Home Improvement

Tackle your DIY projects with these 3 multipurpose tools

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(BPT) – DIY projects are surging in popularity right now and it’s easy to see why. A successful DIY project can fix a problem or make a much-needed improvement to your home, while also providing you with the satisfaction of a job well done. Best of all, it allows you to save money over hiring a professional contractor to do the work.

But is it possible to conquer several DIY projects in a short period of time? Sure, you just need the right multipurpose tools for the job. Below are three tools you can pick up at any hardware store, and each will allow you to tackle a slew of projects with just one purchase, making each tool the perfect project time saver.

Add these three multipurpose tools to your lineup today:

Multipurpose tool 1: Stain

A staining project is an easy, cost-effective way to completely recreate a look in your home. You may purchase one color of stain or several, depending on how many staining projects you plan to do and the proximity of your projects in your home. When you purchase your stain, you can use it to:

* Stain your front door. Your front door is a focal point in your home and staining it gives the face of your home a completely new look.

* Stain your wood floors. Darker floors are growing in popularity and a fresh coat of stain can give your home that look without an expensive replacement.

* Stain a table or other piece of furniture. Whether you want it to be an accent piece in your room or you’d like it to match your new décor, a fresh coat of stain saves you from having to replace a cherished piece.

Multipurpose tool 2: GREAT STUFF(TM) Multipurpose Black Insulating Foam Sealant

Sealing the gaps and cracks around your home will save you money by making your home more energy efficient, while also increasing your home’s comfort. In fact, one can of GREAT STUFF(TM) has a multitude of uses in and around the home, including:

* Seal gaps and cracks around attic doors. This will prevent your home’s heat from escaping during the winter and will better control the temperature in your home.

* Seal areas around vents and duct work. In addition to helping better regulate the temperature in your home, these projects can also ward off pests and vermin that are looking for warmer temperatures inside.

* Tackle other jobs as well. The capabilities of GREAT STUFF™ Multipurpose Black Insulating Foam Sealant apply to projects outside the home as well, so whether you have a project in mind or one arises along your journey, it’s always handy to have a can on hand.

Multipurpose tool 3: Degreaser

If you have a heavy duty cleaning project to tackle in your home, a good degreaser can help. Degreasers dissolve water-insoluble substances and they can help you:

* Clean stainless steel and appliances. Grease and oil collect naturally in any kitchen and their particles can linger on kitchen equipment. Applying degreaser can remove them quickly and cleanly.

* Remove adhesives. Whether the sticker was supposed to go there, it was an accident or the subject of child’s whim, applying degreaser can clean the spot good as new.

* Eliminate heavy buildup around bike chains and engine parts. Buildup is a natural product of use, but it also jeopardizes efficiency. Apply degreaser to these areas to have your favorite objects running like new.

Your mind is already full of DIY projects you’d love to tackle, you just need to find the time to do them. Efficiency is key and the more projects you can tackle with one tool the better. Add these tools to your next home goods trip and you’ll have your DIY project start off on the right foot. To find more projects you can tackle with GREAT STUFF(TM) Multipurpose Black Insulating Foam Sealant, visit greatstuff.dow.com.

Tackle your DIY projects with these 3 multipurpose tools

by

(BPT) – DIY projects are surging in popularity right now and it’s easy to see why. A successful DIY project can fix a problem or make a much-needed improvement to your home, while also providing you with the satisfaction of a job well done. Best of all, it allows you to save money over hiring a professional contractor to do the work.

But is it possible to conquer several DIY projects in a short period of time? Sure, you just need the right multipurpose tools for the job. Below are three tools you can pick up at any hardware store, and each will allow you to tackle a slew of projects with just one purchase, making each tool the perfect project time saver.

Add these three multipurpose tools to your lineup today:

Multipurpose tool 1: Stain

A staining project is an easy, cost-effective way to completely recreate a look in your home. You may purchase one color of stain or several, depending on how many staining projects you plan to do and the proximity of your projects in your home. When you purchase your stain, you can use it to:

* Stain your front door. Your front door is a focal point in your home and staining it gives the face of your home a completely new look.

* Stain your wood floors. Darker floors are growing in popularity and a fresh coat of stain can give your home that look without an expensive replacement.

* Stain a table or other piece of furniture. Whether you want it to be an accent piece in your room or you’d like it to match your new décor, a fresh coat of stain saves you from having to replace a cherished piece.

Multipurpose tool 2: GREAT STUFF(TM) Multipurpose Black Insulating Foam Sealant

Sealing the gaps and cracks around your home will save you money by making your home more energy efficient, while also increasing your home’s comfort. In fact, one can of GREAT STUFF(TM) has a multitude of uses in and around the home, including:

* Seal gaps and cracks around attic doors. This will prevent your home’s heat from escaping during the winter and will better control the temperature in your home.

* Seal areas around vents and duct work. In addition to helping better regulate the temperature in your home, these projects can also ward off pests and vermin that are looking for warmer temperatures inside.

* Tackle other jobs as well. The capabilities of GREAT STUFF™ Multipurpose Black Insulating Foam Sealant apply to projects outside the home as well, so whether you have a project in mind or one arises along your journey, it’s always handy to have a can on hand.

Multipurpose tool 3: Degreaser

If you have a heavy duty cleaning project to tackle in your home, a good degreaser can help. Degreasers dissolve water-insoluble substances and they can help you:

* Clean stainless steel and appliances. Grease and oil collect naturally in any kitchen and their particles can linger on kitchen equipment. Applying degreaser can remove them quickly and cleanly.

* Remove adhesives. Whether the sticker was supposed to go there, it was an accident or the subject of child’s whim, applying degreaser can clean the spot good as new.

* Eliminate heavy buildup around bike chains and engine parts. Buildup is a natural product of use, but it also jeopardizes efficiency. Apply degreaser to these areas to have your favorite objects running like new.

Your mind is already full of DIY projects you’d love to tackle, you just need to find the time to do them. Efficiency is key and the more projects you can tackle with one tool the better. Add these tools to your next home goods trip and you’ll have your DIY project start off on the right foot. To find more projects you can tackle with GREAT STUFF(TM) Multipurpose Black Insulating Foam Sealant, visit greatstuff.dow.com.

4 bathroom design trends that marry luxury, beauty and sensibility

by

(BPT) – When you’re ready to create the bathroom of your dreams, it’s no time to chase fads. You want design trends with enduring appeal, concepts that blend luxury, beauty, sensibility and eco-friendliness. Striking the perfect balance between indulgence and practicality can result in a bathroom where you’ll happily spend time getting ready to face the world or decompressing after a busy day.

As you’re planning your bathroom remodel, here are four 2017 bathroom design trends that are as smart as they are luxurious and lovely:

Rediscover cork

Chances are, if cork is already present in your home, it’s part of a bulletin board or nestled in the neck of your favorite bottle of wine. However, cork has many advantages as a design material, and it’s especially appealing in modern bathrooms.

Cork is a beautiful natural material. With a wide variety of colors, grains and textures, each piece of cork is a unique work of natural art. It’s naturally water resistant (although not water proof) and anti-microbial, so it combats mold and mildew in bathrooms. As a flooring material, it’s soft, warm texture is friendly to bare feet.

Finally, cork is exceptionally sustainable; it’s renewable, recyclable and biodegradable, and cork trees need not be cut down in order to harvest the material.

Win with wall-mount toilets

Already widely found in European homes, wall-mount toilets are gaining in popularity in the U.S. Wall-mount toilets offer many design advantages that are both beautiful and practical. Mounting a toilet on the wall allows greater design flexibility, and makes cleaning beneath and around the fixture easy. Great in any size bathroom, wall-mount toilets work particularly well in smaller spaces to create an uncluttered and open visual effect.

Leading manufacturers like TOTO offer wall-hung toilets that feature leading edge technology and eco-friendly elements. The newest addition to TOTO’s line of wall-mount toilets, the MH Wall-Hung High Efficiency Toilet, delivers an elegant appearance, powerful Dual-Max 3D Tornado flushing, a nano-technology glaze that repels waste and reduces the need for harsh cleansers, and a planet-loving 1.28 gallons per flush for solid waste and 0.9 gpf for liquid waste.

Delightful daylighting

The concept of daylighting — using natural light from multiple sources to illuminate a space — has been around for a while, and this is the year to welcome the trend into your bathroom. Incorporating natural light into a bathroom can help reduce electricity consumption, improve visibility, positively affect your mood, balance your internal clock and increase your home’s resale value.

Windows are the most common way to bring sunlight into a room. If your bathroom has an exterior wall that’s lacking a window, consider adding one. Windows with glass blocks or simple frosting on panes can allow you to enjoy sunlight while retaining privacy.

Skylights and tubular skylights are another tactic for bringing daylight into a bathroom. For rooms with direct roof access, professional skylight installation can be a cost-effective way to daylight the room. For ground-floor powder rooms and second-floor bathrooms with an attic above them, tubular skylights use reflective tubes and mirrors to transmit sunlight from the roof into the room.

Wonderful wet rooms

Showers, like TOTO’s Aero Shower System, have been trending toward larger and luxurious for some time now on the bathroom design scene. For a shower that truly stands out in terms of visual impact and luxurious experience, consider creating a wet room. Another bathroom design concept that’s popular abroad, modern wet room bathrooms eliminate shower doors, enhance accessibility, make cleaning easier and create a more expansive shower experience.

To turn your standard bathroom into a wet room, you’ll need to waterproof the walls and floors, and have the floor gently graded to lead to a central floor drain that carries excess water away. Whether you have a large bathroom or a smaller space, the wet room concept can make your bathroom look and feel bigger by eliminating shower stalls, doors and curtains that take up space.

The average mid-range bathroom remodel recoups more than 65 percent of its value upon resale, according to Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value Report. By choosing design trends that combine good sense with luxurious style, you can create a bathroom that will enhance your enjoyment of your home while increasing your home’s value.

4 bathroom design trends that marry luxury, beauty and sensibility

by

(BPT) – When you’re ready to create the bathroom of your dreams, it’s no time to chase fads. You want design trends with enduring appeal, concepts that blend luxury, beauty, sensibility and eco-friendliness. Striking the perfect balance between indulgence and practicality can result in a bathroom where you’ll happily spend time getting ready to face the world or decompressing after a busy day.

As you’re planning your bathroom remodel, here are four 2017 bathroom design trends that are as smart as they are luxurious and lovely:

Rediscover cork

Chances are, if cork is already present in your home, it’s part of a bulletin board or nestled in the neck of your favorite bottle of wine. However, cork has many advantages as a design material, and it’s especially appealing in modern bathrooms.

Cork is a beautiful natural material. With a wide variety of colors, grains and textures, each piece of cork is a unique work of natural art. It’s naturally water resistant (although not water proof) and anti-microbial, so it combats mold and mildew in bathrooms. As a flooring material, it’s soft, warm texture is friendly to bare feet.

Finally, cork is exceptionally sustainable; it’s renewable, recyclable and biodegradable, and cork trees need not be cut down in order to harvest the material.

Win with wall-mount toilets

Already widely found in European homes, wall-mount toilets are gaining in popularity in the U.S. Wall-mount toilets offer many design advantages that are both beautiful and practical. Mounting a toilet on the wall allows greater design flexibility, and makes cleaning beneath and around the fixture easy. Great in any size bathroom, wall-mount toilets work particularly well in smaller spaces to create an uncluttered and open visual effect.

Leading manufacturers like TOTO offer wall-hung toilets that feature leading edge technology and eco-friendly elements. The newest addition to TOTO’s line of wall-mount toilets, the MH Wall-Hung High Efficiency Toilet, delivers an elegant appearance, powerful Dual-Max 3D Tornado flushing, a nano-technology glaze that repels waste and reduces the need for harsh cleansers, and a planet-loving 1.28 gallons per flush for solid waste and 0.9 gpf for liquid waste.

Delightful daylighting

The concept of daylighting — using natural light from multiple sources to illuminate a space — has been around for a while, and this is the year to welcome the trend into your bathroom. Incorporating natural light into a bathroom can help reduce electricity consumption, improve visibility, positively affect your mood, balance your internal clock and increase your home’s resale value.

Windows are the most common way to bring sunlight into a room. If your bathroom has an exterior wall that’s lacking a window, consider adding one. Windows with glass blocks or simple frosting on panes can allow you to enjoy sunlight while retaining privacy.

Skylights and tubular skylights are another tactic for bringing daylight into a bathroom. For rooms with direct roof access, professional skylight installation can be a cost-effective way to daylight the room. For ground-floor powder rooms and second-floor bathrooms with an attic above them, tubular skylights use reflective tubes and mirrors to transmit sunlight from the roof into the room.

Wonderful wet rooms

Showers, like TOTO’s Aero Shower System, have been trending toward larger and luxurious for some time now on the bathroom design scene. For a shower that truly stands out in terms of visual impact and luxurious experience, consider creating a wet room. Another bathroom design concept that’s popular abroad, modern wet room bathrooms eliminate shower doors, enhance accessibility, make cleaning easier and create a more expansive shower experience.

To turn your standard bathroom into a wet room, you’ll need to waterproof the walls and floors, and have the floor gently graded to lead to a central floor drain that carries excess water away. Whether you have a large bathroom or a smaller space, the wet room concept can make your bathroom look and feel bigger by eliminating shower stalls, doors and curtains that take up space.

The average mid-range bathroom remodel recoups more than 65 percent of its value upon resale, according to Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value Report. By choosing design trends that combine good sense with luxurious style, you can create a bathroom that will enhance your enjoyment of your home while increasing your home’s value.