Important Points to Consider while Determining Lighting Needs of Your Kitchen

A constant increase is noted in the number of home owners who are remodeling their conventional kitchen. A homeowner can avail several advantages by remodeling his existing kitchen. In addition to optimizing the look, feel and environment of the kitchen area, the remodeling project will further contribute towards enhancing the energy-efficiency of your home. However, you have to consider some key factors while preparing the kitchen remodeling plan. Similar to other parts of your home, the kitchen also needs to well-lit.

So is also important to determine the light fixture and wattage according to the lighting requirements of the kitchen. When the kitchen received adequate light, it will be easier to prepare the food more efficiently. Also, a proper lighting system eliminates the chances of accidents caused by too dim lighting. While determining the lighting needs of your kitchen, you must consider its size, design and style, along with the amount of natural light the area receives on regular basis.

Key Points You Must Remember while Determining Kitchen Lighting

Size and Style of the Kitchen

Before evaluating the lighting needs of the kitchen, you must calculate the number of watts required to light the area properly. You have to measure the length and width of the kitchen space. The required number of watts can be calculated by length times, width times and 1.5. Based on the number of watts, you can decide the watt bulbs required to receive adequate light. Further, you can decide the number of sockets required or these light fixtures.

Theme of the Kitchen

You have options to choose from a wide variety of light fixtures for the kitchen. Some of these fixture designs are traditional, whereas others are modern and complementary. You must choose light fixtures that perfectly complement the theme of your renovated kitchen. For instance, you cannot choose contemporary light fixtures for a country kitchen. It is also a good idea to read online home decoration blogs to decide the best light fixture according to the kitchen theme.

Hanging Light Fixtures

You can always consider hanging light fixtures like chandeliers to create adequate free space inside the kitchen to allow people to walk through. But the light fixtures must be hung down at more than 7 feet from the kitchen floor. It is also a good idea to opt for a light fixture that will hang over the kitchen table. However, the width of the fixture needs to be half of the table’s width. Also, the bottom of the light fixture must remain 2 ½ feet above the table.

If you are residing in an area that does not have an electrical outlet nearby, it is advisable to choose and install the light fixture by hiring an experienced electrician. The professional service will prevent the accidents related to fire and electrical shock. However, you can easily determine the lighting needs of your kitchen and install the light fixtures by availing professional kitchen remodeling services. The kitchen remodeling service provider will further help you in deciding the best options to save energy while making the kitchen well-lit.

Understanding Different Types of Interior Paints

The perfect interior paint job can make a huge difference to the look and feel of a residential or commercial establishment. But the owner must consider several factors to make optimize the interior painting project. One can always avail commercial interior painting services to complete the project without putting any extra time and effort.

You have options to pick from a wide variety of interior paints. However, it is also important to choose the right product by considering a number of factors like finish and formulation of the paint. At the same time, you also need to ensure that the paint job is durable, and there is no need to reapply a coat each year.

4 Common Types of Interior Paints

1) Latex Paint

Latex paint is commonly used for several types of interior painting projects. The easy-to-clean feature of latex paint enables users to clean it simply using soap and water. Further, the paint eliminates the chances of paint-related headaches and similar side-effects, as it does not produce a strong odor. You can also consider using latex paint to create a comfortable and organic living environment.

2) High Gloss Interior Paint

Many people opt for high gloss interior paint due to its durable nature. The paint can also be applied on surfaces that need regular cleaning. However, the paint is not effective in hiding the flaws in the painting process. The paint also complements the needs of trim painting. Many people even prefer applying semi-gloss paint to surfaces that are prone to frequent grease buildups.

3) Solvent-Based Paint

The solvent-based paints are often marketed as alkyd paints. The paint is popular among users due to its effectiveness in leaving the smoothest finished. The paint can be further applied using a brush, while not leaving any noticeable brush stroke. However, you have to allow some more time to make the alkyd paint completely dry. Also, the paint can be cleaned only by using paint thinner.

4) Liquid Plastic Paint

The liquid plastic paint is also advertised as polyurethane enamel. The high abrasion resistance property of the paint makes it usable for painting floors. You can always consider dye-colored or pigmented wiping stain to pain a bare wood floor. But you must apply the stain to the bare wood for an hour, and then wipe the paint off the floor. Once the stain is wiped, you can apply a sander to soften the rough texture. Similarly, you can get a much better finish by applying a coat of any water-based paint.

It is also a good idea to choose the interior paint according to specific items. You can even consult the interior painting services provider to choose the best interior paint according to specific requirements of your project.

5 Simple Ways to Make Your Kitchen more Energy-Efficient

The nature and extent of home renovation projects vary. Some people renovate their homes completely to optimize their look and feel. At the same time, many homeowners even remodel specific sections of their room like basement, kitchen or bathroom. It is always important to decide home renovation requirements according to your specific objectives. If you are remodeling your home to enhance its energy-efficiency, it is a good idea to remodel your kitchen. As the biggest energy hogs in a home are found in the kitchen, you have to consider options to cook smartly to save both money and environment.

5 Simple Ways to Save Energy in Your Kitchen

1) Replace Conventional Oven with a Microwave

Many reports have highlighted that microwaves consumes almost 50% energy lesser than the conventional ovens. So you can save energy by using microwave on a daily basis to cook and defrost food. If you are using the microwave for the first time, spend some time in reading the instruction manual. Once you know the basic principles, it will be easier for you to use the microwave to cook food quickly, while producing a lesser amount of heat.

2) Start Using a Pressure Cooker

In comparison to microwaves, pressure cookers allow you to cook food more quickly and efficiently. The pressure cookers are further effective in retaining the natural juices and vitamins in food items while preparing the dist. The latest pressure cooker models also come with safety features to enable users to cook food in a much safer way.

3) Use Layered Trays

The layered trays can be used as a smart medium to organize your multiple cooking tasks. You can use the layered trays to prepare multiple dishes at a time using microwave. Similarly, the tray can also be used to group multiple items in the oven. It will also be ease for you to bake fish fillets or French fries in a single batch. Also, you can easily microwave asparagus and steam rice at the same time. On the whole, the layered trays will save both energy and your time.

4) Properly Operate and Maintain the Refrigerator

Often the refrigerator has to work harder due to dirty condenser coils. The dirty condenser coils further make the kitchen hotter, while wasting energy. So you must check and clean the condenser coils of your refrigerator at a gap of few months. You can also save energy by closing the refrigerator door more promptly. It is also a good idea to decide the items you want to remove from the refrigerator, before opening the refrigerator door.

5) Maintain the Oven

Often a small gap in your oven allows a huge amount of heat to escape. So you must check the over at regularly intervals for cracks or tears in the door seal. The faulty door seal must be repaired or replaced immediately to save energy. At the same time, you also need to keep the oven clean to allow heat to be distributed throughout the over in a more efficient way. It is also a good idea to determine the proper temperature setting by using calibrating your oven. You can calibrate the oven by using any of the inexpensive oven thermometers available in the market. Once the over is calibrated, you can save energy by cooking food at the right temperature.

If you have an old kitchen, you can always consider revamping its look and feel completely. It is also a good idea to opt for professional kitchen remodeling services to make your kitchen both modern and energy-efficient.

Understanding Important Aspects of Screened Porches

Despite being a traditional home-building concept, screened porches are still are still hugely popular among modern homeowners. A homeowner can avail several advantages by enclosing the porch by using screens. In addition to allowing you to view the garden and enjoy the cool breezes, the screened porch will also be effective in preventing insects. At the same time, the screened porch can also be used as a comfortable place to read, paint, sew or hang out with friends. However, a homeowner needs to understand some important points when he decides to use screen to enclose his porch.

Size

You have to consider several factors to determine the right size of the screened porch. Along the interior décor and usage of the space, you also need to consider how many people will use the area. So you have to decide the furniture and their placement before determining the screened porch size. It is a good idea to arrange the furniture in your yard, and create wall using strings. You can simply measure the string to decide the right size of the screened porch.

Style

You have options to pick from several designs and styles of screened porches. So you must choose the product that perfectly complements the style, décor and color of your home. As most of these porches are designed as add-ons, you can install these easily. But you have to consider wood-framed porch if the house is old. The wood-framed porch will further require some regular maintenances and cleaning. You can even consider adding a ceiling fan to the area to facilitate air movement during hot and humid days.

Effect

There are chances that the screened porches will block some amount of natural light entering into the rooms behind them. So you can consider installing artificial lighting inside the porch or add skylights to get adequate natural light. At the same time, you need to ensure that the view of your backyard is not blocked. So the walls must be kept high enough and the roof must not overhang to allow you to enjoy the trees and birds. It is also a good idea to avoid supporting the frames and beams of the screened porch.

Protection

While building the screened porch, it is important to consider options to keep it safe and secure. You can easily prevent the electrical problems by adding electrical outlets adequate to use lamps, music system or a television on the porch. The large number of outlets will further make it easier to avoid moisture related problems by not using extension cords. Similarly, it is also important to make the flooring waterproof as the roof will make its least exposed to sunlight. The screens further need to be extended till the ground, to protect the area from small bugs that can easily enter through cracks.

On the whole, you have to make a comprehensive plan to design and build a screened porch. However, you can consider availing customized Advantage HandyMan Screened Porches service to enclose your porch with screen without putting much time and effort.