From the 50’s to the 80’s popcorn ceilings were incredibly popular and were installed all over the country in many homes. Asbestos wasn’t known as a dangerous material back then and as a result it ended up in many homes nationwide.

In 1978, asbestos became banned and contractors had to start using paper fiber. Unfortunately, suppliers were still allowed to sell their remaining products containing asbestos which remained in stock at the changing of these laws, which resulted in a lot of home getting asbestos popcorn ceilings well into the 80’s.

Most undisturbed popcorn ceilings will not release any toxins, that’s why it’s important that you don’t use any nails, tape or screw in your ceiling. Make sure not to scrape it either, and don’t put any shelving units attached to the ceiling. Try not to hit the ceiling with any objects that might cause peices to fly off or get scraped.

We asked a group of professionals in Popcorn Ceiling Removal Charlotte NC what the best solutions for popcorn ceilings is, to which they replied, “You’d better just get rid of it as soon as possible!”

So in conclusion, your popcorn ceiling might not have released any toxins until now, but your safest bet is to get a professional crew to clean it out for you.

The trim of a room may seem like a small detail, but it can make or break a room. Trim covers the gaps between two areas, namely corners, and can be a great decorative element for a home or room. We’re going to look at several trim styles provided us by our colleagues in Finish Carpentry Chicago IL.

• Crown Molding is considered the king of trim, hence the name. It starts a little lower down the wall to simulate a higher ceiling and bring a feeling of more space into homes.
• Baseboards are the type of trim that covers the space between the floor and wall, keeping furniture from scraping the wall. Baseboards can often afford to be far more plain as they are ofetn covered by counches and other furniture.
• Chair Rails are installed a little ways up the wall from the floor to keep chairs from scraping against tthe wall. You’ll often see these in dining rooms.
• Picture Rails are put in a little ways down the wall from the ceiling and are used to support pictures. This molding usually needs to be nailed into the wall.
• Picture Frame Molding immediately creates a very elevated look to a home, as it’s installed to support large paintings as seen in high end homes.
• Panel Molding is a large segment that covers the lower section of a wall up to the level where chair rails would normally be.
• Door and Window Casing has a name that speaks for itself. They encompass windows and doors to provide a border between the wood and wall.
• Pierced Molding is a decorative trim, generally with a type of pattern on it and not fully filled out. These are used primarily for aesthetics.
• Architrave Molding is set above doors and windows, often from the outside, and is large and decorative.
• Corbels are installed between vertical and horizontal surfaces and are roughly shaped like L’s or triangles. These, although means to support a structure fastened to the wall, can also be made in different styles for the sake of appearance.

You’ve got several more types, but these should give you a good idea of the basic trim types.

Most people don’t pay much attention to their gutters, and it’s understandable! They seem like such a minor part of the house, right? But butters are essential for keeping your home clean and free of water damage.

How many types of gutters are there? The answer is simple, there are three; the Box Cutters, the Half-Round, and the K-Style Gutter.

Box Style gutters are big and bulky and are made to hold much more than the other types. For this reason you will often find them on industrial or commercial buildings since these buildings are more often than not much bigger than residential houses.

The Half-Round gutter is an older type of gutter, found most often on older homes or historic houses. They come mostly in copper, but can be found in aluminum, galvanized steel and, of course, vinyl. These are rustic looking, easy to clean, less prone to rust and corrosion, and less likely to get clogged. On the downside, they’re often more expensive, take longer to install, not as handy when it comes to heavy rain, have a shorter lifespan than K-Style, and heavier.

The K-Style gutter is the one you’ll see most on modern homes. They’re shaped almost like most crown moldings you can find in modern homes. These gutters are the cheapest and most available type, plus being easy to install, rigid and durable, can handle large amounts of water, and they look cool and modern. Unfortunately, thee K-Style is more prone to corrosion and gets clogged a lot easier than Half-Round gutters.

But when it really comes down to it, the choice is up to you, the homeowner.

Credits to seamless gutters NH for the information.

Depending on what you’re looking for and what you need upholstery for(couches, booths, ottomans, armchairs, etc.) you’ll find an array of fabric options for your furniture. You can generally break upholstery fabrics down into two major categories; natural and artificial.

Let’s take a moment to look at our natural fabrics first. On the upper shelf price-wise we’ve got silk, which is ideal for more formal settings and not great for heavy traffic. When silk gets stains in it, they are very hard to remove and will likely need professional help. Wool, on the other hand, is a lot for durable and easy to clean, making it preferable for heavier use. Try to avoid getting wool upoholstery wet, as the smell will be very difficult to remove. Leather is all around a great options for couches, especially for households with indoor animals as it’s very easy to clean and is more durable than any other kind of covering.

Synthetic fabrics are generally more durable than most natural fabrics, as well as cheaper. They do lack the organic feeling of natural fabrics, but besides that there are very few downsides. Polyester is often used in a blend with cotton to eliminate wrinkles and is great for outdoor furniture. Nylon is also used in combination with natural fabrics and is good for indoor use, but should be kept out of the sun as the UV rays make the color fade.

Whatever you choose for your home’s upholstery, get the opinion of a professional so you are able to get whatever suits your needs the best.

A big thanks to Upholstery Minneapolis MN for the info on fabrics.

For those of you interesting in new roof installation, it’s definitely a good idea to get familiar with the types of roofs that are available on the market; getting to know a little about how they look and their function.

1. The Gable Roof is your classic example of the most common roof in the US. Think of a child’s drawing of a house and you will most likely be thinking of a gable roof. It’s your basic two-sided sloped roof with both slopes rising into a ridge in the middle.
2. The Clipped Gable Roof, also known as “bullnose,” is very similar to the gable roof with one added detail. The front and back peaks on the ridge a bent toward the wall beneath it, making little hips at both ends of the roof. Homeowners like to get these roofs to show off their roof shingles, since the slanted ends are more visible to those on the ground.
3. The Dutch Gable Roof is a mix between a gable and a hip roof. You have a traditional hip roof and an extra gable on top of that, providing the home with more space for an attic.
4. The Gambrel Roof is most often seen on classic barns. It’s got two sided slopes on each side, starting with steep slopes from the bottom and a little more half way up, changing to slightly less steep slopes. The steep sides are very visible from the ground, so homeowners should be mindful of their shingles on grambrel roofs.
5. The Hip Roof is a very traditional roof shape in the US, consisting for four equal-sized slopes. For those of you who have a hip roof, you know that this is the most visible roof type there is when it comes to shingle visibility.

These are your most common roof types, but there are many more of course; including the Mansard roof, the Shed roof, the Low Slope roof, and more. Knowing your roofs will definitely come in handy when doing any roof renovation projects.

Sponsored by Roofer Nashua NH