Home Front
With The Washington Post Home Staff
Thursday, April 18, 2002; 11 a.m. EDT Every week, the Post Home staff talks about various ways to improve your home. Find out easy tips to fix up your home, what the new home trends are, upcoming antique shows and how to re-upholster your furniture. Ask the Washington Post Home staff -- about these and anything and everything related to home and garden. Home & Garden: This week on Home Front, the Home section staff takes your questions on fixing up your home and decorating. The transcript follows. Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Post Home Staff: Hi! We're here . Let's hear your questions!
Washington, D.C.: Are there any antique shows coming to the D.C. area for Memorial Day weekend? Post Home Staff: We are checking on this but have nothing specific listed yet for Memorial Day. Check out www.maineantiquedigest.com for calendar dates for antique shows all over the East Coast. Also check today's DATEBOOK in the Home section for local shows happening now.
Arlington, Va.: I'm looking for Indian bedspreads. I've checked Pier 1 and several stores in Falls Church and Arlington that seem to specialize in saris, etc., with no luck. Any ideas? Post Home Staff: Try Anthropologie in Rockville. Also ask at an Indian grocery store - you can find some in the Yellow Pages.
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.: My girlfriend and I like modern furnishings (think Theodore's), but also enjoy good bargain (we know that "modern" and "bargain" in the same sentence is sometimes laughable.). Are there any modern furnishing stores in the area we should check out -- any that have competitive prices everyday or that have good sales semi-annually? We already know of Theodore's sales but were wondering if we're missing out elsewhere. Thanks! Post Home Staff: Modern furniture is available in many stores these days at many price points. Try Workbench in Bethesda, Storehouse, Dankers, Hollis & Knight in Georgetown.
Washington, D.C.: Any suggestions on what colors go well with sage green? Thanks. Post Home Staff: A creamy white, a buttery yellow, periwinkle blue. Also different shades of greens can work.
Bethesda, Md.: Thank you for these wonderful discussions. Could you or other chatters comment on your experiences with granite vs. the so-called engineered counter tops? We're looking at redoing our kitchen counters, and while many people seem to be putting in granite, we've heard enough stories about cracking, scratching, water damage/discoloration, to give us pause. Are there particular engineered stones (Silestone, Zodiaq, etc.) that you've encountered that are especially good, or not so good? Thank you so much! Post Home Staff: I can tell you from personal experience that I adore my granite kitchen counters. My granite is now almost four years old and it is a speckled black, white and a bit of salmon pink. There has been absolutely no cracking, chipping or seam mis-alignment. It is easy to clean and is a total joy. Sure, there are laminates that mimic the look of granite, but if you can afford it, go with it.
Kingstowne, Va.: What is the best type (read:weather resistant) of furniture for a townhouse deck? We would like it to be affordable and low-maintenance. Thanks. Post Home Staff: I would go with metal mesh furniture, something like Salterini perhaps - We have found that a dark green finish doesn't show dirt and allows water and leaves, pollen etc to go right through. It has withstood about six summers and still looks great. We do store it in the garage for the winter, but you can leave it outside and cover with plastic if possible. All you do is hose it off and if you can, spray paint any tiny rust spots or nicks with touch-up paint. In the summer months, it stands outside the whole time. You don't have to brush off the seats after a summer rain, if we get any this year.
Northern Virginia: This heat is awful! I broke down and turned on the air conditioning last night, so I could get some sleep for a change. My question is, which uses less energy, setting the thermostat, and letting the AC keep the place cool all day, or turning it off during the day, and turning it on when I get home in the evening? Post Home Staff: I think there are differing opinions about this. Of course, it is very environmentally wasteful to leave AC turned on ice cold all day really low with nobody at home, especially in a large house. Perhaps keeping the thermostat at 80 might help a bit.
By the way, we don't blame you for turning on the AC. It has been brutal out there.
Blast from the groovin' past: I just bought a house with a relic from the early '70s -- a "conversation pit." This is a U-shaped sunken area in the living room with built-in benches that are currently carpeted. I want to try to live with it a while -- what would be an authentic treatment? Cushions? Lotsa throw pillows? Thanks! Post Home Staff: How groovy! Conversation pits are making a big comeback. New York furniture dealer Troy Halterman just dropped $10,000 on a built in sofa for his apartment in Manhattan.
Hotels are also resurrecting this 70s design icon, including the very hip Standard in L.A. (white shag on the floor, walls and ceiling and a 36 foot Ultrasuede couch). And the Venetian in Las Vegas has them in their suites.
Even new homes are getting the treatment in this area. If you really want to impress your friends, rent the Beatles classic HELP and listen to the Fab Four wax philosophic from their very own conversation pit.
Alexandria, Va.: Hi home gurus. We didn't use our fireplace much this winter, but last night for some reason I swear I detected a smoky scent, like the smell you get the morning after a nice fire. The last time we used it was probably in December, and I cleaned it thoroughly afterwards. Since then it hasn't smelled -- until last night. What gives? Should we bite the bullet and hire a chimney sweep? (The house is 11 years old, and we've lived there a little over a year.) Thanks. Post Home Staff: Don't panic. A smoky smell can come out of your chimney after a little humid or damp weather, neither of which we have had in a long time. Meanwhile, put on your calendar for next fall to get your chimney swept.
Herndon, Va.: We are immigrants buying our first house in the US. We are now shopping around for furniture starting with a breakfast table (which we would use for all our meals) and a couch. Can you help with the names of some furniture shops in Metro Area where we can get durable furniture but not pay through our nose for that. Thanks in advance. Post Home Staff: Sure. Ikea is a wonderful place to start. There is one at Potomac Mills Mall in Dale City, just off I 95 South. And there is also one in Towson, Md. Check out www.ikea.com for a preview. Also, check out Hecht's furniture departments, Marlo and Storehouse for ideas.
Virginia: Hi there. Could you please tell me where I can get tile decorators to cover chipped tiles for my kitchen backsplash. I don't want to remove the damaged tile and replace it but cover it with some sticker like product that will enhance the backsplash. Thank you. Post Home Staff: Design Tile at Tysons Corner has a huge selection of decorative tiles. They suggest something other than tile decorators. They suggest put a decorative tile - something with a raised or painted design right over the existing chipped tile attaching it with Mastic, the cement tile users use. It would be raised, but you could intersperse a few more and it would not be so obvious.
Any other ideas out there?
Bethesda, Md.: Two quick questions- I have really liked the look of ceramic tile in kitchens, but have been worried that its not as practical for such a high traffic area (i.e., that its harder to keep clean, glassware more likely to break when it falls, etc.). What are your thoughts on this? Would it be better to go with a laminate for practicality (and, all there laminates that look as nice)? Also, just a question in regard to layout. I have a 1200 sq. ft. condo and was considering putting ceramic tile in the foyer entrance area. Does it disrupt the flow of the place to potentially have tile in that area, and then laminate in the kitchen (which is just around the corner)? I was advised by the flooring people we are dealing with that in smaller spaces (like a condo) you want to keep the number of different flooring s down to small number and uniform so the place has an overall look. Do you all agree? Thanks so much! Post Home Staff: We are big fans of laminate floors. Ceramic tile floors are beautiful, but are hard underfoot and the grout collects dirt and can be a pain to clean. As for using different flooring in your kitchen and entrance area, it would seem that in a small space, using the same surface material would pull things together and look less chopped up.
Washington, D.C.: Hello Hometeam, I need to lighten up, and need some playful post-Modern furniture. Where should I look? Post Home Staff: Hmm. Playful? In D.C., Mobili, Theodores, Vega, Apartment Zero. In Bethesda, Sansar, Muleh, Contemporaria, Urban Country, these come to mind. Skynear is good.
Cambridge, Mass.: Hi! Kitchen paint question for you guys - I know you generally like white kitchens, but ... My kitchen is tiny, and has white cabinets and all the appliances are white (Formica countertops curve up and cover the bottom 4" of the wall). There's not a lot of wall space and it currently has a patterned wall-paper that needs to go. It doesn't really get natural light, just fluorescent, plus some spill through from the family room through a wall cutout above the stove. What do you think a nice non-white color would be? Warm yellow or red? Or a cool color? Or should I really stick with white? Thanks! Post Home Staff: Go with cool colors. You have an opportunity to jazz up all those white cabinets with some fun. We like cherry red, turquoise, mandarin orange or chartreuse!
Falls Church, Va.: Where can I get new inserts for sofa cushions? Each cushion is about 24" x 24" and right now they have foam inserts. Also what are the best cushion materials--that won't droop after a couple of years of good use? Thank you. Post Home Staff: Lots of old foam cushions can be wrapped in layers of soft poly batting to rejuvenate them. Decorators do this all the time to get more life out of them. The Little Furniture Shop in Capital Heights, Md. claims to cut foam cushions in any size or shape for furniture, boats, vans or RVs 301 568-8502. Also try a place called American Foam Centers in Arlington which one of our colleagues used. 703 241-7400.
Fairfax, Va.: I have a VERY limited budget so paint is about all I can afford to buy to "gussie" up my home. Do you know of any affordable home/design places where I could pick up affordable ideas? I know the design houses usually suggest expensive things so I need someone willing to work within a limited budget. I need help because I have NO decorating ability at all. Or rather, its terribly conservative and I'm afraid to try new things. Also, I have a big living room that is separated by a knee wall with the kitchen. Any ideas how to separate the rooms but keep them flowing? (paint, plants, etc?) Thanks so much! Post Home Staff: Expo Design is very helpful with tons of ideas. The Great Indoors which just opened in Gaithersburg(see Today's Washington Business section) is also a resource. GO to the Washington Design Center at 300 D St. NW when they have their model rooms for ideas and any decorator show houses. Paint companies have a great brochures that are free and show rooms and color combinations that work. www.waverly.com shows affordable fabrics and wallpapers and paints and furnishings in pretty settings. Good luck.
Alexandria, Va.: I think that I may have seen this on the chat before, but is it possible to paint bathroom floor tile? I have 1940s tile in the bathroom -- pale green and black. The tile on the walls looks fine and is in decent shape, but the floor tile is that multishaded speckled green stuff (I think it may come in sheets -- it's really ugly) and the green of the floor doesn't match the green. Replacing it isn't an option at this point, so I'm wondering if there's some way to paint it white. Would it require a special kind of paint or special preparation? Does it need to be coated with a sealant after painting? Post Home Staff: We understand that if you distress - that means scratch up - an old tile floor, put on primer and then a very heavy special enamel floor paint, you can cover old tile. Ask at a paint store for special floor products. Companies that reglaze porcelain bathtubs can also glaze floors. But that is more expensive. You may just think of getting a large funky bathroom rug
Takoma Park, Md.: What colors would you suggest for bedding with robin's egg blue walls and white trim? Thanks, Also, regarding Air conditioning. I wouldn't turn it off completely during the day. I have a programmable thermostat and have already turned on the AC. It automatically turns up to 80 during the day and programmed to 77 at 5:00 p.m. so when I get home, it's nice and cool. Post Home Staff: You are right, the programmable thermostat is a great way to go. Meanwhile I love blue walls in the bedroom - very soothing. Bedding could be hot pink, yellow or pretty greens.
Phoenix, Md.: Good Morning! I have two questions related to my dining room. First, I have a maple table that has significantly yellowed and also has a number of dents. What are my options for refinishing it? Second, I found a dark wood (almost black) buffet that I absolutely fell in love with. How would this look with my maple table? I am not into everything matching, but want it to look nice. Thanks for your help! Post Home Staff: The two would be fine together. Matching furniture ensembles are so over. Mix and match is great. Your maple table can be improved with one of those refinishing kits you can find at Home Depot or Lowes. Formbys used to make some good ones.
Eastern Shore, Md.: Help, I'm color and home decorating challenged! Just bought a house that has a lot of brick inside -- one full wall in the living room (with a fireplace), etc. We want to paint the living room a lively color in maybe a blue or green, but we don't want it to clash with our brick, with is orangy/black/white. Do you have any suggestions for a nice color that would look okay with brick? What about for brick outdoors -- we want to paint our back doors a color that doesn't clash with the brick exterior. Post Home Staff: This color brick is the toughest to work with in a decorating scheme inside and on the outside too. We would suggest a black door outside. inside, it depends how much orange is in it - Personally we would consider painting over the brick - this requires plastering or putting dry wall over it first and then painting.
Arlington, Va.: In the last three weeks, I've spotted five or six carpenter ants in my house. I know they're carpenter ants because they're big and have those lines on the back end. Spring usually brings the bugs into the house but how concerned should I be? How do you know when you have a real problem or when it's just a few ants coming in the house to find food? And do you have any idea what the average cost of hiring an exterminator to look into this might be? Post Home Staff: First of all, pray you see no more. If you do, you should call for an estimate from a professional exterminator. Call a few exterminators and ask what they would charge to come out for an initial consultation.
Baltimore, Md.: Thanks for taking my question. Do you have a name for that "paper bag" (I think that's how you refer to it) color for wall paint from one of the area paint suppliers? I have a dining room in soft yellow, and a living room which I will be doing in sagey green and a good sized center hall in between that I was thinking of doing in some sort of beigey neutral, with the trim in white. Or do you have any other suggestions? The hallway is 2 stories tall. Thanks. Post Home Staff: Here are a few ideas. Benjamin Moore Burlap 2163-50 or Arizona Tan 2162-50. Or Duron Earthenware 5203M or Boardwalk 5212-M.
Annapolis, Md.: Re: Conversation pit I grew up in a house with one, and it is still tons of fun. My suggestion would be to get lots of different sized throw pillows, and different fabrics too. That way, people can create their own seating arrangement. If you have kids, it is also a great area for them. We used it as basically an indoor sandbox, without the sand. We built forts using all the pillows, would create full scale worlds on the floor, etc. But definitely have lots of comfy throw pillows, and especially some of the big, flatter types, 60x60 to use as backs. We keep all the pillows in the different corners, splayed from largest to smallest, and then people just grab them and make their own spots. Ours has a fireplace and a TV, and everyone has their favorite spot and favorite pillows. I don't know why that concept ever went out of fashion. It is just so wonderful. Have fun! Post Home Staff: You go baby.
Washington, D.C.: I could use your advice and experience to help me make a decision about our kitchen floor. I love the look of wood, but should I use something like Pergo instead? Am I crazy to want wood floors in a kitchen? (We have no kids or pets if those are factors.) My cabinets are white. Also, what color and material would you suggest for the countertop? My tastes run casual and comfortable (not modern)and our adjoining room has antiques made of pine and maple. Thank you! Post Home Staff: We love laminate floors, as we have said earlier in this chat. It has the look of wood, but is so easy to clean and you don't have to refinish every few years. Choose neutral colored counters, unless you want a funky look. If you have antiques in the next room, you might want something like a speckled black and brown surface or black counters would be very crisp.
Fairfax County, Va.: To the all-knowing Home staff: what, if anything, has become of "The Furniture Store" chain? We bought our dining room set and living room chairs there last summer. We are happy with them and were thinking of going back for some bedroom furniture. But I swear I saw a huge "FOR LEASE" sign on the store off of I-395 near Edsall Road in Springfield (we couldn't tell any details from the highway). Have they bitten the dust? Post Home Staff: I'm sorry, we have no experience with this store. Do any of our fellow chatters have info on this?
Washington, D.C.: For the person looking for Indian sheets, etc., try Cost Plus World Market. They have many locations around town. The newest one is in Pentagon Row. I saw a Rajasthani mirror work sheet set there last week. Also, try one of the many Indian Sari shops in the area. A few that come to mind are India Sari Palace (Langley Park (301) 434-1531), Sam & Raj (Langley Park (301) 435-2525)and India Spices and Gifts (Ballston (703) 522-0149). You can make your own sheets! Post Home Staff: Fab!!!
Charlottesville, Va.: Regarding the question about the fireplace smell: the unusual heat undoubtedly caused the smell. I have noticed that our fireplace gives off that smell on the first few hot days of the year. Post Home Staff: Yes. Charlottesville, we have too. Take comfort in numbers!
Takoma Park, Md.: I live in the Historic District of Takoma Park and I want to install an attic fan. Takoma Park rules say I can do this, if the hole in my roof is no larger than the 6-inch diameter exhaust pipe you see sticking out of the roof. Where can I find an attic fan that will use a 6-inch diameter exhaust pipe? Post Home Staff: We've just spoken to a gentleman in the electrical supply shop at Branch Electric Supply Co. and he says he does not know of any vent pipes this narrow. He said standard attic fans vent to 14 inches. Sorry.
Bethesda, Md.: I have a granite question. I just bought a house. The previous owners installed granite tiles for countertops (large tiles). A friend told me that I need to seal them once a year (I think she said "seal" -- she described it as rubbing something on). I can't find any info on this. Can you help me PLEASE! Thanks. Post Home Staff: Two of us have granite countertops and that question has never come up. We might look into it for a story though. You do have to seal things like soapstone, limestone or marble.
Bethesda, Md.: I enjoyed today's kitchen-renovation article very much. Like the author, I'm struggling with how to create a good "flow" as we're now going through kitchen decisions for a new house we're building. Do you know of any resources that could help me? I can't go to Home Depot, etc., for a design because the basic plan is already in place. I'm just trying to figure out where, logically, to put special drawers and pullouts, etc. Thanks for any help you can give! washingtonpost.com: A Cook's Recipe For a Kitchen That Works (Post, April 18) Post Home Staff: We are glad you enjoyed today's Home section. Certainly places like Home Depot and Lowe's can provide a lot of great assistance. But you might think of hiring a certified kitchen planner for a couple of hours of consultation in a room you'll be using for years.
Post Home Staff: Thanks a lot for tuning in. Good luck on your spring cleaning projects. Let's hope the heat breaks and we have some nice days to garden and spruce up our decks and patios before the real heat wave begins.
washingtonpost.com: That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.
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