Drywall Guide 101

Drywall Guide 101

Home Tips Home Wall

Drywall Guide 101 

Drywall is used as a modern building material that is available in large panels such as 4 feet by 8 feet. The standard drywall panel has a gypsum core which has been sandwiched between two faces of heavy paper. These heavy paper faces are commonly constructed from recycled paper products. One of the faces is very smooth and the other is rougher like Kraft paper. The smooth face is the surfacing face. The purpose of drywall was to replace older types of processes for interior finishing that required lath and plaster and were significantly more labor intensive.

Drywall is aptly named as it goes on dry rather than wet like some materials such as plaster. There are a number of different proprietary names that are used to describe Drywall, including Sheetrock, Gyp Board, Plaster Board, Gypsum Board and Wallboard though many of these names refer to specific brands and types of Drywall and not to Drywall in general.

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There are numerous benefits associated with Drywall, including that it is generally inexpensive, can be used in a wide variety of different applications, is easy to work with and is also capable of being used in place of plaster walls. Drywall is capable of readily accepting a wide range of different finishes and paints and it is also easily cut into the right shape using a sharp knife. Once it has been taped in and sanded down, Drywall allows for near immediate painting and finishing. Another important benefit of Drywall is that it is a non combustible material.

Drywall has a unique shape and unique construction. It has recycled face paper around its edges, protecting and reinforcing the core. The short edges are smooth and square cut. The long panel edges have special shaping that involves tapering, allowing for joints to be properly reinforced with the use of special tape and then properly concealed using special finishing compounds. Once the joints have been properly taped and then finished, an installation that is well done will be nearly invisible.

For most typical residential applications, drywall is capable of being used on ceilings and walls. Drywall also comes in many other different types, different thicknesses and also different sheet sizes depending on what type of application you have in mind for it. The most common panel size for residential dry wall is 4 feet by 8 feet and ½ inch thick although there are other thicknesses and other panel sizes as well for residential construction, to repair severely cracked plaster ceilings, for door frames and window frames, for one-hour fire rated walls, and for purposes where walls need to be water resistant. There are special types of water resistant as well as mold resistant drywall boards that can be used for wet applications such as bathrooms and kitchens, and these boards and panels have green paper faces.

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Creating a Pastoral Feel in Your Back Forty

Creating a Pastoral Feel in Your Back Forty

Home Tips

Creating a Pastoral Feel in Your Back Forty 

When you have a large plot of land, keeping a perfectly manicured lawn can turning into a full time job. Instead of having acres of turf to mow, consider creating a pastoral wildflower patch. It is one of lowest maintenance landscapes to install, and after two years it becomes self sustaining. The keys to creating a beautiful wildflower patch on your property begin with choosing the right wild flower seed mixes. There are mixes designed for specific regions, specific soil types and for specific looks. And, even though most wildflowers require 6 or more hours of sunlight a day, there are shade mixtures that need only 3 to 4 hours. No matter which seed mix you choose, the planting and maintenance are the same.

Preparing for Wildflowers:
Setting up for a wildflower garden doesn't require a lot of prep work. The area will need to be ploughed and any existing vegetation tilled under. Then you have one of two choices – you can either apply a herbicide to the freshly tilled area to prevent weed growth or wait two weeks for weeds to germinate and then till them under a second time.

Once the area is ready to be seeded there are a few tricks that can help. Cultivating wildflower seeds requires just three things, contact with the soil, the right temperature and adequate moisture. To achieve these things you must:

• Seed after the last frost of the season
• Spread the seed evenly
• Lightly compress the soil to assure seed to soil contact

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Spreading the Seed:
The last frost date of the year is usually published on your local government website in the agriculture section. It can also be found on local television station sites under the weather tab or at Dave's Garden's frost date by zipcode site.

Getting an even seed spread on your wildflower seed can be done by mixing one part seed mix with 10 parts sand and then either hand spreading or using a seed spreader. The addition of and allows a more diverse spread of seed while also creating a track of where you've already spread seed and where you haven't. If you are looking for an intense flower garden, use a 2 to 1 mix instead of the ten to one.

After you have spread the seed, use either a lawn roller to roll the area or walk gently cover every inch of the seeded ground. This will assure that the seeds are pressed into the soil, but not covered so deeply that they will not germinate.

You will have to be patient when waiting for your seeds to germinate. Some flower will do it in 8 to 10 days, while others may take up to two months. This can leave a significant bare spot in raised beds that will be the wildflower home.

Yearly Maintenance:
Don't expect many flowers the first year of planting. Most wildflowers take at least one full year to reach maturity and establish enough roots to flower. At the end of the first growing season, mow the wildflower field. Remove the thatch from the area to prevent over-seeding the next year. It will also help prevent an incubation area for any weeds that have taken root. The strength of wildflowers is that they grow well in low nutrient soil and out compete weeds. After the first year, you'll only have to mow back the area in the fall. You don't have to remove the thatch. The area will then become self sustaining.

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Keeping your Closet Clean

Keeping your Closet Clean

Home Maintenance Home Plumbing Home Tips

Keeping your Closet Clean 

The closet is a part of your home that is easily capable of becoming overwhelmingly cluttered and dirty without a lot of work. Keeping your closet completely organized is truly essential to making sure that it stays clean and healthy. Here are some tips that are going to help you keep your closet clean and neat all the time.

Eliminate clothing every single year.
At least once every year you should go through your entire closet and weed out any clothing that has not been worn during that year. If you have not work it in a year, now is the time to get rid of it. Most of us are unaware of the fact that we have closets that are absolutely packed with unnecessary items that simply need to be repurposed, donated or thrown away. Try taking out a piece of clothing every time you add something new if you want to avoid having to completely clean out your closet once every year. This is going to keep your closet free of clothing clutter.

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Use Ample Storage Components
There are all kinds of really unique storage units out there that you can take advantage of like hangers that handle multiple items at once and shoe bags that hang from the door or from a regular hanger. These are all relatively cheap and can really work hard to help you keep your closet in good shape.

The Closet Floor 
We all tend to love throwing things into our closet without paying a lot of attention. This is unfortunately going to result in a closet floor that we very rarely see. This is easy to overcome, however: Buy shoe racks and other unique organizational items that you can place on the floor. This way, everything will have a place and this will deter you from feeling tempted to throw things on top of the organizers. There are a lot of really fun organizers out there that take some of the monotony out of organizing your closet. With so many unique options out there, why would you allow your closet to remain a mess?

Seasonal Clothing Removal
One of the easiest ways that you can help to keep your closet clean and neat is to keep the seasonal types of items stored someplace else completely. You can purchase storage boxes that are specifically meant to go under your bed for example, and keep these items tucked away until you need them. Your closet should be reserved for the things that you need to be able to find at a moment's notice like the clothing that you wear all year long rather than just your winter overcoat, mittens and scarf. Then a few weeks before the new season begins you can rotate your seasonal items, tucking your shorts away under the bed and pulling out your winter clothes instead.

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