household and the comfort of living in the home.

Affordability

Silestone slabs are very conveniently priced, being suitable for people looking for quality products for their kitchen but who are on a limited budget.

How Can You Save Energy by Considering Replacement Windows For Your Home?

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Brighton window replacement

Old, damaged windows are unsightly, usually difficult to operate and they also leak energy. This means that a house with old, drafty, inefficient windows is an uncomfortable house that also costs more in overheads than it should. There are several ways to solve these issues, the best way to proceed certainly being window replacement. Here is how considering replacement windows can save energy for your home.

Energy-efficiency through the Window Frames

New window frames are always more energy-efficient than old ones, even if the old windows are still in good condition. The materials used for manufacturing window frames are continuously evolving as the best window manufacturers invest considerably into innovation. This means that modern windows frames are made from materials that insulate more efficiently and they also feature technical solutions, such as compartments with additional insulation inside the frames or combination of materials to ensure superior insulation. The most common options are solid wood, fiberglass, aluminum, vinyl and composite materials (in this context meaning frames that combine two materials, usually wood fiber and synthetic polymers, to create a third, much stronger material with much better insulating properties).

Energy-efficiency through the Glass Panes

In the past, windows consisted not only of more simple frames, but they also had just a single glass pane. Modern windows, on the other hand, all feature multiple panes, even the simplest ones consist of two panes, which means doubles insulation efficiency as well. If you need even better insulation, you can choose windows that feature three, four or even five panes and window manufacturers also offer window varieties that use inert gas, such as argon, to add one more layer of insulation between the glass sheets.

Modern glass technology today allows for solutions that reduce the amount of heat absorbed by your window and transferred towards your building interior in summer. One of the most common heat repellent solutions is the application of a thin reflective coating on the outermost glass surface. Tinted windows are also available in various options, allowing homeowners to choose the hue that matches the design of their building from a wide range of colors.

Energy Star Rating

Brighton window replacement specialists confirm that the windows that offer the best performance in terms of energy savings are Energy Star rated windows. The rating means that the product that carries the label meet the strictest energy-efficiency guidelines and that they have been extensively tested, certified and verified by independent experts. The decision to have Energy Star rated windows installed can also make the buyer eligible to various incentives and financial support, so doing a little research to see what your options are is certainly worth your time and energy.

Airtight Installation

Old windows leak energy not only through the frames and through the glass, but through the cracks and gaps that form between the frame and the wall around or between the glass sheet and the frame. New windows eliminate this issue, too, by holding the glass sheets tightly and through professional installation to ensure that the new units are fitted tightly into their place.

Should You Repair or Replace Your Fence?

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Many of the fence problems that might look serious are, in fact, easy to repair, while others that look minor require complete fence replacement. If you are currently wondering which of the two categories your fence issues belong to, here are some tips and details that might help you.

Common Issues that Affect Wood Fences

fence repair Thornton

Wood is a natural material and as such, it is somewhat more prone to damage than synthetic materials. The wind, the rain, the snow, the moisture from the air and insects can all harm your wood fence, causing discolorations, rot, warping and splintering. Fortunately, most forms of damage that don’t affect large parts of the posts or of the boards can be fixed easily – here is how:

  • Try to remove as much of the damaged area as you can – use a file or a scraper to eliminate the parts attacked by pests or affected by rot;
  • Correct the section with some wood filler or putty;
  • Clean the entire fence, removing old paint and prime the wood with some protective product and paint it to prevent future damage.

However, if a large part of your wood fence is affected and the boards and posts seem weak and shaky, you would be better off having fence repair Thornton contractors replace the fence, at least partially.

Vinyl Fence Issues

Vinyl is a very durable, synthetic material that is susceptible to only one type of damage: cracking. If you see cracks on your vinyl, unfortunately there is only one way to correct the issue: you need to replace the damaged components.

Issues with Aluminum Fences

Aluminum fences are among the most durable and most resistant fencing solutions – there is not much that can get at your aluminum fence. However, very harsh weather can crack your panels- if that is the issue that you are faced with, you can only solve it by replacing the damaged section. Sometimes, aluminum posts can become loosened by high winds, therefore it is a good idea to inspect your fence after each storm and to re-anchor the loosened posts to ensure they are solid and vertical.

Problems with Wrought Iron Fences

Wrought iron is a very durable material, but it is a little prone to rusting. Fortunately, small spots of rust can be easily removed with a stiff brush and some rust-removing product, then you can improve the rust resistance of the repaired section with some protective paint. To prevent extensive rusting, it is a good idea to clean and treat your entire fence and to repeat the procedure every couple of years.

Chain Link Fences

Chain link is a simple, durable and low-maintenance material. While chain link fences don’t need to much maintenance, other than occasional inspection, rust removal and painting, the material is not very resistant to impact and larger objects carried by strong winds can deform it. If you detect this type of damage after a storm, inspect the posts to see whether they have been loosened by the wind, then secure the posts again and replace the damaged chain link section.

The Benefits of Wood Replacement Windows and Some Care Recommendations

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wood window replacement

Choosing wood Denver window replacement options is definitely the best way to improve your home’s curb appeal, but elegance and style are not the only benefits of installing windows made from the most traditional and most attractive window frame material of them all – here are some more and a few other aspects of wood frames that you should know about.
Insulation for Enhanced Thermal Balance
Wood is a very poor heat conductor, in other words, it is an excellent insulator, about 400 times better than metal and over 1,000 times better than synthetic materials. The insulation you add to your walls will prevent heat exchange only through the surface of the wall and window frames made from wood can prevent the heat inside your home from escaping exactly where your home is the most vulnerable: the window openings.
Superior Sound Insulation
Wood windows provide excellent sound insulation as well – a quality that makes them the best solutions for buildings located close to busy roads or in areas that get a lot of traffic.
Variety in Terms of Design
Wood windows come in huge variety of shades, types and styles. Casement windows, single-hung or double-hung types, awning windows, skylights are all available with wood frames and you can also choose from a variety of colors to find the perfect one to match the overall design of your home.
A Long-Lasting Solution
High-quality wood windows are known to be very durable. Being a natural material, wood needs a little of your attention and some maintenance, but if you take the time to inspect and pamper your wood frames once or twice a year, they will serve you well for decades.
How to Protect Your Investment
Wood is a natural material that looks spectacular and has excellent insulation qualities in itself, but it is also a material that needs your attention. If left untreated for too long, wood can become sensitive to the changing levels of humidity in the air and susceptible to insect attacks.
The wood used for making window frames is treated with protective chemicals during the manufacturing process, but these substances are not absorbed into the deeper layers of the wood and form only a surface barrier in front moisture and rodents. What you need to do to protect your windows and to let them perform as they can is to clean them once a year, to inspect them for any signs of damage and to apply protective substances. If you see that the protective coating applied on the wood in the factory is peeling or warping, remove the damaged layer and apply the fresh coating only when the surface of the frame is smooth. If the cleaning and the inspection reveal signs of mold or rot, remove the entire damaged part and correct the surface with some wood putty before applying the new protective coating.
Wood replacement windows are efficient, attractive and durable – if you can commit to giving them a little of your time each year to take care of them, they make an excellent investment that will return to you in the form of reduced energy bills and greater comfort.

Basement Finishing Ideas for an Attractive Room that Everyone Will Love

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Basements are spaces that have lots of potential, yet more often than not they are neglected or used only for storing unused objects – if you are looking for some tips to transform your lowest floor into a place that your entire family and your friends love to spend time in, here are our basement finishing ideas from remodeling contractors in Fort Collins to help you.
How to Get Started
Before you start to design the layout of your new basement, remove everything from the room to see the condition it is really in. Basements that have been crammed with boxes and other objects for a long time can show signs of water damage, such as rot or mold or signs that indicate the presence of harmful insects, but you will not be able to get the whole picture until everything is removed. Traces of condensation tell you that the foundation is not properly sealed and sagging floor joists also indicate that there are structural issues that need to be addressed before you move to the decoration phase.
Adding Insulation
insulating a basement
After addressing structural problems and when you are sure that your basement does not receive any moisture from underneath, you can move on to the insulation of the walls and the pipes. If you see any warping or peeling paint on the walls, remove the damaged parts and wait until the walls are completely dry, then correct all the remaining cracks and dents with some patching compound. Pay special attention to the areas around the pipes and don’t forget that the pipes also need to be insulated before you box them. For the walls, choose the insulation solution that suits your budget – the combination of vapor barrier, rigid foam insulation, a stud frame and a drywall is the most efficient and most affordable option.
Adding More Light
Most basements don’t get sufficient light from outside, so you will have to add light fixtures to make the space really inviting. Use a combination of ceiling fixtures, recessed lighting, wall sconces and standard lamps to create suitable lighting conditions. It is a good idea to hire a professional for this phase to make sure that the electrical system of the basement is suitable for adding the fixtures and outlets that you want and that the additions are created in a safe and professional manner.
The Interior Decoration
When the insulation is done, you can start painting, furnishing and decorating the basement. Basements are usually dark rooms that have low ceilings and don’t get too much natural light, so the most suitable paint colors to be used on the walls are light hues, such as cream, beige, green-blue, powder pink or grey. If your basement is an exception and it gets natural light in abundance, you can use the bright colors in the well-lit parts and richer, saturated colors in the darker parts of the room. You can choose satin paint to highlight one of your walls or flat paint on all the walls, both solutions are fine.
When it comes to furnishing your basement, light colors work best on the furniture as well and you can play a lot with accessories, such as wall decorations, vases, pillows and rugs.
And to conclude, here is the last one of our basement finishing ideas: be prepared that your basement remodeling project can take a very long time, so you will need to be patient and to adopt a strategic approach to the entire project.

Affordable Home Improvement Ideas For Your New House

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The essential thing to remember about home improvement is to make it as easy on yourself as possible. Many people can just hire interior designers, but not every person has the budget for such a luxury, especially after getting a new house built. So here are a few affordable ways to refurbish your new home at a minimal cost and with just some imagination.

1)Stone Makeover

Sure, marble looks classy and beautiful, but not everyone can afford to have it in their home. Or maybe you forgot to leave enough space for a marble flooring before construction. So, let’s just replace using marble with another stone like granite. It may not seem like that much, but it has a rough and rustic look that lends character to space and certainly costs a lot less than marble.

2)Retro Wallpaper

Wallpapers have been rising in popularity again these days due to their retro look and stores now offer an expanded range of choices at very affordable rates. Also, you don’t have to cover every single wall to make an impact, just the ones that will catch people’s attention. This is especially in case of a room with plain walls. Some papers can be hard to use so read the hanging instructions carefully. Also, be sure to fill out any dents or holes in your wall to have a smooth surface before you try hanging up the wallpaper.

retro-wallpaper

3)Rail Track Lighting

Track lighting lets you highlight specific nooks and crannies of your home, be it a picture frame on a wall or a vase on a table and illuminates just about any area. They usually use halogen lights that illuminate colours vividly. The price of such devices has drastically reduced in recent years and now most run on a standard voltage. The rail system is attached to the ceiling and holds the halogen bulbs. Some rail systems can also be bent into a customisable shape for a more aesthetic look and give the house a more decorative appearance.

4)Closet Organizer

Having a neat and ordered closet is something we all wish for, but few usually have. Well, then all you have to do is to get yourself a wire shelving system. These are inexpensive, efficient and require almost no effort to install. Also, since everything hangs off the wall, it’ll be easier to dust and clean. They also come with a lot of add-on storage options such as shoe racks, tie and belt racks and various baskets, making the best possible use of space in the house.

5) Rollout Cabinets

These are easily one of the most satisfying upgrades you can make to your house, especially your kitchen. Usually, cabinets have a lot of wasted space deep inside. Rollouts turn that wasted space into usable storage space. You won’t even need to make any significant modifications as they can be simply mounted onto existing shelves in the cabinet. Just make sure to get the one with the correct dimensions and account for the door, the cabinet length and breadth and other possible obstructions.

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