Home Improvement 2011

spring

Are you ready for it?

1E

home improvement a special supplement to the courier • feb. 27, 2011

Growers look back in planting future Seed swap attendance shows growing interest in heirloom seeds for home gardens

T

By Curt Lanning community@couriernews.com

he scene at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Russellville earlier this month was all natural — literally. Local residents showed up with seeds, bulbs, plants, all-natural pesticides, information and stories on gardening.

It was the first seed swap that the church had ever hosted. The church also offers the community a garden where those otherwise without the space to do so can access plots to cultivate harvests of their own.

The seed swap was organized in part by the church, but students from the University of Central Arkansas — part of an organization called Conserving Arkansas’s Agricultural Heritage (CAAH) — also came to help with the event.

“We met the students at a food faith fair last September,” said Suzanne Hodges, who helped to organize the seed swap after she saw a renewed interest in what she called “victory gardens.”

Victory gardens were popular during World War I, when private families planted and cultivated to grow their own food and thus reduced the burden on public food supply caused by the war.

In addition to allowing families to grow their own food, seed swaps and similar agricultural events help to bring the community together and raise morale.

See GROWERS on page 3E

SPECIAL TO THE COURIER / Metro Creative Services

Heirloom seeds that germinate into plants like the one seen above are growing in popularity.

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• Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011

Don’t break the bank These faux painting projects make a big impact for a low price

Depending on personal taste, homeowners can bring their patios to life with paint, as this homeowner did, creating a floor that resembles tile, but isn’t.

(MS) — Faux painting techniques are an economical and innovative way to transform any surface and can complement any decorating style. Dull concrete floors, both indoors and out, can be brought dramatically to life with a latex paint.

Planning and preparation

Before choosing a design, look carefully at your surface and space. Some designs are useful for disguising flaws in a floor. For other designs you may need to patch and smooth flawed surfaces first.

You will also need to think about the traffic in the area you are painting. Is it worth doing an elaborate, time-consuming pattern in a high traffic area? Large, bold patterns may be out of scale for a small room. Equally, small, detailed patterns may get lost in large spaces.

Inspirations for faux-painted floors

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• Brick and stone — Brick and stone finishes can add texture and/or color and can be effective

indoors and outdoors.

• Tiles and mosaics — Faux terra-cotta tiles are a versatile option for porches, patios and dining areas. The earthy appearance creates a warm, earthy feel and goes well with the rustic Tuscan look and matches many decors.

• Patterned and textured finishes — For a finish that isn’t too busy, you can use paint to create subtle visual texture. With pattern, your choice is endless. Covering an entire surface is one option. Alternatively, you could paint a faux rug, perhaps with patterns inspired

by Oriental carpets.

The most important thing to remember is to follow the proper preparation and patching procedures from the product label. If you are using a pressure washer to clean the surface, do not use on a pressure setting above 1750 psi to avoid damaging the concrete. Remember concrete acts like a sponge. Pressure washing and cleaning in general may trap residual moisture in the concrete. To check for trapped moisture, tape a 12-by-12 inch

piece of 3 mil plastic or aluminum foil tightly on all four edges to the surface. Remove it after 24 hours. If the floor side of the plastic or foil is damp, allow additional drying and then repeat the test. It is very important not to have trapped moisture in the concrete; it is the No. 1 reason why epoxy and latex concrete floor paints fail.

Protecting the pattern

A clear protective coat is the perfect finish to protect the design from scraping of patio furniture, grease, weathering and washings.

Remember to use a product that is made to be a clear protective coat, not a penetrating sealer. A penetrating sealer is designed to enter the pores of the surface and settle into the masonry. It will not penetrate the floor paint. The clear sealer is a protective measure that should be repeated every two to four years depending on the use and exposure of the surface.

Bold or subtle, bright or neutral, faux painting techniques can give your floor an expensive-looking makeover that won’t break the bank.

15 Projects In Just 20 Minutes (MS) — Since every dollar counts these days, homeowners need sensible home improvement products that can help increase the value of their homes without breaking the bank. Synthetic millwork products are a fast, easy way to reach this goal.

“Easy-to-install urethane and PVC products can enhance the interior and exterior of any home without busting a budget,” said Tina Mealer. “For a minimal product investment and even less ‘sweat equity,’ homeowners can gain maximum results.”

Mealer’s top 15 “no sweat” 20-minute home improvement projects include: • Project 1 — Place a crosshead over an outside window with a keystone to add curb appeal to the exterior of the home.

• Project 2 — Wrap unsightly metal supports in a finished basement with PVC column wraps to add style to the room.

• Project 3 — Use Victorian-style nips and spires to accent exterior areas, fencing and gated areas.

• Project 4 — Upgrade the look of a boring kitchen island by adding decorative brackets or corbels as accent pieces.

• Project 5 — Add a urethane pineapple, the international sign of hospitality, above the front entry door.

• Project 6 — Dress up a porch area by adding brackets to porch posts.

• Project 7 — Cover up unsightly wooden porch posts with a semi-assembled, two-piece classic style PVC column wrap.

• Project 8 — Install carved leaf or grapevine brackets under kitchen countertops and shelves to add dimension and visual appeal to the room.

• Project 9 — Add a two-piece urethane ceiling medallion around a ceiling fan or lighting fixture to “pop” some visual friendliness to the ceiling.

• Project 10 — Add moisture-resistant corbels to the top of cabinets to present a more finished look in the bathroom or laundry room.

• Project 11 — Create a unique window treatment by hanging a pair of brackets on either side of a window. Insert a dowel rod through the brackets and drape with fabric for a fast and easy decorative window treatment.

• Project 12 — Accent interior doorways with a keystone.

• Project 13 — Install a set of moisture-resistant urethane pilasters on both sides of a shower stall and a door crosshead overhead to upgrade the look of the bathroom.

• Project 14 — Create customized shelves to house knick knacks using moulding or PVC boards. Faux finish the pieces to make a collection stand out.

• Project 15 — Add a one-piece fireplace mantel surround to an existing fireplace or create a faux fireplace area using these durable accent pieces.

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Growers continued from page 1E

“As prices rise, the nutritional value of much of our industrially-produced food is dropping.

Growing locally-adapted heirloom varieties addresses both of these issues, among others, simultaneously.”

Hodges and the church didn’t find the event tiresome at all.

“We love having them,” Hodges said.

The seed swap promotes the use of saved seeds from prior harvests.

In order to save seeds properly, they have to be kept away from light, moisture and air, said A.J. Walsh, who previously sold seeds commercially.

At one time, Walsh owned three greenhouses.

He brought nearly 100 different seeds to the swap and had hopes of adding a couple dozen new seeds to his collection.

According to Walsh, seeds need to be stored in a cool, but not humid, area. A refrigerator will do nicely, but one can also use a root cellar if seeds are properly protected, preferably in a sealed container.

“Lots of animals eat seed,” Walsh said.

Walsh also added that most stored seeds can last up to five years. For each year stored, most seeds

lose about 20 percent germination.

CAAH has 10 different events scheduled for this year as members travel throughout the state to swap seeds and to help community gardens succeed.

When they visit a seed swap, the only thing they ask is that one-third of the seeds be given to CAAH, one-third be given away, and that the people who host the event keep one-third, said Alicia Allen, a UCA student and a member of CAAH. One of the other functions of CAAH is to collect seeds for their seed bank and then plant and grow them in different gardens within Conway, Allen said.

Allen talked about the advantages of saving one’s own seed over other alternatives, including buying genetically-altered seed from large companies aimed at generating mass quantities.

Genetically-altered seeds can’t be saved like

normal seeds can, and they won’t grow if they’re saved, Allen said.

Another disadvantage is that genetically-altered seeds are designed to be immune to pesticides, and so farmers spray everything with pesticide and everything dies except the genetically altered seeds.

This may seem like an advantage, but people will actually be eating crops with a lot pesticides on them, Allen said.

Josh Lockyer, a professor of anthropology at Arkansas Tech University, is trying to help raise awareness of the advantages of growing one’s own food.

According to Lockyer, food prices are on the rise, so he’s trying to get more people to grow their food.

“As prices rise, the nutritional value of much of our industrially-produced food is dropping. Growing locally-adapted heirloom varieties addresses both of these issues, among others, simultaneously,” he said.

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• Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011

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• Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011

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Luxury home magazines get facelifts These aren’t your mother’s home designs — and that’s the point

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By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press

EW YORK (AP) — Luxury home magazines that provide readers a peek inside some of the swankiest, most interesting abodes around the world are getting a freshening up — from new editors and publishers to new approaches to technology.

The venerable Architectural Digest, which slipped from its position as ad-page leader in recent years, has a new editor and a March cover that proclaims in pink: “The Age of Elegance.”

Elle Decor, defending its position at the top of the heap, has witty new columns and vibrant features.

Traditional Home has a new publisher and launched a digital version called “TradHome.” Veranda has a new editor and a new app. The list goes on.

Part of this is coincidence, part of it necessity; Architectural Digest stole editor Margaret Russell from Elle Decor, so former Executive Editor Michael Boodro got the job leading that magazine.

But the economy had a role in all of it. The magazines — like the rest of the publishing world and the country in general, really — took a big hit when the economy tanked a few years ago. Advertising plunged, designers lost work and no one was buying anything, let alone a $6 magazine advertising a $2,200 pair of sheets.

Many magazines folded, from the upstart Domino to Martha Stewart’s Blueprint. The ones that emerged are sinewy and focused — aiming to stay squarely in the center of the design dialogue.

“I feel it coming back,” said Ann Maine, editor of Traditional Home. “I see it at trade shows — there is more attendance, more buying. I stand in a show room to look at new products and across the room I see retailers placing orders. Work is picking up for designers from Indianapolis to New York to L.A.” Advertising is on the upswing, too. In 2010, Elle Decor had 1,121 pages of ads, up from 832 the year before. AD had 837, up from 791. House Beautiful was 710, up from 650, according to Mediamark Research, Inc., a media research provider.

The term “shelter” magazine is used for the most upscale home magazines, which focus on living well. They feature beautifully designed rooms, or create them.

Architectural Digest is something of an anomaly in the bunch — its readership is 50 percent male. A stalwart on fancy coffee tables, it was seen to have staled in recent years and its advertising has not yet returned to previous levels. In 2006, there were 1,709 ad pages.

“AD, which had been the leader and the go-to place, lost it to Elle Decor, but whereas Elle Decor’s advertising has returned, AD was still foundering,” said Martin S. Walker, a media consultant. “It didn’t move with the times.”

Enter Margaret Russell. The former Elle Decor editor, and Bravo’s “Top Design” judge, has already made some subtle changes to the magazine, such as adding a new last page called “Exchange Rate” that promises to reveal “Key sales, surprising steals and the state of the market.” She’s increasing coverage of art and architecture, and shepherding a redesign of AD’s website.

Continued on next page

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Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 •

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Russell said she’s not focused on the competition, or beating her own record.

“I think that you can’t ever lose sight of your reader,” she said. “... AD is a very sort of exclusive magazine, but it’s not just about a price tag. It’s about looking at the detail — how could that inspire you?” she said.

Meanwhile, at Russell’s old digs, Boodro has created a design directory for the website and a What’s Hot! feature. The April issue, currently being tweaked, is full of fantastic exotic homes, new columns and tons of color.

“I do feel confident in the choices that I make,” he said. “I think my interests are the interests of readers. I have a broad range of styles and homes that I like. I’m fascinated by the way people live. I’m a little bit of a voyeur that way.”

Traditional Home, under new publisher Beth Brenner, formerly of Domino, is using video on its website to complement magazine spreads, and the company is in the process of launching “TradHome” online, focused on younger readers. Editor Maine said she’s seeing a resurgence in the magazine’s focus, traditional design.

“Everything traditional is really hot right now,” she said. “Heritage brands out there, from watches to Converse tennis shoes, re-establishing themselves. We’ve always been here, but it allows us to move forward in new ways.”

Of course, all the magazine editors say their readers are diverse in age and makeup, but industry figures show most are upper-class women in their 50s. They are loyal — there is very little crossover among the magazines. So to keep up with the times, the magazines are reaching out to bloggers and trying to position themselves as trusted go-to brands. They all have tens of thousands of Facebook fans, and people devoted to Twitter. Boodro says he has found writers and designers from blogs.

Dara Caponigro, editor of Veranda, said the magazine has a lot up its sleeve, from TV shows to an app devoted to American design.

“The magazine will always be, but we’re looking to add other parts to really expand the brand,” she said.

House Beautiful, which focuses exclusively on American design, is using Twitter to generate interest among Chicago readers. From Feb. 26-28, the magazine will drop off 50 chairs around the city and let readers on Twitter know where; the first person to get to them can claim them.

The chairs will be pink in some way to match the magazine’s theme for its latest issue.

“There’s a note on the chair that says ‘take me,’” said Newell Turner, House Beautiful’s editor. “People’s expressions are just great. It’s a fantastic way to really connect with readers.”

Turner, who like the other editors has been in the business for years, says he thinks there will always be interest in shelter mags.

“Everybody’s gotta have a home,” he said. “There is going to be a need to decorate and care for that home. We keep that in mind for the content of the magazine. Be as attainable as possible. But where it’s not attainable, it should be inspiring. The right combination is the key.”

“Everybody’s gotta have a home.

There is going to be a need to decorate and care for that home.

We keep that in mind for the content of the magazine.

Be as attainable as possible.”

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Ask the builder: Is ‘doing’ drywall do-able?

By Tim Carter Tribune Media Services

DEAR TIM: Is taping drywall that hard to do? I watched it done on a television show, and it seems like it’s not too tough. What taping drywall tools should I be looking for? What are some secrets of finishing drywall, and what are the biggest mistakes rookies make when mudding and taping drywall? I want my job to look like a professional did it, so please help me out.

— Wanda P. DEAR WANDA: In my opinion, taping drywall is much harder than it looks on the shows you watched. I’ve done video work for years and can tell you that a talented videographer and editor in postproduction can make the toughest jobs look like a cakewalk. What the camera can’t communicate is the muscle control you must exhibit to get the drywall tools to produce professional results.

I had an employee who worked for me for years but was never able to master the art and craft of drywall taping. No matter how much training I offered, the results were dismal. I’m convinced the failure was part lack of desire and part a

If

you tackle it

To get professional results, you’ll have to have great drywall taping tools. I love using my stainlesssteel mud pan. I use a flexible taping knife that’s just under 6 inches wide. Before I used it the first time, I used a metal file to slightly round the corners of the tool. Straight from the factory, these tools have very sharp corners that can cut into the paper tape as you strike inside corners when taping.

Some professional drywall finishers prefer to use trowels to apply mud. I started using broad knives 36 years ago and never gravitated to trowels like you see a plasterer use. I have a 10-inch and a 12-inch broad knife, both of them stainless steel.

Professional finishers who tape entire houses in one day will use a tool called a banjo. This handy tool applies the exact amount of mud to the tape.

The best analogy I can offer is those packaging taping machines that apply clear tape to cardboard boxes. The banjo eliminates the step of you applying the mud to the wall as the tape comes out of the machine with the mud on it.

severe shortage of hand-eye coordination.

Here are a few of the most common mistakes I see rookie drywall finishers make. The first is using the joint compound straight out of the box or bucket without mixing it with a small amount of water. The joint compound, or mud as it’s called by the pros, must

be smooth and the consistency of warm cake icing.

If you tilt the mud pan it will flow slowly in this plastic state. Avoid adding too much water as it will dilute the adhesive that’s in the joint compound.

Remember, joint compound is basically glue and dust. I say this because the compound is designed to stick to the

drywall paper and it’s made from very finely ground ingredients that turn to dust as you sand them. But make no mistake: Top quality joint compounds are made to exacting standards.

Another common mistake is not keeping the precise amount of material between the tape and the drywall. I say this because you might wish to use the traditional paper tape in lieu of the self-adhesive mesh tapes.

Many a debate has raged between professional drywall finishers about which tape is better, mesh or paper. I happen to use the traditional paper tape, and have never had an issue with it.

To get a feel of how small the margin of error is when taping drywall, take a straightedge or a broad knife and place it across the tapered edges of two pieces of drywall.

Note that the gap is no more than 1⁄8 inch. This means you need no more than 1⁄16 inch layer of mud under the tape. This leaves you with a thin coating of mud the same thickness to cover and hide the tape on your second application of joint compound.

It should be obvious that the consistency of the

mud must be very plastic if you want to achieve this result. One secret trick is to be sure that the mud you apply to the seam is no thicker than 1⁄8 inch before embedding the tape.

Be sure the mud is even,

smooth and without lumps or voids. Embed the tape and run your taping knife across it smoothly with even pressure to press out the excess mud making sure you leave the proper amount.