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Exterior doors for your home come in a variety of materials, colors, and designs. New materials, such as vinyl have provided manufacturers with the ability to create exterior doors that need little maintenance, provide security, energy efficiency and add value to your home.

The front door of a home greats your guests and its styling says a lot about the home owner.

Wood

Wood exterior doors are desirable for their natural beauty and structural strength. They are widely available in a number of different woods ranging from pine, oak, cedar, mahogany, and walnut. They do however require significant protection from the elements as well as regular maintenance. Manufacturers are required to treat wood with a preservative to help prevent rotting but ongoing maintenance is the only way to ensure that your wood exterior door lasts and performs.

Steel

Steel exterior doors are actually made from a combination of materials. The interior structural components (rails and stiles) are often wood, the inner core is filed with insulating foam and the outer skin is made of galvanized steel. The inner wood structure gives it stability and strength. The foam core provides good insulation and the steel skins are durable, resistant to warping or rotting and require little maintenance.

Steel exterior doors can be painted any number of colors. They are also available with pre-finished PVC coatings that simulate a wood-grain finish.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass exterior doors are relatively new and are constructed in the same fashion as steel exterior doors with wood stiles and rails and an inner core of injected foam. The outer skin is fiberglass. Fiberglass is very strong, durable and energy efficient. In addition to a flat painted surface, fiberglass can also be embossed to give it the texture and appearance of wood.

Vinyl

Vinyl exterior doors are also relatively new. They employ a multi-chambered vinyl structure for both the frames and panels (sashes) utilizing a steel, aluminum, or wood re-enforcement to add strength and prevent distortion. Vinyl doors are good thermal insulators because of their multi-chambered designs and offer good thermal performance ratings. Vinyl is a very durable material and is resistant to extreme weather conditions. It is also very resistant to breakage and provides good protection against forced entry through the door. Vinyl doors will not rust, dent or scratch, and require no special maintenance.

For additional information on exterior doors for your home or other renovation projects, visit Renovation Headquarters.

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Window coverings are one of the most important focal points in a well-decorated room, but choosing the right ones, at the right price, is a prime consideration for most home decorators. Here are a few tips for creating great-looking window dressings, without breaking your budget in the process:

When selecting window coverings, consider the amount of sun exposure the fabrics will receive, and decorate accordingly, if you want to get the longest life out of your window dressings. All fabrics are vulnerable to sunlight degradation, but silk is the weakest, while acrylic, modacrylic, polyester, and glass fibers are the most resistant to sun damage.

There are a number of ways to save money on your window coverings, without sacrificing appearance. For a custom look, you can cover a tension rod with a thicker piece of PVC pipe. Remember to sand off the numbers on the pipe, or they can bleed off onto the fabric. You can do that with PVC primer, acetone, or even fingernail polish.

PVC pipe is very versatile. You can spray paint it black to make it look like wrought iron, brown to look like wood, or sponge paint it with copper and dark green over light green for a verdigris effect. It can also be painted to reinforce an accent color or to look like gold or silver.

For longer spans, wooden closet dowels are less expensive than drapery rods, but stronger than PVC pipe. Copper pipe also works well for curtain rods and looks great for relatively little cost. If your curtain fabric will be touching the copper, spray the copper with clear gloss to prevent oxidation from staining the fabric.

To further save money, you don’t have to use standard decorative hardware in your window treatments. For instance, even though tie backs of braided cords and tassels can add glamour to your window coverings, Christmas tree decorations of braided cords and tassels cost much less than “official” drapery accessories.

You can also get creative with your tieback holders, and using oddities will add character to your window treatments. For example, I once used old lamp finials for tieback holders. You can also create an ethereal atmosphere by using clear fishing line to secure sheer curtains in delicate swags.

There’s no doubt that window treatments are vital to the overall look and feel of a room, but you don’t have to break the bank to create dramatic window presentations. The possibilities are endless. All it takes is a little imagination.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm

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So you’ve got Spring Break coming up and the Easter Holidays around the corner too. This is a great time to give your interiors a lift. Certainly you probable already planned some Spring cleaning, but really make it count and clean out. This is a perfect chance to get rid of clutter and give to those needing more. April is the showcase month for the Atlanta Furniture Bank’s charity event Chairish the Future. Funded by generous donations from major manufacturers, corporations, and individuals, the furniture bank is a hopeful repository of all types, sorts, sizes, and styles of furnishings, many in need of some repair. For this event, primarily chairs (though some other pieces are included) are donated by the bank to artists, designers, and architects around Atlanta. These talented folks then redesign and redecorate the pieces and they are displayed at Atlanta’s Lenox Mall (April 8 - 14, 2006) before being auctioned. The proceeds benefit many of Atlanta’s homeless citizens. (Your city may have a similar event.)

While you are cleaning up and sorting it all out, take a moment to review your furniture. Are they still all your favorite pieces? Perhaps you’ve got one or two that are bit worn around the edges, frayed at the seams, or you just really want a change. This is a chance to provide valued used furnishings to others, get a tax write-off, and give yourself an excuse to splurge on a new piece or two. The Furniture Bank of Atlanta needs your castoff furnishings! Of course, you might want to check out what goes up for auction, in case chairs are your bag. Personally, I collect them! At last count, I have 6 spare chairs, 2 benches, and 2 poufs all in my living room with my sofa, tables etc. Yes, it is a bit crowded, but great for those entertainment opportunities, and very flexible. My mini-chair collection is a bit larger, but fits on a bookshelf, so easier to manage. So take a look around, what furniture pieces are you collecting?? What do you need in your room that will add function, fun, and bring a smile??

Almost every room benefits from a single piece of furniture included that is a bit unusual in shape and form, and can be moved easily to accommodate extra guests. It could be a chair, a bench, a stool, a pouf, an ottoman, or anything you can sit on, even a bicycle in the corner. Speaking of which, sometimes it is best if the extra piece is mobile on wheels. Be careful, if you have children, this may become an interior mode of transport, scooted room to room!

Some of my favorite examples are a cardboard (yes, that stuff that boxes are made of) rocker a client found. Astonishingly comfortable, very sturdy and velvety with wear, a wonderful surprise. The hidden recliner in leather is also a good option, satisfying the men in the family with their LazyBoy dreams, while still fitting in even the more formal of rooms because it doesn’t look like what it is! Storage ottomans are always a good bet, providing secret space for games, a snack stash, or even too many remotes (go universal!) Again, my collection is eclectic enough to include a clear acrylic chair (a bit disconcerting to sit on though), a chair with bells in the back stiles, and still another with a twine woven seat. It adds interest, texture, and curiosity and best of all, still functions.

‘Tis the season to clean out and clean up! Take advantage of a Spring Fling getting out the old furnishings and welcoming some new pieces. You’ll have a fresh perspective, and a great excuse to entertain.
© 2006 Melissa Galt

Melissa Galt, Lifestyle Designer, Speaker, & Author, is the owner of Melissa Galt, Inc., a full service interior design firm based in Atlanta. She has been decorating clients’ homes all over the Southeast for more than a decade, making their interior visions come true. She speaks to audiences nationally, on how to use design as the catalyst for “creating the life you’ve always dreamed of”. Melissa is the creator of Design Destinations, a free monthly guide to designing your signature life. To sign up for her FREE monthly newsletter, visit http://www.melissagalt.com/

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