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Recycled Paper Countertops

September 18, 2007 RH 4 Comments

The look: A cross between soapstone and formica, if that makes any sense.

We’re aware of 3 companies that manufacture recycled paper countertops.

Shetka: Shredded Counterfit $

ShetkaStone has a 100% sustainable life cycle. Products are manufactured from pre and post consumer waste paper and all by-products can be recycled back into the manufacturing process. ShetkaStone is made from all types of paper, including magazines and telephone books. The color selection is limited, but this seems to be the “greenest” of the paper based countertops.

PaperStone

*Note: At the time of this writing, Paperstone’s website was hit or miss.

Paperstone Certified, by Kliptech, uses 100% post consumer waste paper. The resin is water-based and petroleum-free. PaperStone Organic contains 100% bamboo fiber and a 90% organic resin made from cashew-nut shell oil. Paperstone has a wider color selection than Shetka.

Richlite

Richlite is primarily paper treated with phenolic resin and baked to create a solid sheet. The paper comes from pulp that is derived from trees, which are harvested from certified managed forests in North America. Richlite is less expensive than PaperStone and has the sleekest look of all three, but it’s the least enviro friendly. Go figure.

Lighting by Ikea

September 18, 2007 RH 1 Comment

I can’t understand why I see so many of those cheesy nipple lights when MU-HU-UCH better options exist.

Is it some big secret that Ikea has cool lighting at great prices? I got sconces for my hallway for five bucks a pop and flush bathroom lights for $12.00.

Check it out…..

Fugly Nip Light from Home Depot: $49.00

$ 9.99 “Pult

$ 39.99 “Tostarp”

$ 39.99 “Horby”

The Zen of Rewiring Antique Fixtures

September 18, 2007 RH 2 Comments

Disclaimer: We’re not responsible if you fry yourself. This is a summary of what to do. Please click on links for expert advice.

So, you bought yourself an inexpensive, lovely old chandelier from a salvage joint and now you find out that lighting places charge $25 per arm to rewire. Wasn’t that much of a bargain after all, huh? Don’t stress. Rewiring isn’t rocket science.

Tools and Materials You May Need

Needle-nose pliers
Screwdrivers (small as well as regular size)
Lamp wire (Comes in different colors. Keep the fixture color in mind when purchasing.)
Wire cutter
Wire stripper
Wire nuts
Electrical tape
Continuity tester
Sockets (Type depends on fixture. Some antique fixtures may take irregular sockets that need to be special ordered.)

Just Do It

Sit down with your fixture. Take a deep breath. Relax.

Carefully disassemble. Don’t break your irreplaceable glass shades and don’t lose your screws! The fixture may be held together by the finial or screws. To get at the wiring, gently disconnect the sockets from their caps by squeezing or pressing. If you think you might want to use these, test them with a continuity tester. I usually just go for new sockets to be safe. Make sure you don’t take the whole thing apart without remembering where each cord was connected. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s a good idea to take this a step at a time.

Replace the old wiring with new lamp cord. For a single-socket fixture, work from the socket up to the mount. For multi socket, feed the cord from above. First mount the socket cap to the fixture, then do the wiring. Connect wires to the socket terminals, route each socket’s cord back through the cap into the fixture. Leave at least 6 inches of wire out of tube and then snap the socket in place. Strip the wires where all cords meet up with the main cord in the body of fixture, then splice with wire nut.

Check with tester before plugging it in. Both for safety and sanity. You don’t want to install fixture only to find out it doesn’t work. D’uh!

How To Resources

Corner Hardware
HGTV
EHow
How Stuff Works

Supplies and Expert Advice

Antique Lamp Supply
Paxton Hardware
Aurora Lampworks
Lamp Doctor
Rt 9 Lamp and Light

Take the Trash Challenge!

September 17, 2007 RH 2 Comments

We heard this over the weekend and we are intrigued! Tess Vigeland of Public Radio’s Marketplace has volunteered to spend 2 weeks hauling her household trash around with her. She writes in her blog “This is something of an opening salvo for a project American Public Media shows have been working on all year. It’s called Consumed, and it explores whether our consumer culture is sustainable. The series launches this fall.”

Good luck, Tess! We would join you, but we have, uh, prior commitments.

Tess’ Trash Blog

Bed Stuy: Do

September 17, 2007 RH 6 Comments

PROS

The first thing I noticed about Bed Stuy is that it’s über friendly. If you don’t like to make eye contact and smile and chat every time you leave your house, this neighborhood may not be for you.

If you crave what NYC was like prior to Guiliani, this is the place to be! Gentrification hasn’t destroyed this area yet. There’s a community feeling, neighbors look out for one another, kids play on the sidewalk, plenty of eccentric characters lurk about and people of all classes and ethnic backgrounds live here.

Gorgeous brownstone stock at semi affordable prices.

The brownstone details have been kept intact for the most part as homeowners couldn’t afford big renovations.

The A train express gets you into the city in less than 20 minutes. J and G lines take a bit longer.

Great location for drivers. Parking isn’t terrible, nor is getting out of the city via BQE or Jackie Robinson or getting into the city via Williamsburg Bridge.

Bed Stuy has a strong black community, both African American and West Indian. It’s getting more diverse every day, but there will hopefully remain an appreciation of black culture and history.

Rental prices are rising along with sales prices. The rental income can make a significant dent in your monthly mortgage payment on multi family homes.

Renters can still find bargains. The old timers don’t post on Craigs. Just walk around the neighborhood and look for signs.

CONS

Not the best schools in the city.

Although crime is down significantly in the area, pockets of sketchy areas still remain. As with any neighborhood, one should stay alert.

The brownstones have details intact, but quick fixes (or no fixes) have taken it’s toll over the years. Most of these homes need lotsa love!

Restaurants and shops are popping up slowly, but more are needed!

OVERALL

It’s been reported that prices are increasing while sales volume is declining. Still the best Brooklyn brownstone bargain in my book.

Probably a better bet for child free folks as the schools aren’t up to snuff.

Not the area for you if you want fine dining and gourmet groceries at your fingertips. Brooklyn as it should be. Park Slope it ain’t!

Bed Stuy Blog
Wiki Bed Stuy
Shop Bed Stuy
Architecture

Bed Stuy Listings: Under $700k

September 17, 2007 RH 1 Comment

238 Monroe

456 Bainbridge

696 Halsey

Alpine and Jasper: A Love Story?

September 17, 2007 RH 6 Comments

Before the Bed Stuy house, we never found anything of value during our renovations. When we started demo on the 4th floor, we discovered a cubby hole that had been closed off for years. What we found in there was a woman’s trash, but the cool thing was that it was trash from the 1940’s.

As we pored over stacks of love letters, newspapers and miscellaneous garbage, we gathered that the woman was probably renting the room when this was a boarding house. Judging from the hair care products, we guessed she was African American. Judging from the letters, liquor bottles and fishnet stockings, we suspected she may have been a bit of a wild one.

Most of the letters were from Private Jasper, who was getting moved around during the war, but was never in combat. The correspondence went on for about three years. Many of the letters were the same: “I miss you.” “Stay Sweet.” It’s clear from the final letters that Alpine stopped writing back to Jasper and he gave up on her, brokenhearted.

We did a search on the internet, but couldn’t find either of them. Perhaps they’re no longer with us or perhaps we didn’t have the time to try harder. We archived the letters and war time newspapers and I plan on using a few of them in a resin countertop so Alpine and Jasper can keep a place in the history of our home.

Dealing With Mice

September 17, 2007 RH 1 Comment

#1. Get a cat. No? Ok, let’s assume you’ve already cleared away all crumbs, put steel wool in holes and placed all food in tupperware bins. You did that already, right?

Mice don’t like the smell of Fresh Cab or Peppermint Oil. Fresh Cab comes in pouches which you can throw in cabinets and behind the fridge, etc. Peppermint Oil can be purchased at any health food store. Just dab a few drops on cotton balls and scatter around in hidden areas.

If this doesn’t work, go to Plan B: the ultrasonic pest repellent. Forget the small ones though. You’ll have to blow at least forty bucks on the dual technology Viatek or Lentek. We’ve used them in 3 separate apartments now and so far, so good. Works on insects too!

Humane Mouse Traps can be purchased through Peta or Dreaming Earth. Just make sure you don’t let your little buddy suffocate or starve in there. Also be advised that there is usually more than one mouse and they may find their way back.

Building Materials: Get ‘Em While You Can!

September 14, 2007 RH

This was posted on the forum yesterday. Since I haven’t yet figured out how to allow folks to post photos, I asked her to send me some pics so I can post here. Looks good!

Selling off contents of a modified Post and Beam house in Greenwich, CT. Walls/ceilings of knotty pine, white oak and red oak floors,fir stairs, lofts, loft railings,, Exterior/interior doors, Anderson casements, picture windows, Velux sky lights, French doors, double French doors XO, 6 ft sliders, Trane XL 80 gas furnace, ducting, 40 gal gas hot water tank, toilets, bidet, whirlpool tub, frameless shower doors, electric garage motor,amd more. All materials in EXCELLENT condition. Buyer removes. Cash only.

Also have materials in 9 other houses, includine 4 gorgeous kitchens which are on my website and available NOW. All in EXCELLENT condition. Contact Cathy @203-869-5365 or deepdiscount@optonline.net

If you are a “Dumpster Diver”, and you know if you are one, get to know me! Check out my web site www.deepdiscountdemolition.com, email me your address and I’ll add you to my list for notice of sales. Let me know what you need, if I don’t have it today, I will soon. Recycle, get great stuff at “deep discount” , Thanks

Beacon, NY: Artsy Fartsy, Crunchy Granola Paradise!

September 14, 2007 RH 8 Comments

The “NY Times” recently described Beacon as “a quirky town that lures creative types many on limited budgets — who shy away from more conventional suburbs”. Indeed, the town that had been run down since the 1960’s is making a comeback as an artist’s haven. Beacon is now home to many galleries, a major modern art museum, antiques shops, yoga, pilates and new age centers, a wonderful health food store, cafes and some exceptional restaurants (although the town could use even more).

PROS

Homes in town are walkable to Main St, train and river.

The area is not lacking in culture. There is a vibrant art and music scene.

Most newcomers are looking to become part of the community.

Affordable housing stock

Hudson River, Mountains, Hiking

Commutable to NYC

Major highways right near town makes this easily accessible.

CONS

Although trains take an average of 1 hour, 15 minutes to get to GCT, they are 1 hour apart during off peak hours.

Tale of Two Cities: Natives and newcomers don’t often mingle.

Shop owners tend to keep whacky hours. Main St is dead on days DIA doesn’t open.

Most of the housing stock is very average. There are only a handful of extraordinary homes.

Wiki Beacon

City of Beacon

Beacon School District

Beacon Business Association

Metro North

Maykr Blog

Beacon Listings

September 14, 2007 RH

4BR Victorian: $ 369,000
3BR Victorian: $ 389,000

2 Family Victorian: $ 374,900

Silent Paint Remover

September 14, 2007 RH 4 Comments

Tools I Can’t Live Without

A friend turned me on to the Silent Paint Remover only after I finished stripping 3 floors of my brownstone. With a whole room of wainscoting to go, it was still worth it for me to give it a shot.

Unlike a heat gun, the SPR heats a 5″x12″ area at once, so it goes lickety-split. You’ll still need the heat gun or chemicals for small corners and clean up, but I’d highly recommend this tool to get through large areas with multiple coats of paint. It can save days, maybe weeks, on large projects.

If you’re working on a flat surface, you can move it along to heat the next area while you continue to scrape. For vertical surfaces, I invested in the hands free kit, which saves my arms, but isn’t much faster as it is inconvenient to make adjustments each time you move along.

Although it’s more environmentally friendly than harsh chemicals, you still need to wear a mask and gloves if you are working with lead paint. You must be mindful of your wood with this tool. Don’t leave it in place too long. It WILL burn your surface! When you see smoke, it’s time to remove it.

For more details and where to purchase, see following links.

House in Progress
Silent Paint Remover
Air Nailers
Eco Strip

Safety First!

September 14, 2007 RH 4 Comments

So, it’s your first DIY project. Before you start ripping into your house, you should have a few safety items on hand.

Just assume that any home built prior to 1978 has lead paint. Lead is only dangerous when it’s ingested or inhaled. Tip #1: Don’t eat it. If you’re doing demolition, scraping walls or stripping paint off moulding, you need a good mask! Not those flimsy dust masks….a NIOSH certified, HEPA filter mask. There are different filters for various hazardous materials. Ask someone if you’re not sure which one to buy.

Keep the lead infested room well sealed off. Wear one of them “Silkwood” suits or leave your clothes and shoes behind in the room when you’re finished. A HEPA vacuum is recommended for clean up, as well as wiping down surfaces with damp rags. DO NOT LET KIDS OR PETS IN AREA!!

Protect your hands! Use heavy construction gloves for demo and chemical resistant gloves for paint stripping. DO NOT chemical strip paint with common latex gloves. They will last about 1 second.

Goggles are necessary if you’re demoing a ceiling, cutting tiles or wood or working with anything that might go flying into your eye. Chemicals and even paint can fly into your eyes if you’re clumsy enough.

Ear plugs won’t take up space or set you back too much. It’s a good thing to have handy. Some of those power tools are noisy!

Better details here:

EPA
NIOSH
Consumer Product Safety
Respiratory Protection Supply
North Safety Products

Photographing Your House for Sale

September 13, 2007 RH 4 Comments

Before: Quick Snap

Tripod with Wide Angle. Focal point is the fireplace, not dining room table.

Snappie
Before: Quick Snap

Tripod with Wide Angle. Polished table and opened curtains.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Since this site will be focusing on DIY, I realized that some industry professionals may accuse me of putting their livelihoods in jeopardy. To be fair, the first DIY tip I’m offering is that of my own profession: photography.

Before you even think of whipping out your camera, prepare your subject. Make sure you clear away clutter, make your bed, close toilet lids.

You’ll need proper camera equipment. If you don’t own any, you can rent at Alkit, Adorama, Calumet or Fotocare to name a few. Make sure you have a camera that is capable of manual exposures. You’ll also want a wide lens on this baby. There’s nothing I hate to see more than a photo of someone’s furniture because the lens wasn’t wide enough to capture the whole room. A tripod is the final key ingredient.

I sometimes light the room, but it’s fine to shoot solely with natural light. Roll up all window shades, open curtains, turn on all lights and set your camera to a slow shutter speed to pick up ambient light. 400 ISO should be sufficient with a tripod. An 8+ F stop should give you enough depth of field. You must read the meter for your exact exposure. If you have an on camera flash, feel free to use it for fill and color balance.

Obviously, you want to focus on the room’s best features: light and detail. I always like to get those window in….with sun shining!

If you shoot large RAW format, you can edit the photos without doing damage to the files. Make all adjustments while the photos are still a large resolution and then change it to a smaller 72 DPI for online viewing.

And there you have it. My trade secrets.

Photos:

B: The focus is on the dining room table. There are burnt out light bulbs. The image is not out of focus, but rather pixelated due to it being worked on at too low a resolution.

A: A wider lens allows us to see the 2 windows in the room. And oh, what’s this? Wood floors! Didn’t see that in the first image! The long exposure, plus fill flash makes the main feature of the room (the mantle) pop.

B1: Hmm, dusty dining room table.

A1: Again, wider lens allows us to see more. Whereas the first image concentrates on the one room (or just the table, really), here we can see the full double parlor in all it’s glory. The second room is lit, bringing it into the photo as well.

Ulster County Antiques and Salvage

September 13, 2007 RH

There’s only one huge salvage place in Ulster County that I know of. Zaborski Emporium in Kingston has a 25,000+ square foot warehouse off of Broadway. You will most likely find what you are looking for here; however, you’ll have to dig for it. Prices are good on some items, so-so on others. It depends upon what Stan the Junkmana paid for it himself. Layer up in winter….there’s no heat!

Check out the Antiques and Collectibles Street Market if you’re in Ulster this weekend.

Zaborksi sinks

Ulster Antique Shops

Water Street Market, New Paltz

Cat House Antiques, High Falls

High Falls Mercantile

Vintage Village, Highland

Antique Trip, NY

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