What Would Your Dream House Look Like?

Home interiors designer and style guru, Jonathan Adler, has a manifesto on his Web site. It begins, "We believe that your home should make you happy." It goes on to call minimalism "a bummer," describe tassels as "the earrings" of the home and declare that "colors can't clash."

Design Improvement: Barbie's New Home

It's no surprise that Jonathan Adler was chosen to create a real-life replica of Barbie's Dream Home in Malibu in honor of the shapely doll's 50th birthday. The project, commissioned by toy maker Mattel, involved outfitting a rented mansion with wall-to-wall pink carpeting, filling a closet with 50 pairs of pink peep-toe heels, and stocking her kitchen with cupcake-making ingredients. Instead of Barbie's classic Corvette, Adler chose to park in the garage a new, pink Volkswagen Beetle, complete with a motorized pop-up vanity in the trunk. How fun!
The exhibit is moving to the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, where it will furnish a special pink-tinted Barbie Suite, soon to be available for bachelorette parties, birthdays, or anyone who wants to live like Barbie.
Your Dream Home: Interiors and Improvements
The project begs the question: why can't we all create our own dream houses? Sure you might not have Barbie's budget or the assistance of a star designer to help you create your fantasy home. Still, that shouldn't stop you from following Adler's No. 1 design rule: your home should make you happy.
Use the colors you love. Fill your home interiors with the things that bring you joy. Hang artwork. Choose accent pieces that express your personality.
Barbie's Dream House was adorned with a portrait of herself done by Andy Warhol, a chandelier made with 30 blond wigs, and a mirror framed with 64 dolls. Sure, those items might be a bit over the top for everyday life, but why not ask yourself: what would your dream home look like? Keep your answers handy when you look at your next home improvement project. Pink may not be your color, but adding flair to your home's interior doesn't have to be a dream.

Tips to Finishing a Hardwood Floor

How to finish a hardwood floor is a question asked by do-it-yourself enthusiasts. After the hardwood floor has been installed, the next step would be to sweat out the process of protecting the wood surface. Without a finish, hardwood floors will immediately lose their sheen because it would be susceptible to surface scratches. If floors have unsightly nail holes these will need to be filling up to even out the effect. The next activity will surely require extra effort if you are doing the job yourself.

The hardwood floor would first require sanding. This can be done by hand but it would be more time and cost efficient if an electrically driven sanding machine is used. These kinds of machines are rented out by rental agencies. A hand sander though may be needed for those hard to reach places. If you do not know how to finish a hardwood floor, then you can look for tips over the Internet. You can also ask for assistance from your local wood flooring stores.
Before sanding can take place, the floor must be swept of all dirt and dust. All protruding nails must be “set” to prevent damage to the sander. In sanding and finishing a hardwood floor, care must be exercised that sanding must not cut across the grain of the wood. If this is done the scratch marks would be noticeable. Sanding removes small slivers of wood and smooths the hardwood floor. Depending on the type of floor, steps on how to finish a hardwood floor requires only two sanding cuts. This is particularly true of new floors. A third cut may be done if the floor is uneven or a particular finish is desired. A smoother hardwood finish will be acquired after the final sanding.
Here is a tip on how to finish a hardwood floor: the floor may be buffed on the third sanding or pass. This is done with a steel wool using a special machine. Beware though of using steel wool on oak floors. This may cause iron stains on the finish. Sanding follows a pattern for parquet and similar flooring. Starting to sand with coarse sandpaper removes the outer coarseness of the hardwood floor. This can be later fine-tuned with less coarse sandpaper. Before the sanding is complete, inspect the floors for any missed-out areas.
Finishing floors will require polishing and buffing the floor with steel wool, pumice, and other abrasive compounds. The kind of polisher will be determined by the kind of finish required. A protective coat will be applied to protect floors from scratches, and rapid wear and tear. There will be different tools to finish a hardwood floor. Brushes, rags, spray guns and rubbing pads will be needed in hardwood floor refinishing, and how to apply a finish on a hardwood floor must be followed carefully.
Other than tips on how to finish a hardwood floor, there are also tips on floor refinishing. In refinishing floors, old finishes must be removed with a varnish remover with no water content (non-aqueous). The floor should also be sanded as in new hardwood flooring. Another tip would be to avoid sanding beyond the wood. Do not remove more wood than is necessary.
If you are doing the job yourself, do not hesitate to ask the advice of professionals when you hit a snag in the operations. When you know how to finish a hardwood floor, you will be rewarded with years of satisfaction.

How do I refinish a wooden toy chest?

Start refinishing a wooden toy chest by moving the piece to a secluded work area. Place it on a surface covered with drop cloth. Carefully remove all hinges and screws, and store them in a container where you will be able to find them later.

Prepare the Wood

Wear gloves and safety goggles are you  apply a wood stripper to the old finish. Start with one side and gradually move to the others. Remove by wiping or scraping the chest surface. Repeat this till all traces of the old finish is removed. Dry the chest and lightly sand it to prepare the wood. You can also apply fillers to cover gaps or holes at this stage.

Stain and Seal

Apply the new stain to the wood, and let it completely dry. Apply a sealer and leave the chest to dry for a day. Add the final finish when the chest is absolutely dry. Once the finishing is over, you can reattach the screws and hinges.