Spring Home Improvement 2016 by Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Spring Home Improvement 2016

INSIDE:  ADD CURB APPEAL  REMODELING WITH LIGHTS  PAINT TO PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT AND MUCH MORE!

SPRING HOME IMPROVEMENT // APRIL 21, 2014

A PUBLICATION OF THE BOZEMAN DAILY CHRONICLE

Table Of Contents Carpets.......................................................... 2 Add Curb Appeal a Splash at a Time.............. 5 Brightest Remodel Ideas Start with Lights...... 6 Remodeling forResale?.................................. 7 Paint to Protect Your Outside Investment........ 8 The Spring Chore Checklist......................... 11

Staff Editor / Writer

Advertising Director

Lisa Reuter

Cindy Sease

Layout & Design

Advertising Manager

John Jurmu

Sylvia Drain

Know Your Carpet

T SPRING HOME IMPROVEMENT // APRIL 25, 2016

he average shopp er for ne w car p et walks into a car p et store, sp ends a long time looking at all the choices, colors and patterns, and walks out with a headache, a fear of making a really costly mistake and no new carpet. That’s the first time they visit the store. The decision can be that daunting. There are ways to nar row t he choices. Determining whether you want a patterned carpet immediately puts you into one of two camps. Deciding whether you want that pattern created by contrasting colors or textures narrows the options again. C olor Matters Many people consider color

first, said Loren Van Middendorp of Pierce Flooring and Design, 1921 W. Main St., who has been selling carpet for more than two decades. But color carries its own complications. “A color t hat lo oks gre at in a sing le s quare is going to lo ok lig hter once it go es into a hous e. Just as wa ll paint darkens a bit once it’s in your hous e, car p et lo oks lig hter,” b ecaus e of how it lays in relation to t he natura l and ar tif icia l lig ht fa lling on it, he explaine d. A brown car p et can t a ke on a pink or golden hue dep ending on t he lig ht to o, but w hich color it ref le c ts can wre ck your f ur niture or wa llpap er match. A lighter carpet color makes

First Quest ions Pr ice is a fac tor. It’s b as ed on w hat t he car p et is made of, and t hat do es matter. You can easily spend $10 to $12 a square foot on carpet. Or you can purchase a ver y nice one for $5 a square foot. Van Middendor p generally asks ot her questions f irst. How many p eople live in t he house? Do you have pets? What rooms are you carpeting? How long will you be in the house? And what colors are you tr ying to match or avoid? Kids and p ets me an st ain-resist ance and camouf lage – hiding hair and dir t – are big

considerat ions. If you’re carp eting a b edro om, you likely want a really soft, plush feel. In hig h t raf f ic are as, shor ter, long-we ar ing car p et is b est. If you’re moving in t hree ye ars, you mig ht not wor r y ab out w hat t he car p et wi ll lo ok li ke in f ive. St il l, t hat’s a lot to puzzle t hroug h. B efore you enter t he car p et store, sp end s ome time le ar ning t he up- and downsides of wo ol, ny lon and p olyester, and p onder ing w hat you want your car p et to do. C ar p et C omp osition Most car p ets are made of wo ol, ny lon, p olyester, or s ome combination of t hem. Wo ol has a centur ies-long, wel l-e ar ned reput ation for hig h quality. It’s a natura l pro duc t t hat fe els war mer, t houg h not a lways s of ter t han its synt hetic comp etitors (un less you cho os e Ne w Z e aland mer ino wo ol, w hich fe els quite velvety). It’s shor t, tig ht t hre ads don’t f latten e asi ly, ma king it a go o d choice for hig h-traf f ic are as. But it can e ventua lly pi ll li ke a wo ol swe ater, it’s harder to cle an, and it do esn’t t a ke color well. Wo ol car p ets, like sheep, come in shades of cre am, b eige, gray, brown or black. Wo ol st ar ts at $5 a s quare fo ot and range to $15 and up. “Ny lon gives you t he most bang for your buck,” Van Middendor p s aid. It’s his f irst choice for most ro oms and homes. “It’s ver y, ver y toug h and ver y, ver y cle anable. It a ls o spr ings back b etter t han

p olyester, ma king it a great choice for high-traffic areas.” Other kinds of nylon carpet are super-soft for bedrooms, but not good choices for stairways. Prices range from $3 to about $10 a square foot. Po l y e s t e r i s l e s s e x p e n sive, $2 to $6 a square foot, feels soft and is stain- and f a d e - r e s i s t a nt . It’s b e s t f o r l ow - t r a f f i c a r e a s . There is one more choice. Polypropylene is most commonly used in commercial carpeting or in looped or berber patterns. It costs $1.50 to $5 a square foot, repels water but feels harder than nylon or polyester. It often ages faster than nylon or wool. The Puzzle of Patter ns Patter ned car p ets are p opular now. B old patter ns, esp e-

SPRING HOME IMPROVEMENT // APRIL 21, 2014

a room feel bigger, and carpeting multiple areas in the same color and style makes the whole house feel bigger.

Put Extra Money in the Pad

Cont. From p.3

SPRING HOME IMPROVEMENT // APRIL 25, 2016

cia lly ge ometr ics, in cont rasting colors can b e t he fo cal p oint of a ro om. Pi le c ar p ets made of subt ly differing shades of one or several colors easily hide d i r t a n d p e t h a i r, e s p e c i a l l y if the colors match the pets. Yo u ’r e l e s s l i k e l y t o t i r e o f subtle patterns. But p atter n isn’t just ab out color. You can cre ate a patter n in a sing le color by var ying t he size of t he individual carp et t hre ads or t he lengt hs of t he lo ops. C ont rast color and texture and p atter n p ossibilit ies mult iply exp onent ial ly. Nar row your choices to t hree or four, t hen t ake a

s quare of e ach home for a couple of days, Van Middendor p advis e d. Move t he s quares f rom ro om to ro om t hroug hout t he day to s e e how t he lig ht changes t he way t he car p et lo oks and how it matches f ur niture and wa ll color. That wi ll help in t he f inal deter mination. If you can’t decide on one color or style, or your choice outpaces your budget, it is perfectly fine to recarpet in stages. Just be aware that six months later, the manufacturer might have quit making any of the patterns you wanted. Then you get to st ar t a ll over.

onsumers generally buy ne w car p et and padding at the same time, but the y are two s eparate purchas es. “Sp ending an extra dollar a s quare yard on a p ad go es a lot f ur t her t han sp ending it on t he car p et,” s aid Pierce Flooring and Design’s Loren Van Middendorp. “The pad is the shock absorber for your carpet. Like shocks protect your car, the pad takes the greatest impact of every step a carpet receives. It helps a carpet grow old more gracefully.” Most p ads are simi lar in t hickness and made f rom s ome typ e of uret hane foam. Quality depends on the type of foam. Choices include: • A pad made of scraps of the high-density foam used in furniture and automotive manufacturing. It costs about 79 cents a square foot.

• A pad made from the foam used in memor y matt r e s s e s . It c o s t s a b o u t 9 9 c e n t s a s q u a r e f o o t . It f e e l s b e t t e r, a n d g e n e r a l l y h a s a n a nt i m i c r o b i a l s k i n a n d o d o r- e at i n g p r o p e r t i e s . • A St ainmaster® pad, fe atur ing a propr iet ar y bre at hab l e m o i s t u r e b a r r i e r t h at helps keep common household spills (and pet urine) f r o m s o a k i n g i nt o t h e p a d a n d s u b f l o o r i n g . It g e n e ra l l y m a k e s c l e a n - u p e a s i e r, t hu s e x t e n d i n g c a r p e t l i f e , and costs $1.19 to $1.39 a square foot. Rubb er pads are hig hly prais ed and long-lasting, but not as e asy to f ind for residentia l proje c ts. The y’re als o more exp ensive. Cho osing a uret hane foam pad in t he middle or hig her cost range is of ten t he b est b et.

ou’re not moving after all, so you’re going to prettify your existing home to suit yourself. Or you are moving, but your front exterior needs a dressing up to draw attention to itself. Here are some quick-fix ideas from cheap to investment grade. • Add a new accent color to the front – just the front – by adding a contrasting trim shade to your existing paint job. Outline the windows and door way in a new color, for example. • For one big splash of color, buy a new front door in a bold hue, such as red, yellow or blue. • If you go for the door improvement, consider making that new

door a steel one. It will net you the best return on your project investment, a whopping 112 percent, according to the Remodeling 2015 Cost vs. Value Report. • Redo your front lighting in a big way, with additional lights, or bigger lights or pathway lighting. • If you change up the lighting, employ an upscale metal treatment. Then consider repeating the look in your front door handle and new and bigger outfront house numbers. Ever ything will tie together nicely. • If you’re re-roofing, consider putting some showy money into it. Upgrade the shingles or shakes, add a pattern, or go metal and add shine and color.

SPRING HOME IMPROVEMENT // APRIL 21, 2014

Add Curb Appeal a Splash at a Time

Brightest Remodel Ideas Start with Lights

SPRING HOME IMPROVEMENT // APRIL 25, 2016

i l l Fie d ler is adamant: “ The most imp or t ant p ar t of any home building proj ec t is t he lig hts. If we do our job right, which we do, the cabinets, countertops, paint and tile look as beautiful as the homeowners expected.” He’s the owner of Distinctive Lighting, 2608 W. Main St., and he makes an incredibly important point. “If a project is poorly lit, there is no point in investing money in any decorative finishes. Lighting has a profound effect on ever ything. . . . I can’t say it enough. The easiest way to manipulate a space is to change the lighting.” Home owners looking to do that should start in the kitchen. “Abs olutely do t he kitchen f irst. It’s an are a w here you sp end a g re at de a l of t ime, and it’s one of t he hig hest t ask are as in t he home. It’s likely t he only ro om w here you’re using knives, and w here color is ver y imp or t ant – you want to know how f resh your fo o d is,” Fiedler s aid. “It’s als o t he

gat her ing are a for fami lies, s o lady of t he hous e has her face you want lig ht t hat’s not only six inches f rom a mir ror as f unc tiona l but a ls o comfor tshe’s p oking a makeup p enci l able and b e autif u l.” toward her e ye, and t he guys Track lig hting is a fading are ab out to s crap e ver y shar p fad in t he kitchen. Inste ad, blades across t heir faces. It’s t hin k in layers of lig ht: rew here we ma ke ours elves up cess ed lig hts for genera l e ver y day. You want excepbr ig htening of t he ro om, untiona l lig hting t here.” der-cabinet Bathrooms “Lots of people tell me they lig hting to are gre at have great natural light in their il luminate places to b e bathroom. I tell them, that’s t he most cre ative, he common added. C onwonderful. But this is Montana. work are as sider unusuWe have four months in winter and p endant when you’re getting ready for a l lig hting lig hts over tre atments, work before the sun’s up, and t he island and if you you get home after it’s down. or p eninsusp end lavishNatural light means absolutely la counter. ly on shower nothing then.” Bill Fiedler, Add accent ti le, f lo o d Owner, Distinctive Lighting lig hts to t hat are a hig h lig ht with light to ke y decorative touches li ke show it off. fanc y backsplashes. And conIf you want to make your master sider lig hting cabinet tops for bathroom into your spa, don’t sp ecial ef fec t. forget to add dimmer switches. Make bat hro oms next in line They lend an immediate relaxing, for lig ht ing ma keovers. and even romantic ambience. Again, t he y are hig h t ask ar The br ig htest lig hting trend e as. “It’s t he ro om w here t he t hes e days is switching to

LED lig hts. The y’ve b e come more af fordable, t he y’re energ y ef f icient and t heir qua lity has gre at ly improve d. In many cas es, LEDs f ina lly mimic incandes cent lig ht bulbs clos ely. B e yond t hat, lig hting trends are tr icky. S ome ne w ide as won’t work wit h sp ecif ic archite c tura l sty les. For example, magazines are sti ll show- b ing a mo der n, almost mo der n i i industr ia l, lig hting sty le. It A do esn’t mesh wit h Mont ana Mo der n home design, known a c for its cle an lines, simple, u straightfor ward design and heavy use of natural materials t and finishes. Locally, an eclec- t p tic lighting look is the more popular choice, with a focus on T function before decorative flair.b Don’t be afraid to ask for helpl l matching lights to function, s Fiedler added. “People don’t come into lighting stores be- r cause they’re just looking. They L need lights. Don’t be afraid to O ask for help. We’re here to edu- P cate the public on good lightingt and how really important it is.” s

Three Areas Matter

hen your home improvement wish list is big ger t han your budget, it’s t ime to s et pr iorit ies t hat wi ll maximize t he impac t of e ver y dol lar. A couple w ho just b oug ht an older hous e, for example, cou ld plan sma l l- to me dium-size projects costing between $2,000 and $10,000 each to update their home now and pay dividends at resale time. Three project areas that quickly .boost buyers’ home satisfaction plevels are the kitchen, overall lighting and interior painting, said Bernie Delvalle, assistant retail manager of Kenyon Noble Lumber & Hardware, 1243 W. Oak St. People spend lots of time in gthe kitchen—from cooking and ser ving food to entertaining,

so they want to like that space, said Delvalle, who’s been with the company for eight years. “In recent years, kitchens have evolved from utilitarian space to more of a gathering place,” he said. “It’s the center of activity ; there’s a lot of energy.” Today’s consumers have higher expectations for their kitchen projects. Looking stylish isn’t enough; kitchens have to function well too, he said. In general, the first thing that makes a homeowner unhappy with their kitchen is the countertops or cabinets, or both. One solution that updates and upgrades the look is to replace laminate countertops with granite. “Granite is still popular, even in entr y-level and spec homes,” he said. “It’s entr y-level granite, but it’s still granite.”

appliances. St ainless ste el remains t he No. 1 choice, despite concer n ab out f ingerpr ints, esp e cia lly in hous eholds wit h chi ldren. “Cle an ste el is f inger pr int-resist ant,” he s aid. “ There are st ainless ste el cle aners on t he market t hat are ver y ef fe ctive at ke eping st ainless steel cle aner and f resher longer.” A b asic four-appliance bundle st ar ts at $2,000 and can e asi ly r un double or tr iple t hat. L ig hting Changing light fixtures is inexpensive, simple to do and surprisingly effective at updating a home to the current decade. “G enera lly, lig hting is one of t he pie ces t hat is most dated w hen p e ople buy a hous e.”

SPRING HOME IMPROVEMENT // APRIL 21, 2014

Remodeling for Resale?

For a 12-by-12-fo ot kitchen, basic granite wit h an e ven, e asy-to-match p atter n and simple rounde d e dging wi ll cost ab out $2,500. The complexity of t he slab, t he veining and t he numb er of c uts ne e ded to f it t he sp ace can incre as e t he pr ice. Fancier e dging a ls o adds cost. Entr y-le vel cabinets for t hat s ame 12x12 kitchen st ar t at ab out $3,000. The cabinet sty le, wo o d typ e and constr uc tion mater ia ls could push t he pr ice as hig h as $10,000. “It a ll dep ends on w hat you want to do.” Favor ite wo o d choices in Mont ana kitchens are knotty a lder, cher r y and oa k. Once t he home owner li kes t he counter tops and cabinets, t he next logica l upgrade is

Paint to Protect Your Outside Investment

T SPRING HOME IMPROVEMENT // APRIL 25, 2016

is the time of the year for do-it-yourself painters to switch to outdoor jobs, said Justin Cole, manager of the paint department at the Belgrade Kenyon Noble store, 4949 Jackrabbit Lane. Decks and fences are likely first jobs. “Maintenance like that is really important,” he said. “Figure you spend $2,000 to $4,000 on the average fence, and more on a deck. You want to stain or coat the wood to protect your investment, so moisture won’t make

things swell or rot. You can protect everything with paint.” If you coat a new fence immediately after installation with a good quality stain or paint, the job will last three to four years. If you use a high quality product, you won’t have to repaint for seven years. Deck Work When choosing the right product for deck painting or staining, consider your lifestyle, family and pets, and location before

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price options, Cole advised. If your family consists of two adults, three kids and two dogs; if all the neighborhood kids congregate in your yard; if your family uses the deck daily; your deck is heavily used. If your deck faces south, the wind blows constantly and the soil is sandy, the elements will do the damage. In both cases, whether you spend $30 a gallon or $100, the product will be scuffed, scratched, scraped, blasted, whipped and worn away within two years. Therefore, choose a stain or paint that is easy to remove when you need to, that re-stains without darkening and is reasonably priced, he said. For a bare, brand new deck, simply go with the grain when applying the coating. Consider using paint pads on extension poles so you don’t bend as much. Stay off the deck for at least 24 hours after ward. When re-staining, make repairs

first. Then clean the entire deck surface to remove dirt, mold and stains. Pressure-washing is easier than sanding. Use a deck cleaner, scrub it in, leave it on as long as recommended, then power-wash it off. If the wood still looks grayish, consider applying a brightener or bleach next – especially if stains from furniture remain. You can do this with a sprayer. Leave the application on for the recommended time period, then wash it off. When working with either product, wear eye gear and protect plants and beds and drop cloths or plastic. Wait a day or two, so wood is thoroughly dry, before applying new stain. The House “You could write a book on how to paint a house,” Cole said. Again, the job begins with a power-wash, with a degreaser. “You don’t want to paint dirt.” If some surface spots have no

Consider the Sun “Don’t paint in direct sunlight if you can avoid it,” Cole said. “If the exterior surface is too hot, the paint can bubble. And remember, the temperature of the house can become significantly hotter than the air temperature, especially as the day progresses.” If you don’t have any natural shade, start as early as you can, paint until about 2 p.m. and stop, then return to the job in the evening. “You want to follow the shade around the house,” he said. When it comes to hous e paint ing, b ar r ing any exter ior damage, a go o d pro duc t and job should last at le ast 15 ye ars, or unt il you grow tire d of t he color.

Kenyon Noble Paint Departments Up Game

he B ozeman and B elgrade Kenyon Noble hardware stores are the first in the nation to have paint and stain specialists who have been certified by the Master Painters Institute. They are Justin Cole at the Belgrade store and his father, Richard Cole, at the Bozeman store, at 1243 W. Oak St. The C oles e ar ne d L e vel I certification, in essentials of paint and painting technology, including safety and environmental specifications and standards. They’ll begin studying for Level II exams, in

architectural painting and in maintenance repainting, this summer. They are among the first 450 paint professionals in the United States and Canada to earn the certification. Founded in 1996, the Master Painters Institute is dedicated to est ablishing qua lity st andards and assurance prog rams, t raining and publicat ions for archite c tura l p aint and co at ings in t he U.S. and C anada. MPI p erfor mance-b as e d p aint and p aint ing sp e cif icat ions are us e d for e va luat ing p aint qua lity worldwide.

SPRING HOME IMPROVEMENT // APRIL 21, 2014

paint on them, apply primer first. If there’s peeling paint in your path, scrape, then prime. “It’s primer, then paint,” Cole said. “It’s important to create the bonding point for the paint. If your paint is peeling, it’s 99 percent certain the people before you didn’t use primer. Fix what you want to fix, spot prime where you need to, then paint.” Use paper and tape to mask anything you don’t want to get paint on: windows, metal, contrasting trim. It’s easier than removing the stray paint later. Choose paint brushes, pads or a sprayer according to the job, and remember to tape and drape windows, plants and flowerbeds.

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one of t hes e are partic ularly f un j obs, but t he y’re ne cess ar y. In spr ing, you want to: • C le an rain gutters to remove dir t and debr is bui ldup t hat pre vents water f rom f lowing t hroug h t hem. • Air out craw l sp aces. C he ck t hat spr in k ler systems are working prop erly and t here are no maj or le a ks b efore you want to us e t hem. C he ck your hos es to o. • C hange your f ur nace f i lter. • Replace smoke detector batteries and make sure detectors are working properly. If you don’t have t hem yet, inst a ll smoke detec tors on e ver y le vel of your home, including f inished attics and bas ements. Place smoke detec tors inside e ver y b e dro om, esp e cia lly if p e ople sle ep wit h t he do or

p ar t ly or completely clos e d; in t he ha ll ne ar e ver y b edro om; in t he ro om immediately outside t he kitchen; at t he top of t he f irst-to-s e cond f lo or st air way ; and at t he b ottom of t he bas ement st air way. • Che ck t hat carb on monoxide monitors are working. Inst a ll one on e ach f lo or if you don’t have t hem yet. • Clean the chimney, especially if you burn a lot of pine. • Inspect windows and the outside caulking around them, and your screens, and make repairs. • Check entr y doors to ensure weather stripping and bottoms are all in good condition. • Res e a l aspha lt as ne e de d. Cracks ma ke space for water to acc umulate and f low, e ventua lly causing trenches and sinking if not repaire d.

SPRING HOME IMPROVEMENT // APRIL 21, 2014

The Spring Chore Checklist

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