If you have old hardwood floors in your home, there are a number of things you can do to preserve them. Hardwood floors are an asset meant to last a lifetime, but they still require care. Taking care of your hardwood floors can make your house more beautiful and add substantially to its value.

Infrared saunas work quite differently from traditional steam saunas. Rather than heating the air within the sauna with steam, infrared saunas heat the occupants directly with radiant heat. Studies have suggested that infrared saunas are more beneficial to an individual's health and well-being by as

A layout of your existing floor plan can help you accomplish many things. You can use it to decide placement and rearrange furniture, change the decor in a room, or consider options for remodeling. The process of drawing out the floor plans of the inside of your home is not complicated; however, it

Limescale is a hard-water stain that can accumulate on shower doors, toilet bowls and sinks. Limescale attracts soap scum and mildew, making the stains even harder to remove. While you can remove limescale with a commercial, acidic cleaner, those products should be a last resort because of their tox

One of the final steps when installing new cabinet doors is choosing and installing door handles. There are a wide variety to choose from to match virtually any decor. The placement of the handle is entirely up to the homeowner, however they are typically 1-inch from the bottom and side of the outsi

Furring strips are narrow and thin strips of lumber used for spacing in construction tasks such as paneling and drywalling. Although they are too thin to serve well as the shelf itself, they are ideal for building support for shelves in a storage area. Using these strips to build storage shelves is

Whether they are block, timber or prefab, window wells are a good addition to any home. They can offer more light to a dark basement, help remedy water problems, and can even provide a quick escape for occupants if needed. With the myriad of options available, building one yourself isn't that diffic

Painting existing cabinets offers an inexpensive way to remodel your kitchen. Oil-based paints were traditionally favored by professional painters for cabinetry, but latex paint offers advantages in application and cleanup for the do-it-yourselfer. The pros and cons of using oil versus latex paint m

A skylight allows you to illuminate certain areas in your home during the day. Buildings with metal roofing can have skylights. Placing flashing around a skylight on a metal roof poses some unique problems, though. Puncturing a metal roof with the screws required to hold down traditional flashing wi

Finding a house plan can be an overwhelming process, especially if you want a simple home. When searching websites, books and magazines for desirable house plans, be sure to keep the following plan categories in mind for the perfect basic home.

When it comes to decorating the floors in your home, you have a number of options and different flooring types offer different benefits. Carpet, for instance, adds padding and insulation for hard, cold subfloors, while tile and laminates offer protection from spills. If you want to do your own floor

A hidden door must not only not look like a door, but also be constructed so that the hinges holding it to the wall are invisible to the eye. Installing a hidden door requires that both of these objectives be accomplished. You'll need a piece of furniture that belies the idea of it being moved, powe

Study the area of the bedroom where the shelves will be hung. Whether the shelves hold large heavy books or an array of small cuddly toys will determine the width of the shelves, as well as the strength and size of the brackets. Ask your child if she has any design thoughts herself--the shelves shou

Solar energy, popularly known as the "green" energy, is getting very popular in U.S. and other parts of the world. It is a renewable source of energy, which over the years, has proved to be reliable and affordable for the people who have it installed in their homes. Due to the increasing demand, com

Little piles of sand on a brick patio mean that ants are building homes. Unfortunately, the ants are digging that sand out from beneath pavers that were carefully leveled and settled, eventually resulting in tipped pavers and an uneven surface.

Caulk is a building material used to seal joints such as the area around a window or door frame. This helps prevent water and air from leaking through. Caulk is made of substances like silicone and polyurethane, and is contained inside a tube. The tube is placed inside a caulking gun, and applied by

Like drywall and other materials used to form walls, plaster walls may degrade if they are wet for a period of time. When the plaster degrades, the walls may begin to crumble or weaken, leading to issues with a building's foundation. Since wet walls can cause such major problems if left untended, yo

Insulation is the key to keeping a building energy efficient during summer and winter months. Choosing the right insulation, as well as the cost associated with it, takes some research on the part of the building owner.

If you have ceramic floor tiles in a high-humidity area, you may want to finish your tiles with a high-performance urethane or epoxy. These types of tile finishes will protect the tile from repeated soakings with hot water and soap. However, before applying a high-performance tile finish, you will n

Fixing rotten wood on a roof requires the removal of the roofing materials, which is why repairs are usually completed during the replacement of a roof. Rotten wood is the result of water damage, and if not repaired, will eventually result in rotten rafters and a damaged ceiling. The first major sig