Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1994-04-13, Page 32• _. PAGE 14 -HOME & GARDEN GUIDE '94 f.ri[ (0)3MVE From Spanish Modern to Spanish Inquisition Eco --t \ 1?D : .i ce Admit it. The cozy embrace of your '70s sofa has gone from Spanish Modern to Spanish Inquisition. That '50s chrome dinette you picked up somewhere has lost the kitschy charm that tickled your fancy. But letting go isn't easy. How can you be sure the romance has faded with the upholstery? Well, you may want to start cruising furniture showrooms if: • That chest of drawers that got you though teething, puberty and your first apartment now can't even hold all your designer boxer shorts. • You'll only inherit Aunt Agatha's china if you promise not to display it in those wall - mounted orange crates. SPRING HAS SPRUNG Come visit our greenhouse for the Annuals, Perennials, Hanging Baskets, etc. that have been grown with "TENDER LOVING CARE" with "YOU" in mind. Thousands of Geraniums, Hanging Bags and more to choose from. Nursery Stock & Windbreak Trees Galore! R.R. #1, Bayfield 482-3020 Wholesale & Retail n cFadwlch Twp,ono Rd Furan County 113 FARM ■ 4 Weldcora `nom.: 44. 441 '1. • • You'd like to schedule meetings in your at-home office, but clients have a hard time getting out of the beanbag chairs. • You're tired of telling visitors that your door -on -two sawhorses desk is a "design statement." • The cinder blocks that held up your loudspeakers since "Abbey Road" came out crumbled when you cranked up your new CD system. • You want to read yourself to sleep, but The Firm became The Soggy when your waterbed sprang a leak. • Your dining room chairs would match perfectly if they were all stamped with the name of the same funeral parlour. • That knockdown bookcase knocked down two neighbours and a tray of hors d'oeuvres at your last party. • Your kids just found out that "end table" is not the standard term for a telephone -cable spool with a lava lamp on it. • The guest of honour at your formal dinner is easy to spot: the one with the unrusted TV tray. If three or more of the above describe your relationship with 3is otie..., or 4,4 ei (5.l9) 529-1125 Fax 529-3609 for an appointment. 4 mile west of Sty ugustine' on the 6/7 conc. o� West Wau'anosh Cedar Lane E S I G N your home environment, it's time to rethink, sort out, and update for style and quality. Getting serious Getting serious about furniture means meeting solid hardwoods: materials you can depend on, such as oak, maple, alder, birch or cherry. In fact, a reliable test of whether an old item is worth saving — or if you'll still respect a new one tomorrow — is "What's it made of?" Solid hardwood construction generally means durability, classic style, warm grain and comfortable textures — qualities that will hold their value and fit your home for a lifetime. And you can still play around a little. Solid hardwoods adapt to the most eclectic settings. With a little thought, you can make that *Acker porch rocker cuddle up to a new oak table or a walnut entertainment center. Buying solid hardwood furniture doesn't take a long courtship. If you haven't had a lot of experience, talk to furniture retailers, contact a trade association or consult an interior design professional. Furnishing without guilt According to the Hardwood Manufacturers Association, hardwoods will be plentiful for generations to come, thanks to modern forestry. Many more trees are growing than are harvested every year. And remember, some of those former thrift shop finds can be recycled back to the thrift shop. That way, old but useable pieces can lead extended lives and stay out of the waste stream. Goodwill Industries, the Salvation Army and other organizations in your area can supply pick-up details. Just check your local yellow pages under "Used Fumiture" or "Thrift Shops." Is your home looking a Iiftie rough around the edges? If your home's exterior is looking a little shabby around the edges, maybe it's time for a trim job. A trim job involves installing aluminum or vinyl soffit and aluminum fascia (pronounced fay -she -ah) panels over existing wood ones, and replacing weatherbeaten steel gutters and downspouts with new aluminum systems having durable color finishes. By installing durable, easy -care trim in stylish colors, you can spruce up the house and banish the hassles of wood. Brick, aluminum and vinyl- _ sided houses with wood trim tend to be likely candidates for a trim job. Because owners don't have to paint the exterior walls, they tend to neglect aging, hard -to - maintain wood soffit and fascia. Soffit panels close off the underside of roof overhangs, porch ceilings and other raised structures. However, it's unpleasant and dangerous to balance yourself on a ladder while reaching overhead to scrape and paint wood soffit, especially on a two-story house. Fascia boards, which run along the ends of roof rafters and extend below the gutters, also are hard to maintain. Houses that are sided with wood clapboard can benefit from an aluminum or vinyl trim job too. Wood trim tends to deteriorate even more rapidly than wood siding because it's typically made of pine rather than cedar. It's also susceptible to moisture damage from trapped condensation. Today you can find aluminum and vinyl trim products in tasteful contemporary colors to match your_ existing, siding -or --- contrast _ contrast with it for striking visual effects. Unless you have construction skills, a trim job is best left to professionals. Many do-it- yourselfers fail to replace deteriorated wood trim before affixing new soffit and fascia, say experts. Improper nailing and soffit venting are other amateur mistakes. With wood and professional painting costs soaring to treetop levels, trim that doesn't need painting makes economic sense,, say manufacturers.