HowToDoThings.com Recent Design & Decorating Articles

How To Find the Perfect Rocking Chair

GardenFurnitureInfo — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:02:00 -0500

There really is nothing like a great rocking chair. No matter whether you are nine years old or ninety, you know what I mean. A great rocker cradles you – it pitches you back to that angle where the pressure leaves your back, the weight is off your feet, your arms are relaxed – and, well, it’s just a great feeling. A rocker turns your porch or patio into an outdoor room – it’s like adding a room to your house for a couple hundred dollars.

How To Use PVC Pipe to Make Furniture

Cassandra — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:33:09 -0500

How To Decorate a Foyer

sgrande — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:30:04 -0600

They say first impressions are everything. You want the first impression of your home to be a positive one. Whether you have a large formal foyer or just a small space on the wall next to your front door, you can create an inviting entryway into your home.

How To Get Grant Money for a School Gardening Project

Marilisa560 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:52:31 -0600

Science in our school curriculum has often focused too much on paperwork and too little on real applications. Life science and biology in particular are subjects that have so much potential for hands-on activities and experiments. Gardening and plant care is an ideal venue to explore your biology or life science classes or curriculum. If you'd like to begin a gardening project in your classroom, there is grant money available to support your endeavors. Here are some areas to explore for grant funding.

How To Make a Room Appear Larger

JessRan — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:27:12 -0600

It seems every home has a space that is too small. Is it your apartment living room, a spare bedroom or an overused multipurpose space? Small rooms make us feel shut in and uncomfortable, so it is no surprise that we want to open the rooms up and make them feel more spacious. Here are simple and effective tips to do just that.

How To Create a Bed Canopy

genepooldesign — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:35:09 -0500

There are several variations when creating a bad canopy. This how-to will focus on a "ring" canopy, a rather simple design appropriate for beginners, yet still fun for more advanced crafters. At a cost of between $10 and $30, it won't break your budget. A ring canopy is a hanging type of canopy, so before you attempt this project, make sure you are able to install a mounting hook in your ceiling.

How To Restore an Old Glider Bench

genepooldesign — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 16:37:38 -0500

Lawn furniture is made to withstand the elements, and usually it holds up quite well to years of falling rain, searing sunlight, wind and inconsiderate birds. If you're like me, you don't want to part with that poor, weathered, yet still comfortable glider bench. With a little elbow grease, new hardware, and some protective enamel paint, you can breathe new life into it, without spending more than $20-$30. This is a terrific weekend project, which can be completed by 1 or 2 motivated people in 2-1/2 days' time.

How To Choose the Right Style Home

Youshouldown — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:38:40 -0500

Homebuyers often confuse one style of home for another. When searching for your next home or trying to determine the style that matches your needs, it's important to know the different styles of homes available and on the market. Below is a breakdown of the many styles and their descriptions.

Bi-Level: A bi-level style home is typically a one-story floor plan that has been raised above ground level, where another level of living such as a basement or additional rooms resides. They are often considered ranches or split-level homes. In fact, when you enter the front door and have to climb stairs to get to the kitchen or main living space, you're typically in a bi-level style home.
Bungalow: A bungalow style home is a compact 1-1/2 story house that contains smaller rooms. There will typically be 2 or more bedrooms on the main floor, along with a bathroom and living space.

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How To Choose a Flatware Set

Marilisa560 — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:17:03 -0500

I have used, purchased, broken, cherished, tried and discarded many different styles and types of flatware in my lifetime. And I have learned a secret: 'Not all flatware is created equal.' Even comparably priced flatware varies in several important ways. And nowhere is it so evident as it is in flatware options, that you get what you pay for. Here are some considerations for anyone planning to begin a bridal registry, set up housekeeping, purchase new flatware or replace flatware.

How To Make Your Home a Resort

Youshouldown — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 23:53:38 -0500

In today’s world of home channel popularity and all things fashionable, making your home magazine-perfect and envied by all isn’t such a hard or expensive thing to do. Even the smallest changes and additions can make a huge difference for less than a weekend getaway. After all, you live in your home before and after the getaway.

How To Understand Feng Shui

Samantha533 — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 15:27:00 -0600

The best way to understand Feng Shui is to practice it. In the beginning there are some words and concepts that will be helpful when you start using principles of Feng Shui.

Feng Shui is often called the "art of placement." It is about understanding your environment and learning to use it to influence your life for the better.

Feng Shui means "wind and water." It is all about Qi (chi) or energy. Everything living on this earth needs air or "wind" and water. This Qi (chi) is the life force and Feng Shui is a way to change its direction in our favor.

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How To Feng Shui a Child's Room

Samantha533 — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 15:19:00 -0600

As parents, we want to give our children all the advantages that we can. Feng Shui is a great way to help. Get them involved and teach them Feng Shui, too, and see results for them tenfold. Here are some tips to get you started in your child's room.

If possible, a child's bedroom should be toward the front of the home. This will encourage independence.

Clear out items that your child has outgrown. This includes furniture, toys and clothes. These items can stunt mental and physical development.

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How To Use a Portable Air Conditioner

Staff468 — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 12:07:00 -0600

Now that you've finally decided on which portable air conditioner to buy, it is important that you follow these tips so as to use your portable air conditioner properly:

Venting. Rule #1 for air conditioners is to have them vented properly, either through a window or a wall. A portable air conditioner vents warm, humid air from indoors to the outside. When it comes to venting your portable air conditioner, be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions as venting standards will vary from unit to unit. You'll often receive a venting kit or the option to purchase one as part of your portable air conditioner package. The kit will include a hose and a window kit that provide venting options for a variety of window sizes and styles. Make sure that the window you intend to install the vent on matches the type of window covered by the kit (i.e. sliding or casement).

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How To Choose a Shelving Unit

Susie254 — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 09:13:00 -0600

If you are in the market for a shelving unit, you may feel slightly overwhelmed at all of the options you have. Before you head off to your local building supply store, however, consider the following points.

How To Rent Furniture

Staff468 — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 09:27:00 -0500

Perhaps you are spending a year studying out of state or perhaps your wife just kicked you out. Whatever the reason, sometimes you need furniture fast and don't have the time, resources or desire to purchase it or to move your old furniture to your new place. That's when it's time to rent furniture, and thankfully, there is stylish, comfortable furniture available on a rental basis.

Keep these tips in mind on how to rent furniture:

Categories. Browse for furniture online by category, such as the type of furniture, i.e. beds, dressers, tables, or the room the furniture is for, i.e. home office, dining room, and so on.

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How To Compare Moving Companies

Staff468 — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 16:06:00 -0500

Let's face it: moving is always a big pain in the butt. You have to pack everything up, carry heavy items around awkward corners and hope you don't break anything fragile. While you may be excited about moving into a new house or apartment, I'm willing to bet that you're not excited about the actual act of physically moving your belongings. That's where a moving company comes in handy.

Moving companies, while they are always going to be more expensive than moving on your own, save you a lot of energy and stress. There are so many things to worry about when you're moving to a new place (and potentially town), that the few extra dollars required to hire a professional moving company may be well worth it to you. Plus, once you've calculated your final U-Haul bill (including gas, mileage, and your time), you may find that the price difference isn't as big as you thought it was.

How To Wallpaper

Andrea143 — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 13:24:00 -0500

While hanging wallpaper appears to be an arduous task, you really need not be afraid of ruining your marriage over it or permanently attaching yourself to the wall. If you can take the time to prepare the walls, and then follow instructions and take it one step at a time, you will be able to get those walls covered in no time at all. To top it off, your relationship and your sanity will still be intact. In this article, I will assume that there is no wallpaper to be removed from walls. With that done, you can take the following steps to complete your job.

Wash the walls using a mild detergent. Most wallpaper companies recommend using TSP (trisodium phosphate) as your cleanser.
Remove all switch plates and outlet covers.
Fill any small holes and uneven spots on the walls using spackling.
Use sandpaper to smooth imperfections from the walls.

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How To Hang a Picture on Brick

Andrea143 — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 22:59:00 -0500

To hang a picture on brick, you can use one of two hanging tools depending on the amount of masonry around the brick. Brick clips cost approximately $5.00 for a pack of two, and can be purchased at Hobby Lobby, or online. You will need not need tools to install these clips, which only work on brick that is exposed at least 1/8 inch.

How To Decorate a Child's Room

Elizabeth69 — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 11:04:00 -0500

So, your baby has declared that they aren't a baby anymore and want their bedroom to be more "grown-up." As hard as it can be to see them getting older, little kids must turn into big kids. Decorating a room to reflect their developing personalities can be an enjoyable experience for kids and parents alike.

Begin by getting exact measurements of the room. Take note of where closets, windows and doors are. If you will be using existing furniture, measure each piece. Write all measurements down.
Make a simple drawing of the room dimensions on plain paper and then make several photocopies of this drawing. You can "re-arrange" the room on paper until you come up with the perfect plan.
Sit down with your child to get ideas of how they envision their "dream room." Take notes.

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How To Remove Wallpaper

Victoria116 — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 11:09:00 -0500

Removing wallpaper can be a daunting task, especially if you are dealing with a large room that is papered from top to bottom. The task can be made easier, however, by following a few of these tricks:

Assess the situation. If the wallpaper has been on the walls for 30 years, it will indeed be more difficult to remove than wallpaper that is only a few years old. For ancient wallpaper, plan to spend some extra time and effort on getting it removed.

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How To Use Lining Paper

Mon, 05 Nov 2001 23:00:00 -0600

Using lining paper

Lining paper is cheap and improves the look of less than perfect walls and acts as a base for paint too. Used under wallpaper it should be pasted on horizontally (known as cross lining) to avoid overlaps. Any left over from an unfished roll can be used for drawer liners or kiddies drawing paper.

How To Repair a Scratch

Peter5 — Sat, 06 Oct 2001 23:00:00 -0500

Got a scratch in a piece of wooden furniture ?

Rub the scratch with a similar coloured wax crayon, then finish with wood polish.