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Archive for November, 2011

How to Fit a Kitchen

November 28th, 2011 by steph

How to fit a kitchen

Sprucing up your house by fitting a new kitchen can be a great way of revitalising and bringing new life into your home. A well designed, modern kitchen serves as an impressive feature in any home; keeping up to date with recent styles and trends shows off your eye for interior design and is sure to impress any visiting friends and family. A kitchen renovation is no small task by any means and there are many things to consider before spending any of your hard earned cash. So, let’s look at a few forward thinking ideas that could learn how to fit a kitchen.

Design

Before you buy any appliances, fittings or decorative accessories for you kitchen be sure you have finalised your ideas for the style of the room.  The first step when learning how to fit a kitchen is simple; know what you want. There are so many different styles available to you and it can be a little overwhelming when trying to source ideas for your home. Thing about what style would complement your home and your personality; are you looking of a more traditional kitchen with a vintage kettle, oven and toaster? Or are you a pioneer of the 21st century who needs coffee on the go and modern colours and textures? Get an idea of the features, colours and design you want for your kitchen, plan it out and write it down.

Planning

The second step when learning how to fit a kitchen is more complex; once we have settled for a design and style for our kitchen, it’s time to start planning out the space we have and where each of our new features is going to be. Large fixtures and features are going to take a lot of space; ovens, dining tables and other large items are need to be strategically placed to maximise style and space efficiency. Be sure to take measurements of all the rooms dimensions; you’re going to need to measure the height of the room (floor to ceiling) if you’re planning to install an oven with an extraction unit above. Measuring the room is also useful when you are shopping for larger features or fixtures; you can compare new measurements to those of your kitchen to determine how suitable each new feature or item is.

Fitting

The third step when researching how to fit a kitchen is the fitting and decorating. Firstly, clear your kitchen out completely; remove everything that is being replaced and anything that could get damaged. Turn off all water and electricity supplies to the room and disconnect all pipes that lead to/from sinks and drains (if appropriate).

When removing old cabinets, be sure to unscrew and detach any fitting that hold them in place; this can prevent you damaging any walls or connected beams when removing cabinet and draw units. The same rule applies with work surfaces; ease the worktops off after unscrewing fittings underneath. This is the perfect time to make repairs to walls or repaint walls, as there are no new cabinets and draws to accidentally spoil with loose paint.

As you assemble any cabinet or wall mounted cupboards, be sure to check they are straight with a spirit level. Leave doors and draws out of each unit until they are fitted properly, this makes for an easier adjustment if you need to remove units and re attach. Ensure any new worktops are cut to the correct measurements before taking them into your kitchen, doing this outdoors is strongly recommended. Cut out sections of your worktops according to the measurements of any new sinks or hobs. Once your worktop is of the right size and shape then you are ready to complete its installation by bolting it or adding supports.

Once all new features and fittings have been completed, add finishing touches to your kitchen by accessorising with matching appliances and decoration. Kettles, toasters and café tiers can be bought as a set and if matched well with the colour of your kitchen, they can really help bring the whole design together. Add suitable blinds or curtains that complement the room to draw attention to your kitchen window and to any natural light entering your room.

Remember, turn off electrical and water supplies to the kitchen before doing any DIY. Apply common sense and always be safe when taking on home DIY jobs.

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Contemporary Kitchen Design

November 25th, 2011 by steph

Contemporary kitchens can be a stylish place to practice your culinary skills or even entertain family and friends in, if you get the design right. If you’re striving for the ultimate, luxurious kitchen space and don’t know where to begin in terms of décor then follow these few simple tips to have the kitchen of your dreams.

The power of colour

Colour scheme can have an incredible impact on the kitchen as every shade of each colour carries different connotations. Before picking a colour scheme for your new contemporary kitchen design, decide what statement you’d like your kitchen to make. If you want a bright kitchen to devour your cereal in of the morning then white, light woods and a pastel flooring with a matt finish are a perfect modern kitchen choice. Bright kitchens combine modern interior design with family life as they’re an enjoyable place for conversing over family dinner.

If your contemporary kitchen design desire is to have a trendy, sleek kitchen which oozes style and class then black is the perfect accent colour. Work-tops which are black marble with a high-gloss finish can really make a statement to complement wooden cabinet surfaces.

Stainless steel is incredibly popular throughout modern kitchens within the home. Its light reflective properties make it a striking choice for accessories and appliances. Kitchen taps, cooking appliances and displayed utensils can be incredibly eye-catching if in stainless steel. If you have opted for black as an accent colour in your kitchen there’s a variety of accessories available from popular retailers which combine black and stainless steel to bring your kitchen’s classy colour scheme together.

Furniture for Functionality

Kitchen furniture is a necessity in order to prepare fresh food for the family. Some kitchens however, don’t utilise the space available for furniture to its full potential.

Kitchen islands have become an incredibly popular feature of contemporary kitchen design as they utilise the centre of the room which is often left vacant due to having kitchen cabinets connected to the wall. As the kitchen island is central, it makes accessing the sink a whole lot easier – improving the functionality of your kitchen. The surface area on the top of the island provides you with a lot more space for food preparation, storage of equipment and displaying accessories/utensils.

Breakfast bars have also become an increasingly common feature in the contemporary kitchen and can add an extra visual level. They’re designed for eating light meals and breakfast at, rather than dining, so they’re perfect for families with busy lifestyles! Decorate the breakfast bar with a bowl of fruit to encourage healthy eating within the household whilst adding a splash of colour.

Contemporary kitchens can be easy to design and accessorise and look fantastic if you get the colour scheme right! It’s time to rip out that old kitchen, modernise your home and add a touch of class to your cooking and dining experiences.

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Sagittarius Taps

November 23rd, 2011 by steph

Sagittarius Taps

Adding new colours and styles in your bathroom is a sure fire way of bringing new life into your home. Many people are looking for a complete overhaul of their current bathroom, in which they remove all old fittings and fixtures and strip and paper and curtains from the walls. Revamping your bathroom with new colours which are well suited to you and your home is certainly a great way of adding a new sense of character to your house. To create a the perfect bathroom however, it’s going to take more than just a lick of pain here and there; with a bit of pre planning and forward thinking you can add some extra feature and accessories that can bring the colour scheme and style of the bathroom. Be sure to shop for well-matched fixtures as well as decoration, good examples for this are the Tapshop321 Sagittarius Taps, made in a range of designs there are bound to be a set of Sagittarius Taps that match the style of your bathroom perfectly.

Picking two primary colours with which to pain your bathroom is a great start to choosing an effective and stylish colour scheme. If you’re planning to revamp a smaller bathroom then lighter colours applied throughout the bathroom can help to give a more spacious appearance. If this is your ultimate goal then consider allowing more natural light into the room by adding a frosted glass door or window to the bathroom to brighten the room as much as possible. If you are happy with the size of your bathroom and were hoping to create a cosier environment then consider looking into darker, warming tones when choosing base colours. Dark, vintage tones would be well suited to some of the classic style Sagittarius Taps; combining this style of tap with the appropriate colours can bring the entire theme and style of you bathroom together, and this is where the effectiveness of accessorising really comes into play.

Once you are happy with the colours you have chosen for your bathroom then it’s time to put some serious thought into accessorising with other matching colours applied through towels, floor mats, curtains, washing kits and alike. Small dashes of matching colours strategically placed around the bathroom are the final step in finalising a well accessorised bathroom. Tapshop321′s Sagittarius Taps can add a lot of style to your bathroom but wisely choosing a well suited colour scheme is something only you can decide on.

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Traditional Kitchens

November 16th, 2011 by steph

Classic Kitchen

Renovating your kitchen is a fantastic way of adding renewed life you your home; it can give you extra space, practical appliances and desirable fixtures. There is a wide range of modern and contemporary kitchen suites available and choosing one that is right for your needs is vital before you commit to buying.

Many people crave the fashionable style and modern amenities that you find in a 21st century kitchen, but feel that the homely charm and character of traditional kitchens express their personality a little better. If this is the kitchen for you then you’re in luck! Here are a few useful thoughts to help you find a nice compromise between hi tech modern and charming traditional kitchens.

Style

A great way to add a classic look to traditional kitchens is by adding vintage cook’s tables and china cupboards; this gives off a strong classical feel, accents the theme of the kitchen well and shows you have a keen eye for style. Combining this with some granite wall and floor tiles can add a modern touch to the design of the room. Choosing vintage features in modern colours is another way to combine these two styles, most vintage units are available in black and other modern tones so consider this when designing the layout and colour of your kitchen. Small modern features in a classic looking kitchen such as venetian blinds and new styles of kitchen tap/washing basin units can add a 21st century feel to traditional kitchens. Keep an eye out for features such as these; it is important not to choose anything that looks too out of place and detracts from the overall impressiveness of your new kitchen.

Practicality

If you are looking to stay with a purely vintage look in your renovated kitchen then there are still many options available to you when shopping for practical amenities. Features such as vintage or ‘retro’ fridge freezer units can really add character to traditional kitchens, as well as being a spacious and practical addition. Smaller features such as the household toasters and kettles can be bought as part of matching sets in a truly fantastic classic design, these look great when bought as a set and can help to bring the entire room together if placed strategically around the kitchen. Ovens and cookers are also available in classic designs; as these are more expensive, use them to base the colour scheme of your kitchen accessories (kettle, toaster etc.).

So there we are; a few simple hints and ideas that can help you to add a fantastic looking traditional kitchen to your home without compromising in practicality or luxury.

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How to fix a leaking tap

November 15th, 2011 by steph

how to fix a leaking tap

It’s no secret that hiring a plumber to come to your house and make repairs is very expensive indeed; usually a basic call out feel is charged before there is any sign of work being started and then you are charged by the hour after that. It’s fair to say that there are a large amount of problems and tasks that only a qualified plumber would be able to handle, as they have experience and appropriate equipment to suit each job. But there are also certain ‘cowboy’ plumbers who are more than happy to tinker under a sink for 3 hours and charge you hundreds of pounds for what should have been a 45 minute job. Here we will look at some basic advice that could help you learn how to fix a leaking tap.

We’ve all heard the unbearable sound of a constantly dripping tap, anyone who has lived with one should know exactly how annoying it can become. Rather than waiting for days to find an available plumber there are basic checks and repairs you may want to do yourself. Keep in mind; this is basic information on how to fix a leaking tap, if you suspect the problem may be complex or serious then do not attempt to repair it yourself. You could cause further damage to the tap and result in a more costly overall repair.

The most common problem behind a leaking tap is a damaged/eroded rubber washer. If the tap in question is a mixer tap be sure to check and replace both rubber washer. If there is visible damage to the valve seating, do not attempt to repair it unless you are confident in your plumbing abilities and you have researched the repair properly.

Firstly when practicing how to fix a leaking tap, be sure to switch of the water supply (the mains are commonly located under the taps or under the main sink in the kitchen). If you begin to remove the headgear from your tap without shutting off the water supply you are very likely to flood the room. Once you have shut of the supply of water, drain your taps by leaving them all the way on and cover the plug/drain to prevent any small parts being lost.

Unscrew the tap cover and you will find the retaining screw underneath; once this is removed you are then able to take off the head of the tap. Using a suitable spanner to remove the headgear nut, (it is important not to force the headgear nut, applying too much pressure can cause serious damage to the tap) if you need extra leverage here use some oil on the joint and hold the tap in place as you twist.

Here you will find the rubber washer; if there is a small nut securing the washer in place then remove this before tackling the damaged washer. Replace the damaged rubber washer and if possible, lubricate the thread on each section of your tap before re-assembling.

So there you have it, some basic tips about how to fix a leaking tap yourself. Remember, if you do not feel 100% confident about disassembling your tap yourself, seek advice or professional help.

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