The Michelangelo of house painters - and he's mine!

I don't usually give shout-outs to tradespeople, even those who come into my home and do superlative work, but I simply cannot resist it this time. People of the GTA, I have discovered a truly great house painter.I met Rene when he came to my place in the summer to repaint the living and dining room (so glad I went with CIL’s Apricot – I love it, especially with cranberry red accents). I was impressed with Rene back then because he did great work. But I’ve become a true fan since he returned a few weeks ago to finish the painting associated with the never-ending reno (it's ending soon, I really mean it.) My husband John and I decided that we just did not have the time to finish the painting that needed to be done in the closets and the stair well, which includes a hard-to-get-at pitched ceiling. I was further intimated after I stripped the vinyl wallpaper (??//***!!! is what I have to say about vinyl wallpaper) from the hallway and realized the walls beneath were a bit beat up. They needed the kind of TLC that I just could not give them. Not only did Rene skim coat the wonky walls beautifully, he used his plastering skills to touch up the little shelf in the landing and smoothed out the baseboards and door trim so well that they look like new. Plus, he gets here on time and cleans up spic and span after himself. It was one of those time when it was absolutely worth it to have someone else do the job. Rene has recently come to Canada from Eastern Europe by way of Chicago, so he doesn’t yet have his own website, but if you have your own little paint job that you can’t seem to get to, you can contact him at 647 990 5492. Tell him Vicky sent you.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I love the holiday mantels that Arren Williams styled for HomeSense, and plan to try some of the affordable decor ideas he’s suggested, such as making “bunting” out of Christmas cards cut into triangles and glued to a pearl trim (seen in the icy blue and silver-themed mantel at left). But since I’m a traditionalist (sort of), I’m truly, madly, deeply drawn to his modern romantic theme (lower  pic) — I love the mix of gleaming copper and gold.

 

The ever-clever Janette Ewen  offers an online demonstration of how to make an easy, elegant centrepiece. While I don’t have Janette’s eye, I recently created a centrepiece simply by piling strings of inexpensive gold beads in a crystal bowl and then nestling gold ornaments in among them. This was a great way to use those older bulbs that have lost their lustre — they look almost like mercury glass.

One bit of advice — don’t feel compelled to use ALL your Christmas ornaments every year. Do a bit of judicious editing to avoid a jumbled look. And keep in mind that even if you don’t celebrate Christmas — this is also a great time of year to ready your home for winter entertaining. Why not, for example, finally hang all those family photos that have been sitting around forever? Click here to go to the website for Hang and Level (a great gadget  for DIY-challenged homeowners), which has good tips for hanging art.

Santa wants you to be safe

I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but it behooves all of us right now to think just a little about holiday safety. Coz as my dear old ma used to say, it's all fun and games, isn't it, until someone gets hurt. So check out the following no-duh tips from CSA International, which provides product testing and certification services for electrical products in Canada and the U.S.

Don’t buy electrical products that are missing a certification mark from an accredited certification organization, such as CSA International. Without such, they could be fake. Tell-tale signs include packaging with inferior design, partial illustrations and misspelling. Be wary of very low prices.

Discard Christmas light strings with frayed cords, cracked lamp holders or loose connections. Use insulated fasteners such as tape or plastic clips — never tacks or staples — to hold lights in place.

Don’t run electrical cords through doorways or under carpets and rugs, and don’t hang decorations on or near fire sprinklers, fire extinguishers, exit corridors or exit signs. It is, however, okay to string unlit lights around your head - especially if you're an impossibly cute child (see pic above).

Before working with outdoor wiring, turn off the electricity to the supply outlet and unplug the connection.

When hanging lights outdoors, keep electrical connectors above ground, out of puddles or snow and away from metal gutters.

Make sure your home is equipped with carbon-monoxide (CO) alarms. One smoke alarm is not enough; install them on every level of your home and outside all sleeping areas.

Don’t store holiday wrapping paper and decorations near your gas furnace.

Click here to see a short animated video on potential holiday dangers. Click here for more info on holiday  safety tips.

Shovel mix up

I don’t think I’ve ever actually meant a Garant snow shovel that I didn’t like — they make such good stuff! Which is probably why I mixed up the pictures of two shovels in my Hot Home Products column on Nov. 21. The pic above is of the new G4 shovel, which is widely available for about $37. In describing it, I said that it uses good old-fashioned physical energy to push and shovel snow, and scrape and clean sidewalks, adding that it will not — unfortunately —  do any of those tasks while you sit indoors with a toddy. I jokingly remarked that that’s what teenagers are for. My teenagers didn’t think it was funny. They’ll probably be laughing their heads off in January!!!!

Good advice on a quick paint query

I don’t normally post queries from readers, but since I got two in one week about painting banisters and railings, I decided it might be a good idea to share the information I gathered. One reader had decided that spending around $3,000 to refinish an oak railing to match her new flooring didn’t make good financial sense. Instead, she wanted to repaint it, and asked what kind of paint and finish would work best. Never having painted railings (thank goodness!), I asked Bev Bell, paint expert for Home Hardware, for her thoughts. Bev responded that the task would be pretty easy to tackle (really – even the spindles?) and was optimistic that the results would be great. She suggested that the reader prepare the surface by washing it down with TSP or Safe Prep before lightly scuffing it with 120 grit sandpaper or a fine sanding sponge. Then she advised using Beauti-Tone’s melamine paint — an alkyd product that’s enhanced with urethane and has an eggshell finish. It’s high adhesion, self levelling and does not require a primer. It comes in pre-mixed black and white (which can be tinted). There, that was easy!  Any more questions?

Splurge on a scarf and check the chimney

Winter’s on its way — whether you like it or not. The best defence against winter is a good offense (and maybe a gorgeous scarf - don't you love Jenne Giles' rose scarf, which I found at The Artful Home?) On a more sensible note, there's excellent advice from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. They suggest you:

Have the furnace or heating system serviced (every two years for a gas furnace, and every year for an oil furnace.)

Clean or replace furnace air filters monthly until the Spring. (If you’re looking at replacing or upgrading an HVAC system, now is the time to do it. You can still benefit from the HRTC grant, you may qualify for energy retrofit grants (ask your supplier) and you’ll avoid the additional costs that the Harmonized Sales Tax will add to the installation next year.)

Check bathroom exhaust fans and range hoods to see that they are operating properly.

Vacuum electric baseboard heaters to remove dust.

Clean portable humidifiers.

Replace window screens with storm windows and remove interior insect screens to let air from the heating system keep condensation off the glass and allow more solar heat in.

Check that exterior doors close tightly.

Make sure windows and skylights close tightly; if they don't, repair or replace weatherstripping.    

Cover outside air-conditioning units, and shut off power.

Check chimneys for obstructions, such as nests.

Drain and store outdoor hoses.

Get more great advice about year-round home maintenance from the CMCH.

A sleek and sexy - kitchen?

I saw some pretty sexy stuff at the recent Jenn-Air showcase in the Distillery District. And I’m not talking about Jenn-Air designer William MacDonald and MC Arren Williams – although they both cleaned up nicely too. Check out the Jenn-Air kitchen in the pic at left - all sleek clean lines and floating black glass surfaces. One of the things that had the normally hard-to-impress audience enthralled was the new duct-free downdraft cooktop, which can be used in any space where ductwork can’t be run to the outside (think high-rises). The system vents to an under- the-counter unit that uses a powerful blower to push steam and smoke through a filter (which needs to be changed every three months or so). The theory sounds good — rather than a mixing odours with the air by fanning them, smells are immediately captured and forced through the filter.

The system is also supposed to be super quiet, although it was hard to tell with the crowd ooh-ing and ahh-ing the way they were. The duct-free design means the range can be placed virtually anywhere in the room. It also has tap touch controls, and comes in stainless steel, floating glass and oiled bronze (this is not the same oiled bronze Jenn-Air came out with a few years ago  and which I found a little too yellow – it’s deeper and richer and, to my mind, much more attractive.) Available in 30-inch and 36-inch configurations in both gas and electric, prices start at about $2,150. Jenn-Air also boasts that this baby has the most powerful burner on a downdraft cooktop and electronic ignition. I also loved the built-in wall oven (more on that later).

Still a gas guzzler? That’s SO not cool.

Canadians who waste energy will soon be regarded with the same disdain as those who continue to smoke in the face of evidence of the damage it does to the individual and those around them, according to a new poll conducted by Leger Marketing. The survey, sponsored by appliance manufacturer Bosch, indicates that seven out of ten Canadians say it’s socially unacceptable to be environmentally irresponsible.

“We’re seeing changing sensibilities around the environment and sustainability,” says Dr. David Bell, former Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University and a spokesperson for Bosch, which is pushing its own green credentials. “Today, it’s simply unacceptable to smoke in someone’s house. Our ecoculture is growing leaps and bounds in the same way today, and soon people who blatantly disregard the environment will be treated as outcasts.”

According to the survey, 85 per cent of Canadians are committed to greener living, while 29 per cent self-identify as “green crusaders” or “green ambassadors”. But almost all Canadians report having take some steps to be greener, whether it be using re-usable shopping bags (78 per cent), switching to energy-efficient light bulbs ones (68 per cent), choosing earth-friendly household products (53 per cent) or purchasing energy-efficient kitchen or laundry appliances (50 per cent).

Bell predicts that companies will only succeed if they have a strong commitment to green production.  “In the very near future," he says, "the assumption will be: if you want to have a successful business, you must operate it a sustainable basis.”

Get cracking for credit

It’s time to get cracking if you want to take advantage of the $1,350 Home Renovation Tax Credit. You have until February 1, 2010, and the credit applies to a variety of home improvement tasks. They include the unsexy stuff like replacing windows and doors (or roof window – see pic above — which is actually kinda sexy, IMHO!), installing a permanent home ventilation or central air conditioning system, digging a well or changing electrical service. Then there are the tasks that are more fun: interior or exterior painting, landscaping with perennial shrubs and flowers, adding permanent garden lighting or a water fountain, or adding new flooring. For a full list go to www.cra-arc.gc.ca.  

If flooring is on your mind and you live in the GTA, check out Home Depot’s three-day guaranteed basic installation package. It’s available on 12 special order carpets that retail for between $1.11 and $2.44 per square foot. They also have a basic package in all stores; for $199, you can get basic installation any number of rooms of in-stock or special order carpet when installed by their own service people. The prices includes labour, but not underpad, moving furniture, removing existing carpet or flooring, or installing carpet on steps.

This is also a great time to tackle those painting jobs you’ve been putting off. If you do, consider one of the great greens that are popping up these days. I like the new shades from CIL (see pic above) and Behr (see pic below).

Energy saving sparkle

Toronto Hydro is making sure Christmas comes early this year. Under their Festival Light Exchange (c’mon, they mean Christmas) program, they’ll give homeowners a free string of LEDs (which use about 95 per cent less than conventional lights) for every two strings of energy-guzzling incandescents brought into designated locations They also have cute green decorating ideas on their website. Very merry indeed.