CasaSugar

Have You Ever Stained Your Hardwood Floors?

CasaSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:15:16 -0700

Staining your floors can be a very time-consuming task if you have a large space. But it's also a very rewarding one. Worn floors do have a certain je ne sais quoi, but unless your décor is shabby chic or cottage-y, they can look a bit informal. A rich wood stain will really transform a room. Have you ever stained your floors yourself?

Source: Flickr User Philo Nordlund

Ask Casa: I Have a Problem Room!

CasaSugar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:30:58 -0700

Hi Casa,

I love reading your posts! I'm getting some great ideas, and implementing them in my very first house. My home is an older brick house, and my style tends toward warm colors, sort of a rustic look - the living room has beautiful wood floors and a brick fireplace. The house is really in need of many updates, but I'm completely stumped on one room. It's the smallest bedroom (9 feet by 12 feet), but I teach music lessons from my home, and that room is my studio/office. I'm in there a lot, but I don't enjoy being in there because I have no idea what to do with that room. The walls are the old fashioned knotty pine paneling (nice wood, but how to decorate!), and the floor has carpeting over the original hardwoods which don't exactly match the color of the paneling.

I don't know whether to rip out the paneling, paint it, leave it and try to make it work for me? And of course, I want to do whatever will add the most to the resale value of the home.

I know it's a long explanation, but if you have time, I'd love some help!

Thanks!
SC Cutie

To see my response, read more

Hi SC Cutie,

Your home sounds so lovely! I think that your solution is pretty straightforward, though it will take some work. Since wood paneling has fallen out of vogue, the best thing you can do in the short term is to paint it. I really think that white will make your room seem both modern and more expansive. The picture here is what the room from the earlier picture looked like after the wood paneling was painted white. Isn't it an amazing change? You'll definitely need to use primer - perhaps several coats of it - and at least two coats of paint to make sure the color is even, but I think that the change is well worth it.

The second change I'd make is pulling up the carpets. Hardwood floors are coveted by buyers, and they also increase your home's resale value. Beyond these monetary benefits, hardwood floors are also easier to clean than carpets, and help to improve your home's indoor air quality because wood doesn't collect dander, pollen, and dirt the way that carpets tend to do. Because the size of the room is limited, this won't be a very difficult job. Even if the wood floors need refinishing, this change is well worth the time and money. I think that it will make your music lessons much more enjoyable as well!

Cheers,
Casa

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Casa Quickie: Cold Tea on Hardwood

CasaSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:39:52 -0700

It may sound weird, but cold brewed tea is a great way to get varnished hardwood floors clean (and if you don't believe me, ask your grandmother-chances are she used this method). Here's what you do: Take a lot of tea bags (about 15 per 2 quarts of water), brew and cool the tea, and then clean your floors with a damp mop. The tea mixture will clean the floors while bringing out the wood grain and adding shine. And since you're only using tea, there's no need to rinse.

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Definition: Parquet Flooring

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:09:40 -0700

Parquet (pronounced "parkay") is a type of flooring made from pieces of wood laid in geometric patterns. Parquet comes in a seemingly infinite number of designs: The individual wood pieces can be squares, rectangles, triangles, and other shapes.

A very basic parquet floor would involve a tile-like pattern, such as the one on the left. More intricate parquet patterns, like the one at right, can have an almost three-dimensional effect.

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Do You Have Hardwood Floors or Carpeting?

CasaSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 05:00:26 -0700

Though I grew up in houses with wall-to-wall carpet, most of my adult dwellings have had hardwood floors, which I've come to love. What do you have in your house?

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Recipe For Clean: Wood Floor Polish

CasaSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:00:31 -0700

When getting our homes so fresh and so clean, don't forget your floors! If you've assembled your home cleaning kit you'll have most of the ingredients for this Recipe For Clean. Use it to get your wooden floors gleaming.

Supplies

1/8 cup paraffin wax
1 quart mineral oil
10 drops essential oil or lemon oil
double boiler
rag

To find out the steps for this DIY, just read more.

Melt paraffin wax in a double boiler.
Add mineral oil and essential oil.
Apply to floor with a rag.
Let dry, then polish.

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Room Therapy: Help Me Choose Paint Colors!

Casa Community — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:14 -0800

Just in time for Color Theory month, Hvenbnd needs your help in choosing colors for her home! Read on to find out what she's looking for. Hi CasaSugar Readers,

I need your help ASAP! I recently experienced some water damage to my 1942 custom bungalow. As a result the wonderful insurance company has come through and has agreed to re-install new hardwood floors in my dining room and living room, paint the entire kitchen (including cabinets) laundry room, dining room, living room and to install a new kitchen floor.

My problem is choosing paint color for my rooms! I am so overwhelmed with all the options I have been researching. We are eclectic in our tastes, and have mixed antiques and modern midcentury pieces in our home. I collect Shag prints, which are bold and bright with lots of oranges and greens. I also collect tikis but hate the beachy thing. My husband is an airbrush artist and tends toward bold deep color.

For more pictures of this reader's home, and to hear more about what she's looking for,
Now, the house: We have 8 foot ceilings in the living area and dining area with coved ceilings and curved walls. I am installing recessed lighting in all three rooms. The red kitchen island that sits in the dining room in the pictures obviously belongs in the kitchen and will be painted as well. The house has lots of nooks and crannies and built in cabinets and bookcases. Can you help me pick some amazing paint colors? I will post the finished result for your viewing pleasure!

P.S. I am looking for a chesterfield sofa for the living room in what I envision to be olive green leather. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!
Hvenbnd

Do you have advice for Hvenbnd? Leave a comment! Have interesting photos of your home to share? Then post them in the Su Casa group.

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Modesty Is the Policy For Colin Hanks's Los Angeles Purchase

CasaSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:30 -0700

You might expect the son of a renowned star like Tom Hanks to swoop up a sprawling Hollywood mansion at first chance, courtesy of Dad. But Colin Hanks is determined to be an actor in his own right and has his priorities straight. Thus, he's quietly purchased a modest two-bedroom, 1.75-bath home in Los Angeles for just over $1 million. While not opulent by any means, the property, designed by distinguished architect Paul R. Williams, does have historical value. It features a large open living room with high ceilings, a fireplace, and a bank of windows, a full dining room, and a sunny kitchen. The home's two bedrooms are raised a few steps and each have en-suite baths and a library. The house has wonderful city views and lush landscaping that I imagine offers lots of privacy for the budding star. I think it's a really sharp house, and elements like marble countertops, beautiful hardwood floors, and rich ceiling beams are great selling points. Take a tour when you read more.

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Ben Stiller Meets the Market

CasaSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:54 -0700

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor have put their 10-bedroom, 11-bath Hollywood Hills compound on the market for a cool $12.5 million.

The 1929 Spanish-style spread includes two houses and a one-bedroom guest house on an acre of lushly landscaped grounds. It boasts beautiful terracotta tiles and colorful inlays, a magnificent pool, an outdoor dining and living area with built-in seating, French doors, three fireplaces, six garage bays, hardwood flooring, and naturally, a home theater. The house looks flawless and is a great example of a California hacienda-style home. But what really impresses me is the property's privacy. Los Angeles has plenty of homes over $10 million sitting on a mere acre, and it baffles me that people would pay so much to live so close to their neighbors. The lush landscaping on Stiller's home though seems to offer ideal seclusion. See photos when you read more.

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On the Market: Melrose Place Apartments

CasaSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:00:36 -0700

If you ever dreamed of living in West Hollywood's most scandalous courtyard complex, now's your chance to make life at Melrose Place a real estate reality - sort of. To promote the new series of the '90s prime time drama, a fake real estate listing for Melrose Place Apartments has hit the web, complete with photos of an apartment in the complex and a panoramic tour. Features include "hardwood floors, an absolutely killer kitchen, vintage appliances, water pressure to-die-for, huge bedrooms, French doors, an original clawfoot tub, and closet space for two."

Sound appealing? A rental application is available for any of you interested parties. Be prepared to list your publicist, agent, mistress, and long-lost child as references, and answer questions like, "Do you consider yourself a strong swimmer/ skinny dipper?" to be accepted, though. If you're curious about the complex demographics, you can also check out links to the Twitter pages of some of the building's "satisfied residents." Want to take a peek? Take a video tour and see some photos of the digs when you read more.

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