Saturday, October 29, 2016

Halloween Decor DIYs | Room Decor or Party Decorations 2016



Here's some spooky halloween themed room decor diys that you can use as decoration for your bedroom or for parties. These halloween decorations are budget friendly, easy and cheap to make. Hope you guys have a great halloween!

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Fire Bowl Design Ideas



http://www.landscapingnetwork.com Fire features for outdoor rooms are growing in popularity as a way to add ambience, lighting and warmth. See how to use a fire bowl as a backyard focal point by filling it with decorative stone or colored glass, enhanced by a gas-lit flame. Also get tips for fire bowl placement and flame height.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Front Yard Courtyard & Water Feature



This rectangular water feature adds soothing sound and drama to a small courtyard. It's cleverly incorporated into a privacy wall, with water flowing from a notch in the wall. The walls of the water basin are made of sand-washed concrete in gray and beige.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

How To Grow Culinary Herbs



Shopping List for How to Grow Culinary Herbs:
- 6-inch clay pot
- Soil with compost and perlite
- Chives
- Parsley
- Tarragon
- Mint
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Basil

Tools for How to Grow Culinary Herbs:
- Gardening gloves

Steps for How to Grow Culinary Herbs:
1. Fill up clay pot about half way with soil with compost and perlite.
2. Remove the herb plant from its temporary plastic pot and tease out the roots gently, then place it in the clay pot.
3. Fill in empty space with more soil. Don’t pack in soil too tightly.
4. Put a quick pour of organic fertilizer in a watering can and give the plant a good soaking.
5. If you’re grouping herb plants together, try to group them together in accordance with needs. For example, chives, parsley and tarragon all require about six hours of sunlight a day and need to stay moist.
6. Rosemary, thyme and oregano can also be grouped together. They like about six to eight hours of sunlight and can dry out a bit.
7. Always plant mint alone because it will spread out and take over anything else that’s in the container.
8. To harvest, let your herbs grow to be about six inches tall.
9. Basil can be pinched off at the top to encourage new growth.
10. Parsley can be pinched off on the outside with the new growth coming from the center.
11. Chives can be cut right off the top like a haircut.
12. If the herbs are not getting enough sunlight, consider buying a grow light as a supplement.

Monday, October 17, 2016

How To Seal Concrete with SmartSeal and SharkSeal



NewLook has a number of water-based and solvent-based sealers. SmartSeal & SharkSeal are two of our most popular water-based sealers.

SmartSeal is a low VOC water-based sealer water-based formula is used to protect all NewLook concrete stains, properly prepared concrete floors, pool decks and other concrete and masonry surfaces. SmartSeal WB dries quickly and, once cured, creates an abrasion-resistant film that provides weatherproof protection against sun, rain, most acids, industrial chemicals, oil and grease.

SharkSeal™ is a water and oil repellant penetrating sealer with color enhancing properties. It penetrates deep into interior or exterior concrete, stone and pavers, yet is compatible as an enhancing sealer over NewLook color stains. Easily clean surfaces with SharkSeal™ as it repels dirt, dust and resists stains from most common spills including dirty auto fluids, beverages and many other fluids. Prolongs the life of concrete affected by winter freeze-thaw cycle and salt intrusion.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Garden Edge



We wanted to put cedar chips around our garden boxes. The west side drops to the neighbors property and I did not want cedar chips falling over the property line. I decided that I could put bark mulch next to the property line. This meant I needed an edge between the bark mulch and the cedar chips. I made the edge out of wood I had slabbed a few years ago from an enormous sequoia tree. I secured the wood in place by nailing it to the ground. I drilled holes in the wood for the nails and made a space for the head of the nail in the wood. This allowed the head of the nail to be flush with the top surface of the wood.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Picking Your Wooden Deck


If you want to lighten or add a different tint to your deck's wooden flooring, pickling it could be the solution. Instead of replacing the entire deck floor with a light-colored wood, you have this inexpensive alternative. The good news is you can easily pickle it yourself by following these five easy steps.

Before starting, prepare lots of sandpaper and absorbent rags (lint-free), a wide paintbrush, a bristle brush, a lambs-wool wax applicator, and enough varnish and paint for the entire deck floor. For toluene or alcohol-based varnish, protect yourself against toxic gases with a face mask. Oil-based paint is easier to use on your deck because they take longer to dry. If you want latex for the deck, dilute it in paint thinner at a 25/75 ratio. Stick with flat finishes since gloss tends to outshine the deck's textured wood. For larger decks, use a power sanding device. Otherwise, it would take forever to finish the entire deck.

1. Remove the existing finish of your deck flooring. Be careful in using the power sanding device as it might chip or damage the deck's floor. Sandpaper the deck on hard to reach spaces. Once the finish has been completely removed, the deck's surface could be too coarse for you. Use fine sandpaper to make it smoother. Clean up thoroughly afterward. Make sure to vacuum the entire deck, especially the corners, to ensure a clean paint job.

2. Paint the deck. Evenly spread the paint onto the wood. Don't worry about direction since that won't matter later. Leave the deck to dry for 20 to 60 minutes.

3. Using the rags, wipe off the paint in circular motions. The amount of paint you rub off will dictate how light the deck stain will be. Smooth out any clumps of paint with the bristle brush.

4. Smooth the deck floor with the power sanding device and sandpaper. Remember to rid it of all sawdust before moving on to the next step.

5. Apply a couple of coats of varnish to finish. Don't forget to use the face mask for non-yellowing varnish. Use the wax applicator to achieve a polished veneer.

Remember that the colors you choose will blend with the original color of the deck flooring, acting like a sheet of colored cellophane. White paint over cedar will give it a pinkish hue. A purplish one would show if blue paint was used. Different varnishes also affect the deck flooring's in different ways. Oil or polyurethane varnishes can darken the wood and make it yellow over time.

Be creative with the colors and make it complement or contrast the rest of your deck. That is pretty much the 5 step process for pickling your wooden deck.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6397574

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Creating Beautiful Landscapes With PAVESTONE



The possible applications for pavers are only limited by your imagination. Maximize your outdoor living experience with a design that is all your own. Create a scenic walkway in a beautiful downtown park. A variety of hues and textures allow you to have unlimited possibilities to both compliment and enhance the natural beauty of any surrounding while being friendly to the environment. From palatial outdoor entertainment areas to pool decks with a relaxing spa-like feel, you can count on unsurpassed strength and flexibility. Concrete pavers can withstand the forces of weather, water and traffic. Plus, they are especially designed to withstand freeze-thaw conditions, making them a good choice for cool as well as warm climates. Your design project will be as beautiful years from now as it is the day it is installed.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Sunday, October 2, 2016

How To Stain Concrete with NewLook's Endura Solid Stain



NewLook Endura Solid Stain is a single component concrete stain that is highly durable and easy to use. Developed to stain concrete, restore faded concrete or maintain concrete, Endura Solid Stain is affordable while being premium in quality & performance. The product is contractor grade and compatible with NewLook's extensive line of products.