Master the Best House Painting Techniques

For many people, painting their homes can be something very personal and they would rather they do it themselves. If you do not want to hire a professional company like Paysons Painting, you can do your little painting projects on your own and still make them look great.

Today we will teach you some tips that will show you how to paint your house like a pro. These tricks are not too complex, but they will really make a difference. At the end you will realize that your painting technique will improve and you will be able to paint faster and smoother, without making too much of a mess.

Eliminate texture differences

If you have ever painted a wall you probably noticed that the sheen is not consistent, and there are texture differences that make your walls look bad. This has nothing to do with your painting method, the walls are usually to blame. If they are not smooth enough and they have small patched cracks or holes that used drywall compound, you will discover that the pain is quickly absorbed and the surface will look too dull.

In order to fix that problem, you will need to use some primer. Just prime with a roller over the edges. It is recommended to choose a nap roller that matches the texture of the wall: a ½ in. nap roller for textured walls and a 3/8 in. nap roller for smooth walls.

Put all the cans of paint in one large bucket

You have probably noticed that paint cans are not exactly identical, even if you bought the same shade. Therefore, whenever you empty one can and open a new one you might realize that there is a big color difference, and the wall will look weird.

However, it is easy to prevent that with one solution named boxing. All you have to do is estimate how much paint you will need for a room, and mix all the cans in one large bucket. This way all your walls will have the exact same shade.

Follow a certain order when painting a room

Whenever you decide to repaint a room you might be tempted to start with the walls. However, this is not the wise thing to do. You should start with the trim. This way, after it is painted you can cover it with tape so that you won’t mess it up with paint from the walls. Use a painter’s tape and only tape it after it has dried for at least 24 hours. Then paint the ceiling, and leave the walls at the end.

Do not paint over dirty surfaces

Whenever you paint something, make sure that it is clean. If you paint over a dirty surface, the paint won’t resist too much. There are plenty of products designed specifically for prepaint cleaning.  You can also try a deglosser. You can find these products at home centers or paint stores. Make sure you also get some gloves and protection for the eyes.

7 Feel-Good Hobbies Anybody Can Try

If you haven’t got a hobby already, you need one. Everybody should have a hobby to let go of stress, improve skills, have fun, and get a new perspective on life. There are so many reasons you should have a hobby! However, it isn’t always enough to have one hobby. Even if you have a hobby already, there’s no harm in trying something else. Try plenty of different things helps to keep life exciting!

If you want some hobbies to try out that will make you feel great, here are 7 ideas:

1. Surfing

Surfing has to be one of the most exciting and rewarding hobbies. Starting a hobby like this may seem intimidating, but don’t let that put you off. It may take practice before you can stand on your board and even ride a wave properly, but you’ll be glad you stuck with it. Bear in mind that depending on where you surf, there are rules. Certain beaches may have rules for surfing, but there are rules between surfers too. There are guidelines you need to stick to, such as not stealing another surfer's wave!

2. Knitting

Knitting isn’t just for the older generation. It’s actually a wonderful hobby that allows you to make clothes, blankets, toys, and more - all while releasing stress. Knitting has been proven to have many therapeutic benefits. It’s even used for those with mental health issues. If you’re struggling to feel good, knitting could help you.

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3. Horse Riding

Horse riding is always a good hobby to try. If you think horses are beautiful and fascinating, riding one will really open your eyes. You’d be hard pressed to find a horse-rider who didn’t have an incredible bond with their horse. So much so that they will usually let everybody know about their beloved hobby! You can too if you browse GeckoShirts.com and look at the horse-orientated clothing. Bear in mind that horseriding is one of the more expensive hobbies to have.

4. Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is almost like journaling, except you’re not expected to write out big blocks of text. Instead, you can put in pictures, captions, and other little tidbits you may have picked up and found on your adventures. Looking back on a scrapbook can be a great bonding activity for friends and families.

5. Cooking

Cooking is a valuable skill to have. You’ll be glad you started when you’re hungry and you have limited ingredients at home! It’s so much fun to experiment with the different flavours and textures. Not to mention your presentation!

6. Volunteering

Volunteering will make you feel good for obvious reasons. When you’re out to help others, rather than just yourself, it’s hard to beat the feelings of well being you’ll have. That connected feeling we get when helping others just can’t be beaten. Not only that, it’s one of the cheapest hobbies you could have.

7. Yoga

Yoga is an awesome hobby that allows people to have more control over their bodies. It encourages deep breathing and mindfulness too, which are great skills to have in everyday life!

The Importance of Keeping Workers Safe

Image by RichardWesner via Flickr

There are many rules which govern our lives, and this includes in our places of work. It is every employee’s right to work in a safe environment where they have the correct tools and training for the job, as well all of the personal protective equipment that they need to stay safe carrying out their duties. It can be a minefield trying to work everything out, and one of the best ideas is to implement risk assessments on all of the tasks that your employees carry out. It is not just about keeping people safe though, as there are plenty of other good reasons to take care of your workforce and create a safe working environment.

Create A Happy Workplace

When you create a safe working environment, you will also notice an increase in employee happiness. Nobody wants to arrive at work every day not knowing if they will be safe at work, worrying about potential risks and threats.

Happy Employees Are Productive Employees

As a direct result of creating a safer environment and making your employees happy, you will also notice that as happiness increases, so do the levels of productivity. With the correct training and implementation of procedures to safeguard employees, you are showing them that safety is a matter of priority to upper management. A small thing, such as providing hi viz safety jackets to employees, shows the workforce that it is not just about profit and their safety is paramount.

Create A Professional Image

When you take the safety in the workplace seriously and go above and beyond what is required of you by law, you are creating a professional image that shows all of your customers, and potential customers just how serious you take your workers’ safety.

A Decrease In The Running Costs

When you create an environment which is safe for employees, you can see a reduction in running costs over time. When you maintain a high level of training for your employees, the benefits of this will usually see a decrease in running costs which will help to streamline your business, making it more cost-effective.

An Increase In Profits

Another advantage of maintaining a safe working environment is a potential increase in profits. The fewer accidents that occur in your workplace will mean that you will not be hurt by increasing insurance premiums which can eat away at profits. By creating a happy and safe working environment, you will also increase the productivity of workers, and also see a decrease in absenteeism.

Peace Of Mind

By providing your members of staff with all of the training that they need to do their job properly, as well as all of the safety equipment required, you will have the peace of mind that if anything does happen, you took all the necessary precautions to prevent it from happening that you could. Accidents do happen from time to time, but with the correct training and a vigilant attitude, you can help reduce these to a lesser frequency.  Work with your employees to reduce accidents and create awareness, and you will all benefit from operating in a safer, happier, and a more productive working environment.

How to Process Tomatoes When You Aren't Ready to Use Them Yet

Okay, so you know how your garden tomatoes don't make it all convenient for you, and they turn red at different times? Or you have some that are RIPE, and some that are orange-ish and some that aren't QUITE ready and some sitting in the window sill and some sitting in the fridge? Eventually they get gross in the fridge. And when you have the time to make sauce or whatever THEY are not ready. Dang tomatoes. Also, who wants to make sauce and can stuff in the summertime when you can do it in the winter?

You can solve all this by just buying tomatoes at the farmer's market or you can do what my mother-in-law taught me to do! Check this out! By the way, it could not be any easier. If a Kitchen Moron like me can do it, anyone can!

Start with your gorgeous ripe tomatoes. I estimate that about 20-ish tomatoes might fill a gallon baggie.

Fill up a pot of water and get it boiling. Then put in about 8 tomatoes, depending on size. Watch them until they start to split. Then put them in your sink full of cold water.

Here is their home after they split. Don't feel sorry for them; they are fine. This is a sink full of cold water. If you have an icemaker, use it to fill up the sink with ice AND water. It shocks them and makes them easy to peel.

Peel them and put the peel in a bowl or something where you will also put all the innards. Core the tomatoes and don't be afraid to cut out green or yellow stuff and any bad parts. Quarter them and toss them into a baggie. Aron likes juice and seeds with his because he just processes them further later but you might want to take that gunk out depending on what you want to do with the tomatoes. (Update 2014 now I core them FIRST before putting them in the hot water)

Voila! The tomatoes you saw on the counter made these 2 gallon bags of tomatoes, ready to turn into tasty spaghetti sauce whenever you take them out of the freezer and have the time to do so.

Please leave me a comment if I've forgotten a step or something! Have fun and share this with your friends!

*Originally posted August 4, 2012 but I'm sending some beautiful tomatoes off to see Aunt Blanche today so thought I'd give this post some love.

The Benefits of High End Architecture For Luxury Retail Brands

If you live in or visit any major city – both in the US and overseas, chances are you will see some pretty incredible buildings that are actually shops or malls. While in the past, the most beautiful buildings tended to be churches, theaters, galleries, and museums, these days, a lot of the work a high profile architect does goes into designing flagship stores and shopping complexes, and the results can be quite breathtaking. Some stores belonging to top end designer fashion houses like Chanel have even won architectural awards for their innovation and beauty.

Of course, hiring a world class architect and creating an amazing building from scratch is a lot more expensive for a brand than simply moving into an existing location, so why do brands like Chanel, Dior, Gucci and Prada want to hire a luxury architect of the likes of Peter Marino to design their flagship stores?

Prestigious Buildings Signify Prestigious Products

One of the things high-end luxury brands sell themselves on is the sense of prestige people get from owning them. Whether it is a suit, a bag, a watch, or simply a bottle of perfume, part of what makes people want high-end goods is the sense that they have been designed by the best people in the world. These products carry with them that sense of exclusivity. By having some of the most beautiful and interesting buildings in a city, a brand can add to its sense of luxury and prestige, which carries over to its products.

Shopping Becomes an Experience

These days, many people shop online and it can be easy to find products from high-end brands for far less from online designer outlets than by going to the stores themselves. However, by having incredible, glamorous buildings that are an experience to visit in themselves, designer retailers can have a good hook to encourage shoppers to visit them and enjoy their customer service, allowing them to see the pleasant experience of shopping in store over buying online. This experience is often worth paying a little more for. Another benefit to making shopping feel like a luxury experience is that it can encourage visitors from other cities into your store, as every city's store is unique.

A Perfect Venue for Collection Launches and Other Events

Another reason brands benefit from having unusual and interesting buildings as their flagship stores is that they make excellent venues for star studded collection launches and other high profile events, where a lot of publicity can be garnered. It is difficult to imagine a glamorous celebrity filled launch at a regular store in a mall. However, at a beautiful building designed by a top architect, these events look a lot more special and can attract a lot more media interest.

It is interesting that commercial buildings, especially high-end shops, have become some of the most attractive and innovative building projects in many major cities, creating some amazing places to visit for fashionistas and architecture fans alike.