Bamboo Coffee Table - A Unique and Tropical Feel For Your Home

Are you looking for a coffee table that brings out your living room? Do you want it to stand out and look elegant? Then the best coffee table for this style is a bamboo one. This durable material usually paired with wrought iron or steel fits most interior designs and can withstand allot of abuse.

One word of advice though before you up and try buying one, they are costly and are much more expensive than getting a simple oak or pine table. Bamboo is not grown in the U.S. and not even Canada. When you decide if you want one you will have to import it from china, India or even Japan. It is a unique product and is not being produced in abundance and therefore apart from importing, you may have to have it custom made. Nevertheless, you may still have to import the supplies to build it. This can raise the price of the coffee table drastically.

These bamboo tables will attract allot of attention as most likely your friends and family may have never seen one before and apart from that they have a very exotic look to them. So if you want a center table that will pull allot of attraction then that's the table you want.

These pieces of unique furniture have the same features as the other regular types of tables. You may get them with Glass surfaces with bamboo frames. They can also come with shelving or without. It all depends on the kind you are looking for. Another style you can go for is having steel surfaces with bamboo frames of course.

Taking proper care of your bamboo will allow it to last even longer. Harsh chemicals or water can cause your table to get a rough surface. Use substances to clean it that will not react with the bamboo as it may be sensitive to some chemicals, otherwise it is very durable. When cleaning do not use a rag that is very wet as it may dis-colorize and deteriorate the surface of the wood.

It may be sometimes impossible to remove a stain from your table therefore try to prevent your kids from using crayons and markers on its surface. Even some paints might spoil its look so please protect it from the environmental hazards. Some individuals like using some glass or plastic to protect the bamboo.

by Nicha Testler

Applications of Air Purifiers

If you are thinking of buying an air purifier then it is advisable that you do a complete market research so that you choose the right kind of purifier for your property. Air purifiers can remove up to 99.97% particulates present in the air that can be cause of allergies, asthma, odor, etc. It is especially good if you have someone at home is unwell or has an immune deficiency (like AIDS) or is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

Here are a few applications of Air Purifiers

Residential

Some air purifiers work on square footage where as some work on the whole area. You need to decide exactly how many rooms you need the air filtration for and how strong. Features of air neutralizers varies from company to company and you must also choose what kind of filtration process you require; ozone generators, filters, ionizers, UV lamps, etc. If you require an air filtration system for someone who is unwell then you should get multiple purifiers for the maximum benefits.

You can use purifiers in:

• Kitchens
• Bedrooms
• Halls
• Bathrooms
• Garages
• Lounges
• Dining rooms
• Designated smoking areas

Commercial

Air purifiers that are used on a commercial basis are manufactured in a different way than residential air purifiers as the load and capacity are completely different. The choice depends upon what it is going to be used for. For e.g. a manufacturer who wants to remove dust particles and from the air should choose HEPA purifiers or go with another filtration technology. If you require it for germs then an UV based purifier is your best option. If you are thinking of covering a large area then you could opt for one large purifier but this can be expensive. If you require it for a small office then installing smaller units individually in each room will be better and less costly. Remember if you get large purifiers the air will be cleaner and purer closer to the purifier then the rest of the area. If you are unsure of which one to opt for then it is better to consult professional company as they will guide expertly.

Commercial areas you will need Air Purifiers:

• Lobbies
• Boardrooms
• Stores & Boutiques
• Hospitals and Labs
• Hotels and Restaurants
• Offices
• Food and Beverage Plants
• Packing lines
• Warehouses
• General Manufacturing Plants
• Elect Assembly

by Tim Boston

Photoelectric Smoke Alarms - The Best Item to Add to Your New Home Or Renovation

Perhaps you have just purchased an older style home or are in the process of renovating your current place of residence. Did you know that there is a cheap and affordable way to ensure that your home and the people who live within it are best protected in case of a fire? Many people fail to realize just how important it is to have photoelectric smoke alarms installed in each room of the house.

Most people understand that if a house fire were to occur, they would want to be alerted to the fact as soon as possible so they can react accordingly. Sadly, for many people, use of their logical thinking flies out the window and the idea of having smoke detectors within their home simply slips their mind. Whether by being lazy or forgetting to install their photoelectric smoke alarm, they put themselves and others at risk of being injured or killed should a fire engulf their homes.

You don't want to be caught in a situation where the very few vital minutes you have to escape may be cut short because you were not alerted to the presence of danger within your home. Worse yet, should a fire begin while you and your loved ones are sleeping during the night, you may be trapped in a situation with little chance of escaping. Because photoelectric smoke alarms are the best device to detect smoke within any room, you will be woken up well before the fire has had enough time to take hold of your home and possibly your family as well.

Smoke inhalation, third degree burns or death are harsh consequences to suffer and every year this is a sad story for many people. Don't be lazy! Photoelectric smoke alarms are the affordable solution to this potential problem and better yet, they're quick and easy to install; and you can do it yourself in no time at all!

by Adelle Worthington

Vessel Sinks - The New Trend in Bathroom Design

Today, sinks have become somewhat of a fashion statement. Some artistic homeowners even design and plan entire rooms around it. There is no better place for this than the bathroom!

It is well known that remodeling a bathroom is one of the best things you can do to improve the value of your home. Buyers are interested in updated kitchens and bathrooms. While a kitchen remodel may be take tens of thousands of dollars to accomplish, updating your bathroom can be accomplished for much less.

Sinks, of course, are a major component of a bathroom. Choosing the right one for your new space can set the tone and style for the room. There are many varying types and as many different materials to choose from today. There are carved granite sinks, ceramic sinks, stainless steel sinks, undermount sinks. My personal favorite is the vessel sink. This type is what is what I like to call the 'bowl sink'. Of course, all sinks are basically bowls (although perhaps in different shapes), or at least basins, but the vessel sink is a type of sink that often sits ON TOP of the counter instead residing within the counter. These sinks give an updated, modernized look to a bathroom. The style gives a luxurious feeling and makes your bathroom stand out as stylish and forward thinking.

There are many retail sources for vessel sinks. Prices can range from the inexpensive, selling for $59.99, to the pricey, selling for well over a thousand dollars. Today consumers have a large selection of ready made sinks to choose from or custom ordering your own personalized design. Many choose to hire a professional for installation but fortunately vessel sinks can be a do-it-yourself item with a few simple instructions and following manufacturer installation instructions.

by J. Vinson

Which Tile to Choose - Marble Or Travertine

Natural stone is lifetime beauty. As it has become more affordable, many people consider using natural stone tiles for their properties.

There are plenty of types of natural stone including travertine, marble, limestone and slate which make the selection difficult for consumers. In this article, we will evaluate marble and travertine which are the most popular ones of all natural stone tiles.

Travertine is a sedimentary rock from limestone. It is often pushed out to the surface by rivers, natural springs or from geysers. Limestone, travertine and marble tiles are all from the same family. When limestone is pressurized, travertine is formed. Marble is formed when travertine is pressurized. Therefore, one could suggest that travertine and marble have nearly the same characteristics except marble is harder and more expensive (after processing).

So you would like to buy natural stone flooring but are not sure which one to go for. If you cannot decide between marble and travertine, please see a detailed comparison below for these two materials:

1) Travertine has become very cheap and more common whereas marble is still more expensive.

2) Marble is harder and more durable. It can be used in commercial properties. Travertine is not recommended for commercial use.

3) Travertine is full of holes therefore it is more susceptible to external factors (dirt, liquids etc). Installation and sealing must be done properly.

4) Marble is harder and more fragile at the same time. This means that processing marble blocks are more expensive and there is higher chance of production losses. Also in order to prevent breakages, epoxy treatment is used at the back of the tile. All these factors result in higher consumer price.

5) As travertine is softer, processing the stone is easier and this results in different types of travertine tiles (honed, filled, polished, tumbled, pillowed, chiseled edges etc). Most of the time marble tiles come in honed or polished finish. (Tumbled finish is only limited to smaller sizes)

6) Marble is easier to maintain in the long run and recommended if you have pets or children.

Overall, marble seems to have more advantages however, the price tag is much more expensive than travertine. Travertine tiles also have much more color and finish choices just because they have fewer headaches in processing. Therefore the choice is between budget and application. As a conclusion, if you cannot afford marble tiles, go for travertine without hesitation. When travertine tiles are installed and maintained properly, we guarantee they will last lifetime and they will also transform the dullest place into a beauty.

by John Giles

How to Take Care of Your Boiler

In order to keep your boiler and central heating system working well, there are certain things you should do. Firstly, show some love to your boiler. It works hard all year round to provide heat and hot water to you and your family, and it causes very little trouble, asking for practically nothing in return. However, the one thing it does need is a boiler service, and this will help to make sure you are taking care of your boiler properly.

A boiler service isn't a lot that you have to give your boiler in return for its consistent heat output and reliability. Many people just assume that their boiler is fine and there's nothing to worry about, but faults can occur at any time in a boiler's life. Plus, the older it is then the higher the risk something might go wrong. If you have a boiler and are planning to book a boiler service in, there are some other things you can do as part of your homeowner maintenance checklist.

Firstly, make sure you clean the boiler every now and then. We're not talking about getting deep inside and pulling it apart, but just a light dusting can make all the difference. Obviously, it largely depends where your boiler is kept, but some that are fully exposed will need to have the tops cleaned to make sure no dust particles are getting stuck inside the boiler.

In addition to this, check that the pilot light is on. When this goes off, you know something is wrong. You might not be able to check this on your own, which is fine, but you will often find it easy to identify on older boilers. Get the engineer out to check the pilot light if you are at all unsure. They are trained in this line of work.

Keep checking your radiators to make sure the heat is pumping through the house. If a radiator is cold, it could mean your central heating system isn't working properly and this means your boiler is in need of a health-check.

by Mark Andrew Woodcock

How to Pick the Right Wall Decoration For the Home Bar

If you are looking for a special decoration for you home bar or game room, vintage clocks or neon signs are very popular gifts. Vintage clocks or pink and green lighted signs to help your guests re-visit old times when they were growing up as kids or teenagers. These items are great conversation pieces and will spur great stories from family and friends.

Old clocks that hang on the wall can be all different shapes and sizes. Whether round, square or shaped like a cat, these clocks can give a nice touch behind the bar or above the pool table. If you are going for that special theme, you will definitely find the right clock or neon wall sign to make your entire room more like the old time era.

If you are a car buff, you can find old signs that used to sit in diners where you parked your car and the waitress came out on roller skates. Neon signs that bring you back to these olden times and can help others remember good old' times when things were simpler.

If sports is your thing, you can hang a vintage clock with football, hockey or baseball logo on the face. Looking at a wall clock with the old NHL, NFL or MLB logos can create a sense of nostalgia when the Babe was crowned king of baseball.

Whatever your interest, you will find a special wall clock that can bring your home bar to the next level and good memories for your guests. finding the right looking wall decoration to compliment your bar or game room is half the fun of having one.

by Bobbie Bailey

Set the Mood With a Japanese Pergola

The Japanese have used pergolas in their landscaping designs for centuries. If you want to design a Japanese-style garden in your yard, you will want to include some type of covered walkway or pavilion. Pergolas are arbors with cross-beams over the top which are often used to create formal entrances to gardens or to provide a covered area for relaxing and talking. Although the roofs of these structures are not water tight, you can grow vines over them to provide for a shady retreat. While the ancient Japanese built pergolas of stone, modern tastes have changed to wooden structures which are much more affordable to build.  In addition to models made of wood, arbors are also available that are  fashioned from iron, vinyl, and fiberglass.

Japanese pergolas are knock-offs of the original pagodas which were built to house the ashes of Buddha. Their design often includes straight crosspieces with scrolled ends. Through the centuries, the structures lost their religious connotations, especially when the designs caught on in the western world where Buddhism is seldom practiced.

Although these classic bowers went out of favor during periods of the 18th and 19th centuries when fashionable gardens when through a natural trend, they have come back into vogue in the 21st century in a big way.

One of the cool things about today's pergolas is that many of them are available as kits that homeowners can easily assemble without professional help. These kits can either be stock models, or you can find companies that will custom-build your design at their factory and then deliver it to your home for installation. Some websites offer tools so that you can learn about the different elements that are used in order to design the perfect arbor to fit your lawn, deck, or other application.

In order to give your pergola a more Oriental flare, you might want to consider adding Japanese lanterns for soft light and tatami floor mats. You also might like to enclose all or part of the pergola with Shoji sliding doors and Japanese screens. A pergola will add architectural interest to your yard or patio, and adding plants that are typically found in a Japanese garden, such as bamboo, azaleas, moss, and carefully-pruned pine trees, can give your garden a truly Oriental flare.

by Christopher W Smith

Relevance of Safety Inspections and Electrical Testing

When getting your home or office building inspected for electrical safety measures, you would normally need the service of an electrical service provider or electrical testing company functioning within your county. The process would take not more than a day if you are having the checking done for a small house or apartment. But in case of offices or multi-storied villas, the entire inspection would take 2 to 5 days depending on the engineers working on your project.

Such inspections are necessary at various stages and regular intervals so as to avoid possible accidents and unwanted expenses. Most of the property owners or builders hire electrical testing services when their property or office is under construction. However, in case of an ongoing construction, the chief engineer is also responsible to oversee the security and safety inspection requirements. Depending on the size of the construction these inspections would be complex, involving several stages of checking and rechecking. Electrical testing covers a wide range of inspective procedures involving electrical ports, electronic equipments and fittings, electronic plumbing devices, motorized appliances installed, light fixtures, cable system, security system, fire detection mechanism and several other electricity supply systems.

Yet another important role covered by electrical safety inspectors involves monitoring the earthing system of a property under inspection. It requires skilled electronic engineers to identify and ensure the electromagnetic compatibility levels in view of the grounding system of a particular area. The standards for earthing requirements vary depending on the geographical location. Proper earthing system plays a vital role in fulfilling the basic safety requirements for a house or property. It ensures proper functioning of all the electrical equipments and devices installed within the property.

Choosing an experienced electrical testing engineer or company is a very decisive responsibility. You should check with the working profile of various electrical service providers or contractors in your locality before assigning the job to one of them. You should also look over the entire inspection process so as to ensure cost and time efficiency. You may also consult the old clients served by the electrical contractor hired by you, to know his efficiency and experience levels. If you are hiring electrical testing personnel for your newly constructed house, then consult your chief engineer to learn more about the nature of safety checks required in view of the structure and built of the entire property.

You may look for private electronic engineers providing testing services in your locality. This would be a more feasible option than hiring the services of a company; however, you should make sure that the contractor is working under proper licenses and approvals as required by your state's regulatory rules in this regard. Nevertheless, if your testing needs are quite comprehensive in nature involving complex electrical systems, then you may consider allying with a reputed electronic testing company.

by Simon Mahoney

Shed Planning - The Pneumatic Air Tool Option

Now that you have decided to make the new shed in the backyard your workshop shed it is time to think about those new tools. You have studied both the battery powered tools and electric corded tools and now it is time to have a look at pneumatic tools as well. Let's take a closer look at the pneumatic air powered tool option in your shed planning.

Being air powered tools we know from the beginning that a generating source to compress air will be needed. Air tools tend to be light weight and have a housing constructed of aluminum and steel. They have fewer moving parts which constitutes less parts wear and breakage and results in fewer repair costs. Another reason for the light weight of these types of tools is the lack of any electric components and because of this lack of electric components they also cost less. Being air driven pneumatic tools have more power and are safer to use than their electric counterparts. The overall life expectancy is greater than both the battery powered tools or the electric corded tools and so the result is lower replacement costs.

As stated above a source of compressed air to run the tools with is needed in the form of an air compressor. This will have to be an electric powered generator as battery or pneumatic is not really feasible. To work for extended periods the air compressor should have a storage tank that will have a capacity of 4 to 5 gallons. A smaller tank than 4 to 5 gallons will quickly expend the quantity of air it contains and you will find yourself waiting for it to cycle. Cycling simply means the machine has to build up enough air to run the tool. It is recommended that the compressor be able to produce at least 135 psi of pressure and have a pressure gauge that will measure up to at least 135 psi (pound per square inch). There will be times when more than one tool may be needed at the same time so it is very beneficial to have multiples outlets on the machine.

The first pneumatic tool you will probably want to buy will be an air nail gun. When a project requires lots of nails an air nailer will make short work of the task. There are many types of air tools that can be purchased some of those are an impact wrench, air ratchet, pneumatic grinder, sanders, spray guns and screw drivers to name a few.

So now the choice has to be made. There are three types of like tools, powered three different ways. I guess the only thing to do is weigh the pros and cons and use your own best judgment on what works best for you. Good Luck!

by Robert McCormack