Beautiful bubble bathtub, small tiles

Just like a long soak in a luxurious whirlpool tub, your bathroom should offer a look that relaxes and renews-whether you’re waking up to start the day or winding down after hours on the run. Surround yourself with colors, textures, materials, and accessories that make you feel comfortable, happy and relaxed. Success comes from making choices that can be enjoyed day in and day out.

To create a mountain fresh bathroom for example, search out textured materials that look as though they have been harvested from the Rockies. If cool and sleek is a more suitable style, choose tile or stone finishes with a smooth, polished look.

Setting sail for your own island oasis can be as easy as opening a can of paint. To create an illusionary island oasis, choose vibrant colors such as those commonly found in Caribbean resorts-warm sunny yellows and soothing sea blues. For added flavor, dot in the vibrant hues from tropical fruit-such as papaya pink and kiwi green.

Trim and other accents in white teamed with generous doses of sunlight are essential ingredients as well. Banks of windows always provide a plus-the more real sunshine the better. Use windows to frame the view to emphasize the connection to the outdoors.

Feel free to creatively mix materials. Exotic getaways frequently blend textures and shapes. Mixing of matte slate floors and glossy Italian ceramic tiles with deep wooden moldings, a tongue-and-groove ceiling, and smooth, shapely pedestal sinks can make a dreamy tropical paradise in your home.

For centuries, blue and white delftware has captured decorators’ fancy and remained a popular vintage collectible and decorating theme even today. If that’s your passion, bring it into the bathroom, surrounding yourself with the things you love.

Create your own special look using today’s enormous range of hand-painted tiles. Or create a one-of-a-kind pattern using varying solid colors and relief tiles from off -the-shelf sources.

Choose cabinetry that plays up the feeling formed by the tile. Elegant designs can be created by cabinetry that has a white washed finish that keeps it from appearing new. Big 12×12-inch floor tiles with repeating tones of the cabinetry that continues to the shower, can provide a subtle stage that allows the delft elements to provide the drama.

In creating a classical setting, choose accessories to enhance the theme for example you might try to color match the delft with blue and white trimmings such as a flower pot, or vase even a tissue holder, all of these items team up with towels and fabrics in the same palette to sprinkle the colors throughout the bathroom.

Paint is one of the cheapest and quickest fixes that you can do to your home. Your house will look better and if you are trying to sell, you will get back more money than you invested in the paint. There are many different types of paint to choose from. Oil, Latex, Sheen (Gloss), Color or Decorative Paint.

Oil vs. Latex: Latex is what most people use because it is water-based, durable, and easy to clean up. Oil (also known as alkyd) is still available in most parts of the country. It is a little harder to work with and it isn’t easy to clean up or dispose of, but it still have uses.

Sheen (Gloss): The glossier the paint, the easier it is to clean. The more flat or less glossy, the more it hides mistakes. You should use flatter sheens on most of the walls. Use glossier sheens on trim and in kitchens, and baths, all of which get a lot of splatters, fingerprints, and other abuse.

Color: Believe it or not, white is not the only color and white on white is not the only color scheme. Though it may seem “safe”, you can do so much more. Read literature and do some research and check which scheme would work best for you. When you are ready, buy a quart and put it in the section of the wall you want to paint, then paint the trim also and live in it for a few days and see if you still like it. If it’s a disaster, redo it. If you like, finish the house.

Decorative Paint: Sponging, dragging, stippling, texturing add a lot to a room and are easy to master. Before you start on your walls, get a piece of drywall and try different techniques and color schemes.

You should always use two people when wallpapering the ceiling. Make sure you use heavy duty adhesive and give yourself plenty of time to complete the job. If you are using the same paper on the walls, paper the ceiling first and make sure to match the seams from ceiling to walls.

Step1: PRIME AND PATCH THE CEILING

Lay out the paper on the ceiling so that the strips will overlap the wall by about ½ inch. When you lay out the strip, hold a roll of paper against the ceiling at one side of the room. Now, mark on the ceiling ½ inch from the end of the roll. Go the the other side and make a similar mark.

Step2: SNAP A CHALK LINE CONNECTING THE TWO MARKS.

You will want to use blue chalk because red chalk will bleed through the paper. Cut a strip of paper to the exact length and then apply wallpaper paste activator.

Step3: WORKING IN SMALL SECTIONS, POSITION THE STRIP AGAINST THE GUIDELINE

Make sure you overlap the side wall by ½ inch and the end walls by 2 inches. Take a smooth brush and flatten the strip as you work. If you are going to cover the walls with the same paper, trim the ceiling wallpaper so it overlaps the wall by ½ inch. If you are not covering the walls then trim the excess by holding a broad knife against the corner and cutting with a razor knife.

Step4: CUT OUT A SMALL WEDGE OF WALLPAPER IN THE CORNER SO THAT THE STRIP WILL LIE SMOOTH.

Press the wallpaper into the corner with a broad knife.

Wouldn’t it be nice if a fresh coat of paint over a good primer would cover over stains, water marks, and mildew? When the paint is still wet it may appear to cover, but as it dries these stains will seep through and you’ll end up with a fresh coat of stained paint.

Before you prime or paint, remove all stains and mildew. It will take some elbow grease, but cleaning it before hand will save you time in the long run because you won’t have to repaint it. The best thing to use to destroy the spores that cause mildew is regular household bleach diluted with water. You will need to fix water stains at the source before you repair the wall or ceiling.

Water leaches chemicals from wood and drywall. When the mixture seeps through a wall or ceiling, it stains. Mildew is a spore in the air. Given food (paper or paint) and moisture, mildew flourishes on walls.

Step1: MIX THREE PARTS WATER TO ONE PART LAUNDRY BLEACH

You will want to mix this two solutions in a bucket. If you are sensitive to bleach, protect your eyes and hands.

Step2: APPLY LIBERALLY WITH A SPONGE

Apply again after 20 minutes even if the mold has disappeared.

Step3: RINSE OFF THE BLEACH AND DEAD MILDEW WITH CLEAN, FRESH WATER

Allow it to dry throughly before cleaning with TSP substitute. Then prime with a stain-blocking primer and paint.

Stippling is a subtractive finish. You apply the glaze and then you remove some of it. You do this by pouncing or bouncing the ends of a finely bristled stippling brush through wet glaze. It creates a more finely textured surface than sponging on or off. However, it does require more effort to pounce the brush over every inch of the glazed wall. A stippling brush has long bristles that cover a larger area than the end of a regular brush with each pounce. Stippling brushes are more expensive, but worth every penny to get the right effect. For the edges of the wall you should get the edge stippler. It has a narrow design that makes it easier to pounce along the edges.

You can also use stippling as an additive effect. You can dip a brush into the glaze mix and apply it to the wall lightly by slapping the bristles against the palm of your hand and splattering tiny drops of paint on the base coat.

Step1: PRACTICE AND PRIME

First apply a semigloss base coat. Brush short sections and then roll out as many of the brush strokes as possible. Finish rolling the area and paint more of the edges with the brush. Allow the base coat to dry. Mix the paint and the glaze with four parts glaze and one part paint. Only roll the section of the wall that you will be able to stipple before it begins to dry. Pounce or bounce the stippling brush on the glaze surface to create your effect. Brush on the glaze near the edges. Apply it elsewhere with a 3/8-inch roller or a foam roller. Use less glaze if you are looking for a lighter finish and apply it in random swirls with a paint brush.

Step2: STIPPLE THE GLAZE

Always work from top to bottom. Pounce the brush so that you feel a rebound from bending the bristles. Gently push to finely freckle the layer of glaze. The effect on the wall should be even. Turn your wrist between each application of the brush to avoid creating a pattern. You will need to remove excess glaze from the brush because a loaded brush won’t leave a finely textured surface. Use a rag to absorb excess finish from the bristles and to lighten the overall effect of the wall. Clean the brush after every five or six pounces. Stipple the corners. Move along the wall, rolling and stippling, section by section. In the corners use a small, stiff-bristled brush to stipple around the edges of the wall.