Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 24, 1991 —

Page BS

Creating your dream home

can be easier than you think —

The first step in improving your
home this spring is.a thorough clean-

ing. Most people are so busy these days .

that housekeeping is no longer the pri-
ority it once once, If that’s the case in
your family, set aside a day for a thor-
ough cleaning, with help from the
whole family.

You'll. probably feel better about
your home once it’s sparkling clean,
and you'll probably come across a few
things that you hadn’t noticed need
minor repairs. Get those out of the way
now, while they can be done relatively
quickly and easily, rather than waiting
until the problems get worse and you
need to call in someone to fix them.

You might also try rearranging your
furniture to give all your rooms a new
look. Just plain tired of all your furni-
ture? Before you decide to have a
garage sale, consider painting, refinish-
ing and reupholstering. This can be a
lot of work, but if you take the time to
do the job well, the results will be well
worth it. If you're not the do-it-your-

self type, you can probably find some-.

one in your area who is an expert at
this kind of work. You might also con-
sider splitting up matching pieces of
furniture, making each a center of
attention in its own right.

Adding, replacing, or even removing
carpets and rugs can give your home a
whole new look, and so cana fresh
coat.of paint—indoors or out. A

change of color can change the whole’

mood of your home. Just make sure
before you start that you’ve chosen a
color you'll be able to live with for a
while. Trends in paint colors come and
go, but before you decide to jump on
the bandwagon, remember that this is a
much bigger decision than buying a
trendy new outfit that you can retire to
the back of the closet once the novelty
wears off.

‘Staying put and liking it _
In today's shaky real-estate market,

it can be very difficult to self a home
at the right price — or any price —-so

‘many people who once might have,

“moved up” to a bigger home are now
opting to stay put. If that’s your situa-
tion, you may be considering remodel-—

ing your home or building an addition.

A new room can provide the extra
space your family needs, and a remad-

-eled kitchen and/or bathroom can
change the way you feel about the.

whole house, .

Make sure you do plenty of research
before you start a project like this.
Don’t just plunge in without thorough-

ly considering your wants and needs. If

you're hiring a contractor to do the
work, ask friends and neighbors for
their recommendations, and try to talk
ta several contractors before you
choose one. If you don’t know much
about remodeling and the contractor
tells you that your plans won’t work or

need modification, take his.or her‘

advice. You want the job to be struc-
turally sound as well as attractive —
and you want to still be happy with the

tesults in years to come. A bonus of

remodeling or building an addition is
that your home may become easier to
sell, at a higher price — or you may

decide that you don’t want to move, ,

after all!
Saving energy: A year ‘round concern

Is your home well-insulated? You
probably only think about insulation in
the wintertime, but insulating your
home before summer comes can save
you money on air-conditioning — and
your fuel bills will be lower next win-
ier. For more energy savings, consider
planting trees. While you won't get the
benefits immediately, a few well-
placed trees around a house can actual-
ly provide enough shade to significant-
ly lower your summer cooling bills.

' Plants are great to have inside the
home as well. Not only are they beauti-

_-ful,,.plants.can.cemove pollutants.rom. ...\9

the air, You can spend a lot of time car-
ing for your plants, or you can choose
kinds that practically thrive on neglect.

| tiHusqvanalag

“Man eople take great pride in
cuining an ol ople take Boe home own-

- a necessitates home maintenance.

BAnd the owners of older t homes have
more than their share of tha’

. One of the best ways to keep an

older home looking fresh while accent-
ing its character 4 is with top quality
exterior paint. Of course, paint is also
the first line of defense against the
harsh elements that can weather a
home’s exterior,

“The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality
Institute has the background and data
that can be helpful to homeowaers when
undertaking exterior painting projects.
Here are answers to some common
painting questions from the owners of

older homes.

Q. What type of paint provides the
most durable protection for ald wood-

A. It depends upon the type of sur-

“face to be painted and its condition.

With a sound aebsirate mas been
prope ly prepared (i.e., scraped, san
cleaned), two coats of a top quality
acrylic latex paint provide the best
adhesion and, consequently, maximum

durability.

However, if the old paint is chalking
badly and cannot be thoroughly
cleaned, then apply an oil-based primer
followed by a top quality acrylic Ialex
topcoat.

Q. Can latex paint be applied over
oil-based paint?

A. Yes, today's high quali acrylic
latex (water-based) paints are formulat-
ed to provide excellent adhesion to sur-
faces painted with oil- or alkyd-based
paints, But if you encounter a surface
with more than three or four coats of
oil paint, you may want to apply an oil-

topcoat, Be sure to properly pre-
pare the surface before applying either
type of paint.

Q. How can you tell whether the old
paint is oil-based or jatex?

A. Remove a piece of the old paint
with a scraper, Then place it between
your fingers and apply pressure. If the
paint snaps in half or breaks into
pieces, it’s probably oil-based, If it is
flexible enough to bend between your
fingers, then it is most likely a latex
product.

Q. What is the best way 10 remove

“Tnswers to your questions about painting older homes

oil-based paint from ald exterior wood-
work?

A. Most professional painting con-
tractors use a torch or heat gun to
remove old oil-based paint, but some
prefer sand blasting. In some cases,
chemical paint removers are used.
Since all of these methods can be dan-
gerous if proper safety practices aren’t

ollowed, consider using a professional
painter it} you are not thoroughly famil-
dar wi ep procedures.

Q. When is necessary lo strip old
paint down to bare wood before
painting?

A. If the surface has more ‘than
three or four old coats of oil-based
‘paint and you want to use an acrylic
latex topcoat, then the old paint
should be completely removed. You
could, however, add an extra coal of
oil-based paint without removing the
earlier coats.

If the old paint is latex or if there are
only a couple of. coals of oil-based.
paint, however, you can use a quality”
latex paint without removing the old
paint, assuming that the surface is
clean and stable,

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The glass in Vinyltek windows can-
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Construction Materials

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: at

850 Rider Mower 12 HP. Speed

This agile Husky is big on features. 34” 3. blade
rear discharge mowing deck with nose rollers,
large turf tread tires, and a “near zero” turning
radius that makes this great-looking rider
Sg aS manueverable as a wale behind.

PEAT MOSS

4 cu, ft. bales.

EACH

Many different varieties
available.

1 Q99
- EACH

STEER MANURE
MUSHRCOM MANURE
CHICKEN MANURE
SHEEP MANURE

~ 20 litre bags

635-6384
4441 Lakelse Ave.

ONLY

2.99.

‘HANGING FUSHIA & GERANIUM

1 ABE

FUN WITH
FASHION

‘Sale continues
to April 30/91

- QOMCORD BELDING .
|" RIBBON ©

13-16+10

FERTILIZER

25 kg. bag.

EACH

BUTTERICK & EASY '
‘VOGUE PATTERNS

BUY 1, GET 2 FREE!
(details in store)
115 GM. WHITE
FLANNELETTE |

‘sate *3.49/m
(Reg. $4.08/m)

EACH

- 50% OFF RES, PRICE
-. (our entire stock)

116 CM. —
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- 50% OFF REQ. PRICE
(Reg. $4.98/m)

{ FABRICLAND

635-5915

_. MEMBERS. ONLY

20% OFF ALL RES.
Stocked Sawing Notions

Terrace Co-op Department § sine

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