Home & Decor

Remodeling an older home is usually a major undertaking. You need to work around all of the nonstandard parts and delicate features of your home, you need to try to find acceptable replacements for the fixtures that are not repairable, and you also need to try to protect the fixtures that you plan to keep. This last item is often overlooked until it is too late and something has been broken or damaged. Save yourself some heartache and hassle by taking steps to protect those fixtures before you start your remodeling project.

Fixtures That Can Be Removed

For some fixtures, protecting them can be as simple as removing them from the scene and placing them somewhere safe for the duration of your project. Small fixtures like light switches, light fixtures, and plumbing fixtures most easily lend themselves to removal, but larger items can be removed and protected, as well. Radiators, sinks, bathtubs, and even windows can be removed and safely stored out of harm’s way.

When removing fixtures, labeling is absolutely mandatory. Draw a map of each room in your house, noting the exact location of each item you remove. Devise a labeling system that will work for your purposes and stick with it. During a recent project, we simply labeled each item with numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) and noted where each numbered item belonged on our room maps. Taking a few extra minutes to label will save you time later when it’s time to reinstall your fixtures.

It’s also important to keep all of the parts together and labeled. You want to label each part not only to keep them together, but to remember where each part belongs. For example, if I were removing a window, I would label the window and each part (each hinge, each screw, each latch) with the number that coordinates with the window’s location on my room map. I’d also label each part so I knew where it belonged on the window. Particularly with old houses, the hinge that fits one window perfectly may not fit as perfectly on another window. Again, save yourself time later by labeling now.

Last, you need to find a safe place to store your fixtures. Wrap the items to protect them, if necessary. If they are small enough, place them inside a sturdy, well-labeled box. If there is enough space in one of the parts of your house that will not be affected by the remodel, store your fixtures there. Otherwise, it will be necessary to store them off-site. Be sure to choose a location that is safe from water or other damage.

Items That Cannot Be Removed

Perhaps the fixtures you want to protect cannot be removed, or at least cannot be removed without a lot of time and expense. Maybe you have an antique boiler that you would like to preserve while you finish you basement, for example. The type of protection your particular fixture will need will vary with the type of damage it may incur.

Generally, wrapping the item with a layer of plain newsprint then a few layers of bubble wrap, then another layer of newsprint or even a drop cloth will be enough to protect the fixture. If the fixture is in an awkward place and subject to being bumped into with equipment, consider erecting a temporary blockade of the area. Protecting historic fixtures is an important part of remodeling in any old house. Taking the time to protect your fixtures on the front end will ensure that your remodeling project is satisfactory, and will save you time

Labels: home decor

Posted by Admin aka Mimin at 12:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

Creating an undersea world for your child’s bedroom can be easy and fun. There are many ways to turn their personal space into an underwater world, complete with tropical fish and other sea life. This does not have to be expensive, either. Most things can be purchased cheaply or made and decorated by you. Make sure to have your child involved with the choices. It will help him/her feel like they contributed to the room and put their individual stamp on it.

The first place to start is with the walls. There are several options here, but a good place to begin is painting the walls a deep, sea blue. This does not have to be a dark blue; a lighter blue will work just fine. Have your child help choose the color. Paint the woodwork around the windows and doors a fresh, crisp white to contrast nicely with the blue. Some options for adding fish to the walls include buying a tropical fish border and placing it at chair level around the room, or using stencils to put brightly painted fish either at random all over the walls. Still another choice would to be painting sea life and vegetation all around the room, using the base of the wall as the bottom of you “sea.” If you can afford and want to add to the whimsy of the room buy grass green or dark blue carpet to accentuate the fish theme.


Furniture can be fun, too. Purchase a white painted wood bed, dresser and other pieces that your child will need. Again, you can stencil fish on the headboard, doors and drawers of the furniture to tie it in with the walls. Purchase fish shaped drawer and doorknobs that can be found at most larger hardware or home center stores and replace the plain knobs. Cute accessories, such as a wastebasket decorated with fish and a white wicker hamper shaped like a fish to hold dirty clothes will add to the décor. Buy a plain mirror with a wooden border and paint it white. Then, add three-dimensional plastic fish with your glue gun or using white craft glue and place them randomly around the edge of the mirror.

A bed in a bag set that features fish would be great for your child’s bedding. However, if you can’t find one locally or online, blue bedding that matches the walls could be substituted, or if you know how to sew, you can buy some cute fish fabric and make a comforter, toss pillows for the bed and floor and matching curtains. Since curtains can often be expensive, an inexpensive alternative is to use new sheets. Buy them with the design or color you want, using whatever size sheets will cover the window. Most windows can be covered nicely with two twin bed size sheets. The advantage to using sheets is that they already have a pocket sewn in that you can use to hang them from the rod. Cut them off at the desired length and hem up the bottom edge on your sewing machine.

For a few additional touches, add a fish shaped rug for their floor. In a corner, hang up a piece of fish net to hold their stuffed toys up and out of the way, or decorate it with all manner of sea life that has been “caught” in the net. Some cute fish prints can be matted and framed in white and hung on the walls. Find an old lamp and recover the shade with fish fabric and hanging beads, using your craft glue or glue gun. Purchase some glow in the dark fish from a novelty store and place them on the ceiling to give the room a “fishy” glow when they are lying in bed at night. Turn their plain old toy box into a treasure chest by painting it, and gluing on some gold coins, strings of beads and an old lock to the sides and front.

Fish themes are so popular right now that it is very simple to find accents and accessories to decorate a child’s room. By using your imagination, you can turn their room into the room of their dreams.

Labels: home decor

Posted by Admin aka Mimin at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments