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Sunday, April 10, 2011

Remove Stains From Walls Before You Paint

Wall erasers work like a charm on crayon marks.

Remove stains from walls before you slap on another coat: It’s the first commandment of painting. Here’s how to wash seven common stains off your walls.

Painting instructions often warn: Remove stains from walls before painting. But they never say how. Any cleaning rookie can wipe off dust and cobwebs. But it takes a cleaning pro to scour grease stains, watermarks, and kids’ crayon and ink wall art.

Dirt and grime

Dirt and grime are part of everyday life. The oil from your hands gets onto walls, cabinets, doors, and door frames. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser ($3 for 4 pads) easily cuts through these stains. Wet the sponge and rub gently to avoid taking bits of paint off with the stain.

Or try this: Mix 1 cup ammonia, ½ cup white distilled or apple cider vinegar, and ¼ cup baking soda with one gallon of warm water. Wipe the solution over walls with a sponge or cloth, and rinse with clear water. The solution won’t dull the painted finish or leave streaks.

Grease

Grease is an occupational hazard of cooking; it covers cabinets and walls and attracts dirt and dust. Any good dish soap can remove grease stains on walls. For small stains, mix ¼ teaspoon of soap in a cup of warm water, and wipe. Rinse with clean water, and blot until dry. Clean stubborn grease stains with solution of 1/3 cup of white house hold vinegar with 2/3 cup of water.

Crayons

Wall erasers work like a charm on crayon marks. If they don’t do the trick:

Rub marks with toothpaste (not gel).

Erase marks with an art gum or a pencil eraser; use a circular motion.

Swipe marks with baby wipes.

Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and scrub marks.

Permanent marker

Permanent markers are tough to remove from walls. Soak a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and dab the stain. Or spray marks with hairspray, then wipe drips.

Ink

Ballpoint ink, which is oil-based, often succumbs to foaming shaving cream, dry-cleaning solvent such as Carbona, or nail polish remover. Make sure you open windows when using cleaning solvents and polish remover.

Mildew

Mildew is a fungus that eats soap scum and body oil. To remove from walls, spray with vinegar water: 1 tablespoon white vinegar to 1 quart water. Also, try an enzyme laundry detergent; follow the pre-treating directions on the label. Blot it on the stain, and then rinse thoroughly with water.

Water stains

After you’ve solved the problem that caused the water stains, rinse with a solution of 1 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water to prevent mold and mildew from growing. Thoroughly dry with a hairdryer or fans. If bleaching doesn’t remove water stains, you’ll have to repaint. Prime the walls with a stain-killing primer, such as Kilz Paint.

Need more advice -- HOME and CURB APPEAL LLC can help!
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By: Pat Curry- House Logic

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Color and Lighting

Paint Color and Lighting: Tips and Information

Focus on artificial lighting, as opposed to natural light and how it affects paint color. Natural light definitely affects the way a color on the wall is viewed. The color will look differently at various times of the day, and the exposure of the room, i.e., north, south, west and east, will also affect our perception of the color. That is why it's important to paint a small swatch of color on the wall, and then view it at various times of the day before making a color choice.

Here are some interesting tips

•·         When choosing a color, paint a small swatch against a gray surface.

•·         Look at a color vertically against the wall, not horizontally in your hand.

•·         Two colors that may appear to match in one light source may not match under another light source. This is known as metamerism.

•·         Look for a Light Reflective Value (LRV) of 50% or more in paint to be used for residential interiors. LRV is the amount of light reflected from a painted surface (0% is the blackest black and 100% is the whitest white).
•·         When choosing a light bulb, try to get a Color Ranking Index (CRI) of 80% to 85% in order to show true and saturated colors.

•·         Incandescent light bulbs have a CRI of 100% but unfortunately will be phased out of production by 2014.

•·         Halogen light bulbs have the next highest CRI but they too will probably go the way of incandescent bulbs.

•·         Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs have a lower quality of CRI - 75%.

•·         LEDs are the newest form of lighting but have a very low CRI. However, they are great for outdoor lighting.

Need more advice -- HOME and CURB APPEAL LLC can help!
262-893-5555
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Looking buy or sell real estate in Waukesha County or surrounding areas? Contact your favorite Wisconsin real estate agent!

262-893-5555 Office/Cell

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Friday, April 8, 2011

Things looking a little SHADY to you?

The Use Of Shades As Home Decoration

Vertical blinds can add style to any room. Depending on the look you’d like to create, you have a multitude of choices as far as style, color and texture. These blinds provide a simple, low maintenance, affordable way to add interest to windows and doors in your home. Each provides a different look and feel for a room. It’s important to know what kind of mood you’re looking to capture before you make a selection.

The advent of technology and choices has afforded buyers with more choices than ever before. Blinds are no longer offered in just one size, color and material. You can find them made of PVC, wood and metal. They’ve evolved in their operating mechanisms. Some are even automatic, which is convenient for the elderly or those unable to manage operating them manually.

Blinds are not just for offices anymore. They started to appear in the home as efficient covers for patio doors, but now their use has spread to anywhere you’d use regular shades. Bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms and kitchens now sport vertical blinds as window coverings. Printed, fabric covered, colored or textured, blinds can help you bring a room together. And installation is simple. You can do it yourself, or call a professional.

Each room can have its own feel, due in part to the colors and styles of the blinds used. They can also be dressed up and layered with curtains and valances. They can be used as decoration by being covered in fabric that matches or accents other items in the room, or they can be subtle, and offset with a valance that matches the room d้cor.

They can be long or short. They can work to visually adjust the size and shape of the window through the size you purchase. You can make a window appear larger by mounting the blinds to hang wider and/or longer than the actual window.

They’re great for controlling the light that is coming into the room. They can be slightly opened to admit a limited amount of sunlight, or they can be drawn to the side to expose the entire window. They can also help somewhat in blocking drafts emitting from cracks around windows and doors. This can ultimately help with energy efficiency.

With all the options available, you don’t have to choose just one. Whichever blinds you select, you can be assured you made the right choice.

Need more advice -- HOME and CURB APPEAL LLC can help! 262-893-5555
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Author : Eric J. Slarkowski

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Love to paint --- but afraid of the results? Check this out -- and be sure to tell me which color you like in my living room please!

Many people would love to paint the interior or exterior of their home, but are afraid of picking the wrong color. While paint is relatively inexpensive, the cost of choosing the wrong color and having to repaint can certainly add up. While enlisting the help of a decorator or Home Stager is always helpful, it is still difficult for most people to envision the finished product. Now, thanks to great technology provided by Sherwin Williams, a lot of the guesswork has been taken out of the process.

This great tool is called the Color Visualizer. It allows you to upload your own photos and try out different paints and trim colors. There is a great video here that will explain how to best use this tool. I have used this successfully for my clients and it is truly amazing. You can use it for both the exterior and interior of a home. I truly urge you to try it out because it is really helpful. Click below:

COLOR VISUALIZER

You may also went to check out another tool from Sherwin Williams, the ColorSnap for iPhone and Blackberry. Use your phone to snap a picture of a color that inspires you. Not only will Sherwin Williams help you match that exact color, this app will help you fine tune it using lightness, saturation, and hue features.

Have fun with these innovative tools and please share your experiences with these or similar products in the comments section below as we'd love to hear from you.

If you liked this post, please subscribe to my blog. I always appreciate having new readers and more importantly, enjoy making new friends.

Need more advice -- HOME and CURB APPEAL LLC can help! 262-893-5555
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