Learn Some Techniques In Designing Woodwork

By: Mohamed Rabea



Designing woodwork can be an intricate process. After all, it’s never easy to miss a single detail, or else, your work of art is flawed. It takes careful planning, appropriate tools, and the right dose of technical knowledge to get the job done right. Below are some practical tips and advice for an effective woodwork design:

1. It is a basic requirement that before you even start laying the foundation of your brand-new house or striking that first nail in your future furniture, you already have a clear-cut idea of how it will look after it’s finished. You already have a concept of how many rooms you want or how big they might be, or the sizes of the picnic tables you want to place in your backyard or front lawn. So perhaps to avoid forgetting all of them, you may start making your own list. If you’re having difficulty conceiving those brilliant concepts, you can drive around your neighborhood and check out some of their woodwork. Remember the key here is not to exactly copy your favorites but just to provide yourself an inkling of your desired finishes, types of materials to be used, and other pertinent details.

2. If you crave more ideas, then you better stand up from your couch and go for a stroll in your favorite stores. Surely, one or two of them sell some home building magazines and books. You really don’t have to buy them if you don’t want to, though they can be quick references in dire needs. All you have to do is skim through them, possibly read some articles and tips. It is a great advantage if photos are available.

3. Luckily, you are blessed with good technology. There are many woodworking and architectural software sold online or in computer shops. Since they are created to be user-friendly, they are easy to install and use. The good thing about them is you basically don’t have to start from the very beginning. They have a wide range of built-in templates that you can choose from. Most of the time, only slight modifications are needed, and changes are easy to implement.

4. Should you be someone who’s not fond of computers or you don’t own one, you can start everything from scratch—literally. Since you are vulnerable to mistakes, it is recommended that you draw your plan using a pencil on a clean blank paper.

5. Learn the essence of complement. Your woodworking plans, like the furniture, should blend together to produce the most unique and comfortable home and office.

About The Author


Mohamed Rabea - Online Tips and Resources!

http://www.pallet-rack-now.info

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Building a Wood Deck in Vista

How To Choose The Right Wood To Use For Your Deck – Main Factors To ConsiderBy: Malcolm D Kay
There’s a huge range of wood species available for building wood decks, so how do you decide what’s best?
The best way is start is to consider the factors that are most important to you, your particular circumstances and the proposed deck location and then give a weighting to each factor to come up with the best option. Everyone’s situation is slightly different, so what’s best for you, may not be appropriate for someone else.
There are probably seven most relevant factors which you should take into account when deciding what lumber species is best for your situation. These are:
Type of wood (hardwood or softwood)
Natural durability
Colour of the wood
Wearability
Ease of machining and working
Environmental considerations

Cost
Hardwood or softwood
Most softwoods with the notable exception of western red cedar, some cypress species and a few species of pine and larch are not naturally durable and will decay quite rapidly if left totally exposed to the weather. Fortunately softwood species readily accept chemical preservatives so when treated, their durability can equal or exceed most of the naturally durable hardwood species.

Durability
Durability refers to a combination of properties which includes resistance of the timber to decay, termite and borer attack and also to splitting and checking when used under exposed conditions. As wood is a natural product, it’s not really possible to assign a precise or absolute value to the durability of an individual species. And the actual life which can be expected of a deck in service will be dependent on many factors including degree of exposure of the deck to the elements, prevailing weather conditions, the air circulation around the decking etc. Various charts and tables are available which list the relative durability of wood species based on their actual in service so can be used to provide a useful broad comparison between species. Note should also be taken of termite resistance if this is important in your region as this will vary greatly between species.

Colour of the wood
There is a huge color variation within wood species, from pale yellow, through brown’s to reds and red orange, even purple. And some species may be very consistent in colour whilst others can vary considerably from board to board or even along the length of a single board. Some species have flecks of a paler color interspersed along the grain. However unless a strict maintenance regime involving regular oiling of the wood decking is maintained, all wood species exposed to the sunlight will eventually fade over time to a soft silver grey- the speed at which this occurs will depending on the species, the prevailing weather conditions, the degree of exposure of the deck to the sun, the intensity of the sun and the frequency of application of the protective oil.

Environmental
The destruction of the great forests of the world, not only in the Amazon basis and South East Asia but also in major Western nations, should be a major concern to everyone. Several organizations, the best known of which is probably the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), have established standards and operating procedures which forestry owners must adhere to in order that their products may carry that organization’s official certification. This provides some assurance that the wood and wood products have been harvested in accordance with sustainable forestry practises and sound forest management procedures and that any finished products have been manufactured and supplied under non exploitative labor practices. Many governments have established their own standards outside of the FSC but consideration needs to be given whether such standards and operating procedures may in fact be catering to vested interests and that some reliable and certifiable mechanism actually exists to ensure procedures and practices are indeed followed as required.

Wearability
In this rather subjective term, we are looking at what happens to the surface of the wood as it ages, how it weathers as the deck becomes older. Generally this is not such an important factor unless you like to walk on your decking with bare feet. With some species, the grain tends to lift as the wood ages, causing small splinters to appear. With other species however the surface can remain virtually smooth for years.
Ease of working with tools
Some hardwood species are exceptionally hard and thus require carbide tipped saws to speed construction. Also when nailing boards, some species can be nailed directly whilst other species will tend to split if not predrilled. Even with softwoods such as cypress, pre-drilling may be necessary.

Cost
In general, softwoods will be lower in cost than hardwoods, reflecting the shorter time to maturity of the trees, extensive plantation grown forests with easy access for harvesting and lower processing costs. Some plantation grown hardwoods can approach the cost base of hardwoods but the lower recovery rate of most hardwoods still tends to keep the price above that of most softwoods.
The above presents just an overview of the main factors you should consider when choosing a lumber species for your deck. Each of the above factors can be looked at in more detail but this should enable you to make a more considered decision on the type of lumber you would like to use for your particular decking project.
About The Author
Malcolm Kay is the CEO of Intex Pacific Pty. Ltd. an international supplier of landscape materials including modular decking tiles. For more information see http://www.swiftdeck.com/.

Cleaning Your Home Carpet

Options for Cleaning Your Carpet

A majority of the dry soil can be removed by vacuum cleaning. However, you need to clean your carpet on a regular basis to get rid of the oily, sticky soil that builds up in the pile. Odors and dirt that is tracked in from outside create this sticky soil.

If you clean your carpet before it becomes terrible, the cleaning job will be easier to accomplish and very much successful. The carpet with the average family should be cleaned every 12 - 18 months. It depends on the number of persons living in the home and the amount of traffic that walks on the carpet.

Choosing the right vacuum is crucial as well. Certain vacuums leave residues behind, which helps re-soiling.

Your best option is to hire professional carpet cleaners because their experience will allow them to do a much better job than you can do yourself. Professional cleaners use the equipment that has more extraction power and the carpet will dry faster as well. They know what cleaning agents to employ, and they understand the differences in carpet fibers.

If you have decided to do the job yourself and rent a steam cleaning machine, you should try out a number of systems before you make a choice. A good number of the rented units do not clean properly enough and may damage your carpet. For that reason, you should always take into account the following:

- Some rental companies provide cleaning equipment that is similar to what the professionals use. The equipment should produce a sufficient amount of vacuum power to allow the carpet to dry within 12 hours of cleaning. Avoid units that do not produce the power to remove the cleaning solution from the carpet fast enough, since it can hurt your carpet because of over wetting.

- Do not over wet your carpet. Any extended dampness can cause mildew growth and bacteria in the carpet, or bring about a separation of the backing. A carpet that stays wet for longer than one day can cause problems.

- If you plan stain resistant treatments, your carpet must be cleaned with products thatare formulated for this task. Do not use cleaning or spotting solutions that contain bleaches because they can ruin the color of the carpet.

- Do not use silicone based treatments on your carpet.

The system called hot water extraction is strongly recommended. It is considered one of the best methods for carpet cleaning. This system is also known as steam cleaning. You spray a mixture of water and detergent into the pile and recover the water and soil with a strong vacuum. This system is perfect for soiled carpets or pet stains.

Protect your carpet against paint drips, snow, mud, dirt, stains, and heavy traffic conditions. Read about plastic carpet protections as well as temporary carpet protection. Stop Damage to Carpeted Stairs