Older homes may have the architectural details and charm you're seeking, but don't forget that many house a hidden danger: lead paint. This video on MSNBC should remind people that lead paint is still a concern. According to the Center for Healthy Housing, an estimated 38 million homes in the U.S. still have lead paint. If your house was built before 1978, when lead-based paint was banned, you should have a certified lead-based paint inspector check it out. Today, 250,000 children suffer from lead poisoning, which can lead to permanent brain damage. Most people believe that it is lead chips that poison people, but in fact is it usually lead dust from deteriorating paint or renovations that are the cause.
And I thought I was so slick when I put little glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling of my dorm room in college. Star Murals of Beverly Hills makes incredible, moving replicas of entire galaxies on the ceilings of luxury buildings across the nation. During the day, the mural is invisible, but when the sun sets and the lights dim, the stars come out on the ceiling. According to their web site, each mural is custom designed to recreate sleeping under the stars and includes stars that actually twinkle and shooting stars that move across the panel. Althought he's based in Southern California, the artist behind Star Murals does travel to do jobs and works on a commission basis. Check out his web site if you've always wanted to recreate the night sky in your bedroom.
Some products are better illustrated with video. When I came across the Stringa-Level web site, I found this: "The system is comprised of interlocking sections with level vials that are used in series to form a continuous angle support shelf on which the first course of tile rests." Come again? I didn't develop an appreciation for this product until I saw the video. If you are in the business of installing tile, this might be the product for you. The pieces in Stringa-Level lock together to form a level line that will support the installation of tile around corners and above the floor. It's difficult to explain, so watch the video.
I once lived in a basement apartment while in college. It was a large space for the money—practically double the size of my terrestrial friends’ abodes. It was surprisingly well-lit with multiple windows, however, they were high and provided little to look at. Sure, I could see some feet or ankles (occasionally), but the angle made it impossible to see the sky or the outdoors. I think I may have suffered from one of those light deprivation syndromes. While it probably would not have helped it then, I just discovered a new trend in wall tile that may have improved my demeanor: tile backsplashes that look like windows with realistic landscapes. This photo shows a real tile pattern. It sure would have been nice to look “out” at this instead of the wallpaper pattern I was exposed to for years. While tile murals have been around for millennia, these photo quality tiles are new to me.
One of the biggest DIY questions is how to remove popcorn ceilings. Once the "groovy" feature of '70s and '80s homes, popcorn ceilings are now passé. The problem is that many of them contain asbestos, particularly those installed before 1980. While the standard advice is to wet the ceiling down and scrape the popcorn off, test the material first. Do not sand or scrape the ceiling until you know if it contains asbestos, which is dangerous to humans only if it is disturbed. It's simple to take a sample to the lab—just call your local health department and ask for guidelines. Results usually come within two weeks. There are also testing services and kits that can be ordered online and mailed to the lab for analysis. If you find you have asbestos, you can always encapsulate the paint with fresh wallboard. Releasing carcinogens into the air you breathe is just too big of a risk to take when updating your home.
Have you ever tried to repair a cracked ceiling or wall? I love drywall compound—it slathers on and makes that great swipe. It covers anything in its path! So why, when I've completely covered the crack, does it come back? And, moving on to drywall 201, why can't I just make those popped seams disappear? Well, it turns out the two conditions require two different responses: retape the crack but smooth out the pop. Until it happened in my newly drywalled addition, I had no one to ask (okay, blame) for these errors—I'd always done the work myself. But as the drywall finisher came back for the third time, he explained that cracks will never go away until they are retaped. Who knew!?!? He covered the popped seam with a layer of joint compound that he feathered, returning two more times to make sure it was perfect. The cracked seam got a new sheet of tape and drywall compound, plus the extra visits for special care. Oddest of all, he said, was finding cracks after just two weeks. Looks like the moisture content in "kiln-dried" framing really is higher than we're thinking. Ah, but that is a discussion for another day!
The days are definitely shorter, which has me thinking about natural light and how to get more of it. With studies showing that people “perform” better under natural light settings, I decided to make mention of a cool concept that’s starting to filter into residential applications—translucent polycarbonate wall systems to replace traditional walls in a home. These walls permit natural light into the home, but boast higher R-values than traditional windows or skylights and reduce glare and solar heat gain. They are also highly impact resistant. This is the same material used for skylighting and daylighting walls and roofs in malls and office buildings. I’ve seen a couple architect-designed homes featuring this material, and the visual impact on the home’s interior is quite astonishing. Don't forget the energy savings—more natural light means less electricity used to artificially illuminate the home. I don’t think the system would work as well in a colder climate, as the R-value just cannot compare to traditional walls and windows, but for those who are building a home somewhere with relative warmth (and light!), this is worth checking out. Let there be light!
