We all want to achieve the American dream of home ownership; but along with your name on a title comes all of the maintenance and repairs. When we purchased our first home almost two years ago, a 1910 craftsman, we noticed very little that needed repair.

Needless to say, to date we have built an addition, remodeled two bathrooms, done a complete kitchen remodel, repainted, and landscaped the yard. We finally thought we were done, and were looking forward to our first weekend that we could relax in what seemed like ages. That was, until I noticed some small picture holes that needed patching, dotting the walls of the family room. Should be an easy fix, right? Wrong. We patched the holes and touched up the taupe paint with the can the previous owners had conveniently left. A couple of hours later, we returned to find our walls stylishly spotted with polka-dots in a slightly lighter shade than the rest of the smoky-brown room. Obviously, the previous owners had mixed the paint color with something else, leaving us with having to repaint the whole room. (more…)

Have you taken a close look at your interior design lately? Is it in need of a trendy makeover? One of the easiest, least expensive ways to quickly update your home is by applying some fresh paint. Gone are the days of plain white, boring walls. Not that you can’t stick to the clean simplicity of white, but you are no longer restricted to only a handful of design options.

Have you checked out the CalFinder Library recently? You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find a new collection of articles featuring the numerous painting possibilities popular in interior design today. Topics include the following: (more…)

Garage floors are most commonly made out of concrete. Concrete, or cement, tends to be porous in nature and over time can become stained and difficult to clean. One way to overcome this, and to help your garage maintain an attractive appearance, is through the use of epoxy coatings.

Epoxy coatings are chosen for garage floors because they are more durable than regular paints, will resist oils, and if properly installed will not peel. Preparation is perhaps the most important element in obtaining a successful result. It is important to prepare the cement surface with an acid cleaner before applying the epoxy. Make sure the concrete is completely dry before proceeding with the epoxy. This will make the surface more susceptible to accepting the epoxy, reducing the risk for peeling later-on. (more…)