Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Jan. 5, 2006, edition 1 / Page 29
Part of The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
5D REAL ESTATEACtie Ctarfaitte ^ot Thursday, January 5, 2006 Wide plank floors and radiant heat a great combination Continued from page 4D allows the fibers of the wood to remain pliable and healthy so that a plank will not be “shocked” when heat is intro duced and it will be able to adapt with minimal move ment to its new environment. • Appropriate acclimation Once the floor arrives at the job site, the wood should be “stickered” in its live-in condi tions for an appropriate peri od of time, depending on the climate and the time of year. Make sure that all materials surrounding the floor, such as the concrete slab, plywood sub-floor and filler material, are also acclimated. Carlisle stresses that the most impor tant thing to remember when using wide plank wood floors with radiant heat is to use good wood stable, high quali ty properly dried. “Any issues that arise with this marriage are typically due to one of the How to incorporate personal style into your bathroom decor Continued from page 4D combinations 2) When choos ing furniture, you gravitate toward: A. Overstufied pieces with distressed and crackle finishes B. Leather, cherry wood and dark stains C. Light woods, like natural maple D. Organic pieces, in difierent prints and colors, fiom unique locales around the world 3) When you acces sorize a room, you most likely choose: A. Items that are old, rustic or have a touch of whimsy that make a room cozy and inviting B. Family heirlooms, accented with it^ns you’ve foimd at estate sales C. New accessories that are placed sparsely and care fully throughout the room D. Punl^ fun accessories you found everywhwe finm thrift stores to hi^-end boutiques to a vacation overseas 4) Where do you do most of your home shopping? A. Arts and crafts fairs B. Estate sales, auctions and antique shops C. A chic, modem home store or trendy mail order catalog D. All of the above If you con sistently chose As, you gravi tate toward a casual stjde. If you chose mostly B’s, you’re probably more the traditional type. Mostly Cs? You have a contemporary stjie, and D’s indicate a taste for the eclec tic. Now that you’ve identi fied the stjde that suits your personality, here are some suggestions for decorating your space accordingly 1. Casual; Casual style is homey and welcoming. There are many takes on this look, but they all incorporate a clean and comfortable feel. Fabrics are generally soft and textured. Furniture is over stufied and inviting. Washed wall finishes or beaded boards (called wainscoting) can give your bathroom this casual feel. Using old furni ture such as wardrobes or dmssers for storage cup boards adds some visual interest and whimsy to your look. Wicker baskets are ideal for countertop organization. (jO vintage with your bath room fixtures, too, with antique nickel finishes and twisting and curved designs. Tbwel bars, a paper holder and matching toilet tank lever in this stjde provide warm details that add the finishing touch to this decor. 2. IVaditional: Traditional st>de calls to mind the feeling of formality and luxury. Large, rich floral prints on fabrics, drapes, or wallpaper win give your bathroom the character it needs to pull off this look. Cherry woods or other dark finishes create a rich feel. Choose accessories like the Gilcrest Collection fix>m Inspirations by Moen, in a rich oil rubbed bronze fin ish. The towel bars, mirrors and shelving have decorative finials, grooved flourishes and intricate detailing for a time honored appearance. 3. Contemporary Easily recog nizable by its modem design and sophisticated, sleek lines, a contemporary theme can work well in a bathroom where surfaces are angled and smooth. If you want to create this look, select cabi netry in natural wood finish es and contrast with stone or marble, or go for the urban chic look with all stainless steel. Add dramatic towel bars, shelving and paper holders in chrome finishes to make an impact in this stjde of bath. 4. Eldectic: The eclec tic decorator mixes and matches design elements to create unique and visually interesting combinations. If you aren’t afi*aid to paint your heirloom bookshelf orange and top it with a Buddha, or put a jukebox near your Per sian rug, you lean towards an eclectic st>ie. But edecticdsm can be more restrained, too, combining organic looking pieces that share shap)es, tex tures, or colors. Neutral walls and floors look best with eclectic rooms since they serve as the canvas for your creativity Look for acces sories that make a statement. CTioose those that are inspired by nature or capture the feel of an exotic locale like Afiica, Asia or Tliscany By definition, there are no rules for eclectic decorating. It does, however, require a keen eye for harmonious (as opposed to hodge-pxxdge) com binations. “Remember,” pjotnts out Bitteiman, “Just because you prefer a certain stjde, you can still mix and match and have fun. The p)oint is to create a room that says you, one that brii^ eiyoyment and allows you to relax and feel comfortable.” For more information on bath stjie trends, or accesso ry products available fium Inspirations by Moen, call (800) 321-8809, or visit their www.csi.moen.com. Tips for remodeling that add value to your home Continued from page 4D cover. Traditional stjdes of wood and bride add warmth to the home, and tile and stone incorporate elegance ' for contemporary tastes. It seems Linoleum is also mak ing a come back because of its vibrant color palate and sus tainability considered by the environmentally conscious consumer. The look of wood, brick, tile and stone can be achieved with Nafeo by Thrkett Per- maStone, an easy to main tain, durable and economical product. Since flooring is the base of the home and will determine your interior design path it is important to consider all options before making any final decisions. Once the flooring has been determined, it is time to decide if the bathroom or kitchen make-over takes pri ority Since the kitchen is the Grand Central Station of the home, it tends to be one of the most invasive pxrojects, so it is b^ to start here when mak ing major changes. The most p>opular updates for the kitchen, aside fi*om flooring, are granite counter tops and new cabinets. Dep)ending on budget, cabinets can be cus tom built or existing wood can be painted for a lighter, more inspired look. Just adding new cabinet doors and hardware can change the entire look of the room and add value to the home. How ever, once the cabinets, coun tertops and floors are given a new look, homeowners tend to want new faucets and sinks as well, so keep this in mind when developing a bud get. As the remodeling process continues, bathrooms are the next project that can upxlate your home. Recent trends have shown that peo ple are sp>ending a large amount of their remodeling dollars on the master bath room. Extra luxuries such as waterfall showerheads and slate waUs are showing up in older homes and making a statement for resale pmpos- es. Enlarging shower and bathing spaces is a great fea ture for personal pampering and successfully app)ealing to px)tential buyers. Updating fixtures and adding sink ves sels to create an elegant and stjdish bathroom also increase the value of the remodel project. Studies reflect that the savvy home owner has realized the value added to the home throu^ remodeling as profits contin ue to rise. Choosing the ri^t projects along with quality products ensure investment dollars will continue to work for you throughout the life cycle of your home. For more information on how Nafeo by Tarkett Perma- Stone can enhance your remodeling project, go to WWW.tarkett.com, or call (800) 877-8453. Hand distressing gives floors look of old wood Continued from page 4D Hand scraped edge Lumber milling was an imprecise process in the 18th and 19th centuries. No two boards were ever exactly the same. When these imp)erfect boards were installed in a wide plank floor, it was not imusual to see individual boards laying side by side at different heists. Tb solve the problem fand avoid pwtential trips and falls), car- pjenters used a handheld block plane to scraps off the higher edges. This oft«i left a slight gap between floorboards. Tbday, Carlisle craftsmen use the same tool to mimic the look of a floor that has been planed through hand scraping of old growth east ern white pine. By randomly scraping down the edges of the board, that signature gap can be recreated when the boards are placed side by side. In fact, the craftsmen will occasionally place three or four boards together during the process to make sure the results look like an old, traditional floor. Foot Worn Stand ing on a floor visibly worn by centuries of foot traffic can make one feel linked to the past Pockets, undulations, dip)s and softened edges in a wide plank floor sp)eak of centuries of wear and a certain deprth of character. Caiiisle craftsm^i use handheld planes to scrapie the surface and edges of each individual board. They study each board, and, taking into consideration the many directions of the grain as well as knots, scrapje the wood with multiple staflrts and stops down the entire iCTigth. Once the scraping is complete, workers hand sand the entire surface of the boards, which are most often old growth hickory or walnut Using this pjrocess, the craftsmen scraps an average of onlyl5 to 20 square feet psr hour. Carriage House/Saw Kerf After automobiles replaced liOTse-drawn carriages as Ameri cans’ primary mode of transpxotation, many old carriage hous es were converted to residences. Tbday some still retain their csiginal floors, where the marks of carriage wheels and horse shoes are still visiHe. Some even bear the grooves or notches - “ kerfmarks”- made by the saws ca* axes first used to cut the tim ber. Tb replicate the lock with modem wood, Carlisle craftsmen do not mill the planks smooth. OWNING YOUR FUTURE Homeownership is a national priority. HUD is the nation’s housing agency committed to increa.sing 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 hou.sc. 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. Know Your Stuff In order to build and keep the wealth in your house, first be a savvy borrower. Savvy borrowers know their credit score. Some borrowers save thousands of dollars by improving their credit scores before taking out a loan. Borrowers who meet certain credit stan dards are eligible for "prime" loans with better inter est rates. Loans to borrowers who don’t meet tradi tional credit standards are known as "subprime" loans or "non-prime" loans. These loans generally cost more than prime loans. For more information, call 1 (800) 569^287 or go to www.owningyourftiture.gov and select "Buying a Home." critical factors being absent, not due to the use of radiant heat,” he says. “Wide plank floors love radiant heat . . . period.” For more information on the use of wide plank floors with radiant heat (or any type of heating system), or to see photos of wide plank floors installed with this application, call Carlisle at (800) 595-9663 or visit the company’s Web site at www.wideplankflooring.com. At home antd in the neighborhood. Charlotte $0lG(t World OF RealE^ate Realtors, Mortgage Funding, Investors, Contractors, and More! To join this page of ADVERTISERS Please call Your Personal Executive: Pat McNair ext. 106 • Jeri Thompson ext. 104 Sheryl Bradford ext 107 Fran Fairer-Nash ext. 113 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 thou.sands 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 hpuse. 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 your 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 tme, it probably is. For more information, call 1 (800) 569-4287 or go to www.owningyourfuture.gov and select "Buying a Home."
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 5, 2006, edition 1
29
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75