Rickstrange Home Improvement

Archive for the ‘Kitchen’ Category

Have you noticed that you spend a lot of money on all sorts of aerated drinks? If aerated beverages such as sodas, seltzers and sparkling water form a big part of your monthly expenses then it is time that you did something to control the amount of money you spend. You might initially start by restricting the number of glasses that your family drinks or how often they can have them, and this will result in a lot of resistance from them. Do you really think your kids will agree to drinking fewer sodas? If you buy a machine for making carbonated beverages at home you can easily have all the drinks you want without worrying too much about the expenses.

Most people who want to save money on sodas end up buying large bottles of them. The problem is that these bottles tend to lose their fizz very fast and the last few glasses that are poured from them tend to be nothing more than flavored water. Large bottles of soda don’t really work out to be very cheap if you end up throwing away the beverage after it turns flat. Read the rest of this entry »

Lean-to conservatories can be the perfect extension for any kitchen, but the style seems to particularly compliment contemporary kitchens. You will certainly hear arguments in articles on kitchen design against using a conservatory to extend your kitchen, there are a number of pros and cons. I think it is worth giving a brief summary of those points, although you will find more detailed discussion of this in other articles on this site.

Extending your kitchen using a conservatory can create not only more space, but also adds a lot to the look of your kitchen. Using a conservatory instead of a traditional extension can also save you quite a lot of money. If you put a kitchen in a conservatory you will need to comply with building regs however, and this is arguably the biggest downside of putting your kitchen in a conservatory.

I assume that if you are still reading that you probably agree with me that although there are challenges there are so many advantages to this style of kitchen that it is worth the effort. In this article I will be looking at a style of kitchen and conservatory that I think particularly suit each other. Read the rest of this entry »

A clogged garbage disposal can be extremely annoying and time consuming to repair. However, you may be able to save yourself plenty of time and headaches by following some basic garbage disposal repair guidelines.

Your obvious indicator that you have this issue is that water not going down the drain or that garbage simply bubbles around in the sink instead of being dissolved in the disposal mechanism. The most common issue is that there is some sort of piece of food is obstructing the disposal and backing up an other particles you may have put down the disposal before you realized there was an obstruction.

So what is the first step? Read the rest of this entry »

Are you a fan of striking colours in fashion and artwork? If you find beige or ‘greige’ to be bland and boring, colourful kitchen renovations may be perfect for you. Colour can be difficult to manipulate in the interior design context, as a bright and impressive colour that looks great on paper can quickly become grating when you are faced with it every day. Colour can be even more difficult in kitchens, as having so many different surfaces with your appliances, sink and bench tops can easily make the space feel visually busy and messy. Read the rest of this entry »

To quote, the Immortal Bard’s As You Like It, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and entrances…” And, the one thing we have found during those “exits and entrances” is that it really would be fine if there were more pull-out shelves available. Here’s a real recent situation where a couple moved from a huge home:

To a Small Apartment

With 3 Small Closets

And way too many items Read the rest of this entry »

If you have ever heard of the “kitchen triangle” you must know that it harkens back to a day when everything had to be efficient, economical and logical, somehow. This 1940s idea was used as a staple of kitchen design for many generations, as it was felt that the sink, stove and refrigerator must be located at each point of the triangle, so that the cook would be able to complete all of those chores with barely a step and a turn. Back then we simply couldn’t afford to be inefficient, as the world at large dictated that we should keep waste to a minimum and utilise our space purely for one reason alone. Read the rest of this entry »

Installing an electric cooktop is not as hard as some people may think. In fact, they’re definitely easier compared to their gas counterparts. Not only are there lesser attachments but the process actually take lesser time to do. That being said, following are some step on how to install an electrical cooktop.

Location

First off, keep in mind that even without an open flare, an electric cooktop still needs to be placed at a specific overhead distance. Anything below 30 inches is not acceptable, especially if the above area is made of wooden kitchen cabinets. Also, try to place the cooktop as near as possible to the socket in order to prevent strain between the wires. Read the rest of this entry »

It is always a joy to barbeque in any occasion and practically at any given season. And when you think having a barbeque with your friends and loved ones can’t get any better the gas barbeque smoker came out in the market. The outdoor gas smoker along with the electric type brought convenience and ease to the art of barbequing.

With the outdoor gas smoker, you can use either propane or natural gas. The use of clean fuel is advisable because it will not interfere with the taste of your food. Gas barbeque outdoor smokers usually come in compact sizes depending on the brand and quality that you are going to choose. And if you are worried because you are just starting to use your first gas smoker, do not worry. Most of the outdoor gas smokers today are very simple to use even the most inexperienced of all cooks can operate this wonderful contraption. All you have to do is follow the instructions below as well as the manual that comes with your newly bought gas smoker. Read the rest of this entry »

Having a dark and dreary kitchen can be fixed by quickly installing some under cabinet lighting. It’s surprisingly easy, depending on the type of light you decide to install. Let’s take a look at 5 great solutions for putting lights underneath kitchen cabinets.

1) Florescent – This is a popular method of lighting the under side of kitchen cabinetry, but light bulbs can burn out faster than other solutions, such as LED lights. Some people don’t like the look of florescent lighting, saying it is too flat. Either way, this is a popular solution for many users. Read the rest of this entry »

A step by step guide telling you how to install slate tiles on your floors. This is a technique which can be used indoors, most commonly in the kitchen.

Step 1: Un-packing, mixing and sorting the slate

As slate is a natural stone, it’s prone to being cut at different thickness. With some slates ranging from 5mm on one end of the tile to 15mm at the other end. This isn’t always the case but the size/thickness does usually vary between tiles, however it is not recommended to lay a 5mm think slate tile next to one of 15mm/20mm as the step created between tiles can prove to be not only dangerous but also very unpleasant to walk on and even look at. An effective method of sorting slate is to arrange them into 3 piles of thick, medium and thin. This will help during the installation of the tiles as you won’t have any major differences in thickness, however to eliminate all steps between tiles is not always the case as most customers are expecting a slight step here and there (this is usually the desired effect when purchasing tiles such as natural slate). Read the rest of this entry »