Posts Tagged ‘home improvement’
How To Choose The Perfect Granite Work Surface
My Grandmother used to say to me “Nothing cheap is good and nothing good is cheap”. This ring true when dealing with the purchase especially on the internet of Granite Work Surfaces. In fact of all stone so read carefully.
Natural stone is graded as to it’s suitability for a given task. It is also graded regarding the region of the world it originated from. This is a grade for general use but more for stone professionals to advise architects, surveyors etc which products to use for maximum efficiency in the building or home.
When buying on the internet you are usually shown samples of the very best, Granite, Marble, Limestone etc. You must be aware that this stone is probably not what you will receive. Firstly, the stone is batched. You need batched stone to get the consistent pattern throughout the surface. If you were to buy stone today and return for stone a month later to complete your project you will invariably get a mismatch that can look horrendous especially with the larger crystals such as blue pearl granite.
Always make sure you are receiving the same batch and have it itemised on your order. Also if the installer chips a corner or scratches the surface you will generally need a replacement piece. If the batch isn’t available you may have a problem.
I have received numerous calls lately concerning the fading of black granite counter tops. Black granite should not fade. Black granite imported from Asia is sometimes doctored with dyes and oils to darken the surface. The fading is nothing more than the dyes and oils being removed. Unfortunately, the only fix is to re-polish the top. This can be costly.
Before purchasing a granite top perform the following test to find out if it has been doctored.
Get a clean white cloth and apply some acetone (nail varnish remover) to the surface of the granite. If any residue or black color is observed on the top, do not accept it, it has been dyed.
Take a piece of the “granite” you want to test and spill a few drops of lemon juice onto it. If you see that under the drops of lemon it develops very quickly dark spots, it means that it’s a very absorbent stone and I would advise you against it. If it takes, say, a minute or so to be absorbed, then you’re dealing with a level of absorbency that’s easily controllable with the application of a good quality impregnating sealer.
Edward Green owns and operates the highly successful Marble Master Ltd Company. Marble Master specializes in Restoration and Refinishing of all types of natural stone and consultancy services to Architects, Restoration Companies and Interior Designers.
Add Sizzle to Your Surroundings
Is your home décor lacking that extra something that spells the difference between comfortable and vibrant or between comfortable and tranquil? Candles might be just the polish your décor needs. Take advantage of the sparkling colors, rich textures, and fresh scents of candles without draining your decorating budget.
Some candles are best unadorned, but candleholders offer an additional opportunity to highlight their presence and beauty. You don’t have to burn the candles; you can use them as objects d’art, incorporating them into displays, floral arrangements and centerpieces-alone as an accent piece, or in a grouping as a focal point.
Typical candles no longer exist-they belong to a bygone era. Tapers gave way to thick and varied heights long ago. Today, you’ll find square candles, heart-shaped candles, fruit and vegetable candles, gingerbread candles, floral candles, Christmas tree and ornament candles, and candles with artistic free-flowing shapes. Within that variety of shapes, you’ll find an endless array of adornments, such as beads and glitter, straw, botanicals embedded in the wax, still life scenes, etc.
Color, Shape and Texture
Today’s candles come in a wide variety of hues and shades, and many add the dimension of shape and texture to their composition. Marbled, frosted, and sculptured candles are widely available in a selection of sizes, shapes and prices-ranging from votives to thick, oversized candles.
If your living areas are frozen in time with a monochromatic color scheme-you know the rooms we mean, they looked oh-so-good on paper until you lived in them for a month-use candles to rescue you from the monotony without the expense of redecorating. Marbled candles are a quick and easy way to work complementary or harmonizing color into the room.
If your home utilizes color well, but lacks excitement, accessorize with textured candles to add pizzazz to the room. Position the candles to create a focal point or to add just the right accent. Marbled candles incorporate several hues and shades of the same color, and variegated candles can tie all of the colors in your décor together.
Sculptured candles provide a warm substitute for expensive knickknacks and require a minimum of space. Add smaller sculptured candles to guest bathrooms along with guest hand towels and guest soaps. It’s the attention to detail that rolls out the welcome mat for guests and creates the ambiance of a memorable stay.
If you’ve never used anything but wax candles, try one of the new gel candles. Gel candles are translucent and their shimmering glow is irresistible to the eye. You’ll find gel candles ready to display in their own attractive glass containers.
Candles and Fragrance
Scented and aromatherapy candles make an excellent choice for the kitchen, bedroom or bathroom. Consider odor-neutralizing scented candles a necessity for the kitchen when you entertain. They serve triple duty by quickly neutralizing cooking odors, adding a pleasant scent and a touch or warmth. Larger scented candles often include interesting texture, shape and color variation.
Candleholders and Display Options
If you use your patio as a three-season outdoor room, float citronella votives in water on the patio for a lily-pads-in-the-pond effect. You’ll scare away the mosquitoes and other flying irritants at the same time. Place all citronella candles a few feet from the table so that you don’t run off the guests along with the insects.
Votive holders have blossomed into every imaginable shape, including butterflies, bejeweled beveled glass holders, and seascape holders. Many of the votive designs are ideally suited for an outdoor environment.
Hurricane lamps add light and atmosphere to the outdoor table in the evening. Eve lights can produce harsh lighting, and hurricane lamps provide enough light to see without detracting from the atmosphere. When selecting a candleholder for outdoor use, it’s important to select one that shields the flame from the wind, and hurricane lamps provide ample protection from the wind.
If you haven’t seen the newer tea lamp candleholders, you’re not going to believe your eyes. These candleholders are every bit as elaborate and intricate as their electrical counterparts. If you prefer the formal look of a chandelier, consider a chandelier candleholder for a soft, diffused light. The next time a storm or tornado blows through your area, leaving you without electricity, tea lamp, hurricane and chandelier candleholders will be ready and waiting.
Whatever your décor, imaginative use of candles and candleholders allows you to change your décor as often as you change your mood.
M J Plaster is a successful author who provides information on shopping online for candle holders and candles in general. M J Plaster has been a commercial freelance writer for almost two decades, most recently specializing in home and garden, the low-carb lifestyle, investing, and anything that defines la dolce vita.
Tips for Choosing Log Furniture
If you just love that rustic look, and are finally ready to finally buy log furniture for your home, there are a number of “rules of thumb” that can help you in making good choices.
Begin by considering the overall style of your home. Do you have a log home that is overwhelmingly rustic? Or are you seeking to add a rustic touch to one or more rooms of a more conventional home?
Size is Everything
Homes that feature large logs, spacious ceilings or are roomy in general require a different flavor of rustic furniture than their more conventional counterparts. If large logs make up the walls of your room, or you have a fireplace made from monster rocks from Montana, you’ll need a massive log look for your furniture as well. Otherwise, your log furniture will seem dwarfed and insignificant.
Even if the home for your log furniture is a cabin with 8-inch logs, a few large pieces of furniture will look better than many small ones. Larger furniture makes a room feel full without being cluttered.
If your bedroom has a high cathedral ceiling, a log canopy bed can help fill out the dimensions. There is also much you can do with artwork and lighting to make the best use of your space.
Types of wood
A variety of wood types are used to create rustic furniture. Following is an overview of several which are available on our website:
Steam-bent Hickory
Hickory is a very durable, flexible wood. Many a child has climbed to the top of a green hickory sapling to ride it down as it yields to the weight without breaking. When heated with steam for a period of time, Hickory poles can easily be formed into various unique pieces of furniture. The steamed poles are placed in a jig and left to dry. They will become very rigid and retain this shape when dry.
Steam-bent hickory is strong enough to be used for tools such as hammers and axes, and unpeeled hickory accounts for one of the best-selling lines of log furniture. The Amish use steam-bent hickory to make dining room chairs, as the legs for dining room tables, coffee tables, and rockers.
Northern White Cedar
Northern White Cedar grows in Northern Michigan and Canada. It withstands the abuse of seasonal elements without breaking down or rotting like other woods. It is a beautiful light tan color when freshly milled.
It turns silvery-gray with age, but can be treated with a good quality finish to help retain its color. You will notice cracks- some small and some larger in your rustic furniture. This occurs naturally in the drying process and adds to the rustic look of our products. These cracks do not diminish the function or design of our furniture. They are not a manufacturing defect, just a natural part of seasoning, enhancing the beauty of the wood.
Red Cedar
The most surprising thing about Red Cedar (also know as Aromatic Cedar) is that it is not a member of the cedar family at all, instead belonging to the juniper family. Everyone knows the deep aromatic smell of the red cedar. The wood is heavy, and naturally insect and rot resistant.
Clothes stored in a chest made of red cedar will be protected from moths. Red cedar has tight knots that add character and beauty. It is sometimes purple, but most often a brownish red that will in time become browner even when preserved. Furniture built with red cedar will last a long time and can definitely be handed down from generation to generation.
Shopping for Quality
Not all log furniture is created equal-no matter how stylish or comfortable it may be. The quality of the materials used in log furniture, and the craftsmanship employed, vary widely-and this is often reflected in the price. While there are always some bargains to be had, it is quite true that you get what you pay for in log furniture.
With this thought in mind, buy the best furniture you can. It will look better and last longer if you do. In addition, look for all-wood or solid-wood furniture (as opposed to veneered plywood or particle boards). Solid wood furniture tends to show less wear at the joints and fittings, and also reacts better to seasonal moisture changes.
Look for well-fitted, carefully crafted connections. Dove-tailed drawers are especially known for holding together well. If you want your furniture to be finished, look for a long-lasting, tough and evenly applied coating. A word to the wise: unless you are experienced in applying furniture finish, leave the finishing up to the furniture manufacturer.
Choosing a Log Furniture Store
Let the buyer beware-there is a wide variety of customer service between log furniture stores. If you are looking to buy on line, look for a store where quality furniture and customer service are both top priorities. I have seen log furniture manufacturers and stores that always deliver late, and I have seen some who deliver on-time with shoddy quality.
Look for testimonials on the site you are considering. Call and talk to a salesman at the log furniture store. A word to the wise-log furniture websites that merely drop ship log furniture have a lot less control over quality than those who building, finish and/or ship the furniture themselves.
The ideal online log furniture store has many repeat customers who not only purchase again from their store, but recommend them to others. Quality stores are interested in more than a quick sale. They understand the value of delivering top-quality log furniture-furniture that will last a lifetime and add a truly rustic touch to your home.
About The Author
Cari Haus has been successfully selling log furniture on the Internet since 1997. Copyright 2003 by Cari Haus, website http://www.newsletterjournal.com Permission is granted to reprint this article, either online or in written publications, as long as the copyright information, this paragraph, and a link address or a link to the Log Cabin Rustics website is attached at the end of the article.
What to Know Before Signing a Home Improvement Contract
It is important to be a very careful consumer when it comes to home improvement contractors. For instance, I had a case where my client, an elderly and blind woman, signed a contract and paid $30,000.00 to a home improvement company that disappeared with all of her money! Unfortunately, the company was a scam operation, my client lost her life’s savings and it will take some time in court before my client may ever see her money again however, her mistake will be a lesson to all of you because this article explains how to protect yourself from home improvement fraud.
Before signing any contract with a home improvement company, first ask that company for its license number and check it out with your State or County Consumer Affairs’ Business License Division. Find the License Division on the web or call information and get their number. You want to find out (1) the name and address of the company associated with the license number given to you, (2) if the company is currently licensed and the license expiration date and (3) whether any complaints have been made against that company. The answers to those questions will help you determine if you want to proceed with signing a contract. Make sure both the contractor and the company he works for are licensed to work in your State.
If your going to sign the contract then make sure certain things are included pursuant to your understanding and as required by your State’s Home Improvement Business Law. The contracting company’s name, address and phone number should be printed on the contract. Also, it is important that the contracting company’s home improvement license number is printed on the contract and that it is not different from the number you called and inquired about with Consumer Affairs. Lastly, make sure that all of the work to be performed is listed in the contract and that the approximate start and end dates of work are included. You should put a penalty clause in the contract regarding the contractor’s failure to timely complete the work because contractors are notorious for starting jobs and then leaving for a few days or weeks to do other jobs while you sit and wait in your dismantled kitchen for him to return. Once the contract terms are satisfactory then the contract should be signed by both you and the company’s representative.
An example of a consumer protection law is New York’s General Business Law §771 (“GBL”) requiring all home improvement contracts shall be in writing and contain certain terms of payment, fees for services and materials and start and completion dates, among other terms. GBL §771 is a consumer protection statute to prevent the misunderstandings between contractor had consumer and to protect the consumer from overreaching of the contractor, such as charging for work that was not agreed upon. GBL §771 limits the contractor who disregards its written contract requirements to satisfactorily proving to a court each and every item of work he did and the reasonable value of each item by detailed invoices, timesheets and proof of hourly rates, among other proofs. So, if the contractor who failed to put your home improvement work in writing attempts to collect $20,000.00 from you, he has to prove the value of his services in detail before scaring you into paying an amount you had no idea about. New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act and the Home Improvement Act protect the consumer even more by denying the contractor from recovering any monies if he violates any of the consumer laws AND he will pay three times the amount of damages (called treble damages) to the consumer for his failing to obtain proper permits or licenses or any other violation of those laws.
Lastly, protect yourself by not paying 100% upfront. Most contracting companies ask for a deposit upon your signing the contract. I suggest that you put down as little as possible and arrange a payment schedule with the company where you will pay a certain amount as certain work is completed. Of course, always get a receipt, signed by the company and stating the date and amount of any monies paid to the company if you pay anything in cash.
This article is certainly not all inclusive and is intended only as a brief explanation of the legal issue presented. Not all cases are alike and it is strongly recommended that you consult an attorney if you have any questions with respect to any legal matters.
Any questions and/or comments with respect to this topic or any other topic, contact:
Law Offices of Susan Chana Lask
853 Broadway, Suite 1516
New York, NY 10003
(212) 358-5762 Susan Chana Lask, Esq. c 2004
About The Author
Susan Chana Lask is named in the media as New York’s “high powered attorney”. She practices sucessfully all civil, criminal & appeals cases in State & Federal courts nationwide. http://www.newsletterjournal.com
Hot Tubs Create a Backyard Oasis
What would you like in the backyard that is great for entertaining, would be a focal point and can be enjoyed by the whole family? Hot tubs could be what you are looking for. Immersing in hot or warm water goes back centuries to Greek, Japanese and Roman texts. Hydrotherapy has said to aid in pain and stress relief. They also offer fun at the same time. Water is buoyant and resists gravity. It is known to aid in sleeping and easy exercises done in the warm water assist with muscle and joint pain. The jets massage the body and just feel good. If you haven’t experience that good feeling when you are relaxing in the warm water of a hot tub and the jets are bubbling or swimming in the pool with the cool water lapping around you then you are really missing something in life. You can actually assist your heart to beat more efficiently while you sit back in the water.
A hot tub gazebo and beautiful landscaping can create a private oasis in your backyard. Hot tubs are an easy way to achieve the “get away from it all” feeling at home. Would you like to create a total hot tub experience? Along with the private setting, you can include surround sound and play your favorite music. How about special lighting that changes for atmosphere? If you don’t want to miss the football game, some tubs come equipped with pop up televisions and cup holders or ice buckets. You can customize your soak and have a foot well just for those aching feet, or waterfalls and misters installed. Add scent with aromatherapy options for a lovely scent wafting over your experience. Sounds good doesn’t it? Who doesn’t think of a party when you hear the word “hot tub”? It is a very social type of gathering but can be extremely romantic for two at the same time. Lean back and look up at the stars with the person you love while listening to the surround sound music.
There are sizes and colors that are available to suit every budget. Before you buy, think about how you are going to use it. Is it just for two or do you want to entertain? Don’t be afraid to sit in one in the showroom. You want to get something that is comfortable for your back. In order to enjoy the tub, make sure you talk to your dealer about the accessories you will need and the cleaning procedures. You may want a hot tub cover to keep the outside debris from getting in. There are many cover lifts on the market if you find they are too unwieldy for you. Look for a highly insulated model as it will save on energy costs. Hot tubs are smart because you can program them to automatically heat up and turn on or off without having to move a muscle. Check with the manufacturer if the model you want can be accessed via the internet. This is especially nice if you are gone and you live in a winter climate. A lot of damage can be done if the temperature gets too cold and the tub freezes. If you have one in a vacation home that you only visit once a week it would be nice to remotely check in on it. Ask if you can have the capability for a remote control. Some settings can be confusing so look for a system that makes sense to you and doesn’t look like an airplane cockpit. You deserve the benefits of owning a hot tub, so go step out into the water, it’s just right.
Beverly Hlavka is a successful freelance writer offering guidance and suggestions for consumers buying hot tubs, whirlpools, Jacuzzis, saunas, pool supplies and more. Her many articles can be seen at http://www.newsletterjournal.com. She also gives information and tips on http://www.newsletterjournal.com to help you save money and make informed buying decisions.
Laminate Flooring – Cleaning & Maintenance
One of the biggest advantages of laminate floors is that they are made to look good for many years with a minimum of effort. Most laminates come with a 10 to 25 years residential warranty against staining, wearing and fading, depending on the brand. All you really need for cleaning are a vacuum cleaner, a dry mop and a damp towel for more difficult stains. Laminates are built to stand up to wear, but to keep them looking like new, here are a few recommendations.
Be aware that large pieces of sand or rock can cause visible scratching. These are usually easy to catch by having floor mats and foot brushes at outside doorway entrances. Dirt which gets pass the mats and brushes can cause invisible scratching that eventually leads to dullness. So, vacuum and mop regularly to keep grit off the floor. For dry cleaning, vacuuming is usually sufficient. Microfiber pads are also quite effective and, if available, lets you avoid involving fluids. Never clean with abrasives, scouring powder or steel wool.
Damp clean laminate flooring using a vinegar or ammonia-based solution. For example, you can pour 1/4 cup of vinegar into a 30 to 32 ounce empty spray bottle filled with plain water for a quick solution. Then, dampen a terry mop or a Swiffer with water and mop, spraying the floor as you go along. When damp mopping, avoiding standing fluids so you do not saturate the floor. Wipe immediately! Other possible cleaning fluids that have been suggested include:
- vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and water (equal parts)
- 1/3 white vinegar, 1/3 rubbing alcohol, 1/3 water, and 3 drops dishwashing liquid (1 quart total)
- Swiffer WetJet wood floor cleaner
- Windex
Here are some tips on spot cleaning:
To remove oil, paint, permanent marker, tar, rubber heel marks, use a neutral cleaner on a clean light colored cloth. If needed, use alcohol or a nail polish remover containing acetone. To remove blood, fruit juice, wine, beer, soda pop, pasta sauce, use warm water. If needed use a neutral cleaner on a light colored cloth. To remove candle wax or chewing gum, first harden with ice and then scrape very gently. Wipe the rest with warm water on a clean light colored cloth.
If your laminate is scratched, see if you can buy a touch up stick from your manufacturer. The area you repair will look, hold up to traffic and wear just like the rest of the laminate floor.
In case of more severe damage, which is unlikely to take place in most of the homes, a trained professional can be called to replace a plank. The new plank should be almost indistinguishable from the rest, if done properly.
Laminate flooring enthusiasts unite! Installation, maintenance, selection, e.g., Harmonics, Pergo, Shaw, Mannington – you name it, we are talking about it. Join us at http://www.newsletterjournal.com
Planning Permission Tips UK – How to Avoid Boundary Disputes when Extending or Redeveloping a Site
The quest for more living space these days means making more efficient use of the sites available space in which to extend or develop. This invariably means building right up to the properties boundary line in many cases.
This can have major pitfalls if it is not presented or handled correctly & not just at the Planning Application stage either. You wouldn’t believe the number of on-site boundary disputes that arise during construction and it is usually the poor old builder who gets caught right in the middle of the crossfire.
Having been party to a few boundary disputes in my time there are a number of rules that I apply when extending or developing a property to ensure that the risk of a neighbour dispute is reduced or catered for when designing and building close to the properties boundary fence for example.
RULE NO. 1:- Though shall not encroach over the boundary line.
Sounds a simple one doesn’t it but you would be amazed at the number of times a site owner seems to think that it’s OK to follow the line of the original party wall for example in order to avoid a ‘kick in’ for the new works. Even if the neighbour gives their consent it still leaves room for a later dispute not to mention the tricky questions that can be asked when selling either property later on. Even though the main wall main not encroach, it is vital to ensure that the foundations or eaves projections do not overhang the adjoining neighbour.
If pushed by the site owner I do agree to complete design works that overhang the boundary & this is easily covered during the Planning application process by serving the correct Notice and signing certificate ‘B’. However, it is the during the build process that many verbal or written neighbour agreements fall apart so I ensure that that my advice not to encroach is recorded by the client in an acknowledged paper trail so that I can wash my hands of it later on – you can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink.
RULE NO. 2:- Though shall never assume that the fence is the correct boundary line.
Most of the time, the fence or other demarcation dividing properties is the correct location. However, people have a habit of taking advantage or lying about such things. I had case once where a site owner re-aligned his fence by 300mm when his neighbour died. His view was that he was just making the boundary correct to a straight line as denoted on the deeds. Over the years as fences are renewed, removed for access, replaced with hedges etc., the demarcation does tend to wander often to a point where it is near impossible to re-identify the correct boundary line. If a neighbour has had the benefit of an extra 300mm for the last 15 years due to a removed or unmarked boundary line he sure isn’t going to give it up just because his new neighbour wants to reestablish a straight line to some moth eaten piece of barely legible piece of paper.
Another very common occurrence is when a rural site owner obtains an extra piece of land that is outside the residential curtilage and by encompassing with a new fence he seems to think that he now has a usable extended garden ripe for building in. Not only doesn’t he have proper permission to use the land as a garden he could be asked to remove any building works when it is discovered (and most are).
RULE NO. 3:- Though shall put the onus on the client to identify and agree boundary lines with the neighbour on site BEFORE he starts work on the project.
This is the best piece of ‘bottom shielding’ you can have. Why should I take the rap for a neighbours venom or the clients demands ‘to sort it out’ due to his unwillingness to grasp the nettle. By clearly demonstrating that your have already exercised a high degree of ‘duty care’ with precise written advise on how they were to avoid boundary disputes with their neighbour, you can at least rest easy at night or charge a good fee for sorting out their mess.
Seems a bit hard faced I know but if ever there was a re-occurring potential nightmare in residential development then this is it. It should remembered that previous case studies have shown that neighbours will go to war over two inches of land & donate thousands of pounds to solicitors fees in the process – guess who ends up really winning!
These are 3 simple rules that will help provide your own development project with unhindered progress to a great conclusion.
RULE NO.4:- Though shall inform the client of his duties under the Party Wall Act 1996.
Generally speaking, if the building owner uses the Party Wall Agreement system which is usually administered by a specialist Party Wall Surveyor then this would encompass most of the other rules above.
Having the client nursed through the Party Wall Act by someone else that knows what their doing is of great benefit to both the designer & building owner & very rarely leaves any problems in their wake.
I wont explain here when & why the client needs to obtain Party Wall Agreements with his neighbour as the legislation is quite complicated but generally only applies when the building owner is excavating within 3 meters of a neighbours wall or party fence/wall or completing works that would affect a party wall or party fence.
Our ‘Maximum Build Planning Guide’ explains further the tactics involved when extending or developing a property & what areas can be exploited for developing land or a site for residential use. How to give yourself the best chance of being granted an approval.
Our ‘Maximum Build Planning Guide’ explains further the tactics involved when developing a site and how to give yourself the best chance of being granted an approval.
Plastic Applied to the Picnic Table?
There are many styles of picnic tables on the market, but what kind of material is best for durability and safety? Powder coating has been an accepted coated finish for years and there are several reasons why. The coating look great, you can have most any color you want, they are friendly to the environment and efficient to produce. The powder is applied in liquid form so it goes on similar to painting. If you need to have flexibility and strength against impacts, this type of finish would no be the best. Some type of PVC coating is the finish of choice when flexibility is key.
A picnic table is a good example of needing strength and durability. These are left out in the elements probably all year. The corrosion from acid rain is only one issue faced by furniture left outdoors. Powder coating is safer for kids and adults because there is no chance of getting slivers you know where when sliding across the picnic bench. Parks and Recreation departments can’t take in the picnic tables every year so they are left outside. A consumer just leaves their picnic table outdoors because they are so heavy to haul into storage. Some set them up on their sides so the snow won’t accumulate on top, but they are still left exposed to the elements.
PVC coatings aren’t as environmentally friendly and the odor upon application is really strong. Some PVC coatings aren’t allowed into European countries which is also a problem when you are trying to sell your picnic tables or patio furniture in other countries. Thermoplastic coating is a good alternative to the PVC. It meets all the requirements demanded for the elements, and it is cleaner and healthier for the environment. These new coatings can also be shipped anywhere so your market isn’t limited. These new finishes also can be applied at a lower cost. That is music to the ear of any manufacturer. The product seems to last longer and the customers love it.
This coating can be applied in one layer instead of the traditional 3 layers so scratches just blend in and the application is half as thick as the old coating. The material itself is more expensive, but less is more in this case. The thermoplastic also weights less also decreasing the cost. This type of coating application is easy to maintain when it comes to quality control. That is a crucial element in manufacturing.
You will have unhappy clients and customers if there is no consistency to your products.
Another feature of the thermoplastic is that it can be reheated. This is a huge cost savings because there never has to be a rejected piece of patio furniture. If the finish does not meet quality control standards, just reheat it, melt off the plastic and go again. This also promotes other applications as well other than the patio furniture industry. The automotive industry has used this technology in car parts as well.
As the research is done on other coatings and applications, there is always a better more durable product just around the corner.
Bev Hlavka is a successful freelance writer offering guidance and suggestions for consumers buying patio furniture, gas grills, picnic tables and more.
Her many articles can be found at http://www.newsletterjournal.com.
She gives information and tips at http://www.newsletterjournal.com to help you save money and make informed buying decisions.
Microwave Convection Ovens – Double Benefits
Microwave convection ovens have both microwave and convection facilities. Microwave ovens cook the food with amazing speed by heating the food only and nothing else. The convection facility provides fans and a certain ‘airflow’ circulation that cooks the food by using much less electricity. The microwave convection ovens bake, broil, cook, re-thermalize and warm the food effectively. Thus the microwave convection ovens are the best ovens available in the market that provides the users with delicious, tasty and fast cooked foods.
Special Features of Microwave Convection Ovens
The microwave convection oven is a wonderful creation. It provides the couple advantages of microwave and convection methods. There are some other features too that make this oven so special.
Baking [convection] features – During baking, a heating element raises the temperature inside the oven. So, it can operate temperatures from 225- 450°F. The fan circulates the hot air throughout the oven, over the food and produces brown exteriors and moist interiors.
Fast baking features – This ‘fast bake’ feature is a cross between convection baking and microwaving.
Advantages of Microwave Convection Ovens
The microwave convection oven can roast, brown and crisp food as well as cook food quickly. It provides the user additional advantage of cooking, heating of microwaves and baking, broiling of convection ovens.
Following are some of the other advantages of microwave convection oven:
There are heating and cooling switches, which heat and cool the food perfectly.
The nutrients are preserved and the actual taste of the food also remains same.
A minimum quantity of oil is required for cooking any type of dishes. This is good for health.
The oven operates at much lower temperature and leads to 20% decrease in cooking time compared to other ovens.
Microwave Convection Ovens – Precautions
While you are cooking in the microwave convection oven you should follow certain rules, which are as follows:
Avoid metal cookware or foil that can cause arcing inside the oven.
Closely regulate the cooking to reduce over cooking.
Use a damp cloth to wipe off the food before it gets baked and stuck to the oven walls.
If you still don’t have the microwave convection oven, then hurry up and get yourself this oven to provide wonderful dishes to your family and friends.
Do you know what type of oven is best for your needs? You will be amazed at the variety, strengths and weaknesses you can learn about ovens by visiting: Poking Around The House
