{when to splurge and when to save when decorating your home}

Furnishing a home can be a major investment. You have the necessities – a table, bed, dinnerware, and a place to sit. Then you have the “nice to haves” – wall art, fancy lighting, a glam rug, and accessories to tie the space together. When you’re excited about decorating, and anxious to get started, the line can easily become blurry between the two categories. Which is why we love Apartment Therapy’s post on when to splurge and when to save when furnishing your home.

Here are some of their tips:

Splurge where your health is concerned.
This means mattresses, office chairs and work surfaces at the proper height for the job at hand. If you’re lucky you may find these items at a bargain price, but generally I’d suggest budgeting more for items which directly affect your health and comfort.

A comfortable looking office, color on the wall is Benjamin Moore Hot Apple Spice 2005-20.

We would also add that along with furniture that affects your health, products that affect your health. Consider going with a low or no VOC paint to cut down on odor. Hirshfield’s offers Preserve LOW VOC INTERIOR LATEX FLAT with Microban® antimicrobial product protection and Benjamin Moore Natura® Zero-VOC Interior Paint.

Splurge on statement pieces.
These are the pieces that you love, that you’ll take with you when you move, that make your home feel like yours. The Eames chair which detracts from the big-box store sofa, or the vintage armoire which makes putting away the laundry fun. It goes without saying that falling in love with pieces that are also functional is advisable, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

{when is it too hot to paint outside?}

Has the heat and humidity kept you inside this summer, forcing you to neglect some of your exterior home improvement projects? Maybe you’re feeling guilty (or maybe you’re not?) that you’ve chosen the comfort of your air conditioned home over your desire to up your home’s curb appeal. And now here we are, half way through summer and you’re wondering if those projects will ever get done…

Well the paint experts at Hirshfield’s are here to help clear your conscious. When it comes to exterior paint work, if the temperatures are too hot you may be better off spending the day indoors. The outside temperature should be above 50 degrees Fahrenheit before you start painting, but if the outside temperature is more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the paint can end up “baking” rather than drying, resulting in a less than favorable outcome.

Wind and humidity also have an impact on whether or not you should start an outdoor painting project.  If the wind is too strong, it can blow loose debris onto wet or damp paint, and it can also dry things out too quickly. If the humidity is high then condensation can form on surfaces in the late evening or overnight.  This can cause streaks, fading, or poor adhesion to the surface. If it’s too hot with low humidity, or too hot with high humidity, you can have application issues. Uncertain? Pick up the phone and call your local Hirshfield’s paint expert!

{world’s best graffiti removal system}

Nobody likes to hear a story about a vandalism that has occurred. But unfortunately, the defacement of property can happen anywhere, including the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. This is why John Rose and his team worked to develop the World’s Best Graffiti Removal System.

Rose has been in the graffiti removal industry for more than 30 years and has made it his personal mission to make it “game over for vandals.”

The World’s Best Graffiti Removal System, available to contractors, municipalities and building managers through Hirshfield’s, is guaranteed to be the quickest and safest graffiti removal system in the world. It is easy to use and employs only biodegradable products and environmentally sustainable techniques.

Some of the advantages of the World’s Best Graffiti Removal System include:

• Remove graffiti from ALL building surfaces without damage to the substrate, the environment or the end user.