Kitchen Designs
Posted by admin on Mar 6, 2012 in Remodel a Home | 0 comments
The Kitchen is the heart of your home. If you are thinking of remodeling your kitchen or if you are building a new home and are looking for a stellar kitchen design, here are some fantastic trends in kitchen design from AKDNY, a premier kitchen design company in Brooklyn, NY.
Art Deco Kitchens
Art Deco style didn’t impact kitchen designs till more recently. When Art Deco style was originally in vogue, it was popular in exterior architecture, jewelry, furnishings, fashion and art. Now Art Deco is a popular kitchen design trend, classic in its design strength with a contemporary flair. One of the reasons why Art Deco Kitchens are also popular, according to the design experts at AKDNY, is because the design is more minimalist than other kitchen designs and, therefore, can be less expensive.
Green Kitchens
The environmentally conscious green kitchen movement is extremely popular and is one design trend that is gaining more momentum. If you want to go green with your kitchen, it can be done from the floor up, literally, with bamboo or cork flooring (bamboo and cork are renewable resources). Eco-friendly kitchens don’t have to be expensive especially when recycled materials are utilized. Green kitchens can also be designed for energy efficiency including the use of natural light to save money vs. traditional lighting. Energy efficient appliances will also save money over time.
Transitional Kitchens
Transitional kitchens combine design elements from today’s contemporary design trends and integrate them with older traditional design elements. This type of custom kitchen design can draw inspiration from the charm of earlier periods and fuse it with modern appliances, cabinetry and finishes.
Get in touch with AKDNY for a kitchen design consultation at (800)634-6039.
Ceiling Repairs
Posted by admin on Jan 1, 2012 in Remodel a Home | 0 comments
The vast majority of ceiling repairs are most likely going to involve some type of water damage, a heavy object (or person) falling from the attic and through drywall or complicated issues with plaster. It’s good to know the techniques for ceiling repairs are very much alike whether the material is drywall or plaster. Working with drywall allows you to be more versatile and you can get away with using inexpensive materials and tools. Good plaster repair requires more skill level and an expert touch and will involve carefully putting down a few coats using more expensive, less forgiving materials.
The cracks that appear in drywall usually form at the joints or corners of a ceiling and may be due to a couple of things: The first being a poor original taping job and second, movement of the ceiling frame or rotting wood from water/termite damage. The latter situation is most likely the culprit in most cases, but cracks just showing up on the surface of a ceiling are not normal and are very unusual. Drywall cracks are usually found around windows and doors. If your house interior is constructed from plaster then you may discover that cracks have a tendency to appear anywhere, which is quite common for an older KB Home with plaster, and one of the cons of plaster construction.
As long as the plaster is not falling away from your KB Home and is still securely fastened to the framing and lath, then you can proceed with general drywall taping procedure. Keep the following two steps in mind: 1st – clean and prime the surface area with a good gripping primer, (this is very important as most plaster can have a high gloss finish) and 2nd – make sure to use a 2-inch fiberglass mesh tape instead of paper tape. Paper tape will work on thin fine cracks, though for the wider cracks mesh tape is needed. Also, remove any loose plaster before taping and fill flush the area to be repaired with a fast setting twenty or forty minute mud. If the cracks are very fine or thin, rubbing some white latex-based caulk into them then wiping smooth with a clean, damp rag may do the trick. However, if the cracks reopen, you probably will have to tape them.
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