Home Front
With The Washington Post Home Staff
Thursday, April 3, 2003; 11 a.m. ET Every other week, the Washington 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. 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.
Washington Post Home Staff: Good morning all. Spring has FINALLY sprung and we're raring to go with all your questions. Right after our chat, Jura will be leaving for Italy so she can bring back the latest on styles introduced at the Milan Furniture Fair. And for those of us looking for inspiration in the interim, there's the new Design House at the Washington Design Center at 300 D Street SW ! Here we go!
Alexandria, Va.: I am redoing my bathroom. The walls and floor will be white, so I'm thinking about painting my claw foot tub to add some color. I'm leaning toward a blue or bluish green, something tranquil. Any suggestions? Washington Post Home Staff: Dear Alexandria, we think bluish green would be beautiful. We're kind of partial to a Benjamin Moore turquoise - Blue seafoam. It's No. 2056-If you'd like to go a little darker, there's a teal called Blue Lagoon No. 2054-40 and somewhere in the middle, Bahaman Sea Blue No. 2055-40. They're very different from each other but we think they'll do the trick.
Animal Farm: Hope you might have some experience with the following flooring dilemmas. Which kitchen option would stand up best to two cats, one large dog, and one not-quite-housebroken puppy: linoleum? Hardwood? Pergo? And in the other rooms, do natural fiber rugs stand a chance? Thanks for the chats! Washington Post Home Staff: Dear Animal Farm:
For naughty puppies and scratchy cats, we think linoleum and Pergo would be a safer bet than wood. If that stuff soaks in, you'll never get rid of the odor. If you mean sisal, we're afraid they're a magnet for cat claws and wet spots don't do so well. You might want to hold off on a rug until the puppy is completely reliable - hopefully soon.
Alexandria, Va.: Good morning, and thank you for taking our questions. Given normal wear and tear, how often do you recommend that interior walls and ceilings be repainted? In other words, since we see them everyday, we might not be able to tell when they're becoming dull and dingy. Thank you! Washington Post Home Staff: Good morning Alexandria. To answer your question, we called Richard Lepper, manager of the Bethesda Strosnider's paint department and he said it is of course a matter of personal choice how often consumers paint their walls. It depends on the quality of the paint they use. First of all, he suggests using a paint that costs over $25 a gallon as benchmark for a high-quality paint which will give you the longest possible wear. Richard says that if you use a flat paint, you should expect five to ten years out of the paint job depending on how careful you are. If you use eggshell or semi-gloss they should definitely last seven to 10 years. On a stairway, little hands or suitcases knocking against the wall might be a different story.
Centreville, Va.: I have two-story great room and wanted a built-in entertainment center. Will it be dwarfed by the tall ceilings? Washington Post Home Staff: Dear Centreville: as long as you're building it in yourself, you can go as high as you want. Tall Walls (www.tallwallsinc.com) a Pa. source for towering furniture recommends 10-12 foot built ins for pleasing proportions. Standard eight-footers will, as you suspected, look miniscule.
Potomac, Md.: Any ideas on how to get candle wax out of carpet? It's not really shaggy carpet. Thanks Washington Post Home Staff: Dear Potomac. Oops. We've all been in your predicament. One thing you can try is to et some paper towel and put it over the wax and then use an iron on low to gently melt the wax. It will be absorbed by the towel. We've actually tried this method when a thoughtful guest blew out a candle and sprayed wax all over our yellow living room walls. The iron method got rid of it.
Washington, D.C.: What do you think of wood cabinets mixed with wood laminate floors in a kitchen? Too much wood? Washington Post Home Staff: Good morning D.C. It really depends on the kinds of wood finishes you've got.
Actually, Jura has beautiful natural cherry cabinets and Pergo floors in a cherry finish that are slightly lighter and the effect is wonderful.
A lot of designers and architects recommend a wood look for kitchen floors these days. The countertop you choose can also make a difference. Think off-white Corian or a pinkish granite for further contrast.
Alexandria, Va.: We are having our whole house painted and must stick to one color. I want bright white trim and something versatile, but rich. Basically, what are your favorite paint colors? Washington Post Home Staff: It depends. If you want a neutral background, the bright white woodwork will make even off-whites look colorful. Designers favor Benjamin Moore's White Dove for a subtle creamy off white and BM's Linen white for a more yellowy effect. These colors will go with practically anything and you can buy them ready-mixed. If you're looking for something more colorful, sign back on and we'll look for something livelier.
Kensington, Md.: Thanks for taking my question.
I want to change the look of my fireplace and hearth by covering the brick between the mantel and firebox with marble tiles. Is there a special adhesive that needs to be used on fireplaces due to the heat? Do I need special tiles? Thank you Washington Post Home Staff: Hi Kensington. We checked in with designer Karen Frye, manager of Design Tile Inc. at Tyson's Corner. If you use marble, you should use a modified thin set for adhesive. It works over plywood and concrete as well as brick, Any marble is fireproof, she says, as well as any ceramic, porcelain or limestone tiles. (Some glass tiles are NOT fireproof). If you use a light colored marble, use white THin Set, she says and make sure to have the marble sealed so you can brush away soot later. Good luck.
Arlington, Va.: Any suggestions for products to get rid of a bad mildew problem in a stall shower? Or, if I need to recaulk, how do I go about doing that? I inherited this problem from the previous owner and it's disgusting. Thanks. Washington Post Home Staff: Dear Arlington. We've got the scoop from a book called "No Time to Clean" by Don Aslett. First of all, know that mildew is a fungus that thrives on moisture and temperatures between 75 and 85 degrees. To get rid of it, he suggests products like Showers-n-Stuff, or an acidic disinfectant called Bac Down; he suggests a grout brush or nylon scrub sponge for the job. If all else fails, a mixture of 1-5 Chlorine bleach to water will remove mildew from hard surfaces that can withstand bleach (but watch out for your carpet or clothing).
Re: Repainting walls: I've had great results using TSP to wash walls, and especially trim. It makes the walls look a LOT cleaner. Washington Post Home Staff: Thanks. We love hearing about tried and true products.
Lincoln Park, Washington, D.C.: I am thinking of redoing a walk-in closet in our house. Now it has only hanging bars, and we need some shelf space in addition to bars. I like the versatility of Elfa system, but the price seems a little high. Where else should I look? Washington Post Home Staff: Dear Lincoln Park:
We knbow Elfa isn't cheap but it's a good reliable system and the best thing is that you can always add to it. You might also try one of the many companies that offer custom closet built ins like Closet Factory, California Closets or Perfect Closets. The latter was recommended by a designer.
Washington, D.C.: Re: The question from animal farm -- Would ceramic or other type of tile also be an option? If not, why not? Thanks. Washington Post Home Staff: Good idea. Animal Farm, what do you think?
Crystal City, Va.: Can you recommend a good shade of yellow paint? Yellow walls always make me so happy, so I definately want more than just a "hint" of yellow, but I don't want something that looks too jarring. Can you help? Washington Post Home Staff: We love yellow, too, Crystal City but as you've already surmised, a little can go a long way. Remember, color looks a lot stronger on the wall than the chip. Duron has a really pretty yellow called Morning Moon (7271W); a brighter one called Yellow Begonia (7242Wand more of a lemon yellow called Afternoon Delight (7231W). Some of the faintly mustardy Provence yellows work well too (like Duron's Light Honey (7721W)and Roman Chamomile (7722W). Designers warn that yellows with a greenish cast are NOT particularly becoming so you might want to test some of these out before committing to an entire room. None of them seem too jarring to us, though.
Manassas, Va.: I saw a countertop at the Great Indoors called "Avanza." Do you know anything about it? Would you recommend? Washington Post Home Staff: Hi Manassas. We spoke Karen Haines, a spokesperson for the Great Indoors in Gaithersburg and she says Avanza is a product that they've had since last year. It's a natural quartz countertop surfacing material imported from Italy and a little less expensive than granite (but about the same price as Corian)There's a good Web site, www.avanzausa.com for more information. We can't officially recommend it because we've never tried it but it sounds cool.
Fairlington, Va.: I live in the basement of a two-story condo, and I have those very small windows, near the ceiling. There are two in my bedroom and one in my living room. Any suggestions for inexpensive window coverings? Not a lot of light gets through them, so I don't want to block light out, but just want them to look pretty! Washington Post Home Staff: Hi Fairlington. Patsy's daughter has a Fairlington condo, too so we know those windows all too well. The Persnickety chain is one of the best sources we know for ready-made but cool curtains. Debbi Smith, the manager of the Bethesda store at 10305 Old Georgetown Road (301-530-8805) says that they have several read-made window treatments that might work including sheer balloon shades that you can tie up with attached ribbons (or let down at night); a drop down shade with a white on white window pane pattern thta you can also pull up. She also suggests ruching (gathering ) fabric on a 4 1/2 inch wide continental rod which would give you a soft fabric look above the window but which wouldn't cut out any of the light.
Alexandria, Va.: Paint Lady Again... More of a Latte color. Any ideas. Something that will make the white trim pop. Washington Post Home Staff: Hi again, Alex. Patsy used a beautiful latte color from Pratt & Lambert called Platinum (No. 2043). P & L also has a beauty called Lamswool (yes, that's the correct spelling!) which is number 2269and Pebble (Number 2282). they all look great with that white trim. Hope these help.
Silver Spring, Md.: What a neat story today on the "Got Junk?" couple. Maybe I didn't read it carefully enough, but what do they do with all the junk? Sell it? And if so, where? Thanks. washingtonpost.com: In For the Short Haul, (Post, April 3) Washington Post Home Staff: Silver Spring: Jura says thanks. It was a very interesting story to write. What the Rubins told her about it, that so far, what they've picked up from area homes is broken and stained and building materials. It was all taken to the area dump where it is separated into recyclables. They said that if they did get furniture that seemed useable, they would definitely donate it to a charity.
Washington Post Home Staff: We can't believe that we've run out of time again, but alas, we have. We hope our answers helped. We love checking in with the experts for the questions we can't answer from our own experience and we love pawing through those paint fans in search of the perfect color. See you two weeks from now, same time. Same station. Meanwhile, enjoy the weather and our beautiful cherry trees if you're in town. The Home Team.
washingtonpost.com: That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.
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