Epoxy Grout - Tile grout can become very stained and dirty. The usual culprits are mold, mildew, food and beverage spills, and pets. This is especially true if the grout has never been sealed.

To clean the grout, start with a mild cleaning solutiuon. Never use bleach on colored tile as that may lighten the color. If unsuccessful, move up to the harsher chemical cleaners.

Vinegar or baking soda might provide a good cleaning solution if the stains are mild and have not been allowed to remain on the grout too long. Vinegar should be diluted with an equal amount of water. Baking soda is mixed with water to form a paste, about the consistency of toothpaste. Apply the homemade cleaner and scrub with a nylon brush.

If your grout is still stained, the next thing to try would be commercial tile and grout cleaners. These are available where home cleaning products are sold. Start with a mild cleaner instead of jumping right to a harsh one. To get the best result from a commercial cleaner, spray it on and let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing. Follow the directions on the label to clean effectively and prevent discoloration.

Tips for Grout Cleaning

• Clean the grout first with water and allow to dry. This will remove any loose surface debris and small stains that have not set.

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Gel Wood Stain - Wood stains penetrate wood instead of creating a film on top like paint. Pigment is suspended in a solvent and binding agent. Although similar to paint, there is very little binder. This allows color to penetrate into the wood, while leaving the substrate partially visible. Stain gives the wood a rich, deep color.

The initial application of paint or wood stain is absorbed into the substrate. Since stains contain low amounts of binder, the pigment remains near the surface, while the binder penetrates to a deeper level. On the other hand, paint has a high amount of binder, so the pigment forms a layer on the surface.

Wood stains range from very low viscosity to extremely thick. The thicker stains are designed primarily for exterior use. They penetrate better than paint, but usually do not hide surface defects as well. Exterior stains tend to be more flexible than paint and last longer. If you decide to use stain, be aware that most cannot be painted over. So once a surface has been stained, that’s most likely how it will have to stay for life.

Ceramic Floor Tile - Cleaning a tile floor (or any other type of ceramic tile surface) usually gets down to the grout between the tiles. Grout that has not been sealed is vulnerable to spills and other stains. It is much easier to clean the actual tiles than the grout.

The best long term solution to keeping grout clean is to seal it. This will help prevent spills from being absorbed into the grout, and cleanup is much easier.

You can purchase grout sealer online or at your local home center. There are quite a few types available, so be sure to read the labels before purchase. Silicone based sealer is applied to the grout only. It provides a long life and is fairly easy to clean. There are also finisher/sealer types that are applied to the entire floor. There are different types that will enhance and highlight both the tiles and the grout, or you can get a clear finish.

Silent Generators - Portable generators bring power to job sites where utilities are not available, and to homes when the power fails. They come in a wide range of capacities to fit your needs. You must match the generator rating to the maximum power draw you will be using.

Inductive load appliances and tools such as refrigerators, washers, and power tools require additional wattage for starting. The initial load only lasts for a few seconds, but is very important when calculating your total wattage. For example - Running a 100 watt light bulb, a 1,200 watt refrigerator with a start-up wattage of 3,000 watts, and a 400 watt TV, would require 3,500 watts.

Electric Generator Safety Tips

Abc Fire Extinguisher - Fire extinguishers come in four different classes. Each class is designed to fight a different kind of fire. Class A and B extinguishers have a numerical rating that determine the extinguishing potential based on size and type.

Class A Extinguishers will put out fires in ordinary combustibles such as wood and paper. The numerical rating refers to the amount of water the fire extinguisher holds and the amount of fire it is designed to extinguish.

Class B Extinguishers are used on fires involving flammable liquids like grease, gasoline, oil, etc. The numerical rating states the approximate number of square feet of a flammable liquid fire that can be extinguished.

Class C Extinguishers are for use on electrical fires. This class of fire extinguishers does not have a numerical rating. The presence of the letter “C” indicates that the extinguishing agent is non-conductive.

Ceiling Tile Installation - Installing ceiling tiles requires a lot of planning before work begins. Be sure to follow manufacturer’s instructions and take your time during the planning and layout stages.

Selecting the Tiles

Most ceiling tiles are made of fiberboard. Standard tiles measure 12" by 12", although tiles are also made in 12" by 24" and other sizes. Acoustical tiles are made from the same type of fiber with an additional manufacturing process to help absorb sound in a room. A well designed acoustical tile absorbs up to 70 percent of excess noise.

Ask the supplier to help estimate the materials you need for installation. Most manufacturers provide charts to determine the number of tiles, the amount of furring, and the gallons of adhesive needed (if adhesive is used) based on the room size. Tiles are typically packed as follows: 12" by 12" ceiling tiles in cartons of 40, 12" by 24" are packed 20 to a carton.

Ceiling Tile Installation Methods

The most common methods of ceiling tile application are adhesives, stapled or nailed to wood furring strips, or a metal grid suspended from the overhead floor joists. For ceilings made of plaster, sheetrock, or other materials that provides a smooth, continuous backing, use adhesives to apply the ceiling tiles. If the ceiling has cracked plaster or other defects, apply furring strips and nail or staple the tiles to the furring strips.

Basic Rules

• All cut tiles should be used for the edges of the room where the ceiling meets the walls.

• Cut tiles at opposite ends of the room should be the same size.

• If at all possible, cut tiles should not be less than half a tile wide.

Determine the Size of Border Tiles

Measure the distance from wall to wall on the longer side of the room. If the length measures exact feet, you will not need to cut border tiles for that direction. If the distance does not come out in exact feet, add 12 to the number of inches remaining and divide by two. This gives you the width of your border tiles. For example, if the room is 10′ 6" long, add 12 to 6 (18) and divide 18 by 2. The result of 9" is the width of the border tiles for each end of the run. Do the same thing for the shorter side of the room. Confused? Here is the result of the calculations:

• 10′ 6" = 126 total inches of the run (10′ x 12" to the foot = 120") + 6" = 126"

• 6" + 12" = 18" (to make sure each end tile is at least 1/2 tile wide)

• 18" / 2 = 9"

• 9" on start of run + 9" on end of run = 18", so 126" (total length of the run) - 18" = 108"

• 108" / 12" (size of standard ceiling tile) = 9 tiles in middle of the run

• 9 tiles x 12" = 108" + 9" start of run + 9" end of run = 126"

• 126" / 12" = 10′ 6"
  

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Luxury House Plan - Building your home is a very tall order. You will have to deal with a lot of problems, and quite a few of these cannot be foreseen or planned for in advance. It will take time, determination, and a lot of patience. Even if you hire a general contractor instead of doing everything yourself, there will still be a lot you have to consider.

Dealing with local building inspectors can be absolutely maddening. Talk about bureaucratic lunacy, you haven't seen anything until these goofs show up at your construction site. Depending on the inspector's level of competence (or incompetence), they will find all kinds of things to complain about. Some may be justified, but all too often the items they are refusing to pass are due to an over inflated ego on their part. And politics play into this unfortunate ordeal. If you don't build houses for a living, inspectors tend to think you don't know what you're doing.

Don't count on anybody to do their job right. Just because an architect has a nice office and a good reputation doesn't mean the drawings will be done properly. The contractor that comes highly recommended might end up ripping you off with shoddy work. You absolutely must stay on top of the entire home building project to prevent losing money or getting a house that you hate. It's amazing how many contractors can't even read a simple set of blueprints. And don't let them talk you into changing something unless you really want the change. In some cases, the contractor is simply trying to swap cheaper materials to increase the profit margin.

Get a firm estimate, put everything in a contract, and hold everybody to it. Don't allow excessive monetary draws. While it's customary to have an initial draw, make sure it's for actual building expenses and not some kind of "fee" to get work started. Every dime should go towards actually building the house. While material costs vary, and there is usually a clause in the contract that allows for this, don't fall for the "I'm not making any money on this project" scam three quarters of the way through. Unless you have made changes to the original plan that increase the cost, or supplies go up more than anticipated, don't pay any more than stated in the contract. Pay a dollar for a dollar, nothing more, nothing less. If you have been keeping the draws under control you can fire the contractor if necessary and find someone else. Remember that it's your house, your money, and you are the boss.