Bathroom Remodeling New York

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What do you think is the most important room in the house? How about the room you start and end each day in-the bathroom. After all, you do some of the day’s most important activities in there!

The fact is that a drab, dull bathroom can make you feel like you’re dragging your morning along. It’s not the place you want to see right before you hit the sack. It’s the place we run to when we want to hide; it should be the perfect place to spend time!

Bathroom remodeling doesn’t have to be a major undertaking. A few simple touches can turn your boring room into a potty paradise. You’ll want to lock yourself in and never come out. Here are some great remodeling ideas.

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On each flip project a decision must be made as to whether or not the bathroom(s) need to be remodeled. The decision to remodel the bathroom of an investment property is one of the biggest you’ll make as it will also result in one of the largest costs in terms of time and money. The net financial result is what should concern you. Will the remodeling yield a profit on it’s own, or at least contribute proportionately to the overall profit.

The Pros of Remodeling the Bathroom of an Investment House:

Give it the WOW factor! The Wow factor is probably the major reason you would renovate the bathroom. There are three rooms that you want to be impressive; and the bathroom is arguably number one. Mr. and Ms. Buyer will often make their decision based on the condition of the bathroom.

Whether you choose to remodel the whole thing or just replace certain components should be based partly on the critical need of the bathroom in the buy-decision. Done properly a bathroom renovation could well be the deciding factor between getting your price and not selling your house.

An ugly, poorly maintained bathroom will have the potential buyers lowering their pricing expectations disproportionate to the amount it would cost to renovate it. A buyer purchasing a renovated house has expectations that certain things are in good shape that’s why they’re buying a house that’s already been renovated.

Whether its a face lift or a total gut, that one room can make or break the deal.

If you’re working with a very limited budget you can decide which particular parts of your bathroom that you would like remodeled, such as the tub or the toilet or the sink.

If money is not an issue, you may make the decision to remodel your whole bathroom. In addition to deciding what parts of your bathroom you would like remodeled, you will also have complete control over the products and materials used.

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Refinishing Bathtubs

By admin on March 24, 2011

One of the most common home remodeling projects in the past decade or so to be completed by Americans is to refinish a bathtub. There are plenty of reasons to refinish a bathtub and they include one or more of the following:

* Bathtub is old and shows years of use and wear
* Bathtub does not match rest of décor in the bathroom
* Bathtub is in a home purchased by a new resident

More often than not, refinishing a bathtub is not a do-it-yourself type of project unless the person doing it himself or herself is a licensed contractor with experience in refinishing bathtubs. This is not a do-it-yourself job because there is so much involved in the process that includes the following items:

* High-volume, low-pressure spray gun
* Respirator or face mask
* Palm sander and sandpaper
* Masking tape
* Paper
* Epoxy paint or primer
* EP-acrylic top coat
* Chemical cleaners
* Bonding agent for porcelain and tile

If you plan on refinishing your bathtub, you should clean the entire tub prior to beginning the job so that you get the most out of the project. Clean the area of the tub you are going to refinish with the chemical cleaners you have purchased. Once you are finished cleaning dry off the area thoroughly so you can begin to sand the tub. Once the sanding is complete, you can add the chemical adhesive, especially if you are working with a porcelain or tile tub. The final step is to paint the bathtub.

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Kid Friendly Bathroom

By admin on March 24, 2011

“Remodeling your bathroom to adjust for children’s usage can include just a few minor changes in order to create a safer bathroom. If a bathroom remodel is in your future, here are a few suggestions to make it more family-friendly.

Having a soft-close toilet seat is an inexpensive and affective way to keep the level of kid’s injury in the bathroom low. Adjustments you can make for a safer bathroom include putting a grab bar inside the shower stall, this is helpful for everyone not just kids—it can get slick in there! Also, having a pedal sink, with no cabinet doors, that is anchored to the wall, can also improve the safety level.

Also think about a hand shower in addition or instead of a wall shower. Not only is it great for you washing shampoo off of your little ones, but children are less scared of hand showers, which will be especially helpful when they are transitioning from taking a bath to taking a shower. Having a hand shower also benefits you while cleaning your shower/tub unit, it makes it a lot easier. You can use a hand shower to replace a regular shower head (that slides up and down on a bar, adjusting to height), or you can have both.

Another factor to consider when remodeling for kid’s safety include cleaning supplies. If you do keep cleaning supplies in the bathroom, think about adding a special shelve, above the door frame where you can store them. This way they are out of reach for the kids, yet easily accessible for you. Keeping them in a plastic caddy that you can just grab would add to the ease of keeping the cleaning supplies up there.

If the bathroom is strictly a children’s bathroom, make it functional for kids. Ideas for this include hanging towel racks at heights so it is easier for them to grab. Also consider making the bathroom cabinets and shelves low enough so that they can reach them without climbing on anything (like the toilet, tub, or sink, giving them a chance to injury themselves). Also, providing storage containers for items (bath toys, towels, etc) that is easily accessible to young kids will also give them less likely chance of injuring themselves in the bathroom.

Making these adjustments will allow for a safer bathroom for your children. If you think there are additional things you would like to do, you should check out the Child Safety Store, just browsing their website will inspire some other ideas as well. ”

Source: Remodeleze.com

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Bathroom – Hot or Not?

By admin on June 10, 2010

When considering to makeover your bathroom did you know that many prize winning designs were done at the low and mid-level price range? Its like cooking, its not the ingredients that count as much as how you blend those ingredients.

For example, I recently saw a beautiful Mission Style oak cabinet install, it was a pretty golden stain and the hardware was an antiqued bronze knob. The homeowners then did a very intricate Italian tile mosaic on the back splash, beautifully done by their contractor and well lit by the under cabinet lighting. Uh Oh! The style of the cabinets and the Italian mosaic back splash was like wearing a plaid shirt with a grey business suit. It left you wondering if something along a simpler install might have shown off the cabinets better. These people spent $20,000 on cabinets and your eye was immediately drawn to the back splash, which would have looked great with a raised panel mitered door, but looked out of place with their Mission Style Cabinets.

On another bathroom we had installed a beautiful Maple cabinet with a natural glaze, the homeowners had picked out a black granite top and the contrast was dynamic. When the stainless steel appliances arrived it was just so clean and modern looking and done on such a reasonable budget we knew we had a winner. Except, the homeowners daughter purchased the handles from a big box store, they were a shiny brass handle with a white porcelain center, it drew the eye away from the beautiful cabinets and granite top to looking at the handles. It blew the whole look, and not in a good way. Picture a woman going out wearing a simple but elegant black dress, an understated pearl necklace and plastic flip flops from Walmart.

My point is, your getting ready to spend some serious money and once something is glued or nailed in place its too late to change your mind, unless you want to pay to do it over again. So put your package together carefully, don’t rush.

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Build Your Own Cabinets

By admin on June 10, 2010

Do you want to learn how to make your own kitchen cabinets? Building kitchen cabinets is not as hard as you might assume it to be. With the right materials and the right set of instructions, it is very much possible to build your own kitchen cabinet.

Apart from getting the satisfaction of building it on your own, you will be able to tailor that kitchen cabinet to your own style.

The Things You Need

The materials needed in building kitchen cabinets need not be expensive and extravagant. These materials should not be costly to be proven durable. All you need to make sure of is their resilience and sense of permanence that you can find out by asking around from people who know better, or by researching the net for materials that are reasonably priced but are of quality. Below are what you must have in order to construct your own kitchen cabinets and the steps that you will need to take.

Materials needed:

Dowels
Table
Saw
Jigsaw
Router
Drill
Sander
Sandpaper
Clamps
Wood Glue
½-inch Plywood
1×6 Lumber
Drawer Slides
Measuring Tape
Hinges
Knobs
Flathead Screws
Finishing Nails
Wood Putty

Steps to Be Followed:
1. Get your measurements – In building kitchen cabinets, the first thing you will have to do is to ascertain the measurement of the section where you intend to install the cabinets. After doing so, move the measurements you got to the ½ inch plywood to be able to assemble the pieces later on. You can then use the saw to start cutting the plywood in accordance to the measurement you made. You can refer to the web for your desired cabinet designs.

2. Bring together the cabinet pieces – Put the cabinet pieces together with respect to your desired design by nailing the cut portions. Use the finishing nails for this process. Strengthen the frame of the cabinet pieces by using wood glue. Use the clamps for holding the pieces while waiting for the glue to dry.

3. Fasten a face frame to the cabinet – Bore holes to the fastened surface of the face frame. This frame will be needed eventually to hold the doors that will be connected to the cabinet. In order to do that, you will need four pieces of 1×6 lumbers for every cabinet that you wish to make. After doing so, you can now attach the lumber pieces by using wood screws to come up with a frame. Drill the necessary holes into the face frame then using nails, append it to the cabinet frame. After nailing, you may use the wood putty to coat the nail hollow.

4. Cut the doors of the wood – To make doors for the frames of the cabinet, cut the plywood into a size of ¼ to 3/8 inches extend beyond for the purpose of easy opening. The table saw should be used in cutting the plywood. The next thing to do is to sand the edges for a smooth outcome.

5. Apply wood stain – Apply wood stain and polyurethane finish to the frame and the door of the cabinet before attaching the door to the cabinet itself. Do the second coating once the first one is totally dry. Once the second coat is dry and ready for the final touch, apply your polyurethane coat to the cabinet. Let it try overnight.

6. Do the installation – When your cabinets are dry enough, you are now ready to do the last step in building your kitchen cabinets – the installation. Attach the cabinets to the studs in which you wish them to be at. Screw the cabinets into the studs and finally, attach the cabinet doors to the cabinets to complete the job.

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Bathroom Counter Materials

By admin on June 10, 2010

Below is a guide to the some of the most trendy counter materials:

Artisan Tile
Custom designed tile mosaics are ultra chic. Using top-quality glazed artisanal tile on the backsplash areas of sinks and counters is a way to add a pop of color into a kitchen and make it truly unique.

Granite
Durable, attractive, and long-lasting, this material is as trendy as ever for bathrooms. However, there have been recent reports that says some of the granites used in may countertops emits elevated levels of radon, an odorless gas linked to lung cancer, though the industry maintains their product is safe.

Wood
If your bathroom gets heavy use, and the recipes in your repertoire call for pounds of chopped vegetables, a wood counter may be in order. Many home chefs are opting for kitchen islands made from the same materials used in chopping blocks.

Soapstone
Soapstone is a non-porous material, which makes it resistant to bacterial growth, requires no sealing, and is durable enough for you to place hot hair products directly on its surface.

Concrete
Concrete sounds harsh and industrial, but it won’t look like the sidewalks you tread on. It’s easy to customize in terms of color and doesn’t pose the radon threat that granite does while still being just as durable and heat resistant.

Green
Eco-friendly materials are gaining steam: recycled glass, end-grain bamboo and reclaimed woods like recycled old-growth lumber are trendy in eco-conscious and green remodels.

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Two-color Paint Effect

By admin on June 10, 2010

Do you live in an older house with plaster walls? Sometimes those old walls become uneven over time due to their nature, or bad patch repair jobs have created uneven spots, making the walls look irregular and bumpy. Rather than go to the expense of re-plastering whole walls, or replacing them with drywall (because you want to maintain the character of the house), here’s an easy solution to keep your eyes focused on the beauty of the wall, rather than the imperfect lumpy appearance: Apply a two-color paint effect with a roller finish.

Using two different, but complimentary, paint colors (one lighter than the other) will create a texture and finish that not only disguises any surface variations, but also lends depth and character to a wall. For this simple application you will need two cans of matte latex paint in complimentary colors, a roller tray, a masonry roller, and a 2-inch paint brush, as well as some drop cloth and painter’s tape to protect your ceiling, crown molding and base molding.

1. Pour about 1 pint of each color of paint into opposite sides of the deep end of the roller tray. They will sit next to each other without mixing too much. When you put the roller into the paint, remember to always keep the handle pointed in the same direction so you won’t blend the colors together in the tray.

2. Roll the roller into the paint, then roll it backward and forward just once on the ridged part of the tray so the roller is thickly coated with the two shades of paint.

3. Work across the wall in sections of about 3-feet square (but a more roughly circular shape) to help prevent any hard lines. Roll the paint onto the wall in single, long strokes to transfer the majority of the paint onto the wall surface. Space each stroke of the roller a few inches apart from the other strokes. Then, without putting the roller back into the paint, roll it lightly across the thick strokes of paint on the wall, gently blending the colors together. Use the roller at different angles to develop a subtle, mottled finish. Keep in mind the more you roll over the wet paint, the more the colors will blend and the subtler the effect will be.

4. For corners and edges of the wall where the roller won’t reach, dip the end of the paint brush into both colors in the paint tray and dapple it onto those areas to maintain the two-tone effect.

5. Another variation of this technique is to give the wall a base coat of paint in a third complimentary color. Let the paint dry, then roller the other two colors loosely over the base coat and slightly blend them, keeping the effect dramatic and emphasizing the roller’s texture.

6. If a wall is mildly uneven, a subtle color contrast will work well. If a wall is very uneven, use more strongly contrasting colors that will give a bolder finish and will disguise bad patch-work more effectively. Remember, the more contrast between the two colors, the more dramatic and stronger the visual effect will be.

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Bathroom Remodeling New York

By admin on June 7, 2010

New York City apartments are known for three things: they are very expensive, very chic, and very small. When we desire a change in such a small area, we need to give careful thought to using every square inch of available area to maximize space so we don’t feel crowded or overwhelmed.

First, lighting. Recent trends in bathroom remodeling, especially in the New York City area, focus on recessed lighting. These provide excellent sources of light while taking up zero room because they are built into the ceiling itself. Gone are the round bulbs that once were over a mirror – now wall sconces that hearken back to Victorian times (though modernly styled) are fashionable.

Color is bathrooms is tricky, and a personal choice. Some people have themed bathrooms such as the seaside or the forest. Blue and Green walls, respectively, work in these rooms. In general, striving to be as neutral as possible will help a house sell, but until the time comes to move on I would suggest indulging your color in the bathroom but keep the colors pale or light to give a feeling of airy space. Personally I find light blues, pale pinks, and cream to be flattering for small spaces.

Bathroom fixtures have come a long way as well. Depending on the size of your bathroom you may have a shower or a tub. Recent trends for bathtub focus on raised tubs that are then set into a large block with stairs leading to them. These are very fashionable but rather precarious for those of us who may not have perfect balance – besides, who does when getting out of a tub all wet? A practical solution is to err on the side of caution with these, and lower the tub height a bit when designing. Shower trends have gone towards fully glass sliding doors, which are easier to clean and contain heat and moisture better which is easier on the rest of the house.

A simple, fairly inexpressive way to give your bathroom a true feeling of luxury is by installing a towel warmer. Other inexpensive ideas have often been replacing window curtains and installing fuzzy toilet seat covers, but these trends have thankfully gone out of style because of the impracticality of them. Now instead of curtains, window treatments that create a glazed look are popular and very inexpensive, and instead of seat covers now we have toilet seat warmers for those who truly want to feel pampered!

Utilizing storage space can be done in clever ways. If you have a tub, build shelves into the outer shell. Sinks are now often built as a basin on TOP of vanities and the space underneath is prime real estate for storage. The area behind the bathroom door is rarely used, so why not built a closest behind the door for extra supplies?

The great thing about remodeling in large cities is the sheer amount of resources available. If you don’t want to take on the project yourself, there are dozens of contractors and sources a mere phone call away to assist you in your bathroom remodeling project.

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