Need a simple project to perk up a dreary bathroom? Make a big splash in a tired bath with these quick and easy design ideas.

Spring Clean: For an instant, no-cost way to create more space…clear the clutter and give the room a good scrubbing. Clean off the counter tops, toilet tank and bath tub corners. Scrub the grout and clean out the cabinets. Organize toiletries in attractive containers and store small appliances and personal grooming aids out of site.

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall: Visually expand your space by replacing an existing plate glass mirror with a large framed mirror. Inexpensive, attractive mirrors can be found at off-price stores, yard sales and thrift shops. Group a collection of small mirrors in a variety of shapes together to add glamour and sparkle to a tiny bath.

Quick Change: Replace an old shower curtain with a new one for an instant up-date. choose a fabric curtain over vinyl to soften the look of hard bathroom surfaces. Try ready-made drapery panels instead of a traditional “bath” curtain. Hang from a rod at ceiling height and swag to one side for drama. Add a few color coordinated hand towels for a designer look in no time.

Floor Bored: Peel and stick tiles add pizzazz to a tired bathroom floor. Inexpensive and easy to install, try graphic black and white for a contemporary look or choose a faux stone for old world charm. No time to remove the old floor? Paint over it with epoxy paint, stamp or stencil on a pattern and seal with polyurethane for protection. Follow manufacturers recommendations for your particular floor surface.

Tile Style: Hat that old green wall tile? If the tiled walls are in good shape, you can paint them, too! Ask any paint retailer about the latest products made specifically to adhere to old tile. Or give those old tiles a hand-crafted look with decorative appliques. Available in most art supply stores, they come in a variety of patterns and sizes and are easy to apply and remove.

Spa Retreat: Turn you bath into a spa-like retreat by replacing the existing shower head with a “rain” or vibrating massage fixture. Update the sink faucet in a hot new finish, such as brushed nickel or oil rubbed bronze. Coordinate the cabinet hardware for a professional look. Buy the biggest, thickest bath towels you can afford and enjoy!

Nanette Catarinella, owner of Room Styles Interiors, is an interior decorator, award winning re-designer, home staging specialist, speaker, author and career trainer. For more information, please visit her web site at: RoomStylesInteriors.com RoomStylesInteriors.com

Woodworking is a popular past time for many people. The latest survey estimates over 18 million people are engaged in this vocation, either as a profession, or as a hobby.
While the majority of them are males, there are many female woodworkers, who almost seem to possess a mysterious connection to fine design and quality of work.

Woodworking is a skill that can be learned by everyone, through the many books and magazines dedicated solely to this subject. While these publications inform the reader of the techniques involved in this craft, they can’t relay the hand / eye co-ordination required, or the “feel” involved in using the tools. This can only be learned by actually using the tools and equipment required to participate in this activity.

Practicing proper use of tools will lead to a better understanding of the properties of the materials involved, as well as the relationship of the tools with the materials. This understanding is essential to successful projects. Therefore, as with everything else, practice is essential.

Apprenticeships in years gone by consisted of having an apprentice perform the same task repeatedly, until the “master” felt that the student learned not only the knowledge involved, but the “feel” of tools interacting with the materials. This same learning technique is still the best way to master the skills involved. These skills can be practiced on scraps of wood, prior to attempting them on an actual project.

Woodworking is typically accomplished with a combination of hand tools and machinery. While some of these machines can amount to a pretty substantial investment, often a lesser cost hand tool can be used in their stead. This will equate to a higher level of labor, but will produce fine results.

There are many woodworking clubs, schools and classes sponsored at local retail tool stores, which will allow use of their machinery, thereby reducing the need to purchase the larger machines. This is a good approach, as in addition to saving money, they will teach proper use and safety.

There is much information available, regarding which tools to buy, and in what order to buy them, but it is important to buy quality tools and machines. Often a person gives up in frustration, when the real problem is poor equipment that even in professional hands would lead to disappointing results.

There are a number of multi purpose machines on the market, such as Shopsmith, that are high in quality, and will perform the same functions as multiple, single purpose, or dedicated, machinery. They have the added advantage of allowing a complete shop to be set up in a small space. The down side to these machines is that they require some setup time when switching between accessories, and in general can’t compete with the power and speed of independent commercial quality machines. Still, they are quite capable of producing work of the highest quality.

Many professional cabinet / furniture shops started out as a hobby for the owner of the shop. This is often the case, particularly for smaller shops. Eventually he / she got enough work to sustain turning it into a business.

While the subject of cabinet or furniture making can seem intimidating, it is not out of realm of most people, who are willing to practice and read articles in areas of particular interest.

It is a hobby that can provide a very rewarding and gratifying way of escaping the stresses of everyday life, and who knows, it could turn into a business for you as well!

Written by: Lee A Jesberger.
Jesberger has owned of a high end General Contracting business for thirty years.
He also owns and operates a custom Cabinet and Furniture business.
He is the inventor of the Ezee-Feed, infeed / outfeed systems for woodworking machines, which is patent pending.
prowoodworkingtips.com prowoodworkingtips.com
ezee-feed.com ezee-feed.com
Copyright 2007 – Lee A. Jesberger. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, give author name credit.

You may not afford the luxury of buying a Tempurpedic mattress but you can still benefit from memory foam’s unique temperature-sensitivity, if you really like the feel of it. One option is buying a cheaper mattress.

Most of these Tempur-Pedic Swedish clones, however, are not as comfortable, don’t provide enough back support and break down in 2-3 years. Another option would be making your own viscoelastic foam mattress, a challenge DIY enthusiasts will certainly enjoy. Here’s how to get started.

Your home-made visco foam mattress will essentially be made of:

Memory foam topper
Foam core
Foundation (optional)
Accessories (optional)

Memory Foam Comfort Layer

It’s important to remember that viscoelastic foam is not supportive enough to make a mattress entirely of it which is why you will use a 3-inch thick topper on top of the mattress core. Here’s what to look for in a visco foam topper:

Open-cell structure which eliminates pressure points (air pressure is spread to adjoining cells instead of upwards to constrict blood circulation).
High density of 4lb minimum (5lb is recommended).
Sensitivity to body temperature which makes the foam become softer when warmer and contour your shape with added precision.
Firmness of 13 ILD minimum (14 is ILD recommended). ILD stands for Indentation Load Deflection which measures firmness in polyurethane foams.

For a more luxurious feel, use the 4-inch thick Tempur mattress overlay. It’s made of high-quality, temperature-sensitive 5.34lb memory foam of 14 ILD firmness.

Mattress Core

The mattress core is as important as the memory foam layer on top, if not more crucial. Without a firm and supportive foam underneath it, you keep sinking in until you bottom out. Here’s what your foam mattress core should be made of:

Between 1 and 4 layers of good quality, high-resilience foam of 30-36 ILD firmness.
The deeper layers should be thicker, firmer and denser in order to provide better support.
Adding intermediate layers between the bottom one and the Tempurpedic-style mattress topper ensures a more delicate, luxurious feel.

Bed Foundation

The memory foam layer and core are usually enough to make a home-made Tempur-Pedic mattress. Once built, you may wish to place it on a bed foundation in order to raise it from the floor (by 10-inches or more). Alternatively, you can place it directly on the floor.

If you do choose to place the mattress on a foundation make sure it’s the solid type. Memory foam mattresses should not be used on slates and box springs. A perfectly flat, no-spring surface is required for the foam to properly support body weight and relieve pressure points. Tempur-Pedic warranty, for example, is voided if you use their product on anything else than a solid foundation.

Accessories For Added Luxury

Add a terry velour cover to your new, home-made memory bed for that extra bit of luxury but avoid at all costs to add further padding (of any kind) between yourself and the memory foam layer.

Insulation from the body means the viscoelastic foam cannot react the best it possibly can to body temperature. It won’t soften and flow around your body but remain firm, cold and uncomfortable.

Bottom Line

Most people don’t realise that it’s actually easy making a memory foam mattress of your own, even with that bit of Tempurpedic distinction. All you need is to pay lots of attention when buying the foam for the comfort layer and the mattress core.

Further Reading

squidoo.com/memoryfoam/ Memory Foam Lens at Squidoo

Happy Sleeping!

Do you fall for these manufacturer tricks when shopping for a foam mattress? Are visco mattresses really better than other popular alternatives? How do you know if visco foam helps you sleep more comfortably?

Liz Hoffman offers in-depth myfoammattress.net/guide/” title=”Sleep tips advice on memory foam mattresses to help you find the perfect mattress. Popular goodies include the Special Report on How To Get Visco Elastic Foam Samples To Your Door.

Visit myfoammattress.net myfoammattress.net today!

If you are a homeowner, it is likely that you are aware of the cost of heating your home. Unfortunately, this cost is often high. If you are interested in heating your home, but for an affordable price you are encouraged to examine outdoor wood burning furnaces.

As with most other products, outdoor wood burning furnaces are available for purchase in a number of different makes and models. This choice is often a difficult one to make. Many outdoor wood burning furnaces provide enough heat and hot water for a large home or even multiple buildings, but not all will. To determine which outdoor wood burning furnace you should purchase, you are encouraged to examine your wants and needs. What you want to get out of a wood furnace is the best way to find and purchase a furnace that will best fit your needs.

While, you will have a number of different furnace models to choose from, you will also have a number of buying options. A large number of individuals and companies make and sell outdoor wood burning furnaces. In fact, there are so many buying options that many individuals tend to become overwhelmed. When shopping for an outdoor wood furnace, you are encouraged to make a well informed decision. It may only appear as if you are purchasing a wood furnace, but your purchase will have a lasting effect on the value of your home and the cost you pay to heat your home.

When it comes to outdoor wood burning furnaces, there are many individuals who are concerned with the cost. The cost of a wood furnace will all depend on where you are buying the furnace from. That is why it is important to fully research and examine a number of different individuals and companies. The best way for you to do this is to perform a standard internet search, if you aren’t already familiar with a dependable dealer.

You will find that outdoor wood burning furnaces can be purchased on and offline. Offline stores are often referred to as storefront retail locations. Each may provide you with what you are looking with, but many customers prefer shopping online. Online shopping is popular because it tends to offer a larger product selection. Most retail stores are limited on the number of products that they carry, including outdoor wood burning furnaces. This problem does not seem to exist online.

If you are searching for an outdoor wood furnace based on price, you are not alone. Many individuals wish to save money, in the long run, with an outdoor wood furnace. The only problem is that many are unable to afford the upfront costs of purchasing an outdoor furnace. For the best deals on outdoor wood burning furnaces, you are encouraged to compare before you buy. Taking the time to compare prices and find the best deal will often result in you saving money, both in the present and in future.

The amount of money you can save with a wood burning furnace will vary. Outdoor wood burning furnaces will save most homeowners a fairly large amount of money. The money you will save depends on a number of different factors. For a detailed estimate, you are encouraged to speak to a well-known and trusted outdoor wood burning furnace dealer, such as Hawken Energy.

Brad King is a writer for Hawken Energy where you can find a great deal on
hawkenenergy.com/outdoor-wood-burning-furnaces.php outdoor wood burning furnaces