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Home improvement and renovation tips

Sponge painting explained

If you're planning on painting a room, a little experimentation can give you a look that goes way beyond a simple color change. A technique such as sponge painting is known as faux finishing because it seems to add texture to walls. Best of all, it's pretty easy.In a nutshell, you apply a base coat ...

Decorating tricks and tips

Here are a few inexpensive ways to revamp a room.You can magically remove an uneven ceiling. Install cove or plate rail molding a couple inches below the lowest point of the ceiling. Paint the molding one color, continue this color up the wall and include the ceiling. Your eye notices the level molding, and you ...

Create the illusion of a higher ceiling

Time to reach into the tip bag for some home decorating illusions.Are your rooms small with low ceilings? With a little magic, you can make the ceiling appear higher.Try hanging pictures just a little lower than normal, which increases the wall space above them. Or paint the ceiling a lighter shade than the walls, to ...

How to hang ceiling tiles (Part II)

Last time we determined how wide your border tiles would be. Now we'll hang them.Determine where your ceiling joists are by using a stud detector or by driving finishing nails near where you think they are. When you've found them, mark them with chalklines.To attach the tiles, you need to nail furring strips (2" x ...

How to deal with lead paint

Until the late seventies, many household paints contained lead. Ingesting lead, even miniscule amounts of dust, can cause health problems, especially for pregnant woman and children.But if you have lead paint in your home, you can take steps to protect your family.First, determine whether -- and where -- you have lead-based paint.Focus on the areas ...