My Cleaning Blog

Keeping every aspect your house looking pristine is something numerous homeowner do not have endless time for, which is why setting up low maintenance products is so handy. This includes the new windows and doors you pick when replacing existing components or constructing a new conservatory or extension. Here are some leading features to keep an eye out for.

Low Maintenance Window Glazing

Windows and doors with large areas of glass are now more popular than ever. It’s an excellent way to include more natural daylight into your house while producing sensational views. With more glass comes a broader surface area to clean, so are there some low upkeep functions which can help with this?

Luckily, there are several choices. One is to install self-cleaning glass where there is a big amount of glazing, especially in a glass conservatory. An extra covering put over the glazing sheets breaks down organic dirt in sunshine, washing the particles away in the rain. This is also an outstanding service for high reaching windows such as skylights and roofing system lanterns.

Another alternative is to take a look at how your brand-new windows will operate. Many people get fed up with their old fixtures if they’re having difficulty with opening and closing them, so pick to update to a product which works more efficiently. However, even if you’re thinking about a more specialist style such as sash windows, you can opt for a pane which also opens or tilts inwards for easier access when cleansing.

Low Maintenance Window Frames

Among the most lengthy jobs when caring for old window components is maintaining the frames. Paint on conventional windows frequently cracks and peels, particularly with inferior quality items, or you have old wood window sills. That’s where modern developments have can be found in convenient. UPVC and aluminium windows now produce some of the lowest upkeep frames you’ll discover, and they will not rot, peel or fade over time. This means no more sanding and repainting to keep them looking excellent. Lots of aluminium items even have a powder coating over the aluminium to guarantee they’re as weather-resistant and long lasting as possible.

If you love the appearance of timber frames, however the thought of keeping them doesn’t appeal, there are some stunning composite collections readily available. Modern composites mean that you can now install a standard window which is authentic looking while remaining practically maintenance-free. They typically have a uPVC frame to keep them looking as good as brand-new while still imitating a wood design.

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In winter season cold air and wetness tends to constantly discover a method to permeate your home. An option is to closely check your windows and doors for any spaces, and either frame sealants or foam fillers to treat the problem – keeping wet and cold air out and warm air in.

How to Apply Frame Sealants

Spaces in windows and door frames frequently appear when caulking material becomes old and stops working. If you see any moist patches on the walls around a window frame it’s an indication that there are gaps in the seal.

The issue with using a normal cellulose filler or mortar mix to fill these gaps is that both set rigid. Throughout the year the gap opens and closes due to natural seasonal motion of the structure. Since the filling material is rigid, it eventually cracks and falls out.

In this scenario you should use a mastic sealant, which will remain flexible. There are sealants available for various scenarios and you need to purchase one particularly for handling frames – apply with a caulking applicator weapon.

Colours include white, grey and brown and the mastic can be painted over if wanted.

First you should prepare the afflicted area, brushing down the space and surround to move dirt and particles. Then apply the sealant as a continuous bead along the length of the gap.

Applying Expanding Foam Fillers

Whenever pipes, cable televisions or flues penetrate walls or roofs, there is a potential damp issue prowling. An ideal fast solution for sealing such locations is offered with broadening foam fillers. Provided in an aerosol, these fillers are merely sprayed on, then delegated broaden and fill any shape of hole. They will stay with essentially any surface area and can be cut or formed with a knife or hacksaw when dry. Nevertheless, they can be very sticky to the touch, so always wear protective gloves when using them.

Filler foams are ideal for sealing irregular spaces in awkward places, the kind of locations that would otherwise be inadequately plugged or left exposed to allow damp to gain a hold. Trim them to form once they have actually solidified, and protect them with a layer of exterior filler or mortar.

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• A regular broom will be an ideal replacement for a decking stain applicator
• Using chalk pens, you can produce non-permanent murals on mirrors. Perfect for kids!
• To prevent paint leaks in your house, glue a paper plate to the bottom of your paint cans
• Strong coffee or shoe polish are perfect for covering up a raw scratch on a piece of dark wood furnishings
• If you want to make certain your screws never ever come reversed when hanging something new, add a drop of clear nail varnish to the hole right before you complete tightening up
• Old radiators can be livened up with heat proof paint. You can now even get it in aerosol form
• To make nails get in wood efficiently, rub the pointers with a little soap before hammering
• On unpolished wood with a damage, add some water, lay brown paper on top and iron. The damage will
• To keep your paint usable, add a number of caps of methylated spirits, then put the lid on. Don’t stir until you next requirement to use it
• Whatever your DIY task, keep in mind that security needs to come first so constantly turn off your electrics
• Keep a torch in a known and easy to reach place just in case anything shorts or you come across an issue
• A spring-powered rat trap makes a terrific automatic door better when installed to the back
• Don’t lose cash on expensive cleaning products, when you can clean your wood burner glass with scrunched up newspaper, dipped in vinegar and ash
• Old cooking area funnels can be repurposed as fantastic twine dispensers. Handy for passionate gardeners!
• On an unequal surface, usage felt floor protectors to lengthen chair or table legs
• Above all else, know when it’s time to contact the experts. Otherwise, you may squander a lot of time, effort and money trying to deal with something you just can’t master!

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Engineered wood flooring is a terrific option for many property owners: it’s strong, resilient, beautiful to look at and a pleasure underfoot. However do you know how to install it properly? If you don’t want to shell out for an expert fitter to lay your wood flooring, here’s how to ensure you fit it correctly.

What is Engineered Wood Flooring?

This wood is produced by layering wood and then finishing it off with a genuine wood veneer. The layering provides the wood higher flexibility and stability in a variety of environments.

There are great deals of various brand names of this floor covering.

What You Will Need

To start with, do purchase the best devices. Many engineered wood flooring boards are created with tongue-and-groove joints, which indicates you will not need adhesives or screws to sign up with the boards together. You will need a block and hammer to carefully tap the planks of wood into location, and a drill to cut out holes for pipes in the space. You’ll also feel much better if you use knee pads (this DIY task includes great deals of kneeling), and a set of security goggles to secure your eyes.

Some Good News

Secondly, do feel free to lay this kind of flooring without removing back the surface area beneath. Engineered wood floor covering can be laid over almost anything, such as concrete or particleboard, along with over existing surface areas such as linoleum, stone or tiles without getting rid of the old surface first. It’s recommend that you use a layer of underlay between the old floor and your brand-new crafted wood floor covering to ensure you attain an even surface.

Do use crafted wood flooring on top of underfloor heating systems. Unlike solid wood or laminate flooring, the layers that crafted wood floor covering slabs include cope well with variations in heat and moisture. For that reason, you can use crafted wood floor covering in restrooms and kitchen areas, and anywhere else you happen to have underfloor heating.

Acclimatise The Wood

Don’t make the error of not getting your new flooring acclimatised to the environment you’re going to lay it in. Leave your wood floor covering unopened, sealed and in its packaging, in the space you’re intending on laying it in, for a minimum of 48 hours before fitting it. It’s important not to keep the wood in a basement or garage as these rooms are typically exceedingly cold and wet. This will ensure you’re not fitting boards that are going to swell or shrink after you’ve laid them.

Gently Does It

When you’re laying the boards, do be gentle. It can be tempting to hammer the boards together with excessive force, however doing so might crush the tongue. Tap securely however thoroughly to fit the slabs together and use a craft knife to sculpt a tongue on a slab if you damage one by accident.

Extension Gaps

Do not fit the boards all the method up to the edges of the space. Rather, include extension gaps of approximately 10mm all the way around the room wherever the flooring satisfies walls, door frames, skirting boards and pipes, as this will account for natural shrinking and growth of the wood gradually.

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The doors you select for your home can truly make or break your larger decorating options, creating a cohesive and created visual or, disrupting what would have been a sensational design. From your front door, which is the calling card of your façade, through to internal doors and even the French doors at the rear of your house, every installation counts.

Which products work well for doors?

This is something of a ‘how long is a piece of string’ concern, as the area of your doors and your design choices will have a huge influence on which products appropriate to use, however as a general guide, the following choices work well:

Wood: Generally considered to be the most typical and favourite choice of material for both exterior and interior doors, wood is simple to work with, uses endless customisation chances and contributes to a warm and welcoming aesthetic. For outside doors, hardwoods are important, to increase security, but interior installations can be developed from softwoods, making them economical.

Steel: Weather resistant, contemporary and stunning for interior and exterior installations, steel doors are really getting popularity today, thanks to commercial design influences.

Fibreglass: Great for outside doors, in particular, entryways, fibreglass can be moulded into a number of ornamental finishes, can withstand bad weather condition and will not spend a lot either.

Glass: While stunning, glass doors are just appropriate for interior use, due to the lack of personal privacy and security that they provide. In houses where light circulation requires to be increased, glass doors can be an useful addition.

uPVC: If you are thinking of swapping out your windows for something more long lasting, you will see that plastic frame manufacturers likewise supply doors. Easy to hang, weatherproof and usually ensured for a variety of years, uPVC doors are a lasting alternative for your exteriors and come in a range of colours and designs.

Aluminium: Perfect for interior doors, aluminium is a lightweight and beautiful material that can be used to develop noticeably elegant room divides. With appropriate care, they will last a very long time as well, making them economical.

Hollow metal: While hollow metal makes for great interior and even exterior security doors, due to an absence of insulation, they can be a little cool for colder environments. They are likewise prone to rusting, when exposed to bad weather condition, so maybe save these for inside the house.

Types of Door locks and their Security levels

A good guideline to follow, when picking the locks for your doors is to see which styles will reduce your house insurance coverage the most, as these will, naturally, be the most safe options.

Kinds of Doors

There are a myriad of door designs easily available, so as to make sure that whatever style of house you have, there are a handful of ideal options for you. The most frequently seen designs are:

Standard: Inset panels, glass areas and traditional hardware are all part of the traditional doors visual, along with being made from wood.

Artisan: Normally made from wood, fibreglass or now, uPVC, these doors are recognisable thanks to the addition of a semi-circle window in the leading area.

Modern: Simple, thanks to clean, straight lines and unfussy surfaces, contemporary doors are often made from metal and have commercial touches present. Glass can play a key function in the finished aesthetic.

Rustic: The thicker the door, the more rustic it is, especially if created from wood. A lot of these doors will be intricately sculpted and have forged back hardware, to emphasise the appearance.

Arched: Also considered to be somewhat gothic, these doors work especially well when set up in heritage homes and are regularly made from wood or metal, or a combination of the two.

How long does it take to install a door?

There’s no one-answer-fits-all for this concern, as various elements will significantly affect fitting times. If dealing with genuine wood, an experienced carpenter needs to be able to hang a door for you in a mere matter of hours, even less if they have made the door for you in the first place. Upraised doors can take a little bit more time and effort to install, as the ended up fit depends upon the accuracy of your initial measurements and the flexibility of your frames.

To how long will it take to hang a door, there is no basic expense for installing them either. Every expert will have their own price list, so be sure to search to discover the very best rate for your task.

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1.  Before you lay a new floor, freshen up your walls so you will not risk getting paint on your brand-new surface

2. Don’t clean brushes and rollers after every coat. Simply wrap them securely in clingfilm and they’ll remain moist

3. Sprinkle talc onto squeaky door hinges and floorboards

4. Child oil will get paint residue off your skin quickly

5. Include a little bit of vanilla extract to your paint tin to prevent overbearing paint fumes

6. Old paint spills will soften up if you rub linseed oil on them. You can simply scrape them off!

7. Double-sided tape makes a fantastic carpet gripper

8. Dip scissors into boiling water prior to attempting to cut any delicate fabrics. It’ll be a breeze!

9. Connect a length of floss to a leaking tap and run it straight into the plughole to prevent a loud night

10. Masking tape is best for developing stencils with. It’ll work anywhere and not leave a mark

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One of the most difficult parts about making a home feel comfy, functional and welcoming is discovering ways to make use of the natural daylight available. This can be tough where window space is limited or specific parts of the house are facing shaded spots. There are some fantastic suggestions to follow if you ‘d like to maximise the natural daylight entering your rooms.

Expand Your Windows

One of the best methods to maximise the daylight entering into your spaces is to replace your existing windows to consist of more glazing. You could even set up more windows, depending upon the allowed developments permitted your residential or commercial property. Constantly keep in mind to consult your regional authority about what’s permitted, as some kinds of window will need to be obscure-glazed if they impact your neighbour’s privacy. If you’re changing your existing windows, you might likewise think of styles with decreased frame widths, narrow sight lines and large sheets of glass, such as aluminium windows.

Add a Roof Lantern or Skylight

A trick many homeowners miss out on when attempting to increase daytime in their rooms is setting up a roofing lantern or skylights. Some of the best locations to install this kind of glazing item consists of house extensions and converted loft rooms. Roof lights can enable light to go into from above a lot more than other vertical dealing with windows. Roof lanterns, in particular, can also double as an attractive function and focal point, changing darker locations of the house.

Set Up Bi folds & Sliding Doors to Your Garden

Lots of homeowners struggle to brighten the rear locations of their residential or commercial property. The type of doors you set up can enhance your views and how large the space feels, as well as levels of daylight. Bi folding doors and moving doors are 2 of the most popular designs to attain this, thanks to their big glazing elements and slimline frames. With some of the biggest brand names of moving door, you can even produce a glass wall result, flooding the space with natural light.

Choose Self-Cleaning Glass

If you’re setting up roof lights or a stunning glazed conservatory, the daylight in the space is frequently impacted by how tidy your windows are. In these examples, reaching all the glass can show difficult, but there is a service to consider. Self-cleaning glass uses a photocatalytic finishing, which implies it’s activated by natural light. This procedure breaks down organic dirt which has actually built up on the surface, removing when it rains. As the glass keeps itself, it can assist more sunlight enter your house. If you’re considering brand-new windows or installing skylights, talk to your supplier about whether they have self-cleaning glass choices offered.

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If upgrading your front door, composite doors are a great option. Made from a blend of materials, they replicate the appearance of a pure lumber door without the hassle related to older wooden doors. Their classic appearance is chosen for anything from character residential or commercial properties and period homes to new builds. What are some of the trends we’re seeing? Here’s some inspiration for finding the ideal design for you.

High-Security Locking

Did you understand that around 3 quarters of intruders burglarise houses through the front door? This is a stressing trend for lots of property owners, so picking a safe and secure door is crucial to preserve the safety of your home. Safe by Design is a police backed initiative which concentrates on the requirements for the security performance of items. Ask your local door supplier about the types of security functions available for composite front doors. They may even have the ability to improve the existing security functions available with the basic design.

Sustainable Composite Doors

This year, the future of the environment has actually been a hot subject across the country, so finding energy efficient options for windows and doors is a need to for numerous homes. Composite front doors are ending up being more sustainable while enhancing the thermal effectiveness of your home. Upgrading your front door can help save energy within the home. In fact, the structure of composite doors (a polyurethane foam interior surrounded by wood and uPVC frame) supplies terrific insulation for a residential or commercial property.

Composite Doors for Flats & Apartments

The increase in composite fire doors has actually provided more option to proprietors and homeowner residing in shared flats and apartments. Having such an useful function indicates citizens can feel safe and protected in their home while likewise feeling proud of an attractive front door. Fireproof doors no longer need to be the bulky, out-of-date looking items of the past, so it’s now much easier to get the leaseholder’s consent if you want to upgrade your front door.

Coloured & Textured Composite Doors

While traditional colours are still popular for a traditional appearance, house owners no longer feel boxed in by the ‘composite’ aspect of this type of front door. The genuine wooden look does not need to be uninteresting, and there are plenty of colour patterns to keep an eye out for. This includes black, grey and green tones, as well as woodgrain spots and brighter colours. Textures can also vary, and you might even choose a smooth impact if you do not like the tactile feel of lots of composite designs. Composite doors now completely blend old and brand-new styles.

Special Shapes & Sizes

Composite doors can be as unique as many other front door designs, including larger measurements, shaped glazing and contemporary deals with and furniture. The solid panels can likewise look imprinted or like various blocks of wood have been created and added to the design.

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