http://builddirect.com Co-Founder Rob Banks talks about a subset of strand-woven bamboo flooring: uniquely patterned tigerwood bamboo floors.
Duration : 0:1:37
Bamboo is a good choice for a flooring but you can t compare it to a standard hard wood. You have to compare it to a specific wood that is used for hard wood since there is a couple dozen types of hard woods. Some better and some worse than bamboo.
It is a good flooring because it wears well and it is a renewable resource , but a bit pricier.So you ll have to weigh all the facts and compare to a specific type of wood.
Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar. GL
http://www.worldfloorsdirect.com
Get your quality bamboo flooring and cork flooring at wholesale prices from World Floors Direct.
Duration : 0:4:0
Last in a three part series, I’ll share some interesting insight from various publications, experience, and trends in our local Chicagoland residential real estate market.
“As is” in home sale marketing. Anything went in the boom market, but if you’re planning to use “as is” in 2007, forget it. Buyers see “As Is” as a red flag about the home and the seller. With all the competition from existing and new housing, an “As Is” will chase the buyers away.
Buyer incentives. Free cars don’t sell houses, realistic pricing does. Gimmicks only confuse and distract buyers. Cut to the chase and deduct the cost of your free-with-purchase from your current price and send the signal to buyers that you’re selling real property, not personal property.
Endless Open Houses. The open house pendulum has swung from “the house sold in the first day” to “we need to have our house open every Sunday”. Desperation is when your home is open every Sunday, and don’t think buyers don’t know this and keep track. Plan on every three weeks if you must have a public open house.
Over-full-price offers. It was a strategy in the boom market to under-price a home and let the market set the selling price. Not today! One thing that won’t change in 2007 is that every buyer will want a deal, and you had better be prepared for them to walk if they don’t get one.
Bedrooms not large enough for a bed. In the boom, rehabbers and developers learned the fastest way to profit was to increase the room count of an existing home. Bedrooms shrunk to walk-in closet size when a four-room, one-bedroom was gut-rehabbed into a four-room, two-bedroom. Or, the doorways and windows eliminate required wall space. Savvy agents kept asking, can you fit a queen-size bed in either room? And the answer was usually, no.
Loads of glass upper kitchen cabinet doors. Buyers say it looks great, but many who specified and experienced it firsthand don’t have the time to keep their kitchen cabinets organized. Plus, if you hate washing the windows, having more glass in a greasy room like a kitchen is high-maintenance.
Bowl-shaped above-counter bathroom sinks. The splashing and overall upkeep have earned these the reputation of nice to look at, but, “no thanks, don’t want one.”
Any shiny metal finish. Brushed nickels and pewters are in and antiqued and polished brass is out.
Stainless-steel refrigerators and dishwashers are a fading trend. The cold look and higher maintenance of steel is shifting buyers to specify warmer colors in kitchen appliances.
Spiral staircases. Once the rage for mid-seventies makeovers, these are now death to a home seller. The boomers have aged, their kids don’t like them, they’re unfriendly to pets and a danger to young children and elderly parents. Take yours out and put in a standard staircase (inside or out) before you sell.
Bamboo floors. The first reviews are in on this popular eco-friendly flooring, and they’re not pretty. Complaints range from easily dented and scratched to prone to warping from variations in our climate and humidity levels.
Hardwood laminate floors. These noisy, poor relatives of solid hardwood simply don’t stand up to multiple sandings to remove stains or change colors.
Home sellers who smoke in their home while it’s on the market. Buyers HATE second-hand and stale smoke odors. Marketing your home is not the same as living in it. If you have to smoke, go outside. Clean the smoke smell from the house, carpet, window treatments, etc.
Kris Kombrink
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/2007-housing-trends-part-three-whats-out-90755.html
All J&L Bamboo floorings are pre-finished by “Treffert”, a German varnish, which has an anti-abrasion aluminum oxide layer. The UV cured coatings yield extreme hardness resulting in high mechanical resistance to scratch, impact and abrasion. The coatings are water based and are free of halogenated hydrocarbons, heavy metals, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, formaldehyde and any harmful emission complying with international standards.
Duration : 0:4:22
all things being equal.
Not if you’ve purchased 3/4" wide (or thereabouts) planks. They’re tongue and groove and install exactly like hardwood flooring does. You can use 2" L cleats or 2" Crown staples to attach them to your subfloor. Underlayment paper is optional, but it’s usually inexpensive and worth the extra minimal effort.
When deciding to transform your house into a stylish home, you can use different approaches to the various parts of the house in order to minimize your renovation costs.
- The Interior Design Approach
1. One approach that you can employ is by focusing your renovation design towards your staircase. You can change the design of your staircase to make it appear more cozy and modern or use wooden materials with carving designs to have a more traditional and yet stylish look. Redesigning your staircase would also depend on which part of your house, it is located.
2. Once you have redesigned your staircase, the part of the house where it is located should also follow to match with it. If it’s in the living room, then the living room should be redesigned as well. In renovating your living room, you can repaint the walls to match the color of your staircase railings. If the railings are made of wood, then it would best to have a wall paint colored beige or other variants of earth colors. If you still prefer a light colored wall, you can repaint the base of the wall with a darker tone of brown.
3. Aside from transforming the staircase or the ceiling you may also redesign the flooring of your house. A quick and easy way of doing this is by replacing your old flooring with laminate floorings. You can choose from the variety of materials that are used for laminate flooring. For example, if your theme is the more traditional look, then you may use the laminate flooring which resembles wooden parquet flooring. If you are looking for a more environmentally sound floor, then one of the incredibly stylish and durable bamboo flooring options currently on the market may well be a better choice.
- Transforming by Changing the Furniture
4. If renovating the entire interior of the house is too costly for your budget, you may opt to buy new furniture to replace those old and tired looking pieces that are an eyesore. You can purchase new designs of living room sofas with matching sleek and modern center and side tables. 5. You can also purchase a made to order bar if your living room has more space to accommodate this. A living room bar adds excitement and style to any boring traditionally styled living rooms.
So there you have it, five simple yet extremely effective tips for transforming your house into a stylish home. Have fun!
Tom Willmar
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/five-home-improvement-tips-to-help-you-transform-your-house-into-a-stylish-home-90217.html
Bamboo has become such a popular plant in recent times; not only can you grow and enjoy it but it’s use in other areas such as wood flooring and as blinds is rapidly gaining in popularity. Then there’s the human version in the shape of musical band Bamboo Manalac which just like it’s plant namaesake, is climbing in the popularity ratings!
The Bamboo Orchid
So what about bamboo orchids? It would probably surprise many garden enthusiasts that bamboo orchids even exist but they certainly do! In some areas they are considered somewhat of a pest but in general, they excel as a decorative plant, enhance any flower arrangement and produce a distinct fragrance.
Bamboo orchids can be found scattered throughout areas in southern Asia and also the pacific islands. They are a popular form of decorative plant in Hawaii and can also be found in countries such as Costa Rica.
Characteristics Of The Bamboo Orchid
Bamboo orchids can be a little fussy to grow as orchid lovers in the western world are finding out but essentially, by following some well-worn guidelines, they can be grown with good success.
The bamboo orchid is also known as Arundina and it can grow to heights of 6-8 feet and is a multi-perrennial plant. The flowers generally bloom during summer and autumn and can produce up to a dozen flowers. The foliage of the plant has a grassy appearance while the flower itself is either lilac, lavender or mauve, depending on your interpretation of color flanked by a white disc and either a purple or yellowish lip.
Growing Bamboo Orchids
While bamboo orchids can make a great indoor plant and add a touch of variety to any home decor, growing the orchid outside in ground requires just a little know-how. If you are about to take the plunge and embed one in your garden try the following tips for best results:
- Avoid planting in a wind-prone area and give the new planting as much space as possible. In other words, don’t crowd the orchid as it can be a little claustrophobic.
- Make sure the plant is in a position to attract plenty of sunlight, especially during the morning with a little extra cover during the hottest part of the day.
- You want to ensure the orchid is kept fairly moist although avoid putting it in an area where flooding is likely to occur. If this is a scenario you’re concerned with either put it in higher ground or elevate the ground where you intend to plant it.
- The soil can be kept moist simply by providing a good cover of mulch while in rainfall deficient areas, watering every 2-3 days is required. Applying intermittent doses of fertilizer during the year will be appreciated by the orchid in fact, a slow release fertilizer every couple of months should do the trick.
- Bamboo orchids appreciate warm conditons so if you live in an area where temperatures drop drastically at night, then it may be wise to plant your bamboo in a pot because cold temperatures are not something they appreciate.
Bamboo orchids are creating more and more interest among plant lovers and given their attractive nature when in bloom, are an interesting addition to any “green thumb’s” cache of flora.
Dean Caporella
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/bamboo-orchids-under-the-spotlight-five-growing-tips-you-can-try-124075.html
All of us love to surround our world with things, which are both beautiful as well as exotic. Our homes are one of the most intrinsic parts of the world around us. Therefore, most of us enjoy making our homes more than a mere structure made up of four walls and a roof.
Home decor styles range from a number of themes, designs, and materials. While planning your home decor project, you can either opt for the theme being implemented throughout the house or use one specific theme for a specific room. For example, a house was once designed in such a way that each room was decorated with the styles of the different countries the home owner had visited. All rooms included authentic art and furniture from each visited country.
An assessment of your needs is preferrable before embarking on the process of a new home interior decorating project. The next point to keep in mind would obviously be taste such as personal likings and dislikings. You can then choose from several themes that can stretch from Victorian to more contemporary themes, which are more suited to the modern and urban lifestyle. One of the modern themes including home decor ideas that are really catching up is the use of bamboo. Eco-friendly and beautiful, bamboo has a number of advantages that account for its popularity as a first choice for home interior decoration. Transform your home to a tropical paradise of peace and harmony with the use of bamboo. Another benefit of using bamboo is the fact that the material is famous for its sheer versatility. You can incorporate it into almost anything beginning with floorings to even towels! The main point to remember when using bamboo for decorating your home interior is the fact that the glue that is used for sealing the sheets into a pattern should be non-toxic glue. This is especially important when bamboo flooring is glued with inexpensive or low quality glue. The flooring can cause the floors to dent and also cause them to give out a harmful gas called Formaldehyde.
Curtains can also match with the flooring with convenience as bamboo curtains can be easily purchased all over the world. It is best to keep the interior spaces clutter-free while using bamboo flooring, as this would go a long way in enhancing the ambience. The color that this theme would necessarily involve would be slightly muted. Furthermore, this color is quite fashionable in this decade. In case you want to add color to the space, cushions and rugs make make nice floor decor additions. To add a bit of freshness to the room, accentuate the muted sophistication of the theme with a couple of bright hibiscus flowers and perhaps a well chosen painting with a color selection that matches the home decor accessories.
Julien Raynal
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/planning-of-home-interior-decorating-project-90019.html
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
| By N2H | |||||
Mick Dalrymple of a.k.a. green gets into detail about cork flooring