Focus Home

It was probably the Egyptians who first learned to appreciate wooden tables and, of all the materials available today for furniture (glass, plastics, metals etc) a wooden dining table is still the preference of most people. It is not recorded how the Egyptians treated and cared for their wood to preserve its quality but they undoubtedly will have had some secrets.

Fortunately nowadays we have the TV bombarding us with information about the multitude of products to care for, clean and restore the beauty of our wood, but there are also some basic common-sense habits we can easily acquire that will protect our furniture and keep it looking beautiful; so before we think about commercial products, let’s just consider some of these.

Always use place mats and coasters to prevent heat damage, spillage and staining from food and drink. Use a table cloth or runner for greater protection. If spills do happen (and they will!) blot these up immediately, never allow liquid to soak into the wood. If you are using hot serving dishes, always place these on a trivet. Keep solvents away from wooden surfaces. Alcohol can damage as well, hence the need for coasters. Make sure your glasses have wide enough bases to allow them to sit solidly on the table. When moving furniture, lift it carefully, do not push or drag it.

Avoid positioning wooden furniture in front of radiators or fireplaces, or in direct sunlight. Wood is response to the humidity in the atmosphere but if the air is too dry, the wood might shrink. On the other hand, in high humidity, it could expand so if your table has drawers or drop-leaves these might become stiff to use in excessive humidity. The more durable woods are usually the more expensive ones: mahogany, oak, walnut and teak but soft woods like pine are used much more commonly in modern furniture and care needs to be taken with these as they dent easily.

You should have at least two screwdrivers in the toolbox: a standard and a Phillips. You may have other junk screwdrivers that you use for chisels or putty knives when no one is looking, but be sure to have two good ones. While I was working in heavy construction, I got in the habit of carrying a very large standard screwdriver in my apron.

It wasn’t always practical to carry a crowbar, chisel, or putty knife around, so instead I used my “magic screwdriver.” That’s what I still call it. It tickles me to hear someone I’m working with ask to borrow my “magic screwdriver.” It is a good all-purpose tool, but a lousy screwdriver. Using a screwdriver as a chisel to gouge out wood or as a small crowbar to increase your leverage tends to round the tip, so that it will slip out of screw slots.

The tip on the standard screwdriver should be flat on top with nice square edges. This helps the tip stay in the slot of the screw. The best Phillips screwdriver to have is a #2, a middle size. A #1 Phillips is for small screws, like those that fasten a door bottom or carpet-hold-down strip. A #3 is for large screws like door-hinge screws. The number notation is written either on the handle or on the shank.

Most screws except little skinny ones (number 6 screws) need pilot holes drilled for them. However, preparing these holes can be avoided by using drywall screws. These are self-tapping screws and have specially designed threads with a point like a drill bit, thereby drawing the screws into the wood without pilot holes. It is best to drive these screws with an electric variable-speed drill equipped with a screwdriver bit. Drywall screws can be used on just about any project that requires screws.

A home alarm can be a great tool to help add an extra layer of protection to your household. A home alarm can be simple or complex, but is quite reasonably priced. The most common types of easy to use and install home alarms are explained below.

Motion Alarms
Motion alarms come a variety of sizes and styles; however a good option for any home is the Mace Motion Alert. This alarm mounts quickly and easily near any entry point in the home. There is no need to hard wire the device, as it is battery powered. Equipped with a keypad to program a personal entry code, this alarm can sound as a high pitched alarm, or as a two-tone entry chime. You and your family will be alerted quickly when anyone enters the home via door, window, or cellar hatchway.

Voice Alarms
Voice alarm systems feature wireless passive infra-red motion detectors (PIR) that transmit signals to a special base system. Users record their own warnings on the base system and for each zone that is monitored within the home. For example, if zone one in your home is your back door, your recorded alert could be “someone approaching back door” when motion is detected in that area. These recorded alerts can be modified at any time, and the motion sensors can be moved as needed. The system works in all weather conditions, and signals can be transmitted up to three hundred feet through walls, or one thousand feet in open space.
Door Alarms

Door alarms are a very simple, but very effective alert tool that no home should be without. While there are a few variations of this alarm, the premise remains the same: to notify occupants when someone approaches, touches, or attempts to open a door. Door alarms are great for travel and require no installation. In most cases these devices cost less than fifteen dollars, and are worth every penny!

Many people dream of having a low maintenance front yard. It is really the thought of the maintenance cost that deter many people from realizing their dream. Any professional landscaper in your locality can easily do the job for you or you can do it yourself. That reminds me of the saying.. Where there is a will there is a way. If you have the will, then the rest is easy.

If you get a professional landscaper to do the job for you, be sure to inform him that your goal is to have a front yard landscape which is agreeable and will not take exorbitant amount of work to maintain it. I feel that if you have that interest for having a good landscape, then you should be engaged in the making and maintaining of it without any problem. It should not be taken as doing a work but as a hobby which entertains you.

If you like a lot of grass, then be aware that it takes extra work and time mowing the lawn. I don’t forget the fact that there are many people who love the lawn. This is also an important information which should be given to your landscaper before he starts planning it.

If you are tight on money and time, clover will be an alternative to the grass. You can choose your colors and types to make your landscaping beautiful. A clover lawn is good for landscaping even in areas which are prone to droughts. Since bugs hate clover, such lawns are good for those who like to go out and enjoy the front yard landscaping.