By brwood
at 10:48AM,
a year ago
|
under
Shop Smarter
In the mid-1800s door hardware to a great leap forward, along with most other things, due to the industrial revolution. Door handles went from blacksmith wrought thumb levers (
the style you still see in gate hardware today) and handmade brass and iron rim locks, to mass produced iron rim and mortise locks sold throughout the country by retailers like
Sears and Roebuck. By 1880, Yale had invented the modern pin tumbler lock and key system. About 1925, Mr. Schlage invented the modern cylindrical lockset and revolutionized the installation process--though these didn't really catch on until the post WWII building boom.
Then, sixty years of nothing.
Your hotel room and you ATM kiosk got electronic magnetic card reader locks. Your car not only got keyless entry, but it could remember where you wanted the mirrors and seats and change from wife to husband mode. How come your house didn't do this?
Well now your house, just like everyone else, is going on the internet!
By AngelaColley
at 9:30AM,
3 weeks ago
|
under
Money Saving Tips
Photo courtesy of AndyRobertsPhotos at
Flickr.
The only new piece of furniture I own in my house is my mattress.
Everything else is a hand-me-down. Not only have I furnished my
entire house for less than $1,000, I'm saving the environment by
reclaiming furniture that would have otherwise ended up in the
trash. To make everything match and look nice, I have repurposed
many of the pieces. I'm no handyman, but there are several ways you
can repurpose furniture with little experience and
without spending a ton of money.
1. Paint
A fresh coat of paint gives life to an old piece of wood furniture.
You can paint the furniture to match the original wood or in any
color you like, (I have a blue desk.) The major hardware chains
sell samples of low-VOC paint for about $3.50 and its enough paint
to finish most jobs.