Most major hardware stores carry a product that can be used to cover surfaces to give them a granite effect. This epoxy based product is called StoneEffect and it comes in several colours.

[caption id="attachment_11114" align="aligncenter" width="580"]iStockphoto iStockphoto[/caption]

This product helps owners who want to redo their kitchen counter without spending a fortune.[……]

Read more

AD

Over the last few winters, a small crack has appeared in a corner of your house’s foundation.

You tell yourself that it’s tiny and therefore harmless. And you move on to other things.

That’s a big mistake because you find yourself faced with a structural problem that will affect the stability of your house. This will affect the resale value.

[caption id="attachment_10755" align="aligncenter" width="580"]iStockphoto iStockphoto[/caption]

Where does this crack come from? Why is the foundation of the house cracking? Can you do anything about it?

The freeze and thaw cycle is often the primary cause. Depending on the region of Quebec you’re building is located in, the depth of the foundation walls varies. When you do work around the walls, you have to always keep in mind to protect them against freezing.

Once a crack is visible, how do you prevent it from degrading?[……]

Read more

Recently a friend claimed absolute freedom for his cat. He didn’t know that many municipalities don’t allow cats to roam free and ask owners to keep their pets in their yard or on a leash or they could be fined. Or worse says my friend, they could risk finding their cat at the Humane Society. Dead or alive. Another friend explained to him that not everyone likes the odour of cats. Your freedom doesn’t end where your neighbour’s begins. There’s nothing to do. Man cannot deprive his cat the pleasure of hunting and roaming.

There may be a solution: creating an indoor playground for the cat.

A European site, Goldtatze, offers a full line of products that blend very well with a rustic, chic or contemporary decor.

Bridges made of horizontal strips attached to levels or baskets mounted on the wall around the room. They go above doors and windows, toward the hanging bed in the centre of the ceiling or the branch wrapped in string sitting in the corner. All of the wood is rounded in curves, making it quite pleasant to look at.

[caption id="attachment_10404" align="aligncenter" width="550"]Goldtatze Goldtatze[/caption]

[……]

Read more

You have a piece of wood or veneer furniture that you want to give a second life to. You’re getting ready to strip it. First you need know what product was used to finish so that you use the appropriate solvent.

You believe that you can tell what product was used just by looking at it? Don’t be too overconfident. The easiest way to identify the product is to perform a test on a hidden corner with different solvents.

Furniture that has an oil finish usually has a natural colour and a flat finish. Mineral spirits will remove the finish. Sanding will probably be required to remove the colour.[……]

Read more

Beton-Marque-Imprime_ISTOCKPHOTO_renovationWith the advent of spring comes several tradeshows where exhibitors offer to have us discover the latest home renovation trends and materials. It was during one of these shows that we discovered printed or imprinted concrete.

This technique results in a decorative concrete by imitating brick, stone, wood, rock and other materials on any new concrete surface (access path, around a pool, patio, walkway or parking lot).

This technique can also be sued to restore a concrete slab by adding a certain thickness of new concrete (cover).

Google image shows results worthy of great artists. My favourites: the imitation of wide rustic wood planks or irregular stones of old roads. We could call it “concrete that fools the eyes.”

Here is a brief overview of the product’s placement.

[……]

Read more