Building a concrete staircase needs to go through a casing, in other words to develop the space between two different heights. To do this, the necessary materials are first strong planks and moisture resistant, wedges, irons assembled together to form a robust mesh and, of course, concrete. The formwork of a concrete staircase proceeds in several steps, which you will be described in turn below.

Formwork

Beforehand, ask silt on the wall for support. Draw them discreetly in pencil the embattled steps. Then screw in the horizontal battens on the stringers. With the help of cleats you will then be able to fix the risers. The important during this stage is to make sure to keep a distance of 10 cm between the bottom of the first plate and the ground. Now, this is to set up the boards. Start with the first, the bottom, then climb gradually, keeping in mind the spacing of 10 cm between the lower end of the plank and the ground. Once laid the boards, it’s time to have the net, or mesh, in chains, the latter is inserted by slipping between the boards and the floor. Between the lattice and the ground, interpose shims (you may use falling blocks or small pieces of concrete) to prevent the iron lattice touches the ground during the next phase of formwork.

Pouring concrete

For the assay, it takes about 350 kilos per cubic meter of concrete, or, for a volume of cement, count two and three sandy gravel. The casting has him in two separate stages: first, the casting of a dry concrete, and that of a layer more fluid. Thus, first, a place which is called “ruin the concrete.” Start at the bottom of the stairs, the bottom of the formwork to be taken by a bed of dry concrete. This phase should be conducted so patiently to prevent rapid curing of the concrete, it must “pull” between each step.

Read more »

Slate is a natural stone, non-porous and very strong which is unalterable in the air and waterproof. The various aspects and textures of slate gives it an undeniable charm that inevitably found its use in tile.

It should first be noted that there are tiles of slate and another type of product which is imitation slate tile. We are mainly interested in this topic to the “true” slate tile. The slate tiles are available in many formats, the cabochon with large tiles and slate, as a material, fits perfectly with other natural materials like wood or clay, for example.

Initially, the slate is a raw material, excavated, irregular, found unpolished. But after having worked, slate can also be smooth. Therefore, we can find tile slate tile form, with multiple finishes and color in a range sufficient, though not infinite. The slate also has the advantage of being cut off in many ways. The material, also used on roofs, is known for its strength and its high durability. Similarly, the slate is easy to clean and hygienic. The installation is preferably sealed.

Use of slate tiles

The slate tiles can be used both indoors and outdoors. So you can place your tiles in the kitchen or bathroom, and on your floors, stairs, walls, sinks, slabs for fireplaces, work plans or around a bathtub, etc.. As with all natural materials, avoid using overly aggressive products: soap and water will be good enough for everyday maintenance.

Essential for working wood, for all repairs on beams, furniture, flooring, wood pulp used both outdoors and indoors and resist as much as natural wood when the application is made . White pine or oak color, pulp wood are also available in many other colors and can be worked to finalize the repair.

The use of wood pulp

These wood pulp are as real reconstituted wood for many types of repair:

* Patching cracks

* Patching holes

* Repairing a lack

Apply the paste with ease. However, it is a good substrate preparation, whether it’s furniture in solid wood or reconstituted wood panels, natural wood beams, floors or any development in wood slats, decorative veneer, door, window , french windows, and this equally indoors and outdoors.

To complete the repair and conceal, it will be possible to work the wood pulp in the same way as wood. The dough will be dry sanded, sawed, drilled. We can come to a thread, the vitrified, the varnishing, the waxing, oiling, hue, etc.. Its performance will not change after these treatments.

Finally, all species of wood, European or exotic, and can be repaired. This will happen véraline pulp wood or other pulp having equivalent performance and features.
Read more »

Believe it or not, the Christmas holidays are just around the corner. There’s no time like the present to start thinking about this year’s holiday decorations. Especially if something was broken last season and you promised yourself you’d repair it in time for this season. So open up those holiday storage boxes and pull out the lights. Let’s see if they’re ready to go.

Christmas lights can be the curse of your holiday if you wait until the third week of December to check them. The way most of them are wired means one bad bulb could put the whole string out. That’s when you need to check the entire thing, from one bulb to the next, until you find the offending one. The most annoying thing is to check one hundred bulbs only to find out that the fuse is the real culprit!

Let’s see. What else is in your boxes? There’s the ceramic nativity scene you display on the dining table every year. Take a good look to make sure there are no cracks or broken pieces. In case there are, you can get some white glue and paint at the craft store to fix it up nice. If it’s broken beyond repair you may just have to put out for a new one. But that’s why you’re checking these things early.

The lady of the house may want to give her holiday linens and table ware the once over as long as you’re feeling festive. Hopefully the fragile times were packed away with all due care at the end of last season. Tissue paper and good packing methods mean she’ll unwrap to find everything still intact. That will be a relief. And when all is said and done you’ll know you’re ready for Christmas.

DIY home repairs have been all the rage in Europe for the last decade. Prior to that, home repairs were considered a necessary evil that we did because we had to. But now it has become a hobby. For some it’s even a passion. If you’re one of those people who love DIY, how do pass your interest on to your kids? Try getting them involved with packing boxes.

Ellen was a mother of three small children, all of whom loved to be creative. One of her daughters wanted a Victorian doll house, but Ellen and her husband couldn’t afford it. So they collected some old cardboard boxes stored in the basement and set about teaching their daughter how to build one.

They first downloaded some free home design software for the computer. They set it up and unleashed their daughter to design her house just the way she wanted. Reducing the finished product to scale, they printed out plans and set to building it as detailed as possible. Using cardboard, modelling clay, toothpicks, poster paint, magazine pictures, and a host of other items, the two ladies made a masterpiece.

The project was so successful the young girl then took great interest in how her real house was built. She started asking questions and reading books. She offered to help whenever a home repair project came up. She sat endlessly at the computer designing home after home. All because her mother helped her build a doll house from cheap moving boxes.

There’s no guarantee that your child would react the same way, but give it a try. At the very least you’ll end up being able to spend time with the kids while creating a pretty good project. With any luck, it will light a DIY fire.

Painting is an important part of decorating: walls, ceilings, floors, etc. This case presents different techniques and even gives you steps for you to make your own paintings!

• Thinning: that your paint is diluted with water or white spirit, feel free to concentrate especially high for the first layer. Do not try to obtain a first layer “opaque”. Keep in mind that multiple thin layers will be stronger than one thick layer.

• Use a roll: have standard diameter rolls but also small diameter pass around. Along a corner, paint brush, inaccessible part of the roller. Do so as and without waiting for the paint to dry (otherwise the connections will).

• Connections: If the paint has time to dry out between two areas that you paint consecutively, the connection between these two areas will be visible. Moving the roller or brush in the dry zone to zone freshly painted.

• Paint ceilings: if you use a ladder, you will lose time going up and down and the paint dries, trace connections may appear. Professionals use a roller with an extendable handle which prevents them getting on a stool (with this system, an artist can apply a coat on a ceiling of 130 m in one morning!).

Read more »

Each person appreciates home decorating ideas when planning to make improvements to their residence. You may have visions of your own about how your new home décor would look but it’s always nice to have an alternative preparation. There’s definitely home decorating ideas that you haven’t exposed. There are constantly changes being made regarding trends in home furnishings. Checking out new home decorating ideas may give birth to a new home decorating plan for your room.

Being able to find home decorating ideas is a treat but having access to free home decorating ideas is a real reward. There are free home decorating ideas available to you. Regularly when you pick up a magazine, perhaps while waiting at the doctor’s office, something in the home decorating section catches your attention. Relaying techniques and tips for home improvements, this magazine is offering you free home decorating thoughts. An extra great source of information regarding home decor and decorating is a catalog from major stores. Marketing their products, they use illustrations of fully decorated rooms. Glance through catalogs such as these you’ll find many free home decorating ideas.

Taking a trip to your local furniture store or department store is sure to provide free home decorating ideas. A lot of stores have displays which are regularly changes to share new and trendy home furnishings. The front window of a furniture store is a great place to catch a glimpse of beautifully arranged home decor. Window displays such as this can be considered free home decorating ideas.

Read more »