Different Styles of Furniture

There are several different types of furniture available today to suit diverse styles and tastes. The environment that you live in portrays the person you are. Your furnishings and the décor that you style your home in represent your choices as well as your personality traits. Thus, not only should the living space designed and created by you be comfortable, but also adaptable to changing fashions and trends.

Let's take a closer look at some of the most common styles of furniture being designed today.

FRENCH DOORS

Contemporary

Also known as modern, it is created to be comfortable, solid and more than anything natural. With not too many trappings, the colors mostly resonate around black, white, beige, brown and taupe. Polished surfaces, sleek and geometric designs are often the characteristics that represent contemporary furniture. Though the colors are simple, they are used in a bold and vibrant way for a true contemporary look. For instance, stark white cushions on black upholstered sofas makes for a bold statement. A lot of metal, fibreglass, aluminium is also used. The most essential feature of this kind of look is that every piece of furniture is striking and sophisticated. Most people today enjoy designing their house and office both, in the contemporary style.

Traditional

The quintessence of traditional furniture is dark woods with ornate carvings and a majestic appearance. The final look is busy with floor layouts matching the details of the furniture. With classic features of form and ornament, the lines of traditional furniture tend towards being elegant. Queen Anne, Chippendale, Hepplewhite etc are some of the common types of traditional furniture.

Urban

The more modern trend, urban leans towards the minimalist. The woods have either a black finish with brushed aluminum highlights and glass or light, blond woods with brushed aluminum and glass. The pieces are small scaled and designed to fit small apartments.

Country and Cottage

Lighter shades of woods, muted colors, simple lines and vintage fabrics make for country and cottage styles. The most important aspect of this type is comfort and color. Furniture is sometimes painted or decorated and furniture lines are simple and graceful. Textures include baskets, bead-board walls, natural fibers in floor and window coverings, and weathered finish on wood furniture.

Transitional

Simpler lines than those found in more traditional styles, but not as simple as contemporary. Transitional furniture is about melding comfort and simplicity of the contemporary with the graceful styling of traditional furniture.

Eclectic

An eclectic style is a reflection of an individual's love of different design aspects from different time periods or styles. The overall look of an eclectically styled room though unique, is amalgamated harmoniously through the creative use of color and finish, shape and texture.

Rustic

This style of furniture represents lots of exposed woods, walls, columns and beams, simple lines and a practical feel. Often wood panelling and stone are also used. Rustic furniture looks tough and durable while the accessories are primitive and somewhat minimized.

Amish

If you are looking for good handcrafted furniture, Amish furniture is a great style to consider. Most Amish furniture is composed of oak, cedar or pine. You can find everything from living room to bedroom to office furniture in the Amish furniture style.

Art Deco

Art Deco is both, geometric and streamlined with bright colors, strong vertical lines and rounded corners. While often Art Deco pieces are made of exotic woods, the use of use of bakelite and Formica also abound. Juxtaposition of opposing elements is common to this style - for instance, rare and expensive jade and inexpensive bakelite.

Colonial

It simplifies the look of European furniture and leans greatly towards Queen Anne and Chippendale styles. Chairs characterize spindled legs and backs rather than ornate designs.

Different Styles of Furniture

William Brister
http://www.UsedFurnitureStores.com - A guide on different types of furniture, from antique to modern.

FRENCH DOORS

How to Get Your Foot in the Door, and 9 More Idioms to Improve Your Spoken English

Get your foot in the door, but don't shoot yourself in the foot afterwards! Idioms, or expressions that don't mean literally what the words say, are part of everyday speech in America. To avoid misunderstandings, it is important to improve your spoken English by mastering as many idioms as possible. Today's expressions all use the word foot, and each idiom is highlighted in the story. Try and figure out as many of the expressions as you can as you read the story about a man named Steve getting advice from a friend about an upcoming interview.

Steve has wanted to work for the Global Electronics company for years. He would love to design and build widgets, but has no experience in the field. Until now, he couldn't figure out how to get his foot in the door, but now he has the perfect contact.

FRENCH DOORS

John has been working there for the past 3 years in HR, and offered to schedule an interview for Steve for a new position. John sympathizes with Steve, as he remembers well how he felt before he was hired. Now the shoe is on the other foot and he has a chance to help out a friend.

"You need to put your best foot forward," John told Steve. "There are a lot of people interviewing for this position, and the competition is tough. If you get off on the wrong foot with the boss, you probably won't have a chance at the job.

The last guy we interviewed shot himself in the foot, bragging about how he had cheated his previous employer and no one found out. I think you'll do fine, though. You are very motivated and articulate; I don't think you'll put your foot in your mouth.

If you do well in the first interview, the senior vice president will want to take you out for lunch to get to know you better. He looks like he has one foot in the grave, but he still holds most of the decision-making power. Just relax and enjoy yourself; he won't set foot in the company cafeteria, so he will take you to a nice restaurant and the company will foot the bill. I know you're nervous because you haven't done this type of work before, but once you get your feet wet, you'll do great."

How did you do? Check yourself below with the list of definitions for each idiom.

Get his foot in the door - get started toward a goal; take the initial step to do something bigger origin: Traveling salesmen used to go door- to door to sell their goods. They would put their foot in the door so the owner couldn't shut it and would have to listen to their sales pitch and, hopefully, buy something. Shoe is on the other foot - the situation is reversed, so the person understands a different perspective origin: Years ago, shoes used to be made exactly the same for each foot, but later they were made specifically for each foot. Then, it was uncomfortable to wear one shoe on the other foot. So, if you wore your shoe on the other foot, you would notice how different it felt. Put your best foot forward - make a great first impression; begin with enthusiasm Get off on the wrong foot - start poorly, make a bad impression, start a relationship with a mistake Shoot himself in the foot - accidentally do something to harm your career or advancement origin: literally, accidentally shooting oneself in the foot, causing temporary or permanent damage Put your foot in your mouth- say something foolish or embarrassing origin: thought to come from foot and mouth disease, which causes embarrassing red spots and sores all over the mouth One foot in the grave - near death Set foot in - enter Foot the bill - pay whatever money is due origin: Footing used to mean adding up figures in a list and placing a total at the foot of the column. Years ago, it was common practice to ask a customer to foot the bill (check the arithmetic) as a polite way of saying 'pay the bill'. Over time, it became an accepted expression simply meaning to pay the bill. Get your feet wet- try something new; get some experience working origin: Someone who is afraid to swim will start by getting their feet wet, taking a step towards the new experience of getting all the way in the water and swimming

Did you get most of them right? Then you got off on the right foot to improve your spoken English and will soon have the world at your feet ( be very successful)!

How to Get Your Foot in the Door, and 9 More Idioms to Improve Your Spoken English

To learn more about idioms and other ways to improve your spoken English, get my FREE guide, How to Speak English Like an American, by visiting http://www.losemyaccent.com

Lisa Scott is a nationally certified speech pathologist who specializes in accent reduction training. Great communication is vital to a productive life, and Lisa is passionate about helping you feel more confident when you speak English. She offers a free online speech screening and follow-up phone call to determine if her classes will benefit you. If you are tired of being misunderstood and are ready for a change, please visit http://www.losemyaccent.com.

FRENCH DOORS

Dual Pane Window Glass Repair

For the past few weeks, I have been explaining how to repair a broken window pane in your home. But, what if you have dual pane windows? Is the process the same? Well, pretty much, except for a couple of variations. So, let's review the single pane repair process, and I will point out the differences regarding dual pane windows.

When we start talking about dual pane windows, one of the first things that comes to mind is vinyl window frames instead of aluminum. When dealing with dual pane windows, you can have either aluminum or vinyl frames, depending on the year the house was built. Dual pane glass got popular in the 1980's, but vinyl frames didn't really catch on until the 1990's. So, if your house is less than 10 years old, chances are you have vinyl framed windows. In either case, I will discuss the differences. Let's say you have a sliding aluminum frame window with dual pane glass. The procedure for removing the frame from the opening and the glass from the sash is the same as with the single pane windows.

FRENCH DOORS

The differences are, first, the glass goes into the frame about twice as far as the single pane window. The single pane window glass went 1/4" into the surrounding rubber. The dual pane usually goes 1/2" into the rubber. So, if both pieces of glass have been broken, you are going to have to order a new IGU (Insulated Glass Unit) from the local glass shop. They are going to want to know the width, height, overall thickness, and possibly the individual glass thickness. The best way to get the dimensions is to measure the width and height from rubber to rubber, write those numbers down. Then, remove the panel from the opening and place it on a table like we did with the single pane window. Remove the screws from opposite corners and pull of the frame. You will be able to see how far the glass goes into the surrounding rubber. If it's 1/2", then you want to add 1" to the width and height that you measured previously (1/2" times two sides= 1"). Then, measure the overall thickness of the unit by removing the rubber from the glass edge.

Typically, this dimension is 1/2", but not always. There is a metal spacer that divides the two panes of glass. Make a note of the color so you can request the same color in the new IGU. It's either going to be silver or bronze. If you want to get the same size spacer you need to give the glass shop the thickness of each piece of glass in the IGU. If the old unit has 1/8" glass on both sides, and the overall thickness of the unit is 1/2", then they will use a 1/4" spacer. If the glass is 3/32" on both sides, they will use a 5/16" spacer. If you don't care about matching the spacer thickness, you can request the thicker 1/8" glass, and they will automatically use a 1/4" spacer.

When you get the new IGU home, the installation is the same as the single pane window. Now, what if only one side of the IGU has been broken? Many times the outer pane will break, but the inside pane is fine. You can order a whole new IGU Like we just did, or, if you're the adventurous type, you can order only the single pane of glass that was broken and replace it. I'm going to explain how to do it, then i'm going to tell you the things that can go wrong. After you have the window pane on the table with the surrounding frame removed, you will see a black rubber type substance around the edge where the spacer is applied. This is a butyl sealant, and you have to separate the broken glass from this butyl. The best way to do it is to take a utility knife with a new blade and break through the butyl where it meets the broken glass. Then, take a new hacksaw blade, and push it into the area where you sparated the butyl from the glass. You don't want the hacksaw blade to be attached to a hacksaw. Using your hand, saw back and forth as you work your way around the edge of the glass. This should allow you to remove the glass.

Once that's done, lay rags on top of the good piece of glass to catch any debris, and scrape the surface of the spacer that will be contacting the new glass. Use a putty knife. Then, remove the rags and debris. When you are ready to put the new glass on, clean the inside of the good piece of glass that you didn't remove. Remember, once you install the new glass, any debris or finger marks on the inside will be permanently sealed. So, clean it real good and check it from all angles. Do the same to the side of the new glass that will be going to the inside of the IGU. Then, run a thin bead of clear silicone around the entire perimeter of the spacer. Set your new glass on the spacer and use finger pressure to adhere the glass to the silicone all the way around.Then, come in from the side, and run silicone around the side where the glass and spacer meet. Cover the window opening with something for 24 hours. You do not want to touch the IGU for 24 hours. The silicone needs to cure. After 24 hours, you can assemble the unit and install it back into the opening.

There are a couple of things that can go wrong. The first one is leaving marks on the inside portion of the glass. Once you seal the glass, you cannot clean what's between the panes. The other thing involves condensation between the panes. If you have even the slightest break in the silicone seal around the glass, chances are you will beging to see moisture form as soon as the nights get cold and the days get warm. You are going to have to decide if you are confident enough in your ability to do the job right, or if it's better to pay the extra money to have it done for you. Just because you pay someone to do it, doesn't mean you still won't encounter the same problems. The difference is, they have to guarantee their IGU for a minimum of 1 year. I have received many units over the years that had marks in between the glass. The beauty of it is the manufacturer can't dispute it, because there's no way anyone else could have done it except them.

OK, what if the window frames are vinyl instead of aluminum? Well, the main difference is the glass in a vinyl window no longer has the rubber gasket around the edge. You dont remove the opposite corner screws and separate the frame from the glass. What they do is put either silicone or a two sided tape on the lip of the frame where the glass rests. That's what holds the glass in the frame, then they apply a snap in stop on all four sides of the glass. So, you have to remove the stops first, then turn over the panel and break the seal holding the glass to the frame using a utility knife. Wear gloves during this procedure. If only one side of the IGU is broken, don't even think about repairing just the one side. You will never get that IGU out of the frame without breaking the other piece of glass in the process. But, on the positive side, you can remove the stops without taking the panel out if it's a slider. You can then measure the dimensions of the glass, and order the new IGU. That way you eliminate any need to temporarily cover up your window. The same is true for the stationary portion of a slider, or a picture window. Before you install the new IGU, be sure and clean the lip that had the tape or silicone, and apply either silicone or tape. Either will work.

You will discover that replacing an IGU in an aluminum frame window is a whole lot easier than a vinyl window. But, in either case, you can do it yourself and save a few bucks.

Dual Pane Window Glass Repair

John Rocco has been installing replacement windows since 1978. To learn more, visit How To Install Windows

FRENCH DOORS

Ouch! My Puppy Dog is Biting My Hands and Clothes

This article explains in plain English the fastest way to stop your puppy dog biting at your clothing, hands or other body parts. If you have "tried everything" or simply have no idea what to do, the answers are all here and made easy. Methods are humane and pet-friendly, utilizing positive reinforcement and 'time-outs' instead of spanking or scolding.

All puppies will bite and chew your body parts or clothing. It is just what puppies do. Their sharp, needle-like teeth can cause quite a lot of pain, and clothing can easily be damaged. It makes sense that we want to teach puppy that this is unacceptable as quickly as possible. What's more, if puppies are allowed to continue this behavior, by the time they are adolescents or adults they could cause some serious damage!

FRENCH DOORS

That's not to say that having a puppy's mouth on you is necessarily a 'bad' thing. Puppies need to learn what we call 'bite inhibition', which is a soft, inhibited bite. Why? All dogs will bite under certain circumstances, particularly if taken by surprise. The dog that learns bite inhibition can bite without causing any real damage.

First, some theory. Don't worry, it's not long and boring!

If you have read my earlier article "Secrets of Dog Training Professionals - Operant Conditioning" then you will be familiar with the term 'Negative Punishment'. Sounds awful, doesn't it? But don't worry, Negative Punishment simply means that behavior is decreased because we took something away as a consequence of that behavior.

A 'time out' is a Negative Punisher when the target behavior is decreased. Time outs are one of the most humane and pet-friendly punishments we can use, when used with thought and care.

Puppies bite at our hands and clothing because that is the way that puppies like to play. It is fun, and they enjoy our attention. They particularly like it if we try to fight them off of us. Have you ever seen two or more puppies playing? They like to fight each other with their mouths and paws.

Normally, other puppies teach our puppy not to bite too hard by squealing in pain. When we take our puppy from the litter, these other puppies aren't around to teach proper bite inhibition any more. Some people advise trying to emulate a 'puppy squeal' to discourage biting too hard.

I don't know why, but people just don't seem to be very convincing with their squeals, so I don't recommend it as a training technique. What's more, some puppies seem to enjoy it when their human squeals and will get more excited, resulting in more biting. This is obviously not what we want puppy to do! If you can squeal and your puppy immediately stops biting, then this is an acceptable technique. Monitor the behavior long-term, though, to make sure biting too hard is decreasing.

A different, yet highly effective aproach is to say 'ouch' in a neutral tone of voice (not loud, not high-pitched and not angry) then walk out of the room, shutting the door behind you for 30 seconds. This marks the exact behavior you are trying to punish, then gives a time-out as a consequence.

It may take puppy a little while to figure out the link between his biting and the time-out, but the marker will make it clearer. It is important to say 'ouch' in a neutral tone of voice, and say it exactly at the moment that puppy bites too hard.

Notice that I said "exactly at the moment that puppy bites too hard"? We don't want to discourage young puppies from biting altogether, this would be bite prohibition. We want to teach puppies to inhibit their bite.

Time-outs should not be excessive. A long time-out can be stressful and lead to other unwanted behaviors. 30 seconds is more than enough and seems to be quite effective. Don't look back at puppy or try to push puppy away when you say 'ouch'. Simply get up and leave, closing the door behind you.

If you have family or friends in the room then it might be easier to lead puppy out of the room and shut him out for his time-out. However, this doesn't seem to be as effective to me.

Remember, it is only punishment if the behavior decreases. Continuing with a punishment which is unclear or ineffective is a waste of time and borders on abuse (although, it would be hard to do damage with a 30 second time-out). Consider your timing, consistency and whether or not there is anyone else in puppy's life who is not following through with this protocol consistently. It is important that you explain the rules to anyone who plays with puppy.

If all else fails, seek professional advice. Most vet clinics are now offering puppy kinder classes using humane and pet-friendly techniques.

Ouch! My Puppy Dog is Biting My Hands and Clothes

Aidan Bindoff is Editor of http://www.positivepetzine.com your helpful on-line resource for free positive dog training advice that works fast and that anyone can apply today!

FRENCH DOORS

How to Seal Brick and Other Masonry Buildings

Water entering a masonry substrate can cause your home to have interior leaks or exterior staining, spalling and efflorescence. Usually the masonry substrate can absorb the liquid water and release it again when it stops raining. However, the masonry could still have staining and efflorescence.

In modern home construction, masonry is used as a veneer. That is, homes and buildings that have brick, stone, stucco or some other masonry exterior are traditional wood or steel buildings on the inside. The veneer is just a cosmetic look. Therefore, improper building practices can cause leaks into the house or around windows and doors. At the more extreme circumstance, improper building practices can cause the structure of the building to become damaged due to water.

DOORS LOWES

Efflorescence

Efflorescence is the whitish staining that is seen on the surface of brick and masonry. This is actually the accumulation of salts from the brick itself. What happens is that the water inside of the brick dissolves the natural salts that are present from the manufacturing of the brick. Then the water evaporates to the surrounding air, leaving the salts on the surface to be seen.

Spalling

Spalling is when the brick or masonry substrate flakes. This can be caused by water freezing inside of the brick and expanding. The expansion causes the brick to break and flake.

Now, to waterproof brick or masonry it must be sealed against water penetration. But be careful. A surface sealer such as acrylics, silicones or epoxies can actually trap water vapor from the inside of the building from getting out. As mentioned before, this can cause spalling.

Brick pavers and concrete sidewalks or driveways come under attack from deicing salts. These salts do extensive damage to the substrate. By sealing the surface, the salts will not be able to do damage to the substrates.

The best way to waterproof and seal a brick or other masonry substrate is with a penetrating siloxane based sealer. The siloxane actually penetrates into the masonry substrate and chemically bonds to it. This fills the pores and prevents liquid water from penetrating. However, siloxanes are 100% breathable. So water vapor from the interior can still escape from the brick. This will reduce spalling.

Siloxanes have the added benefit of not coloring or darkening the substrate. They are clear and do not leave a glossy sheen. Since siloxanes penetrate the masonry and are not on the surface, the original texture of the surface is maintained. And the penetration into the masonry substrate actually protects them from the elements. They will be long lived and give years of maintenance free performance.

How to Seal Brick and Other Masonry Buildings

This article is written by Aaron Kuertz who's with Applied Technologies Aaron has been in the waterproofing industry since 1998. Applied Technologies is a manufacturer and supplier to professional waterproofing contractors and homeowners in the United States. For more information about siloxane water repellents for brick visit Applied Technologies.

DOORS LOWES

Suicide Doors

Suicide doors are a way to promptly spruce up a car and make it look exotic and cool. There are a lot of things that you can do to a car, but changing up the doors puts you step ahead of most car enthusiasts.

Suicide doors get their names because they were believed to be much more perilous then conventional doors. Back in the day, when cars with these types of doors got into crashes, they would often open and the occupants would be ejected and many times were killed.

DOORS

These doors were also more apt to open up when the car was moving, especially when driven colse to curves. Someone else danger linked with the doors is that when citizen get out of the car, passing cars are not able to see the passengers. If a passing car hits the open door, the exiting passenger is likely to get smashed and the door knocked off of its' hinges. As you see, suicide doors were named this because of the various dangers linked with them.

Most of these problems were with cars that were man-made in the 1950's and 1960's. Today, many of these problems are non-existent. In fact, some of the world's most high-priced cars use them. However, suicide doors aren't just for the rich. For a few thousand dollars, you can modify your own car and add them.

Suicide doors open in reverse. Wires must be extended a few feet through the power mirrors, door controls and speakers. The wiring will have to come out of the door and be routed through the car's body. You can do this yourself or get person who is customary with electronics. If you don't know anything personally, you will want to take your car to a body shop and have them modify your car for you.

Before you setup your suicide doors, you will need to think a few things. Check your warranty and see if it will still cover your car if you apply major modifications. Also, find out if our car will still pass inspection if the doors are unquestionably tricked out. Next, think who is going to be riding in the car. Will they have problems entering or exiting the vehicle? Will you? If the rejoinder is yes to any of the above questions, you may want to think getting suicide doors.

If you decree to get your doors modified through a body shop, expect to pay between 00 and ,000. Most of this money will be going towards labour, as the actual parts will only costs about 0. Therefore, if you can put them on yourself or know person else who can do it cheaply, then you may want to go this route. It will save you a good deal of money. Of course, make sure that they know what they are doing or you will be wasting both time and money. You can even purchase suicide door kits for a few hundred dollars overseas.

Suicide doors are a unquestionably cool way to trick out a car. You will assuredly stand out. It can be costly if you take it to a body shop to get it done but you will want to be sure that they get it right. However, before you invest a great deal of money and time, make sure that adding suicide doors won't cancel out your warranty and that your car will still pass inspection.

Suicide Doors

DOORS

Prebuilt Sliding Wood Closet Doors

There can be varied types of closet materials, most of the time; it reflects the style of its owner. Wood closet doors are more positive than their steel counterparts.

There are closet issues that can be very annoying at times; you can ordinarily precise them with sliding wood closet doors. One of the best examples of these is floor to ceiling closet systems. It also utilizes the sliding doors to provide better usability without eating more space.

DOORS

Sliding closet doors are very easy to install, they can come pre assembled and would need as much as to no professional help. The prefabricated versions are often lightweight and can quantum 2400 mm high. With an midpoint setup time of 3 hours on 2 people per facility is not that bad.

A wooden sliding door is also a good alternative to get your form tastes on your room. With being a space-saving tool, a sliding door will beyond doubt get you way to the insides of your closet without worrying about the door banging and development noises.

There are distinct types of wooden sliding closet doors. A customary door can give your room a very positive and warm look.

There can also be other variations on the wooden material such as laminated and other distinct composition of textures and colors; there are even designs which are wholly covered in mirrors.

This can give your room life as well as salvage space. You can get more intelligent designs along the internet to suite your taste and style.

Along with wooden materials, they can also be complimented with glass; they can give an open look to your warehouse closet and will give more room and an impression of being wide and open.

They can be beyond doubt organized on its descriptive material. This can be a excellent form for people who would like to see their things even from the exterior or just plainly show off their belongings.

It will ultimately end up to your option and decision. With a wee space, you can setup sliding wood closet doors as your best bet. But even if you don't have any space constraints, they offer a good decorating ability to improve the full, look of your area.

Prebuilt Sliding Wood Closet Doors

DOORS