People often assume that home room additions require lots of space and a large budget; however, adding a mudroom won’t eat up your yard or empty your yearly vacation budget. Creating mudrooms can be economical home room additions.
You can convert space you already have to build a mudroom, or add on a small additional room to create it. Then, after playing or working in your backyard, you can tidy up in your new mudroom. Keep in mind the following five elements as you make your room addition plans and while you interview remodeling contractors.
The Perfect Mudroom Location
A mudroom is all about location. Think about the most-used entryway in your house. This is where most people choose to place a mudroom. You can convert a small front porch into a mudroom or turn part of any existing room into a mudroom. It’s best to enclose the room–having four walls securely surround the area ensures less chance of tracking in outdoor messes to the rest of your house.
Ideal Mudroom Flooring Choices
Choose a slip-resistant, durable floor that can be exposed to the outdoor elements without showing wear and tear. Good options include textured rubber, ceramic tile, and unpolished stone tile. Choosing a dark floor color helps hide the dirt. The ultimate mudroom accessory is a floor drain, making cleaning an easy chore. Or, station your room addition near an outdoor hose, so people can wash off before coming into the mudroom.
Mudroom Storage Options
Who is likely to use the room and what do you plan to store in it? If you have children, make the storage area user-friendly for them, with coat and backpack pegs at kid-level and color-coded bins for each family member. If you want to store sports equipment, plan ahead to make sure it all fits. Think about designing custom-made storage bins and shelving, or peruse container stores for items that may fit your needs. Shoes and boots need a place to dry and be stored, as well.
Mudroom Furnishings and Wall Decor
Include a bench or a few sturdy stools in your room addition plans so you can sit down while you pull off your rain boots. When pondering wall coverings, think about easy-to-clean options, such as vinyl wall paper, high gloss paint, or wainscoting.
You get a lot of bang for your buck with a mudroom addition. The rest of your house can stay clean and perhaps your family can enjoy being more organized, too.
Basement Remodeling: Choosing Between a Drop Ceiling and Drywall Ceiling
March 15th, 2010 by admin
You have already decided on the flooring and waterproof walls, but what kind of basement ceiling will you choose–a drop ceiling or a drywall ceiling? Your final choice depends on several factors, from style preferences to practical considerations such as access to wiring, pipes, and heating ducts. Read on to learn the pros and cons of each basic basement ceiling type. Be sure to discuss each option with your basement remodeling contractor.
Drop Basement Ceiling Details
Drop ceilings are also known as suspended ceilings. To create a drop ceiling, basement ceiling tiles or panels are placed in a grid of metal bars; these bars are then tethered to overhead joists via wires. Basement remodeling contractors may advocate drop ceilings for the following reasons:
- You will have easy access to the inner working of your home, including plumbing, wiring, and ventilation systems. When you need to fix a faulty pipe or install cable TV, you can simply drop out a few ceiling panels.
- Drop ceilings can function as sound insulators. Your basement remodeling contractor can easily install a layer of insulation between your drop ceiling and your basement joists. The panels themselves can also muffle noise, so sleeping children won’t be bothered by movie-night sounds.
- Drop ceiling panel choices can fit any style. Wood planks, painted tiles, vintage tin, faux metal, or wood are just a few of the numerous options available.
- Installation is usually cheaper than the labor costs of putting in a drywall ceiling.
Drywall Basement Ceiling Facts
Your basement remodeling contractor may point out the benefits of a drywall ceiling, including:
- Some people prefer the finished look of a drywall ceiling, or they want their basement ceiling to look like the rest of the ceilings in their house.
- Your basement may have more finished space and a higher ceiling. Drop ceilings take up a minimum of eight inches of overhead space.
- The materials costs are usually not as high as the supplies needed for a drop ceiling.
- You can add style to your finished look with a drywall texture finish, such as a drywall ceiling swirl texture.
Weigh your options carefully and talk with your basement remodeling contractor before you pick either a drop ceiling or a drywall ceiling for your basement renovation. You should be happy with your wise choice every time you look up.
About the author: Nancy Schatz Alton writes and edits in Seattle, Washington. Her circa 1925 home just underwent an extensive remodel.
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Basement Remodeling: Choosing Between a Drop Ceiling and Drywall Ceiling
Kitchen Cabinet Painting 101
February 25th, 2010 by admin
It’s not easy to love your circa. 1925 kitchen cabinets. Installing new cabinets and counter-tops is a pricey proposition. Painting your kitchen cabinets is a cheaper alternative. Hiring professional home painters for this task costs at least $1,000. If the painter needs to strip all of the cabinets and drawers first, this will cost more. Kitchen cabinet painting can be a do-it-yourself job.
Refreshing your kitchen cabinets involves seven steps. Read on to see if this is something you can take on yourself, or if calling on professional home painters is the best idea for you.
Kitchen Cabinet Painting Steps
- Envision a new look: Tack up paint swatches so you can pick an interior painting color palette.
- Deconstruction: Unhinge the cabinet doors and pull out the drawers. Place these cabinets and drawers on a drop cloth in a well-ventilated room or your garage floor. If you live in an older home, check your kitchen cabinet painting with a home-lead test.
- Surface clean: Your kitchen is the busiest room in the house, and these surfaces have collected years of dirty fingerprints. Use everyday household cleaners for this task. If the grime doesn’t fade away, clean with trisodium phosphate (TSP); follow this strong cleaner’s recommended safety precautions.
- Prep and Sand: Glossy or shiny cabinets that feel like a laminated surface will need to be sanded. Use 150- or 180-grit sandpaper. If your cabinets are dinged and nicked, fill those character flaws with nonshrinking putty, and sand these areas after the putty dries.
- Prime: Heavily stained cabinets and drawers need to be primed with a stain-blocking primer. Otherwise, prime your surfaces with an alkyd or 100 percent acrylic latex primer. Any imperfections can be sanded away.
- Apply two coats of paint: Wait a few hours for the primer to dry, then apply two coats of either oil-based or latex paint with a brush. A semi-gloss or gloss paint will offer good kitchen-cleaning capabilities. For optimal results, kitchen cabinets can be spray-finished; this is when it pays to hire professional home painters.
- Dry for an entire work week: After waiting five days, put your new kitchen cabinets back together.
If you have enough elbow grease, time, and painting know-how, you can complete these seven steps yourself. Otherwise, professional home painters can tackle your kitchen cabinet painting, adding new luster to your home kitchen.