When you need additional storage for your house, shelving units may be the answer. Prefabricated wooden shelves can be costly and may not fit in your space. By making your own shelves, you can ensure a perfect fit and maximum use to store items that you need. Before starting work on a shelving project, sketch out the plans and include specific dimensions to have accurate measurements when buying the materials.

Instructions

1. Cut wooden plates with a hand saw or table. You need two pieces of the same length to form the sides of the shelving unit, two pieces for the top and bottom and additional pieces for the interior shelves. The pieces of the shelves should be the same length as the base and tip. Sand the wooden edges to make sure they do not have splinters during construction.
2. Choose two pieces of wood the same size for the sides of the shelves. Using a pencil and a ruler, mark the points where the shelves are supported, draw a straight line through the piece of wood to serve as guide. To ensure that the boards have the same height, rest them next to each other and used a stick to draw a continuous line through the two plates. Make sure the finish line is the same distance from the base and the top on each piece.
3. Cut pieces of wood strips in equal width sections of the side panels, you need two for each shelf, not counting the pieces of the tips in the rack unit. Using small nails, join then strips of wood into the side panels so that the tips are aligned with the pencil lines, these will become the support of the shelves. Place the nails looking down to increase the strength of support for each board. Use a level to make sure the strips are straight.
4. Place the bottom piece of wood to the side panels. Place the panels on the outside of the bottom piece and put a strip of nails to secure, use a drill and screws for extra security. Repeat the process to attach the top of the bookcase. To make the unit stronger attach a piece of veneer on the back of the frame.
5. Test the strength of the supports by placing several heavy items on each shelf. If the supports slide off the nails, you may need to add nails or change the angle.

Redecorating our house is very simple and you do not need to buy new furniture for it. You can give your old furniture a new life with a little hand of paint and, thus, will be like new. The problem is that the paint is a chemical whose smell that is not liked by everyone. And the case is not that you like it, more or less, it’s that the house will smell of paint for days. How can we avoid it? There are several homemade tricks, both to prevent this from happening and to save the situation if we have already painted and cannot be in our house because of the smell. They are very easy home remedies that you also have at home. So, if you want to know how to remove the smell of paint from a piece of furniture, we will explain it to you.

Avoid the smell of paint on furniture with vanilla

It is the best-known remedy of all and the most used because it really works. It is rather a trick to prevent, because as the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”. It’s about using vanilla essence. Yes, what you use to bake. If you do not have it, do not worry, it’s in all the supermarkets and you can always save it to make some cake or even save it with the painting utensils.

Obviously, you must use it before painting. Take approximately two tablespoons per liter of paint. You do not have to worry because it will not spoil the paint and it will cover the same and maintain its properties. However, you will neutralize the smell enough and when it dries you will not have that toxic smell of the paint.

How to remove the smell of paint from a piece of furniture – Avoid the smell of paint on furniture with vanilla

Remove the smell of paint with onions

Another home remedy to remove the smell of paint if you have already painted the furniture is to add a sliced onion and place it in a bowl of cold water. This will cause the onion to absorb the smell of paint and mitigate it. Of course, you should keep in mind that there will be an onion smell, so if you do not like it either, then it is best to ventilate the house well because this may not be the best remedy for you.

Remove the smell of furniture paint with coffee

Another food that we have at home and can help us eliminate paint odors on our furniture is coffee. You can use it in grain, ground or even the grounds. No need to waste freshly purchased coffee, after taking your cup in the morning take advantage of the grounds to eliminate the smell of paint.

You must place the coffee in different strategic points of the house or the room where the painted furniture is. Place them in containers so that they neutralize the smell of the paint.

Maybe this is a remedy that you like more than using an onion because of the rich smell of coffee. Who would not want their house to have the aroma of coffee beans? Of course it is better than the smell of paint. But if you are not a coffee person, we’ll tell you other remedies that can help you.

Remove the smell of paint from a cabinet with ammonia

The best thing to eliminate the smell of paint on your furniture as soon as possible is to ventilate the room where they are or the whole house, so that the air comes in and comes out freely and the smell goes away as soon as possible. However, it may be that the room where you painted the furniture does not have good ventilation. In this case, the smell of fresh paint would remain for many days also permeating some fabrics such as curtains, carpets or even sofas and chairs.

To avoid this in a room that does not have windows, or they are very small, you can use the trick of cold water. It consists of placing two or three containers around the room filled with cold water with a little ammonia in each one. You will see how, little by little, they will eliminate the smell.

To calculate well and not to add too much ammonia (which also has a very strong smell) you can calculate two tablespoons of ammonia for each half liter of cold water. With this amount distributed in several containers will suffice, unless it is a very large room. Then, maybe you have to double the amounts.

Charcoal

Finally, one last trick is with a product that you may not have at home but that is also very effective. It is about charcoal, the same kind used for barbecues. Also, if you did not know it has many beneficial properties for health and cosmetics.

In this case, we will use charcoal to neutralize the intense smell of the paint. To do this you have to place several pieces in some small plates scattered around the room, as close as possible to the furniture you have painted. It is an excellent absorber of odors. Of course, you should be careful with the type of heating you have, since a nearby fireplace could ignite the coal and the house.

The sun has made its first appearance for the year. Which means it’s time to walk in the park, sit in the grass, and have a picnic.

Design local landscapes

When you’re designing a new landscape, first analyze your site and soil and select the most suitable trees and plants for the location. The ideal planting mix should include low maintenance, drought tolerant, disease resistant, and native plant materials. And contain no more than 20 percent of turf areas, which should be planted with a seed mix that’s suited to your area.

Plant a variety of plants

Healthy landscapes need a mix of plants and trees, not just one species, to prevent pests and diseases from spreading. You can also plant densely to crowd out and suppress weeds. Prune only to remove dead or diseased branches.

Amend your soil

For optimal growing conditions, amend your existing soil with a mix of compost and topsoil. Use a mix of 50 percent pure compost (either yard waste or manure) plus 50 percent topsoil. Amend existing soils with compost to a depth of 6-12 inches.

Avoid chemicals

The use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides will make it into the watershed so it’s suggested to stay away from these products. It’s a good idea to use only 100 percent organic fertilizers and supplements like bone meal, blood meal, kelp meal, and cow and chicken manure.  You can find organic fertilizer at your local nursery or big name home improvement store.

Keep your lawn healthy

You can core aerate to improve lawn circulation and promote root growth and soil structure. When you mow, set your blades to 3-4 inches in height to encourage thicker turf which helps with weed control. Leave the grass clippings to decompose and to serve as mulch and natural fertilizer.   Also consider using a phosphorus-free fertilizer for lawn applications. Excess phosphorus causes algae to build up in waterways and can disrupt the ecological balance. If you only fertilize your lawn twice a year, make one application in the spring and one in the fall. If you only fertilize once a year, make sure to do it in the fall.

Weed by hand

Weeding by hand can be meditative and relaxing! Rather than using toxic chemicals, control weeds by mechanical methods like pulling them by hand, layering mulch in garden beds, or burning with a weed torch. Learn about sheet mulching to control the spread of weeds.

Conserve water through proper irrigation

Water conservation is a growing priority in the states so we suggest watering less frequently, but for longer periods.  This helps landscape plants grow deep roots that are less vulnerable to drought conditions.  Install an irrigation system with timers to minimize water usage, a rain sensor to stop the irrigation system when it detects precipitation, and a minimum of four separate programs per cycle. This saves water that might otherwise puddle in compact soil or end up as runoff on slopes. To prevent evaporation, irrigate early in the mornings and in the evenings, rather than during the day.

Practice integrated pest management

This tactic uses natural systems to disrupt the physical environment of common garden pests, rather than using chemicals to kill them.

A few tricks:

• Remove material that is infested by pests
• Put netting over plants to prevent insects from reaching them
• Pick mites off plants by hand or use traps, rather than using chemical insecticides
• Introduce beneficial insects like ladybugs to control an aphid population

Install permeable landscaping

Landscaping are the elements of your garden like pavers and paths. Impervious materials like concrete and asphalt can prevent rainwater from reaching the ground and increase flows into nearby streams, which can damage habitat.  When you’re installing new paths or a driveway, install permeable materials like gravel, pavers that allow water to seep in between, or permeable pavement.

If you are planning a makeover for your home or simply do not like the exterior color of a house that interests you, knowing the right way to paint the outside of a house can save a lot of money in the long term. Not only will you be able to complete the project yourself, you will be able to do it with confidence. Once you know the steps to follow, you can complete the project yourself without having to spend additional money on a professional.

Instructions

1. Check local building codes to determine if there are any restrictions on the use of oil-based paint. These types of paints contain higher levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or solvents.
2. Choose between oil-based supplies or latex supplies. Whichever type of paint you choose, make sure it matches the same type of primer. In order to determine what type of material you are going to use, first determine the type of coating material your home is made of. If you have vinyl siding, you should always use an acrylic latex primer and topcoat, but with aluminum siding, you should use an oil-based primer with a top layer of acrylic latex.
3. Apply a coat of primer to areas of bare wood or areas where you have removed the paint so that the top coat adheres better to the surface.
4. Immerse a brush in the paint so that no more than half of the bristles are submerged in the paint. When lifting the brush, make sure you clean the bottom of the brush on the edge of the can, and keep the bristles up while moving towards the house.
5. Paint the house from the top towards the bottom, starting from the pediments and moving on to the main siding, windows, moldings and doors, in that specific order. Make sure that the paint is removed periodically to prevent mixing.
6. Paint the siding with the 5-inch brush 2 to 3 inches from the edge of the corners, windows and doors, making sure to paint three to four boards at a time and move the brush with a back and forth motion. Make sure to paint in the direction of the coating.
7. If you’re painting under the edge of the boards made of wood, use a 3-inch brush; If you have wood shingles, paint around the edge or perimeter, making sure to work the paint into cracks and seams.
8. Repeat steps 4 through 7 until the entire house is painted.
9. Clean the brushes when you have finished working, using soap and water for latex paint and paint thinner or turpentine for oil-based paint. Make sure you have the paint thinner and turpentine in a tightly closed glass container.
10. Allow the first coat of paint to dry for eight hours, or the amount of time recommended on the paint label, before applying the second coat and repeat steps 4 through 7.

Tips and warnings

• Let the house dry for two or three days if it has rained recently.
• Paint the east and north sides of the house in the afternoon and the west and south sides of the house in the morning to prevent the paint from drying out too quickly.