Thursday, September 14, 2006

Wood paneling...what to do?

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I live in a 25 year old home just outside of Waterdown, Ontario. The town is called Carlisle and it is in the country. I have many clients in Carlisle, Freelton, Waterdown, and lots in Burlington. Some of my clients with older homes have wood paneling from the 70's and sometimes the 80's. We had the same problem. What to do? What to do? You could rip out all of the paneling and hope that there is drywall underneath. That would be perfect. If there is no drywall, you have to put up new dry wall. That is very expensive and very messy. You could paint over the paneling but that ends up looking very "I've just painted over wood paneling".
What we ended up doing was:
-filling in all of the lines of the paneling with dry wall compound
-sanding it down (you'll probably need one more coat because drywall compound shrinks)
-priming it and painting it.

My husband and I were very pleased with the outcome. I'm not going to lie and say that it was easy, it wasn't. It takes a lot of time because you have to wait for the drywall compound to dry and then sand it (very dusty), do it all over again, prime it and then paint. It took us about 3 weeks to finish. In the end, it cost only about $100.00. The time and effort was worth it because it brought the look out of the 70's and up to date.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Feels like autumn

Every year, business gets a little slower in the summer and every year it picks up again the day the kids go back to school. I can set my clock to it. Mom's and Dad's must rub their hands together and excitedly plan their days when the kids are not around asking "what can we do today?" This year, however, it started early. Maybe because it feels like autumn already. The days are much cooler and the nights are downright cold.
I have found, from experience, that this time of year is the busiest for decorating. People want their homes to look cosy and welcoming for family and friends at Thanksgiving and then, of course, for Christmas. I would advise that you don't delay in getting your decorator in as soon as possible because the last thing you want to hear is that you are too late. Most custom orders take 6 to 10 weeks to complete (if not more) so asking a designer in at the beginning of December is a decorating no no. Don't put it off, you don't know if the fabric that you wanted is on back order for 6 weeks or that the sofa that you are having re-upholstered will take 10 weeks. It's better to get it done early and sit back and wait for your company to admire your beautiful new home. You also don't want to make a mistake by being too stressed by a time limit. If you are on a tight budget, getting a new valance for your window and some matching throw cushions might be just the thing to freshen up a tired looking room. A new paint colour will make your room looking completely different and only cost a fraction of what new draperies or furniture would cost. You can always add drapery or furniture later as your budget allows. Decorating should be fun. If you are not sure of where to get started, ask a professional to help you. That is what we are there for.

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