Winter months can sure feel long when you’re cooped up inside your home. Especially here in Minnesota. However, indoor home renovation can be rewarding and help those long months fly by. Here are a few remodeling ideas that can jump start you on your way to a newly renovated home by spring.
Kitchen Renovation by Irvine Interior Designers & Decorators Serendipite Designs
The unfortunate truth about repainting the exterior of your home is that it’s a multiple-step process. You aren’t painting on a “blank canvas,” so you can’t treat it that way. The painter must evaluate how much scraping, sanding, and priming needs to be done in order for the finished product to look polished and refreshed.
However, thanks to the advances in paint (and related products), some of these steps can be cut down – or cut out altogether. So here’s a primer on scraping and sanding – and not always needing primer. Read the rest of this entry »
Staining your deck is quite a process. However, it does not need to be an ordeal. In fact, it can be a simple process as long as you’re able and willing to do a little work. Trust me, I just went through the process. Perhaps you’ve heard the stories of power washing, sanding, staining, applications of lacquer followed by more sanding, staining, and more lacquer. While you can approach your project with this level of elbow grease, here are four simple steps for staining your deck.
Ready To Go
What was previously on your deck? Had it been stained or was it painted? Typically, a deck that’s been painted will show signs of peeling, flaking and chipping. A deck that has been stained may need to be power washed or sanded. If there are loose boards, try to secure them or if necessary, replace them.
Painting brick isn’t for everybody. But if you don’t like the color or texture of your brick, deciding to paint over it can open up your design choices, as we explored in our last blog. So, once you decide to paint your bricks, what are the tricks? Whether you’re working indoors or outside, you’ll need to start with a good scrubbing. And you’ll need to leave plenty of time for drying, because bricks are porous. They soak up moisture and require extra cleaning attention.
As the robins return, you may find yourself making a list of outdoor projects to tackle this Spring and Summer – among them repainting the exterior of your home. It’s a big job, but a valuable investment in keeping your house in top condition. If you’re trying to fix a problem with peeling paint, Doug Kehoe, an experienced Hirshfield’s store manager, has some tips on how to get the job done right.
Deal with peeling paint now to prevent more in the future.
“Peeling is caused by a variety of factors,” explains Doug. “Many of them are tied to issues with surface preparation.” Peeling paint is not a reflection of the paint itself, but a loss of adhesion to the surface.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Annual Parade of Homes showcase is an ideal way to find a builder or remodeler with the sensibilities and quality you desire. But it’s also a great way to see what’s in vogue in interiors, with each home in the parade showcasing the paint colors and finishes popular with top designers.
Highmark Builders – 4344 Oakdale – Photography by SpaceCrafting
Highmark Builders showcased Hirshfield’s paints throughout this gorgeous home (4344 Oakdale Ave. South, Edina).
Remember when laundry rooms, sewing rooms, and attics were the forgotten parts of your house? Not anymore. Now those old “junk” rooms are places to show off your style.
Mud rooms, sewing rooms and guest bedrooms are all getting makeovers. Beth and Faye from the Woodbury Hirshfield’s say the trend has been growing over the last couple years. “Who’s doing it? Empty nesters turning a former kids’ room into a walk-in closet. Putting a mail station in the mudroom, craft rooms with built-ins, and some rooms serve a dual purpose of guest room and hobby room,” they say. Read the rest of this entry »
Design ideas can come from so many places, such as nature, fashion, and music. But, where does one even begin to look for design inspiration online?
There are so many great design sites, and so little time, so we’ve pared the best places to go online to tap your own creative muse. Our team of interior design experts and staff offer favorite online resources for design inspiration.
You’ll want to bookmark this blog so you can check out these sites packed with beautiful images and ideas. Read the rest of this entry »
My love affair with horizontal plank walls began in 2010 when I saw this House Beautiful Magazine cover. The width of the planks and soft whitewashed finish on the pine planks looked crazy good to me. The three blue paintings replicating the horizontal lines of the planks made this corner the pièce de résistance in this gorgeous home.
Four years later I’m still crushing on plank walls, but know (and accept) this DIY project will not be happening in my house. My walls are plaster and I won’t go there.
The DIY bloggers who’ve put up their own plank walls make it seem like a manageable project. Painted, stained, or whitewashed, plank walls add anther layer of texture and interest to a room. Enjoy the photos – they may even inspire you to try your own DIY project.
Bruce Knutson – Edina remodel
Jane Hedin, professional paperhanger, wiping any excess adhesive off the paper.
Wall coverings are back—in every style. From contemporary to traditional, the variety of offerings today are beautiful, artistic and can add visual pizzazz to your home. But before you can hang up wallpaper on an accent wall, in the nursery, or elsewhere in your home, you need to prep your walls. Here are some helpful tips.
If the room currently has old wallpaper on the walls, you have to remove it. If the old wallpaper is fabric-backed or strippable, you can carefully pull it from the walls. Start by gently pulling a corner of one strip at the baseboard until the entire section peels away. Some styles leave behind a paper backing, which needs to come off next by wetting the surface with DIF remover and scraping with a broad knife.
For non-strippable wallpaper, removers are available that soak onto the old wall covering’s surface. Before you begin, be sure to turn off electricity to the room, cover outlets with tape, and protect the floors with drop cloths or towels. You can also rent a wallpaper steamer to remove old wallpaper. A few Hirshfield’s stores have steamers to rent, but call first and verify they have a rental steamer and that it’s not checked out.
Score the surface of the wallpaper first to help the liquid remover penetrate more quickly and then apply the remover. Once the paper is loose, you should be able to remove it with a wallpaper scraper. Any paste residue that remains needs to be washed off with DIF stripper plus a rinse with clean water. If you see signs of mildew, it needs to be removed with equal parts bleach and water, rinsed thoroughly, and allowed to dry.
Hirshfield's Color Club 