Here's How To Choose The Best Wood Molds

When it comes to wood molding, if you?re looking for ways to put it to use in your home, you?ll be glad to know that there?s are tons of great uses for it. Using different types of molds, such as crown molding will give your home uniqueness, as well as increase your homes price point. When you?re ready sell your home, your potential buyers will place much more value on your home since it will look different than your neighbors. Even real estate experts and pro?s agree that having fancy molds in your home is something that people notice. Sometimes they can even close the sale on this aspect alone.

Your choice in wood molding helps show off your creativity as well as your style. It can provide your home with a comfortable atmosphere, which is essential for you to actually enjoy the home in which you live in. If there?s a look that you?ve always craved, then wood molding can help you achieve that.

Molds come in so many different styles, allowing you to become your own person of originality when designing your wood moldings. You can transition into the artist of your home and craft your masterpiece simply through moldings.

You?ll have tons of designs to choose from, and molding will give you the choice of creating the look for your home you have forever wanted. Furthermore, it can decrease the cost of finishing out your wall. It is much less expensive to finish the wall with molding than with any other product on the market today.

A great choice for wood molding is for door trim. There are many different styles to choose from, and just the fact of adding the molding alone is enough to transition the entire look of your home, no matter which style you choose actually. One good alteration is to opt to use wood blocks for corners instead of mitered corners. This gives you home a more decorative look.

Now, another great and common use for molding is baseboards. Walls these days almost look incomplete without them. However, even though they?re common, this doesn?t mean that yours can?t be unique if you just use a little imagination and creativity. One thing to keep in mind however is that your baseboards must be durable, because much of time they?re getting banged by feet (especially if you have children) and chairs, and all sorts of things. Therefore it?s recommended that you use wood since this is about the most durable, and actually can be easily cleaned too.

The way you choose your molding is confined only by your imagination. It?s a fast and easy way to spruce up any home whether for baseboards, door trim, ceiling trim, or window casings, you simply cannot go wrong when choosing your molding.

It?s your creation, and you have that creative freedom to exactly what you want that will give you the atmosphere that will give you the best feeling when relaxing in your home.

Eric Slarkowski often writes news on things dealing with lumber prices and lumber types. His comments on hardwood lumber are found on his site .

 

Mold Removal Tips from Envrionment Consulting Services

Discover how to remove mold drywall, attics, wood and more

To remove black mold and mildew you need to kill mold and also prevent it. To remove mold from drywall and other materials you need to kill mold spores and concentrate on mold prevention.

Get your mold removal tools and remediation equipment is your best bet. One will need to get rid of the building materials entirely to kill mold. You should never leave any wet contents behind. Replace and cut out all moldy material. Have a garbage bag handy to remove it and seal it with blue tape. Use a heppa vac to remove dust and throw grabage bags in the dumpster.

Depending on the situation you may need a professional. Your best bet is to look environmental scientists services. These mold companies are going to be the best bet for consultation. These companies are also known as mold inspection firms, remediation contractors and inspectors or hygenist.

In order to remove mold from drywall or get rid of entirely hire a professional or use an organic mold killer.

Mold Killers as they have been called are great for smaller mold problems in your home or office. A good mold killer will kill mold and block future growth. Look for an organic product and can prevent mold amplification. This will create a ton of difference.

Discovering how to remove mold can be a challenge. At times when you begin a mold remediation project you are opening yourself up to a larger than life challenge.

Working with a consulting firm with certifications will make a huge difference. Protocols can be written by these professionals to assist you in your insure claims to say the least. They offer services such as <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.adviron.com/environmental-health-services.php"mold inspection and testing to find out your breathing levels and offer correct removal instructions.

Markus Skupeika
Professional Mold Remediator mold remover tax free now sold to consumers
Find more information how to kill mold and safe protocols to follow

Bathroom Decorating Tips - How To Deal With Mold

Bathrooms are more susceptible to mold than other rooms due to the high levels of moisture in the air. Condensation forms on walls and ceilings when the steam from a hot bath or shower has nowhere to go. Hot air will be drawn to cold surfaces. Over time, these cold, damp areas will be prone to mold growth, which not only looks unsightly, it can be bad for our health.

Prevention is always better than cure. To stop mold growing in your bathroom, ensure that it is always well ventilated, so condensation doesn't get a chance to form. This can be as simple as opening the window after a bath or shower. Or you could have an extractor fan installed. Some extractor fans are connected to the light switch, so come on automatically each time the light is turned on - this is a good idea as it means you don't have to remember to open a window or switch on the fan. Extractor fans are also great in bathrooms without windows. A dehumidifier is another idea you could try.

If, however, your bathroom is already showing signs of mold, it can be tricky to get rid of it completely. Simply painting over it won't solve the problem - as long as there's moisture in the air, the mold will continue to grow and will show up through the paint, or cause it to peel or flake. Before painting over mold, clean as much of it off as you can, using a mixture of water and bleach or an antifungal solution. Make sure the surface is dry before painting over it. You could also try treating it with a sealer before you paint. To stop the new paintwork from getting moldy, paint your bathroom walls and ceiling with a special bathroom emulsion paint, as this is easier to wipe clean and is formulated to help stop mold from forming.

Caroline Smith has a keen interest in home decorating and DIY. Visit www.showers-bathrooms.com for more bathroom decorating tips and advice on choosing bathroom sink vanity units, wall mounted bathroom cabinets and more.

Removing Toxic Mold In Walls: The Hidden Enemy

One of the toxic mold's favorite places to grow is behind the wall. Unfortunately, toxic mold in walls is hard to find. How do you know if you have toxic mold in the walls, and what can you do about it?

Mold grows everywhere. It is important in nature for breaking down dead material and recycling nutrients. It's not so useful when found in our homes, however, and can cause health trouble from minor allergic reactions to very serious medical conditions.

The best place for mold to grow is in a wet, warm and dark place. This is why the walls of your home are ideal. For a comprehensive guide visit http://www.toxicblackmoldhelp.org where you'll find resource for inspection, symptoms, and removal of black mold. Mold can often be found growing in "hidden" places such as this, and it is difficult to find and deal with.

First, you must determine if you have a mold problem. Then, the problem must be fixed. You must remove the offending mold, and then take measures to prevent the mold from growing again. If you have mold in your walls, it may be an indication that there is a water problem in your house.

Finding The Mold
If there is mold growing somewhere that it cannot be seen, you will often smell it first. Mold has a musty, earthy smell. You may also notice that you have an allergic allergy when you enter your home, or certain parts of your home. This probably means you have mold hiding out somewhere.

Before you go poking around for mold, you must realize that disturbing the mold could cause spores to be released. These spores can get into the air and cause health problems, or contaminate other areas of the house.

If there is a water leak, or some part of your house where there has been water damage, you most certainly have mold. If you are unsure, you may wish to call a professional. Hidden mold is especially hard for homeowners to clean themselves.

Cleaning Up The Mold
Cleaning up toxic mold in walls may be a big construction job. For this reason, it is best to consult a professional. When you are dealing with toxic, or any kind of mold, you should always wear goggles and protective clothes. You do not want the mold to come into contact with anything else, including yourself.

Look for a mold specialist, who has experience in mold cleanup. Check to see if they are familiar with the EPA's mold guidelines, and those according to the ACGIH, the American Conference of Governmental Industry Hygienists.

It's very important to clean up the mold quickly. The presence of water causes damage to houses and lowers property value immediately. The longer you let the problem go on, the worse it will eventually be to clean up, and the more damage it will do to your home.

Deal With The Water Problem
When there is water or something wet in your home, dry it quickly. Make sure damp areas are dried completely. Water leaks in the house may come from the roof or gutters, so make sure to do regular maintenance in those areas.

Keep the humidity level of your house as low as possible. If necessary, buy a dehumidifier to run sometimes. This will reduce humidity.

Make sure your house gets plenty of outdoor air, circulation and sunshine. It's a good idea to run the bathroom fan often, since that is where mold often builds up.

Most importantly, deal with your mold problem immediately, before things get worse.

learn more about black toxic black mold health effects, visit our resources on black mold health problems and removal of toxic black mold.

Toxic Black Mold Removal Tips and Tricks from the Pros

Black mold remediation and mildew cleaners Find the right procedures to remove mold and mildew.

Living with mold can be harful to one's health. Mildew can grow in the lungs and attach itself becoming a problem to the body. The immune system can break down and even mold has been known to be found in the blood stream.

Keep in mind the symtpoms before starting: Having mold in your breathing space may cause many Mold Symptoms. Scratchy throats are common. An individual may feel their throat to be scratchy almost as if they have to cough. A scratchy throat is a common toxic black mold identifier.

The most common thing to do apply paint and clean it. A couple of weeks go by and they see it grows back and the mold has expanded to a much difficult challenge.

One has several attacks to choose from with cleaning and removing black mold The first is the removing of the walls and carpeting and any other material that has mildew or black mold growth. This is done best by abatement mold specialist professionals, and recommend to hiring a contractor to assist you.

Now back to black mold and effective mold removal, you will need to follow some simple steps.

Try to apply a mold cleaning solution that is organic and kills and blocks mold

The organic cleaners will clean and prevent mold from growing. This happens to be the problem when cleaning midlew and black mold that people forget.If you have really damaged area then you may need to remediate the area.

Mold remediation comes into play at this step. Safely cleaning and removing or remediating building material is very important. If you need assistance you may want to look at a professional mold abatement specialist.

Do it yourself mold removal

Have the correct geat when starting. Prep yourself and your area with the right tools such as drywall cutters, visqueen, and mold cleaning solutions.

After done with phase one you are prepared to get down to the nuts an bolts of work. Preparing the area is the first part this is called "perepping". After opening cavities and walls this can be the next problem for most. When exposing the inner walls and cavities of celings etc, this becomes a big surprise for most.

To be safe your next step should be complete removal of black mold and mildew staining. A good tip to know within the industry is clean out and remove all visible traces and then go 5 feet beyond the last visible trace.

After you are complete with the cleaning and remediation phase use a goodblack mold killers.

To clean black mold it the solution should kill and block the mold and helps if it's natural. Also natural solutions will be helpful when applying and not harmful to the indoor air. Ias a rule of thumb, you mold spray needs to kill and block then you are safe. As a helpful note water damaged area and mold areas need to be removed and then sprayed, this will be the most effective way for mold remediation.

Markus Skupeika
Find more information about mold cleaning and safe protocols to follow
Also Natura; black mold cleaners that are tax free and safe to use

Do you know which Mold Remediation Supplies and Protocols you need to follow?

The fight in black mold and mildew cleaning, do you ave the right supplies?

Black mold, mildew and bacteria are living organisms. So the challenge is not just killing one spore but all of them that are alive. Black will reproduce because this, most do not kill all the living organisms so they reproduce. Use the correct tools and equipment will make ones job more effective.

In order to kill you will also need to prevent. Before getting started keep in mind some of the mold symptoms. Most do not have an idea how sick mold can make someone who is allergenic to it. Those mold symptoms are very common and people start to notice them as they start the projects.

Now its time to get the mildew and mold out using the correct standards and tools. There are quite a few scenarios in mold removal, a popular one is mold removal in a basement. The second type we get is mold removal in a house.

For ,mold removal in a basement, it is similar to any to the regular mold cleaning methods except for a few adjustments. But by following the same guidelines here you can be successful at your task.

First get some supplies for your project.

You will need some wrap which most call visqueen. In all honesty, this is your condom for your work area to protect your area to bad organisms.

Don't invest in automatic saws, use hand drywall cutters. The last thing you want is all the dust being spread throughout the room, and you may cut a water line using a power saw.

Got blue tape? use this to cover exposed areas. Used a lot with doors to seal the area and exposure to other rooms.

Where is you cleaning product with encapsulate to clean and prevent harmful black mold. This is key as it will assist you in the cleaning effectively as long as you follow the guidelines. Using a mildew cleaner is the best insurance you can give yourself on the project. Today there are few good organic solutions to clean, protect and insure. These will be your secret weapons.

Have a vaccum with a heppa filter. Using a heppa vac will clean that dust and suck in those spores. Heppa vac cleaners will not allow the spores to liberate. A great tool in the arsenal.

Did you get your mold protect gear. A mask, niosh95 and a mold suit. also goggles to protect your eyes. These are the basics in black mold protection and effective ways to remove mold.

Mold can be deadly be sure to look into black mold symptoms before jumping in. Knowing the effects and identifying the symptoms can be a life saver.

Markus Skupeika
Find more information about mold and mildew cleaning and safe protocols to follow
Also Natura; mold cleaners that are tax free and safe to use

Prevent Molds and Mildews With House Dehumidifiers

Mold is a growing concern and a basement is a great place for mold to grow. Mold and mildew are musty smelling fungi that thrive in moist conditions. Keeping humidity down reduces the chances for mold to grow. In general, mold will not grow at less than 50% relative humidity! Of course, any groundwater, plumbing or other leaks should be fixed, as part of a strategy to eliminate mold.

A house dehumidifier will keep your home below 50% relative humidity, thus helping to prevent the growth of mold and drying up existing mold - removing that musty smell and you may be able to start inviting people around again.

It is during the rain that the humidity level reduces. When the rain stops, the atmosphere then begins to get warmer and the humidity level rises again increasing the amount of water vapor in the air. At this point molds and mildews begin to grow as these conditions suit them best and when this happens you are in trouble because it is the molds and mildew which create that musty smell.

House dehumidifiers come in various types. Mechanical/refrigerant and desiccant humidifiers are the most popular choice for most households. These models may be gas fired or electrically activated. They can be installed near the furnace or in ducts. There are also portable house dehumidifiers available that you can carry around the house.

Try and pick up a portable dehumidifier if you can because that way you can move it around the house wherever you see fit.

For vital information on all things concerned with Dehumidifiers and Preventing Molds visit our Basement Dehumidifiers Website

Black Mold and Their Eating Habits

Black Mold Can Get Full Just Like Us

Toxic Black Mold and Mildew are living organisms. They get full after eating the same way we do. So when they get full mold and mildew create excrement. If left long enough and if placed on an unprotected surface the mold will stain the area. That is another important factor in using a natural cleaner for mold, one that protects the surfaces and removes mold in one solution. If the surface does not have an encapsulate then it has a higher probability to stain.

This is the same for Removing Mildew Stains. Removing Mildew Stains on carpeting and any other surface is simalar. Except, carpeting is a thread or fabric. So black mold will have a better time going to town eating your carpet threads than eating cement. Find out how these buggers get there and what you can do to prevent mildew from growing on your carpets?.

Black Mold and Mildew on Carpets

First to prevent your carpets from getting getting black mold and mildew and to save time removing mildew stains is KEEP CARPETING DRY!!! This means when you walk into your house or someone walks in? Take off your shoes.

Believe it or not when you walk on grass there are mold spores, and they can be tracked in from outside. HOW DO I KNOW THIS? Well since we did mold testing, when we took tests when someone was mowing the lawn and took a sample outside it was always tons, tons, tons, higher in spore counts?. The good thing it was outside. The next reason we know this, you must cover up your shoes with booties to get a better reading when taking samples in a clearance zone.

Trust me, through the many years of mold inspecting and home inspecting this I am sure of, Mold and Mildew can be carried in from outside.

Being a Toxic Mold Expert witness I offer reviews from asbestos, indoor air quality testing, mold cleaning, mold removal, and hazardous wastes.

See more reviews at http://www.SaferProductsAssociation.org

Great Information on Inspection Business, and very lucrative industry for the hard worker willing to follow the guidelines, check out a package we highly recommend to get your business going. Read through Inspection Success to get you moving in the right direction.

Get Rid of the Mold Smell

Mold causing a musty odor? What do you do?

Do you have a mildew problem, basement mold that is causing a musty odor? The odor is very common in your basement, mildew mold is from a warm, wet, climate. Hence most basements are moist and dark they are direct breeding grounds for black mold. It is even common when there is a heavy amount of mildew present, that a susceptible individual could receive allergies and common mold symptoms from the black mold settling on the surface. By just having a bit of basement mildew mold in the house, one could become quite sick just by walking into the confined area. This happens because there is no circulation of fresh air and when inhaling the airborne mold spores in a warm musty basement the toxic mold spores will enter into the system and attach into the bodies lungs and nasal cavities. These will cause some common and very harmful mold symptoms, such as headaches, water eyes, and others. So many symptoms are common in mold and colds. A mold symptom can be similar to a flu. Both will affect the immune system and cause problems to the body. Having mold in your breathing space may cause many Mold Symptoms. Scratchy throats are common. An individual may feel their throat to be scratchy almost as if they have to cough. A scratchy throat is a common black mold identifier.

There are a couple of ways to fix a mildew problem in a basement. Since the first problem in the basement is air circulation you want to purify the air and use heppa filters, better air circulation is is certain. By forcing new air to circulate keeping the humidity down, the basement and confined area will become a brutal place for the spores to grow and amplify.

A popular dispute that arises in killing mold mildew in a basement is observing through the carpeting. You should always be aware if there ever been a leak inside the basement or some type of water intrusion event, if so black mold possibly be on the carpet and rather than hiring a carpet cleaning company you may want to replace the entire carpeting. Since the carpeting became extremely wet it will be unfeasible to remove the spores from the old carpet. Even the tack strips under the carpeting would need to be removed. This is very common with basement mildew mold, just be sure to maintain the carpeting and if one is going to rip out the carpets make sure to remove the tack steps below. The wooden tack strips can carry quite a bit of mildew and mold. If you have some amount of mold in the basement and on carpeting and are tired of cleaning it continuously spray it down with a organic mold cleaning product.

In order for the removal of use an all natural organic product that is used for killing mold and mildew. If you are going to be planning on killing mold and mildew in the basement it may be a everlasting task unless you try a mold blocking solution that offers mold prevention and mold removal. Most cleaning products will kill the mold, but not stop it or take away the musty odor. If a mold problem becomes a bigger issue it may be to late to spray it down with an all natural cleaning product, you need to look into hiring a certified mold inspector. They will design protocols for a mold remediation company and get the ball rolling for your mold problem. So if you are finding a musty odor in the house, you may have mold or a previous water event that was not taken care of correctly. If ever needing more information on black mold come back and visit our Free Mold Removal Website that offers information from a certified microbial consultant.

Through years of experience and research this solid and successful foundation plans to continue providing information on major suppliers of environmentally friendly products. What this means for you is we are completely committed to growing this industry and will continue to be around to meet all your "safer products" needs and awareness.

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Winter Cold or Mold

A look at why black mold and common symptoms are so related. Does having a cold mean you have a mold problem. Free informative guide on the reasons mold causes a immunity problem in your system. Related Articles: What is Black Mold Mold Symptoms How to Get Rid of Black Mold

Living with mold can be harmful to one's health. Black mold can grow in the lungs and attach itself becoming a problem to the body. The immune system can break down and even mold has been known to be found in the blood stream. Black Mold is coming found in warm, wet, and dark areas. It is also found in homes, offices, walls, showers, and just about everywhere else. Living with mold can affect one's health and it is important to understand if your body is very allergenic to toxic mold and mildew. Toxic Mold or Black Mold or even mildew have all been associated to one thing, the black dirt that can appear on drywall, showers, tile, and carpeting. Mold needs a source to grow a little bit of moisture and one will begin seeing the spores amplify. The terms are in the same sentence because mold symptoms are very similar to cold symptoms. It can also be said that mold and colds are phrased to together because black mold can make one sick. This decrease in the immunity system will create a breakdown in the system.

Mold and Colds are cause mostly by having to much toxins in the system. Since mold are know to cause Fungicides, which is known as mold growing in the nose. Colds become a dominant symptom. The excess mucas which has spores which create fungus that can be corruptive to the system, especially if immuno-compromised. The stachybotris mold, aspergillus mold are all everyday and related with mold and colds. These are toxic molds that can grow effortlessly in homes and become an issue if not taken care of accurately. If looking for mold protection, be certain to take care of any water damage events that happen in the home or offices. If a wet drywall is left untouched and not removed, you will have black mold on your walls with in the near future. Once these toxic spores attach and sprout they will expel excrement in the air which you or your family can breathe in. Then mold and colds are working as one and induce problems in your system.

With colds, usually it is from immunity problem, stress, or over working and quite a few other things. Having mold in your system adds on to the body fighting to keep itself healthy. The mold spores will damage the core and most likely a cold will be coming on. Your nose will begin to get stuffy and you may have some excess mucas. The best thing to do is talk to a physician who understands mold and you may want to look into an alternative solution such as an all natural mold removal product or hiring a certified mold inspector and looking for a mold removal company.

See more reviews at http://www.SaferProductsAssociation.org

Finding Mold Killers That Will be Beneficial 4 Months Later

In order for a solution to be a worthwhile mold killer you need two important parts to stop mold growth. The first key ingredient is taking away the food source. The second important factor is changing the molds living environment. In order to be a categorized as mold killers the solution will change the DNA makeup of the mold and change it's local environment. In order to complete both, a great solution is encapsulation to develop a safe shield on the surface.

The system of developing a shield will destroy mold spores and block enzymes from growing back. while in the shielding phase the solution kills mold spores and block future reproduction. This clear surface changes the food source by not allowing the organisms to eat from that surface and killing black mold at the same time.

Many of the markets cleaners do destroy mold to a degree. An issue occurs when there is not future prevention. Thousands of Residential Mold Removal companies have been using mold killers and blockers to prevent future problems for the business and clients. A great mold killer for the famous black mold that we commonly see is about killing and preventing.

Forget about bleach. Although, bleach is a great cleaning product for the house. Bleach is harsh and full of chemicals to the point where they are more toxic than mold spores. The best mold solution to use is an organic product that is safe to use around your children and home. Not many products on the market are doing this because of the technology and possibly long term profits.

I believe if you clean mold and block it's future growth there may not be such a profit for companies. A speculation and you can come to your own conclusion. As a cmc certified microbial consultant is is always a must for my family and i to use a mold killer and block that is safe and organic to use around.e used.

If you have a bigger mold problem do research on finding a Mold Inspector and Asbestos Consultant. They will be a great resource for your family and offer sound advice. Think about a safe shield solution if you have a smaller amount of mold in the house or commercial space. Also, educate yourself on the mold symptoms so there is a better understanding of the mold spores and the effects to the system it can cause.

Markus Skupeika

Finding new solutions for mold and mildew removal. Great listing of sites and cleaning products for the fellow mold sufferers.

Mold Removal Information and Products
Mold Symptoms

Preventing Mold and Mildew Growth In New Homes

Are you building a new home? If so, you've got many important things to think about ... from the design of your new home to mortgage decisions and insurance arrangements. Another important item that should be on your list is health concerns from moisture, mold and mildew growth.

Tighter construction methods?and the materials used to build new homes?can easily contribute to indoor air quality issues and serious moisture problems if builders and homeowners overlook the underlying factors that cause them.

As an example, polyethylene has long been used as a vapor barrier to keep moisture out of homes because it's inexpensive and completely impervious to water. Unfortunately, a house wrapped in polyethylene can also prevent moisture that's already inside the home from escaping. This results in higher humidity levels, which in turn can result in the rapid growth of mildew and mold.

Newer polyamide films installed over insulation material may be a better choice, according to Glenn Singer, managere of building science for CertainTeed's Insulation Group. CertainTeed's MemBrain vapor retarder, for example, is designed to allow excess moisture to evaporate and exit the home through tiny pores that change size as relative humidity changes.

Construction products used in bathrooms are another area for discussion with your builder. Recent changes to the International Residential Code (IRC) no longer recognize green board?a commonly used, paper faced drywall product?as a suitable tile-backing material in wet areas like tub and shower surrounds. Instead, an approved, cement-based backer board like Durock? from USG Corporation should be used.

Durock panels are composed of aggregated portland cement sandwiched between layers of reinforcing glass-fiber mesh, providing a much greater resistance to moisture and a lower risk of mold growth. Green board products are still suitable for use in bathroom, laundry room and basement walls.

Air treatment systems are another important consideration for consumers planning to build a new home, and well worth discussing with your builder. Whole home systems, like those available from Aprilaire, might include an air cleaner, a humidifier, and a dehumidifier?all of which are installed in conjunction with your new home's heating and cooling systems.

A purpose-built dehumidifier is more effective at controlling indoor humidity than an air conditioner, and whole-home units are typically more efficient to operate than portable models. Humidifier units help provide proper humidity balance throughout the year, but are particularly helpful during the dry winter months.

Make a checklist of your concerns and ask your builder about how your new home will be constructed, what construction products will be used, and what steps they'll be taking to mitigate the likelihood of a moisture retention problem and indoor air quality issues. Indoor air pollution, humidity buildup, mold and mildew are all problems that are avoidable, and they're all things you definitely don?t want in your brand new home.

The Home Improvement News and Information Center provides information and resources for home construction, remodeling and home energy management. For more information about home building materials, point your web browser to http://www.HomeImprovementTime.com/consumer/search.asp?search=remodel&mode=search.

Does Black Mold Scare You?

It should! Toxic black mold accounts for more than 90 percent of all allergy problems, according to research at the Mayo Clinic in 1999. Toxic black mold, also scientifically known as Stachybotrys, can not only be detrimental to your home?s foundation and your items you have in the home, but the mold can cause serious health problems that you need to be aware of.

Black mold is a harmful fungus that can lead to toxic mold syndrome, which causes asthma allergies, such as coughing and wheezing, etc. Toxic black mold has also been blamed for causing the deaths of some infants in the last couple of years. This toxic mold is not something to take lightly, especially if you suspect that you have it in your home. There are solutions!

Indoor air quality is essential to maintaining a healthy home. Clean air is obtained by prevent black mold and mildew from growing anywhere in your home. Read more on this topic on our section about indoor air quality.

Mold Testing - does it help?

Mold testing will let you know what types of mold are growing on your home, will identify what percentage of the air you breathe is actual mold particles, and how the different types of mold that is present will affect your health.

Mold kits can be bought to test your home yourself, the sample is gathered by you and then it is sent to a lab where it is identified. Take the proper precautions when taking the sample, wear a surgical mask and gloves, and clothing that is easily washable. Please keep in mind that the safest way to find out if you have mold in your home is to contact a mold remediation inspector. A Professional mold inspection completed by a mold inspector will give you an accurate assessment of mold growth in your home. Find out what services mold inspectors provide here.

Damion Rutherford is the President for www.black-mold-remediation.com. Find more great articles and tips at www.black-mold-remediation.com

Finishing Touches To Home Renovations Using Easy Crown Moldings

Home renovations can be tedious, time consuming and expensive. By the time you purchase all the necessary tools, and materials to complete your job the mountain of work ahead can be quite daunting. If you have worked hard on fixing up your home then having it look as professional as possible is a must, and the finishing touches are as important as every other part of the project. When selecting materials to finish a room it is important to choose products that are easy to use (if you are a first time/amateur renovator), that look nice and really showcase all the trouble you went to. Mouldings are one such detail that can make or break a project you have undertaken, and two choices available are easy crown mouldings, and plastic injection mouldings.

Easy Crown Mouldings: simple to use, but do they look professional?

So you have done the drywall, plastered, painted and are ready for the finishing accents to really bring the project to a close. Easy crown mouldings; the name suggests the level of usability required to install. With Easy crown mouldings there is no need for mitre saws or finishing nails to properly measure and affix your crown mouldings to the upper portion of your wall. To properly trim this specific type of moulding you simply require the knowledge of: how to use a pair of scissors. This removes the hassle of complicated angle measurements to properly line up corners. Sounds simple enough; however, how do they measure up to the old fashioned way of using tools and angle measurements?

According to some renovations experts; though, they are easy to use they leave you in the lurch quality wise. Because the trimming is done with scissors accuracy on trimming is always an issue, and rarely do seams meet properly (it is said that seams in easy crown mouldings can be taped over though). Is this how you want to finish a project that you have sweated hours over? With Easy Crown Mouldings there are also issues of installation on the wall. Yes they are easy to use for all levels of expertise. To stick these mouldings to the wall, you must simply remove the layer of tape on the back (revealing a layer of tacky adhesive) and firmly press into place in the desired location. How reliable is the adhesive? Well on the aforementioned website where tests have been performed... after very little time the glue gave out and the Easy Crown Mouldings fell down to the floor which brings up 2 new problems: how do you firmly re-attach them to the wall? And how to repair the tears in the paint left behind after the adhesive has torn it off the wall.

Obviously like other products you get what you pay for, and cheap and fast generally results in hassles, and more work. There are others that state that these so called "Easy Crown Mouldings" are not as easy to install as the name states.

Plastic injection mouldings: more complicated, and more expensive

Plastic injection mouldings are probably the exact opposite of the Easy Crown Moulding. The creation of Plastic injection mouldings is not one for an amateur home renovator unless they specifically want to learn how to make them as the process is time consuming and tedious. Simple table top machines and moulds can be made to form your mouldings; however, the necessary tools list is far more expensive than that of ordinary wooden mouldings. Welders and drill presses are two of the said required machines to create your own, not to mention the plastic pellets which must be purchased to melt and form your mouldings.

For those who aren't interested in learning the process behind making your own plastic injection mouldings, using this type of finishing product is not realistic as tracking them down through your local home renovations store will be quite complicated. If you are dead set on using them tracking them down can be daunting.

John Mann is an experienced home renovator and webmaster. Visit his website Workbench Ideas for workshop tips - www.workbench-ideas.com

Mold Allergy

Mold is a live organism that is found both indoors and outdoors. Certain varieties of mold, such as black mold, can act as a poison to human systems. It decomposes dead material and grows by digesting plant or animal material. It spreads by air-born spores. The majority of molds are transported by the wind. Molds are attracted to and grow quickly in dark, damp places. Such places include garbage cans, basements, or rotting leaves. On food, mold is typically visible by being usually green and fuzzy. Mold can also spread its roots and branches deep into the food making it invisible to the eye. It is for this reason that if you see mold growing on food you should discard it.

Everyone is exposed to some mold on a daily basis. Usually the results of this exposure are not serious in any way. We may be exposed to mold in the air or we may eat food containing mold spores that are just not visible yet. People with mold allergies can tolerate mold up to a point, after which they will have a reaction from being exposed to too much mold at one time.

Some of the symptoms of a mold allergy are sinus problems, itchy or watery eyes, wheezing, and a rash or even hives. With this type of allergy, it is almost impossible to completely avoid mold spores. Mold spores are simply too prevalent, as they are around us all the time. One of the simplest things a person can do to protect themselves is to avoid eating food showing any signs of mold. You should not smell foods that you think may be spoiled because you may then inhale mold spores. You might also be advised to avoid certain foods such as blue cheese, mushrooms, and yeast products.

Other common mold sources are vinegar and foods containing vinegar, yeasty foods, sour cream, sour milk, and buttermilk, and sauerkraut. Anything that is pickled or smoked has the potential to contain mold. Dried fruits are also exposed to mold spores because they are exposed to the air, as well as anything canned. You may want to avoid these items whenever possible so you an avoid having an allergy attack.

Michael Brown writes for several popular online magazines, on home resources and family life themes.

Choosing the Right Hardwood Floor - Understanding and Choosing the Correct Trim and Moldings

The difference between Trim and Molding

Believe it or not, there actually is no difference between Trim and Molding. In the flooring industry, installers, distributors and sales reps often refer to these items interchangeably. It would be far less confusing for consumers if there was a universal term, unfortunately there is not. For the purpose of this article we will refer to them as Trim/Molding.

First of all Trim/Molding is either made from

1. Wood - Wood Molding is usually used when the desire is to create a consistency between the wood and the Molding. Wood Trim/Molding is best used for stainable hardwood and laminate floors. Like Pine which has the widest variety of stainable Trim/Molding. Most types of hardwood floor trim/moldings can be purchased locally, while there are some that may need to be specially ordered. For example Oak is more commonly stocked by most home hardware stores whereas teak may be a custom order.

Or

2. MDF -(Medium Density Fiberboard.) Made from wood scraps and plant fibers compressed together with a binding material, such as glue and pressed out to form a sheet material which is used in construction as floor underlayment to be covered with a veneer or finish surface.

Some of the advantages of MDF are that it is dense, flat, and stiff, has no knots, is easily machined, and cheaper. Because it is made up of particles, it does not have an easily recognizable surface grain and can be painted to produce a smooth quality surface. Because MDF has no grain it can be cut, drilled, machined and filed without damaging the surface.

Trim /Moldings comes in many different products and styles. Here is a quick breakdown of some of the more popular types and their exact function:

Baseboards- The most crucial function of baseboards is that it is used to hold down floating floors like laminate.

Tread - Functions as the actual step surface used on Stairs and Steps

Riser - Available in various widths, and are used to create the vertical "rise" in a step.

Nose (Nosing) -- also commonly referred to as stair nose, bull nose, stairwell trim, landing tread. Their thickness is the same as flooring (3/4" or floor material may be used as well.) They are used to create finished edges on a top step, around a stairwell, or sunken living room.

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Shoe (Base Shoe) -- Used on vertical face bases to complete an expansion cover and are also flexible enough to conform to irregular surfaces.

Reducer - (Transitions) - Used to make a smooth transition in thickness from a wood floor down to a thinner or thicker surface (hard tile or carpet), generally used at door openings.

Quarter Round -- one quarter of a full round; from 1/2" to 1"; used as shoe in some areas.

Base (base board) --Used to protect a wall and "picture-frame" the wood floor.

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Finished Trim/Moldings should always match your wood floor or be painted to match the other nearby trims. Makes sure to order the proper Hardwood Floor Accessories. to keep it looking it's best.

Trim/Moldings come in the exact same shapes and sizes across the nation. This means if you see a particular type in one place, it will beneficial to all the others as well. This is great for you because it makes price comparison a snap.

In conclusion understanding Trim/Moldings and using the correct type and style will enhance your wood floor decor, make for a good installation, and speak well of the installer and you. They key is to make sure these details are addressed before or during the installation. Good luck!

View David Nikzad's own exclusive line of Bamboo floors from Nikzad Imports, is available at Floorsbydavid.com

What You Should Know About Mold and Water Damage

The harmful effects of mold span the immune system and respiratory system. Most molds grow on wood, fiber, or paper that has gotten wet for more than a few days. One of the main causes of household mold is water damage that is improperly repaired. Whenever these kinds of situations arise, it is essential not only to the vitality of the home, but to the health and well being of its occupants as well to repair and mold and damage from water whether you are in Houston or Hawaii. There are many methods that you can use to repair water damage in home depending on the location of the damage.

Knowing What to Repair You can determine many of the repairs that need to be made by simply looking around the home for the places that water damaged. Sometimes basement water damage is easier to fix than water damage in other parts of the home because there is less furniture and other amenities in the basement. Once you have determined the places that need water damage, then you can start to make the repairs.

Completing the Repairs By Clearing The Air When you have finished making the repairs, it might be difficult to keep your home free of mold. Your health is at stake here and may have already been affected because of mold spores caused by the water damage. Sometimes there could be even the slightest amount of moisture in even the most remote locations of the home that can cause mold to form that releases harmful spores into the air. At the very least, you need to get a good air purifier. You need to act fast to find and clean the mold. You should also hire a professional to conduct an air quality lab report in order to determine if your air quality is safe for breathing. If the professional determines that the air quality is not desirable, then he or she will make recommendations as to what you can do to make sure the air is safe.

Regardless of the location, water damage should be repaired so that mold does not grow inside the home and the air quality remains at a safe level.

Adam O'Connor is the owner of http://www.handheldguru.com which provides free information on handheld electronics. He is an expert in this industry and his website helps people find helps people find answers to questions like how can you compare PDA's or what is the best pocket PC for you.