Plastic Laminate Flooring Plastic laminates are made with medium-density fiberboard (MDF) core topped with a layer of plastic laminate similar to the material used on countertops (but about ten times denser). Like the countertop material, the laminate has a photographic image, or photo, layer that can mimic wood, stone and many other materials, as well […]
Installing & Finishing Installing solid-wood strip flooring is a fairly straightforward process. It all starts with a clean, sound subfloor, over which a layer of building paper is laid. This protects the subfloor from water damage and prevents squeaking. The strips are nailed to the subfloor, one-at-a-time, by means of a hammer-operated or pneumatic nailer. […]
When you are planning a new kitchen or refurbishing old kitchen furniture, the first decisions that have to made are about what you are going to put in it; which items of equipment, and then which brand and which models of those particular items. The choice is bewildering, so brace yourself to bring a really […]
If you intend to buy new kitchen storage cupboards, they will either be custom designed (by you or your architect), or they will be bought from a proprietary range of which there are many on the market. It is also possible that you are considering some hybrid arrangement made up of old cupboards originally intended […]
lt is fairly rare now to find custom-made units in a new kitchen. The standard ranges, as I have described, are so varied, the permutations of finishes so large and the quality so good (if you choose carefully) that most people are not prepared to go to the extra trouble of having furniture specially built; […]
The only other real development to affect kitchens and bathrooms is the general and essential emphasis on energy conservation. The world’s diminishing resources and rising costs have at last caused us to cut our cloth accordingly, and in the two rooms in question, this has resulted in extra insulation for energy-consuming equipment, assisted circulation in […]
These are described together because many people still prefer one free-standing cooker combining both functions, rather than the fashionable separate hobs and oven. And of course, if you are in rented accommodation or anywhere else where you do not intend to stay for a long time, it makes sense to put in a free-standing cooker […]
Stainless steel is a hygienic material, easy to clean even though its gleaming surface does become dimmed over the years by a myriad of tiny scratches. Those who like colour, though, will appreciate the enamelled steel sinks emanating from the continent. The permutations are as varied as those for stainless steel, the colours of some […]
If there are more than two in the family, if at least two meals a day are eaten at home and/or if you entertain frequently, then a dishwasher would be a considerable asset in your kitchen. It would save time, energy and possibly even the china, since a dishwasherwill not have the mishaps to which […]
Washing machines have always seemed to me the best aid of all, and essential in the modern kitchen or laundry room. Even one perscn generates a huge amount of washing in a week (think of sheets, tea towels, towels, underwear, shirts, jeans, table linen). Unless you relish the idea of a convivial hour at the […]
