5D
REAL ESTATE/S;6e Charlotte $o0t
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Creative decorating helps spring new life into home
Continued from page 4D
assisting them in envisioning
how a color can change the
look and feel of a room,” said
Van Allen.
One new way is with the
Pratt & Lambert Inspiration
Cards. They provide an extra
boost of confidence when
pulling colors together by
showcasing photographs of
how professionals combine
colors on walls, trim and
accent areas in various
rooms. And, each of the 16
cards contain the exact color
chips used to create the room
design, along with tips to help
consumers easily achieve the
same look in their own home.
Try on a slip cover. If your
furniture is tired and worn
looking, or you need to match
your new wall color with your
furniture, you can lighten,
and brighten chairs,
loveseats and couches with
the creative use of slip covers.
For less than $100 dollars,
you can either make your
own, or buy them at your
local home outlet store. It’s
amazing how an old piece of
furniture can take on new fife
with a little help.
Give windows the treat
ment. If your draperies are
heavy and dark, it won’t mat
ter what color your waHs or
furniture are. So, shop the
sales for some sheers and
taffeta panels that can help
br^ten a room, Discormt
stores are great resources for
inexpensive panels and cur
tains. Try adding somethir^
light with a beaded Singe to
include a little sparkle and a
bit of whimsy
Lighten up. One sure way
to quickly fireshen up a room’s
decor is by replacing outdated
lamp fixtures. For an entirdy
new look, this can be accom
plished by replacing old
shades. Or, try re-decorating
your existing lamp shades by
applying fabric paint or using
a hot glue gun to' embellish
shades with beads, feathers
or other ornaments.
Tidy up and organize. Dur
ing the winter our homes
tend to become filled with lots
of bulk and piles of things.
While sprir^ cleaning, bring
in new widser baskets or dec
orative storage boxes to hide
away those items that have
accumulated during the win
ter months. This will allow
you to have the tidy, minimal-
ist look we often associate
with spring.
According to Van Allen,
“Just remember, spring deco
rating doesn’t have to break
your budget. Small, cost-
effective improvements can
really make a difference in
your home’s overall appear
ance, and most importantly
how you fed about your sur
roundings.”
Unseen benefits of energy efficient windows and doors
Continued from page 4D
weather.
Using both Low-E andinsu-
latii^ ^ass will reduce home
raiagy costs.
2. Make Low-E glass a
must-have. That’s because
Low-E glass on ■windows,
door transoms and sideh^ts
controls solar heat gain - a
major contributor to air-con
ditioning costs.
Low-E ^ass can also pro
tect against heat loss in the
winter.
3. Don’t overlook the role of
doors in contributing to ener
gy efficiency
Choose doors with energy
efficient cores and sills, and
fi’ames that provide a barrier
to energy exchange.
4. Focus on efficiency, not
bells and whistles, ^\findow
manufacturers achieve effi
ciency in different ways, fi'om
Low-E ^ass to argon gas-
filled insulating ^ass.
The bottom line is to make
Slue the products are tested
and rated for efficiency usir^
industry standards, no mat
ter what technology is
employed. Look for the Ener
gy Star label appropriate for
your region,
, For more information about
achieving energy efficiency at
home, 'visit www.jeld-
wen.com or call (800) 877-
9482, ext. (7793), •
Easy-on, easy-off wallpaper is hottest new trend
Home improvement is simpler with easy to install and remove
tion of wallpaper can be removed in as little as 15 minutes.
ARTICLE RESOURCE ASSOCIATION
Want to change the look of
your hvii^ room or update
your kitchen with new wall
PHOTO/ARA CONTENT
wall paper. The new genera-
coveiings but aren’t sure you
can do it yourself?
Think again.
Home improvement pro
jects are getting a lot simpler
thanks to new easy-to-install,
easy-to-remove products.
‘Tn the past, the perception
of wallpaper has been that it’s
difficult to install and nearly
impossible to remove,” says
Tim Quinn, president of
Chesapeake Wallcoverings,
“We know that 90 percent of
consumers are doing their
own installation and
removal. Now, wallpapering
an average sized room is an
afternoon project, and
removal can be accomplished
in as little as 15 minutes.”
Home decorating programs
are increasingly showing
designs that incorporate wall
coverings. And the faux
painting fad seems to be end
ing, perhaps because con
sumers have discovered the
process is not always as easy
as it looks on TV The time is
ripe for wallpaper’s resur
gence.
Products like Chesapeake’s
pioneering Easy-Walls collec
tions virtually eliminate the
negative issues associated
with wallpaper: involved wall
preparation; difficult installa
tion includir^ booking; seam
separation; peeling; and the
deal-breaking difficulty of
removal-
Historically, preparing a
wall for wallpaper has
involved sanding, cleaning
solvents, and multiple coats
of primer and wallpaper siz-
ir^. Easy-Walls requires no
preparation other than sim
ply cleaning the wall. The
product is designed to adha:«
to a wall that has been cov
ered with at least two coats of
paint, preferably one of
primer and one flat latex,
Quinn says.
Wallpaper can tear, crease
and rip during installation.
And if you fail to book it, the
seams will separate once it
dries on the wall. Because the
product is a non-woven mix of
natural and synthetic fibers,
booking is no longer neces
sary, it’s made to be put on
the wall immediately after
wettii^.
“This removable paper is
much more forgi'ving than
typical wallpaper,” Quinn
notes. ‘With traditional
installation, the paste has to
have enou^ ‘slip’ to allow
you to realign it and move it
aroimd on the wall. This
paper moves very easily on
the waU. and you can even
take down an entire sheet
and put it back on in a new
position.” Mistakes are easily
corrected: simply smooth it
with your hands and reapply
it to the wall.
Failure to book traditional
wallpaper can result in seam
separation and peeling.
Improper wall preparation in
a humid spot like a bathroom
can lead to mold growth
behind the paper. Because
there is no vinyl in non-
wovesn wallpaper, vapor lock,
which traps moisture behind
the paper, is unlikely to occur.
The product is totally breath
able, making it ideal for use
in high-humidity areas likp*
the bath and kitchen.
Foiget the hours of scratch
ing, wetting and scraping or
steaming and harsh chemi
cals associated with remov
ing wallpaper. You can take
down removable wallpaper in
a matter of minutes, Quinn
says.
Spiff up around home with a few helpful tips
Continued from page 4D
Once you begin to collect
you will discover you have
more than you thought.
Make sure everyone in your
family knows where you
want items stored. Ip the
long run you will shop less
and save more.
• Adding shelving to the
bedroom waUs, about 12 to 14.
inches down fiom the ceiling,
could get toys, pictures, books
and more up off the floor (for
safety sake only store soft
toys on the section of shelf
that passes over the head-
board of the bed). We’d be
willing to bet ffiat you could
store at least 30 percent of
bedroom clutter alor^ these
shelves.
• Being creative helps. In
the kitchen, we’d be willing to
bet that you have more than
one size glass. Furthermore,
we bet they don’t easily stack.
Lay a tray atop the glasses
that you use less fi'equently
and load the ones that you
use most often onto the tray
When you need to get to the
less fi:^uently used glasses,
all you have to do is slip the
tray out of ffie way — or gen
tly lift it to remove one of the
glasses fix)m below. In this
way you can double or even
triple cabinet storage.
• A closet door can be a
priceless stor^e device. All
you need to do is add a layer
of pegboard to the inside and
' you have an instant acces
sories shdf for ties, belts, etc.
• There are file cabinets
that are made be installed in
a closet. Their overall depth
is 22 inches, which leaves just
enou^ room to close a sliding
door — and you don’t have to
remove the baseboard to
make it fit.
• Add a toiletry shelf over
the bathroom door. Make it
part of the door trim. It will
add interest to the bathroom
and help to clear clutter fir^m
your sink or coimter.
• Use a simple inecpensive
one-piece towel bar mounted
on the inside of a kitchen cab
inet door to store pot lids. Slip
the lid edgewise between the
door and the rack and the pot
handle ■wiH keep the Hd fiom
Simply start at a comer and
pull, and the entire sheet will
come off in one piece. “This
product is perfect for anyone
who wants to be able to
quickly and easily change a
look of a room in the future -
parents decorating a nursery
who know they will need to
redecorate as soon as the
child grows, or renters who
will need quick, clean, easy
removal when they move
out.”
Easy-Walls is currently
available fi*om most wallcov
ering retailers and large
home centers. Six design col
lections, each with 120 or
more pa'ttems, are currently
available.
The per-roU cost of the prod
uct is usually $1 to $2 more
than regular wallpaper, but is
offset by reduced preparation
and installation costs. For
more information or to see a
live demo, visit www.easy-
walls.com.
Charlotte
World
OF
Real Estate
Realtors, Mortgage Funding, Investors,
Contractors, and More!
To join this page of ADVERTISERS
Please call
Your Personal Executive:
Pat McNair ext. 106 •
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Sheryl Bradford ext 107
Fran Farrer-Nash ext. 113
Dennis Darrell ext. 105
falling through. Free up the
pot lid drawer for otiier more
important storage.
Finally clean old things up
until they sparkle. Make
them look so very new that
you won’t ever want to pur
chase a replacement. This
way you won’t have to worry
about storing the old one
until you get tired of lookup
at it,
Eegular cleaning is also a
superb way of making every
thing you own last longer
and, in most instances, work
better.
Besides cleaning, it is
important to perform regular,
maintenance on everythii^
you own that is mechanical.
OWNING YOUR FUTURE
Homeownership is a national priority. HUD is the
nation’s housing agency committed to increasing
homeownership and dedicated to helping first-time
buyers and minority families become homeowners.
Each year, HUD programs and services help tens of
thousands of families accomplish the dream of a life
time: owning a home.
Most likely, you’ll need to borrow money to buy a
house. Getting a fair deal will help you to keep your
home and boost your home equity wealth. Home
equity is the part of the value of your home that
belongs to you—the value of your house minus what
you owe on the mortgage. Your goal is to get a loan
that doesn’t include high fees or a high interest rate.
With low fees and a low interest rate, you can pay
down your debt more quickly and own more of your
house.
Watch You Wealth
The wealth you accumulate in a house is no different
than money in a checking or savings account. Be as
careful and attentive to ybur home equity as you
would be to your bank account. Be cautious about
refinancing or borrowing against your home equity.
Remember, refinancing isn’t always a good idea.
Don’t let someone sell you a loan you don’t need or
can’t afford. Be wary of pitches like "NO CREDIT,
NO PROBLEM" or random mail promising favor
able mortgage rates. If it sounds too good to be true,
it probably is.
For more information, call 1 (800) 569-4287 or go to
www.owningyourfuture.gov and select "Buying a
Home."