A special section of the
HOME
IMPROVEMENT
PAGE 23
Exterior home maintenance: All parts of a house don’t weather equally
D
id you ever notice that some areas of your home look freshly painted while other areas look more worn or may even have peeling paint? Let’s explore at some of the reasons for this. #1 – Exposure to the Sun Due to increased exposure to the sun, the south side of your house will always weather more rapidly than the other three sides. The west side of your house will also weather more rapidly than the east side due to the heat of the afternoon sun. And while the north side of your house gets the least amount of sun, it is more likely to have mildew, algae and moisture problems. So what’s the solution? - Have your home inspected every two years to determine if any areas are in need of maintenance or a pressure cleaning to remove dirt and debris (which will extend the life of your paint job). #2 - Vertical vs. Horizontal Water drains easily off of vertical surfaces and dirt rarely builds up on these surfaces either. Horizontal surfaces however, are an entirely different matter. They maintain moisture much longer
that vertical surfaces and dirt tends to accumulate here as well. This is particularly true on window sills, tops of shutters, and bases of pillars, often leading to water damage and wood rot. So what’s the solution? - Carefully inspect these surfaces every two years and clean, sand prime and paint any worn areas to ensure they are sound and protected. Window sills and shutters are often the areas of your house that require the most maintenance. #3 - Areas along the roofline or close to the ground Front column bases, porch posts, lampposts, door frames, the lower section of garage doors, basement doors, and dormers on the roof are also more vulnerable to the elements. Water tends to bounce up on these areas and snow sits against them for extended periods of time. This moisture often causes paint deterioration and wood rot. So what’s the solution? - Carefully inspect these areas every two years and attend to repairs while they are still minor. Many homeowners spend hundreds and often thousands of dollars repairing, replacing or refinishing areas on their home
Peeling paint and water damage occur at different rates in different spots. Know what to look for to keep your paint job maintained.
that could be inexpensively repaired or refinished if they were identified by routine home inspections. If it’s been a while since you took a walk around your home to see if you may be in need of some routine maintenance, we recommend doing so this spring and
addressing any issues you may find to avoid more costly repairs in the future. John Neill Painting & Painting and Decorating has been serving the Main Line and surrounding Philadelphia suburbs for over 40 years. Their team of skilled craftsmen (both car-
penters and painters,) have an average of twenty years of experience who take great pride in their work. “The Sign of Craftsmanship” isn’t just a tagline, it’s their way of life, and they have become best known for providing professional craftsmanship with a personal touch.
The Exterior Season is Just Around the Corner Did you know that routine maintenance can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars on exterior home repairs and painting?
The Sign of Craftsmanship®
Pressure Cleaning Exterior Painting Carpentry Repairs Shutter Installation Stucco Repairs Masonry Repairs
Interior Painting Plaster Repairs Wallcoverings Color Consultations 2016
610-664-5555 www.johnneillpainting.com
A Few Things To Look For - Flaking or peeling paint - Water damage - Mold, mildew, or algae - Cracks in the caulking Wood rot on: - dormers - window sills - shutters - garage door frames - column bases - decks
Call today for your free exterior maintenance inspection and to save your space on our Spring schedule.
Page 24
CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL
Thursday, March 16, 2017
HOME IMPROVEMENT
Clean gutters are essential for a well maintained home
Avoid clogged gutters with regular cleanings or gutter guards.
by W. Vergese
G
utter cleaning is an important part of every home in improving the appearance of your house and is required to drain off the excess water off the roof and preventing damage to the building’s infrastructure. Clean gutters are vital for handling the home water system and keeping home and building away from danger. Gutter cleaning and maintenance is a vital process for keeping the exterior and interior dry and safe. A blockage-free gutter not only keeps your environment fresh but also prevent gutters from becoming damaged. Aluminum gutter guard helps in controlling the water around your home and avoid water erosion. Gutter are designed to avoid water to overflow and keep the roof away from leakage. Many water damage problems can be avoided which can cause water flooding and soil erosion. The rainwater must be avoided from getting accumulated on the roof and downspouts. Clogged gutter system can cause
heavy loss to the wall and ceiling of the building gutter and can give an invitation to birds and insects to build their nest. People in have many options to hire gutter cleaners that take care of your gutters and check that there are no leaks, overflows, or other problems in the gutter system. Damaged gutter can cause: • Formation of ice dams on the roof that can cause cracked gutters, damage to your roof, and flooding in your basement or other areas of your property. • A clogged gutter can cause saturation of water on the roof, gutter system and downspouts. • Open invitation to the insects, birds to stay in between roof spaces. • Cleaning gutters with ladders can harm your life causing health injuries. Maintaining the gutters is the key, to keep your home safe and make your living easy. By keeping your gutters clean and blockagefree, the gutter system will be properly working leading water away from your walls and the roof of the building. It prevents heavy expenditure in future and risk of causing
danger to the building. The gutter system is designed to catch the entire flow of water from the home roof to the ground and to safe drainage area. But sometimes along with the water, they also catch leaves and debris. If your gutters are clogged, the waters spill over your gutters increasing the chance for water damage to the home foundation, basement flooding, and crack to the walls. In addition, ice, snow, tree limbs, and animals can cause damage to your gutters that may need repair. Checking your gutters and cleaning them regularly can keep the home safe and avoid costly damage or repair. Leaf Guard can deal with wet or dry gutter debris and keeps gutters clean and dry. Clean gutters can protect the home from basement flooding, cracked, damaged foundation, mosquitoes, germs and other insects breed in standing water, mold, soil erosion, and rusting of exterior building products. When leaves and debris collect in your gutters, water starts to build up. Accumulating water puts a lot of (Continued on page 28)
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Thursday, March 16, 2017
Useful tips to maintain clean carpets by Christopher M. Ryan
T
he carpet plays a vital role in the home and more care with maintenance is very important to avoid health problems for the household. Most carpets get dirty due to the stains, spots and foot traffic. However, no carpet is stain proof as the carpet’s fibers trap dirt, oils, and bacteria, which can discolor the material and cause unpleasant odors and stains. There are many companies that offer carpet cleaning services for your carpets, as needed, and then keep them cleaner longer that is beneficial for the whole family. Keeping your carpet clean can be challenge and time-consuming task especially in houses or businesses with high foot traffic or pets. Maintaining clean carpet, however, can improve the appearance of the carpet, the health of the people who use it, and also increase the selling value of the home if needed in the future. Carpets need to be vacuumed once a week and more often in areas of heavy traffic. Vacuuming helps to remove the dirt, dust and foot traffic mud from the carpet fibers. Frequent vacuuming prolongs the life of your carpet by preventing a buildup of gritty particles that can cut carpet fibers. Numerous companies in who offer Upholstery Cleaning Services for refreshing upholstery that extends the life of your furniture. Pay special attention to the areas where people sit and move their feet. Vacuum these areas of heavy traffic with a criss cross pattern of overlapping strokes. Shoes must be avoided if the carpet is wet and cleaned by using steam cleaning method. As the wet carpet can attract more dust, dirt, and stains. Carpets are a favorite breeding ground for dust and other allergens like fungi, mold and dust mites. Proper cleaning of this fungus can avoid dust, dirt, germs and insects to get in the home environment and air. Clean carpets also look better, smell better and last longer than carpets that are full of dust, allergens, and stains. Vacuuming is very important in the areas with low traffic can get dust that will settle into the carpet fibers. If this dirt and dust are not removed immediately then it becomes much more difficult to remove as it sinks to the bottom of the carpet. By vacuuming regularly, keeping it looking newer and cleaner longer. Grooming a carpet gives it that shiny look and helps to maintain the value of the flooring. Maintaining your carpet will make its fibers strong and resistant to spots and stains. So, it is also important to take help from professional cleaners in order to groom and vacuuming the carpet fibers. Taking help from the professional carpet cleaners can benefit in a lot of ways namely, they helps to preserve carpet fiber and its integrity by not using cleaners and solutions that cause yellowing or visible spots. Protect carpets and keep them fresh for a longer duration by removing dirt and debris and avoid such methods that reduce carpet life and cause shrinking, stretching. There are many companies who offer top quality furniture cleaning services to ensure that you will be rid of the dirt , dust and other pollutants that can harm the furniture.
CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL
Page 25
Maloumian—the area’s most trusted Oriental Rug Authority—is moving its showrooms to Florida
“Our Maloumian Oriental Rugs family is proud to have served the Philadelphia area for nearly a century.” –Roy Maloumian
Roy Maloumian in the Mt. Airy location of Maloumian Oriental Rugs, founded in 1927. Roy represents the 3rd generation of Maloumians who are Oriental rug experts in the Philadelphia area and soon multiple locations in Florida.
Save 60% to 80% on a genuine Maloumian Oriental Rug before the Philadelphia location closes Philadelphia area’s loss is Florida’s gain
Gables. And they’ll be expanding their sales division in additional Robb and Stucky locations in Boca Raton (2017) and in Miami and Palm Beach (2018).
The Maloumian Oriental Rugs 90-year tradition of selling the highest quality Oriental rugs at exceptional savings in the Philadelphia area is about to end—but it will continue in Florida. Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to enhance your home with a genuine Maloumian Oriental Rug before their sales division moves to Florida—and get 0% financing for 18 months.
For elegance, expertise and excellent prices, experience the Maloumian Oriental Rugs difference
The Maloumian tradition of selling exquisite first-quality rugs will continue in 7 Robb and Stucky locations in Florida.
Visit Maloumian—and their exquisite rug selection— in Florida Maloumian Oriental Rugs is joining the Robb and Stucky International family of luxury home furnishing stores in Naples, Ft. Myers, Sarasota and Coral
Named ‘Best of Philly’ 2015, Maloumian welcomes you to their showroom, located just south of Chestnut Hill at 231 West Mt. Pleasant Ave., Philadelphia Open Mon-Fri 9 am – 5 pm, Sat 10 am – 5 pm, and Sundays noon – 5 pm.
(215) 375-7760 RoysRugs.com
Maloumian Oriental Rugs has a $20 million inventory of thousands of exceptional quality rugs at discount prices.
“Customers in the Philadelphia area can continue to rely on our expertise for cleaning and restoration of their rugs.” –Roy Maloumian
Maloumian’s expert cleaning and restoration services are staying in Philadelphia The Maloumian rug cleaning and restoration professionals aren’t going anywhere. Customers in the Philadelphia area can rely on Maloumian for:
• Use of the centuries-old Makoor™ method to clean Oriental rugs • Meticulous, gentle cleaning by hand to maintain the beauty of your rug
• No risk of damage from harsh shampoos, chemicals and machines
Page 26
CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL
Thursday, March 16, 2017
HOME IMPROVEMENT
5 things to avoid in your living room by Melissa Tyler
T
he living room is the place where people spend time together, relaxing, talking, and more. Be careful and make sure it's not a place for any of the following five things. So look through this list and banish any of these, if they've been taking place in your living room. 1. Apologizing for the state of the room Are from those people who apologize for the mess or for the pet hair, or for the furnishing? Do you consider saying this to any guest that happen to visit your home, particularly your living room? So stop! People don't care about the state of your room. The important one is you, so apologizing isn't the right way to start hosting guests. 2. Hiding stuff too often A lot of stuff hangs around in every house. Some of it isn't used everyday and is hidden in storage boxes or double duty furniture. However, if you have used your living room's all hidden storage spots for whatever junk or clutter you don't use regularly, you can still have a living room that feels scattered even if everything is "technically" tucked away. Even if your eyes don't see the stuff, you will know that it's there, lurking and waiting to be dealt with. 3. Rarely cleaning the hidden spots The living room is the most used place in a house. Most of the time, you clean and vacuum your carpet or rug, and dust the hard surfaces, but maybe you miss to clean a few key areas that make your room look dirty. Take for instance your sofa cushions or the ceiling fan. Can you remember when was the last time you vacuumed the window coverings? There are a lot of small spots that people forget to clean, but can end up to a dirtier-than-you-realized room. A friend of mine working for an Atlanta-based cleaning company, says that a cleaning check-list is a must so as to not forget any dirty areas in your living room. Hence, schedule a really detailed house cleaning session every few months, so you can keep your house and your living room in particular healthy and clean. 4. Angling your furniture away from the used space Arrange your living room according to your lifestyle - either watching movies, conversing with friends, or playing games, or something else. The key to creating a usable, functional space is arranging the furniture around the usable space. Thereupon, first decide the purpose of the living room. then arrange it. For instance, if you want a room where people can talk out, don't arrange your seating focused on the TV set. 5. Wearing shoes Wearing shoes in the house is a very nasty habit. It's a fast way to make any space dirtier that it needs to be. If the living room is very close to a home's entry, most people just walk in with their shoes. So you can work on creating a place in the entryway , where people won't forget to slip their shoes off. It's a guaranteed way to keep your living room cleaner for longer.
Thursday, March 16, 2017
HOME IMPROVEMENT
CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL
Page 27
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Laminated wood in an open kitchen / dining room space.
by Pria Prajapati
M
odern home owners like to experiment with new ideas and designs when decorating their homes. While wall papers and decals have enjoyed their fair share of importance in home décor, interior and exterior grade laminates are the new entrants, using which decorators are creating classy looking interiors. Laminates are those external surfacing products that are used to transform the overall look and feel of the exteriors and interiors of a house. While
exterior and interior grade laminates are conventionally used on walls to transform the look of these basic concrete structures, they can also be used in different other settings and living areas to add a dash of color and glamour. Here are a few areas where you can artistically use the laminate claddings to give a new look to a space: 1. The Puja Room: The idea of decorating a Puja room varies from person to person. While some prefer the pristine whites, others like the dazzling metallic shades and you can get them all in the compact laminate sheets.
2. The Stair Steps: You can give your stairway a grand look by covering the steps with shining laminates. The stairway can actually become the center of attraction in your living room if you design it well with decorative laminates. 3. The Aisle: Mostly people ignore the aisle assuming that no one will really pay attention to this space but the aisle can also be given a makeover if you can select the right laminate designs to clad the aisle walls. You can simply clad the walls of the aisle with
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Page 28
CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Gutters
Wall claddings can add excitement
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(Continued from page 27)
(Continued from page 24)
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laminates having geometric patterns and turn the same into your personal photo gallery where you can hang photo frames of your loved ones. 4. The Porch: The porch of your house is another important space that you must not ignore. Cladding the walls of the porch can give your house a classy feel. You should ideally use laminates made with the GLE technology for this space as they are resistant to water, heat, and fire and are ideal for the exteriors. 5. The Balcony: People ideally do not use wall claddings in the balcony
but doing that can completely transform the look of the only open space of your house, especially if you live in an apartment. The interior wall of the balcony can be clad with hard wood colored laminates and the floor carpeted with artificial grass and lined with white stones to give the open space a wonderful close to nature look. 6. The Study: This little place where you like to spend your most productive hours working and ideating must be decorated with utmost care. You can use good quality interior grade laminates to cover the walls of the study from ceiling to floor and install ceiling lights to give the place a wonderful feel
that is warm yet uncluttered. 7. The Living Area: Interior grade laminates with interesting patterns and textures can be used to make headboards and backrests and paired up with floor seating to give the living space a contemporary as well as chic look. Therefore, if you are really looking for innovative ideas to transform the look and feel of different spaces around your home , you can always experiment with good quality laminates. Just get the right decorators to do the work for you and you will have the classiest looking home.