Kitchen Backsplash Review Blog

The kitchen is among the most important areas of a house, it is not just the place for cooking or eating, it also becomes the center for social and administrative matters. As such, the kitchen is known to consume a lot of electricity for lighting, and it is thus important to install good lighting in this room to ensure productivity and efficiency.

Lighting a kitchen involves three important goals – to create a lighting scheme that encourages productivity, to choose the appropriate types of lamps for energy efficiency, and to install the right lighting controls for efficient light management. These three elements are quite essential for ensuring the kitchen is well lighted.

Good lighting design is essential for kitchen productivity. Here are some tips for kitchen lighting:

1. Use fluorescent lights for most of the kitchen – fluorescent lamps are very efficient lighting fixtures. They consume less energy than incandescent lamps and they provide more lighting coverage. A kitchen needs ample light for long periods and thus it would benefit from the energy efficiency and the large light output that fluorescent lamps can provide.

2. Begin by installing lighting on work areas – work areas need the most light and it would be economical to concentrate lighting on these spots. Mount large fluorescent lights under cabinets so that they can provide light directly to the counters. Some cabinets however may not be able to accommodate fluorescent lights, they need some space to hide the lamps. You can have a carpenter add a few more inches to the cabinet’s face frame so that the lamps can hide easily behind them.

Normally, T-8 lamps are narrow enough to fit in most cabinets, but if the spaces are more cramped, you might need to get a T-5 lamp. You can also use recessed lights over the counters to illuminate them during kitchen tasks.

3. Install general background lighting once all the work areas are done – having good task lights in the kitchen, you probably would not need general background lighting, but it would still be good to have one if you still have money left. Again, fluorescent lights are best for this purpose as they provide good coverage. You would only need one or two large lamps installed in the ceiling, and perhaps with reflectors to increase the lighting range.

4. Use incandescent lights sparingly – incandescent lamps are very inefficient, especially for functional lighting in the kitchen. An incandescent lamp uses only 10 percent of energy for lighting, and the rest it uses for heat production. Thus it is not advisable to use incandescent lamps in the kitchen, where light is needed all the time. They should only be used as accent lights.

While halogen lamps may be more efficient compared to incandescent lamps, they are still not good for kitchen lighting. Light form halogen lamps are too focused, and one would need a lot to achieve good coverage. They may be good, however, for lighting specific spots for certain tasks in the kitchen.

5. Use several light switches – It is important to be able to control which light you would want to turn on at a particular time. Thus it would be good to have different switches for different lights on the kitchen. Have at least a switch for general lighting and then another one for task lighting.

6. Use dimmers for incandescent and halogen lamps – these lamps are known for their inefficiency in energy use, and thus it would be advisable to use dimmers for them to control their energy consumption. It is not recommended to use dimmers for fluorescent lamps as they are quite expensive and can easily damage the lamps.

7. Figure out which light is best serve as night lights – you would need to have some light on through the night in case you need to go to the kitchen late. A fluorescent lamp under the cabinet by the sink might be good for this purpose.

Lighting is an essential component of kitchen design. Good lighting can encourage productivity and efficiency in this very important part of the home. With a good lighting design not only can you ensure a pleasing kitchen that is easy to work on, but you can ensure that your electricity bills would not go beyond your budget.

Lee Dobbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/choosing-functional-and-decorative-kitchen-lighting-91946.html

You’ve remodeled your living room and your dining room, but now you’re broke. You still want to get to the bedrooms upstairs, and you also have ideas for the kitchen. But any kitchen remodeling or bedroom remodeling will have to wait until you do a final survey of your bank balance.

Luckily for you, you find out that you have enough in your account to get through one more room without going completely broke. So now you have a tough choice. Do you want to go with your kitchen remodeling plans or do you want to start in one the bedroom?

Yes, it would be pleasant to come home to a nicely redone bedroom, something which didn’t look as if it came straight out of the Addam’s Family decorating handbook. But then again you only spend enough time in there to go to sleep and wake up in the morning.

Other times you’re either at work or somewhere in the living room or the kitchen. So that pretty much settles things. You’ll go in for your kitchen remodeling ideas, and blow whatever money you have left on making your kitchen a livable habitable place, where you don’t mind spending time, and where you won’t mind slaving over a hot stove to cook a great dinner.

Things are looking good at this point and you’ve already talked to someone about pulling out the shelves and the throwing out the old stove. No, your kitchen remodeling ideas are far grander than any old stove, so get to rip it out along with the antiquated sink that’s lately been making alarming gurgling noises.

This is where you can give in to your fantasies for the perfect kitchen and splurge, well as far as your budget will allow you to anyhow. But now you can finally spring for that electric stove, and those space saving cupboards that also don’t look half bad. A good sink is a must and something that you had already provided for in your kitchen remodeling plans and budget.

Next you can’t forget the paint chips for you to set your seal of approval to. In your original kitchen remodeling plans you had chosen a safe shade of cream and eggshell white. But now looking at all the choices you have, you think you might go for a bright red trim on your cupboards, glistening chrome and rich cream colored walls. And all of this with a matching set of white lace curtains at the windows and pine colored counter tops.

Your kitchen remodeling is almost complete and you have yet to break the bank, so you’re well satisfied with the outcome. You’ll also now probably spend most of your time trying out new dishes in your brand new kitchen. Who knew kitchen remodeling could be so rewarding?

John Pawlett
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/kitchen-remodeling-90297.html

Home improvement loan is configured to provide financial aid to individuals, who want to improve their sweet home and are suffering from shortage of funds for the same purpose. With the ever increasing expenditures, it is getting difficult to cope with the daily expenses. In such a situation, any urgent need will only add to your already existing worry. Let us get to know all the relevant details about home improvement loan

. After reading this article, you will have a clear cut idea about what is home improvement loan, where and how you should search to find the best nominal rates of such loan?

Home improvement loan comes under the category of secured loans. It means for these loans, you need to offer some of your assets as collateral to secure the loan amount. It can be your home, vehicle, property or any other assets, and will be seized by your lender in case of non repayment of the loan amount. For bearing this risk coverage factor, your lender will facilitate you with a large number of benefits like lower rate of interest, larger loan amount, flexible terms etc.

You can make use of home improvement loan for repair of kitchen, or any other part of the home, adding an extra room for more space or even for setting up a swimming pool. The requisite for this loan is that you should be a home owner. You can provide a whole new look to your home with home improvement loan UK.

Another thing that needs consideration, while applying for home improvement loan is the worth of your collateral that is your house. The repayment term is usually ten years or so and can be extended to a term of fifteen years.

For best nominal deal of home improvement loan, you can make your search through various online sources. There you will find innumerable lenders offering home improvement loan. Collect and compare the quotes of more than one lender before arriving at any conclusion. Rigorous search will cater you with competitive rates due to sharp edged competition in the market. Search well and crack the best deal.

Dina Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/loans-articles/renovate-your-sweet-home-with-home-improvement-loan-113862.html

i eventually want to do all three of these things. in what order should i do them in order to maximize my return on investment in the event i had to move and sell before i completed all three things? there is currently a fireplace now but it is ugly painted white brick and want to replace it with a floor to 5 foot high mantle with granite worked in and a gas fireplace log set. the whole cost of that job would be 5k. i have read that fireplaces add more value as far as home improvements go than any other improvement.

the current kitchen was from the 1960s and redoing that with granite countertops and new cabinets and tile and a new fridge and oven would probably be 10k-15k for the quality we wanted.

adding a bathroom to the basement would change the house from 1 to 2 baths and would probably cost about 5k for the level of quality we wanted.

how should i order these projects?

(1) Kitchen more visible, more use
(2) Bathroom (needed especially if there are more than two in your household
(3) maybe rethink fireplace, little known fact sometimes your house insurance will go up cause of a fireplace, or you might not find an insurance that will insure a house with a fireplace

I’m remodeling my house. I want to order a catalog where I can get ideas how to remodele or improve my kitchen.

If you want ideas on kitchen cabinets, go to www.kraftmaid.com. If you click on Help and Information, then you can click on Order Literature at the left. Kitchen counters, try www.corian.com – you can get a free catalog in the mail if you fill out the form on the contact us page and uncheck the section that says send me info by e-mail. Otherwise, they’ll just e-mail it to you. As far as decorating schemes, I find a lot of good information on www.HGTV.com. Good luck. I’m in the planning stages of a kitchen remodel myself.

i want to update my kitchen lighting I now have florcent lighting with plastic sheilds over them and it trimed in wood. I want to add recessed lighting and add a shelf to put certain items on it. I saw this on one of the trading spacess shows but I have looked and looked and cant find it. Does anyone know of good website to update kitchen lighting with before and after pictures. Thanks everyone

DIY and BHG both have websites that might have information that could help you. As for the Trading Spaces episode, I hav ebeen able to locate some I had watched by going onto their website and then doing a search under the room that was redecorated or room theme.

Looking for suggestions for kitchen lighting fixtures for a cabin we have in a rural wooded area. The cabin is good sized, 3 bedrooms, 6 total rooms. It is a log-cabin look on the outside but pretty much a regular house on the inside.

We are re-doing the kitchen, it will be pretty up-to-date, new appliances and cabinets. Chestnut wood cabinets.

Just wondering if anyone has good ideas for lighting fixtures. Descriptions would be good, links to actual fixtures would be great.

Thanks!

If it’s a cabin, black wrought iron fixtures will look great in there. Keeps the rustic feel. Look around on the web or at local stores. It’s hard to post links for specific fixtures without seeing the kitchen. Hope this helps.

labor cost, home improvement, kitchen sink, replace

probably $400 or so, if you want the old sink pulled out and a new installed with a garbage disposal.

That of course does NOT include the costs of the materials.

What’s better to go with for functionality and return on investment – Stainless Steel sinks or other (enameld like in a bathroom)? I say other becuase I don’t know what types of materials sinks are made from.

Actually there are several types of sinks available these days. The design and layouts of the sinks can come in a wide range of patterns to meet anyone’s needs. Deep and wide, to shallow and oblong, you can find just about anything.

What the sinks are made of is almost a design question. Obviously most people want something durable, while others simply want something new and plan on selling soon. Either way, here are some examples of the type of sinks commonly available to the public.

Solid surface material sinks, ones that are made of the same material as the countertops, are good durable sinks and look nice as part of the overall countertop. There are also acrylic sinks available. Both are good choices when a specific color is wanted, say in a retro theme, unfortunately, they both scratch and fade from cleaning over time, because they are, after all, basically plastic. If you’re careful and try not to use abrasive cleaners, they can last a lot longer.

Stainless steel sinks are also available in many patterns and sheens. Some of them are quite nice and very durable and probably the best option from a strictly utilitarian perspective. I am not sure about them because they fade over time and that "new" shine never truly comes back like it did in the store. They tend to be noisy too because they are relatively thin compared to some other types of sinks.

Another type of sink that is available is the enamel on steel. These sinks are basically a steel bowl with hard enamel baked onto it. They are good sinks, but like one writer stated, they can be prone to chipping quite easily. They too have a very long life if well cared for.

In my humble opinion, the best sink to consider for the kitchen is the cast iron. These sinks are cast iron and are coated with an enamel type surface and although they can be heavy, they are durable, make no noise, don’t chip or scratch and take a beating and come out shiny and clean with ANY cleaner. For my money, my tastes and my needs, these are the best sinks. For the bathrooms, I would stick to the vitreous china sinks because they are just as durable and nice as the cast kitchen sinks.

Recently we had decided to do some home remodeling projects. While we all gathered together in our living room and took a glance through our kitchen, we decided that the best place to start would be the kitchen. For the most part of our time that we are home is spent in the kitchen especially with meal preparation, cleanup and eating. Besides it seems that guests tend to congregate in the kitchen area.

We started to research kitchen remodeling costs and promptly had to make some adjustments in our priorities as this was not going to be easy on the pocket. There are many hidden expenses when it comes to tallying up kitchen remodeling costs.

While talking to our local contractor, we were able to find out an estimate on having the remodeling professionally done. First he asked us to draw up a wish list of things that we wanted in the kitchen and to rank them accordingly in order from “have to have” to “it would be nice”. This was very useful because with kitchen remodeling costs as high as they are you can quickly pare down your wish list.

At the top of our wish list was to change our cabinets. The cabinets were very dark wood and made the kitchen appear small and closed in. In addition we also wanted to put a tile counter top on to match the tile on the floor. As for the window area by the sink, I wanted to expand it in order to allow more light in. We also wanted to remove the wallpaper and change out the exhaust hood above the stove. Our appliances were neutral colors and worked well; though my husband wanted to convert the electric range top from electric to gas. In spite of all the things we had decided upon on the list, we felt confident that we would have enough money in our savings account to handle all the kitchen remodeling costs.

However we were shocked when the estimate for the kitchen remodeling costs came in. Although we would have to take out a loan to complete everything that we had put on the wish list, we began to look at alternatives to keep down the kitchen remodeling costs. First we learnt how to the surface of the cabinets for painting. By painting the cabinets, for instance, an almond color made the kitchen look much brighter. We procured new hardware for the cabinets and the change was simply fantastic. In order to make the kitchen window area look larger I merely removed the curtain that I had hanging in it. Just by taking down the curtain during the painting project I discovered that without it there was more light in the room. Our counter top also looked revived with the lighter cabinets, so we kept it and put up a tile back splash instead. All this really proved to be cost effective and was a part of the remodeling that we could do on our own! Subsequently we got rid of the wallpaper and painted the walls a lemon yellow. In addition we replaced the exhaust fan with one in an almond color to match the cabinets. Today our kitchen not only looks beautiful but we have the satisfaction of completing the majority of the work ourselves and in turn were able to limit down our kitchen remodeling costs. We did not use the local contractor but he undoubtedly helped us have a new kitchen within our means.

Linda E. Joy
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/kitchen-remodeling-costs-a-handy-diy-review-91043.html