Home Improvement

Baseboard Molding

Baseboard molding (or moulding) is the board that goes where the floor and wall meet. The baseboard goes around the room, giving the room a straight-line look. They were called mop boards, protecting the wall from mop hits. Now, I guess they could be called vacuum boards. You can buy baseboards at hardware stores, lumber yards, or online. They come in many styles and colors usually being 4 to 5 inches tall and less than an inch in depth.

Baseboard molding

Crown molding is placed where the wall meets the ceiling. This along with the baseboard molding provides continuity to the whole room. The crown and baseboard molding should be of similar type and color.

Crown molding

A chair real is a molding strip placed a foot above the baseboard protecting the wall from chair damage. Often the area between the chair and baseboard molding is painted or design with a different color than the rest of the wall.

Chair rail

A picture rail is installed about 2 feet below the ceiling. The rail is used to hang décor without damaging the wall.

Picture rail

Wainscoting is the use of 2 to 3-foot panels placed above the baseboard giving the room a different texture. The use started with Queen Ann style homes with traditional wood. Using the right wainscoting can give the room a different height illusion whether taller or shorter.

Wainscoting
Starting seeds indoors

Starting Garden Seeds

Starting your flower and garden seeds indoors is easy if you follow a few simple steps.

Start with a seed starting soil mix, however, if use Miracle-Gro potting soil for larger seeds. Place the “soil” in a bucket and add a little water. This way the medium does not float off the container when you do water it.

Add the soil to your containers about ½ inch from the top and gently firm it down and make it level.

Place soil in container and gently firm.

Add the number of seeds you want plus a few extra. I have made the mistake of having 36 tomatoes of one variety wondering what am I going to do with all of the plants.

Space seeds and cover

Cover the seeds where you can no longer see the seeds and gently firm the soil around the seeds.

Place the containers in a tray and water from the bottom gradually soaking to the top of the soil. Then remove the water and cover the containers with a cover or saran wrap.

Cover and place under lights

Place under lights for 16 hours a day (you can use a timer). You can use regular shop fluorescent lights or use grow lights. Check every day for growth, some seeds germinate within 48 hours. Most seeds need some light to germinate. If you have a waterproof heating mat for germination, great. I just bought one (1X4 foot from Walmart.com) for $40.

Grow lights

When the seedlings germinate, remove the cover and keeping them under the lights, again for 16 hours. Let them grow until you transplant to larger containers. (I will explain this on Monday).

Success!

Home Improvement

Bidet vs Toilet Paper

Now we are in a “toilet paper crisis” maybe you want to turn your attention to a bidet. These units wash and dry so there is no toilet paper involved. Europe has been using these toilets for decades with Japan having over 80% of its population using theses. So it is the bidet vs toilet paper!

Bidets starting off being a separate unit from the toilet. You would use the toilet then hop over to the bidet. Now you can buy a bidet toilet seat to install on your old toilet. They are easy to install and do not require any technical renovations.

Bidet seats come with little heater providing warm water and drying air. Some come installed with night lights and deodorizers starting below $100 on up depending on quality.

You may have seen the bidet sprayers called shattaf. These look like your dish or garden hose sprayer. Just basically hold and spray. The toilet seat bidet seems like a better choice.