Once the sink and its fittings have been removed, disassemble the counter tops and remove the cabinets. You will need a hammer, pry-bar, putty knife, screw gun, crowbar, ladder and saw.

Most counter tops are made of plywood, nailed to the base cabinets, with the finish material laid on top. Tile can be difficult to save as they crack and fly off in pieces. Plastic laminate counter tops and wood slabs are generally nailed or screwed to the base cabinet.

Remove the base units first so that you can get underneath the wall cabinets for easier disassembly. Remove all doors and drawers before attempting to remove the cabinets.

If you plan to reuse the hardware, clean and store all the pulls, knobs and their screws in plastic bags. Cabinets can be attached in a variety of ways. Older types are usually nailed to the wall,

Newer units will more likely be held into place with screws. Some models may even be hung on metal or wood cabinet hangers. Metal cabinets are usually attached with hangers.

Pry the cabinet loose while another person supports it from below. Add a block of wood between the wall surface and the pry-bar to avoid marring the wall.

Base cabinets are often attached to the wall at the top and can be unscrewed or pried loose. Remove the cove molding or carefully pry away the baseboard at the floor. Remove any nails and lift the cabinet away from the wall and floor.

About The Author:

Roger King is a successful author and publisher of http://www.1st-home-decor.com. Cabinets and ideas to showcase your homes.

Probably not on its own, but its an excellent example of how consumers can vote with their buying dollars to sway market demand to bring more environmentally friendly products into the marketplace.

Bamboo flooring is a rising trend in home flooring and a great alternative to traditional hardwood floors. It is the most environmentally friendly natural hardwood flooring alternative you can select for your home, it is a renewable resource, is stronger than steel, and has a greater resistance to expansion and contraction problems associated with temperature and humidity changes.

The bamboo grass is one of the fasted growing plants on the planet, only takes 5 years to grow to maturity, and can provide 25 times the bio mass of a comparable stand of trees. Bamboo is harvested every 5 years, and starts to re-grow immediately with new shoots when harvested. Bamboo is also strong and has a tensile strength exceeding mild steel. It can withstand up to 50,000 pounds of pressure per square inch versus some steels 50,000 psi ratings.

Bamboo flooring is also become a very trendy interior design statement with its rich and beautiful golden earth tones. It is important to shop around for a quality bamboo flooring product that contains no formaldehydes in its binding compounds. Many offshore brands use cheaper binding agents that may contain formaldehydes, and this can cause indoor air pollution problems down the road as all chemical compounds will slowly release their toxins into the air.

So why look to bamboo to save the environment? Bamboo is an excellent replacement product for much of the hardwood species that are being harvested in our global equatorial rainforests. Once harvested, these hardwood species often never grow back due to the thin layers of soil and lack of sunlight under the jungle canopies, and if they do grow back it can take up to 200 years! Our global rainforests are the lungs of our planet and provide a significant contribution to our global oxygen production, second only to the ocean.

By selecting bamboo flooring you reduce the consumption demand for rainforest hardwood materials, and in the process help save to the environment for our future generations. For more information and tips on bamboo flooring visit: http://www.laminateflooringzone.com/bamboo-flooring.htm

About The Author

S.A. Smith is a freelance writer, contributor, and editor of the Laminate Flooring Zone and can be reached at http://www.laminateflooringzone.com.

The key to designing a successful outdoor living space is to create an area that reflects the architectural character of the home as well as the personality of the homeowners who inhabit the space. Deck designs that plan for the elements last 20+ years. Decks without a proper plan age quickly.

The most important consideration in deck designs is how you will use it, how large a group will you need space for? Will you need adequate lighting to entertain at night? A good deck plan makes it easy to build a deck yourself, or hire a professional to build the deck you want. Choose materials that complement your backyard setting.

The deck can be considered a floor structure, with joists to support the flooring material and posts and beams to hold the unit up off the ground, slightly elevated or higher. Deck designs are popular home improvements that not only add to the value of your home, but also provide a focal point for enjoying the outdoors.

A deck can be freestanding or attached to a house and can feature a roof, benches, matching flowerpots and ornate railings.

Once you have a rough idea of what you want, draw two sketches-one of your lot Take the sketch to your local home center or lumberyard and ask a salesperson to estimate and price the materials you’ll need. You can have a spectacular deck to meet all your needs and then some.

About The Author:

Roger King is a successful author and publisher of http://www.1st-home-decor.com. Deck designs and ideas to showcase your homes.

When planning your home décor, it is vitally important to understand your space needs. Do you have enough room to open any doors? Can you walk from one side of the room to the other without climbing over the furniture? Here are some rules to keep in mind when you plan your room update:

1. Living Room – Keep in mind that for good conversational and traffic flow, keep at least 4-10 feet between sofa and chairs. Place your coffee table between 14-18 inches from the sofa (although I would only use 18 inches if you have lonnnnng arms!).

2. Family Room – To the above rules about sofa and chair placement, add the viewing area needed for a television. To view a 30 inch TV screen, the sofa or chair should be at least 90 inches away (but not so far that you have to change your glasses prescription to view!). To create an easy flow in any room, there should be traffic lanes which are at least three feet wide.

3. Dining Room - A seated adult at a round or square table usually occupies a depth of about 20 inches with at least 12-16 inches more to pull back a chair. Rectangular tables need at least 24 inches per person and about 32-36 inches clearance between table and walls. On the serving side, the table to wall distance should be at least 44 inches.

4. Bedroom – For maximum comfort, the distance from the bed to the wall should be at least 24 inches. To allow any door to open easily, there should be 36 inches between the bed and the door.

Knowing how much space you really need in a room can make planning your space much easier. Be sure to measure your room height and length, the size of windows and check to see of your room is “true” or square before you place your furniture. Doing so will help avert a potential disaster like buying a king-size bed for a queen-size room!

About The Author

Pamela Cole Harris has been a writer for over 35 years (Yikes! Has it been that long?) Her fun, tongue-in-cheek approach to decorating has made http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com one of the most popular décor sites on the net. She brings the same spirit of fun and practical advice to her newest site at: http://www.diy-homedecor.com.

Are you looking for new ideas to decorate your kid’s room? Give the room some longevity by choosing background elements that are long lasting. Then use accessories, bedding, and inexpensive area rugs to create easily changeable themes. Unlike the other rooms in your home, which mostly reflect your personality, decorating kids rooms requires a slightly different approach.

Whether you’re a first-time parent or a veteran, decorating kid’s rooms is not child’s play. It’s a quite complex process where an adult has to incorporate all the safety features and blend them with childlike fantasy.

The room should be an expression of the child’s identity, not yours. But children change, so you need to think ahead: will the design be easy to modify in five years, or even two? Is there room for storage, study, animal or doll collections, or a wrestling match?

First, consult with the child. Be certain to consider the child’s likes and dislikes when decorating their space. Decorating kids rooms is a work in progress - the planning begins before they are even born and goes on throughout their childhood.

You can be as creative and over the top as your child lets you; Vibrant and playful colors work well in any child’s room. Always paint children’s bedrooms with a semi- gloss, so the walls are easy to wipe without being too shiny. As for storage, check out your local do-it-your-self center for a host of affordable solutions.

As children grow, learn, play, and explore, their environment should respond. Kids will enjoy the exciting makeovers because they highlight their favorite interests at every age. As your child gets older, ask for their input.

About The Author:

Roger King is a successful author and publisher of http://www.1st-home-decor.com. Decorating kids rooms and ideas to showcase your homes.

Looking for the most impact from a small decorating budget? Or are you tired of the ‘builder’s white’ that is still on your walls since the house was built? Painting walls a color other than white can be both exciting and daunting, here’s how to do it and get the job done without having an anxiety attack!

Painting Walls with Color is Addictive!

It’s true. Just as many women find that cutting off their long hair releases some hidden desire to cut it shorter and shorter, painting with color can become addictive and you will crave color – bolder and more distinctive.

You can take advantage of this common phenomenon by choosing a softer, more muted color for one room and building your confidence. Soon you will be making trips back to the paint store with more confidence and know-how.

The truth is, color does not have to be dark or jump out at you to have an effect. Selecting tinted whites (not necessarily pastel) can be a great start. For a bit more drama, choose a tinted beige or gray. These colors, while neutral (beige or tan for warm looks and gray for cool) have hundreds of slight variations in the undertones which can mean more yellow, red, blue or green depending on the light and surroundings.

Some paint stores can provide you a ‘true gray’ color swatch which will be composed of only black and white. Ask for this swatch as it may not be discernable in a sea of color swatches. Compare the swatch to other grays and you will notice that some have hints of lavender, blue or green that may become even more pronounced when you get home. You do want some undertone as this is what gives the room a vibrancy that straight gray could never do, but just be sure it’s the tone you want.

Trust Your Instinct

Do not worry that you aren’t coming home with the ‘perfect’ color. There is no single wall color that is or isn’t right for the look of your home. Keeping in mind the look you want – either cool and airy, or warm and cozy – is quite enough to get started. You now have about a thousand colors to choose from.

What I’ve found personally, and friends have confirmed, is that going with your instinct tends to be the best deciding factor. If you are not going to take the time to paint large test areas in your home and view them in different lights (a technique employed by interior decorators) than choose the color that draws you the most. Our experiences confirmed that we were most happy when using the color we originally chose from the swatch or from an object we liked, rather than trying to apply too many design rules to our decision.

Many people assume that they should go one or two shades lighter than the color swatch they’ve chosen assuming the color will intensify on the walls. I’ve heard decorators both confirm and deny this rule. If you really are torn between two or three, then consider buying test cans of each and trying them out. Otherwise, when choosing color for your own home, you probably won’t go wrong choosing the color you like the most.

If you still can’t decide, than try a program like the one at swatchit: http://www.affprog.com/swatchit/a-12. Using a photo of your room you can view different wall colors before making your choice.

Lighting and Color References

The only design trick you should likely consider is the lighting coming into your home. Eastern light can wash out colors, so intense colors work well in this light. Western light intensifies color, so toned down wall colors may work best unless you want the full drama. Southern light warms a room while northern light cools.

If you don’t want your rooms to look like an icebox, then you’ll wan to be careful using blues and grays in a northern lighted room. However, using blues and grays with lavender or green undertones may reduce the effect if that is your chosen color scheme. The same with Southern light – yellow and red based colors will intensify and cause the room to sizzle with heat. You may choose green or even use beige with cool undertones, to reduce the effect and still be using warm colors.

If the outdoors has a lot of trees or water, you must also anticipate that the green or blue will reflect into the home and affect your color choice.

How Color Helps

Color is a great way to disguise other design flaws. Even a deep beige or grey can immediately give your room a pulled together look that cannot be easily achieved otherwise. If you have white walls, everything (and I do mean everything) stands out because of the contrast.

If you have a home full of designer furnishings or antiques then shades of white may be perfect in highlighting your collection. If, like the rest of us, you are putting together some discount furniture with a selection of special pieces, then you don’t want every piece showcased. A darker wall removes the contrast and will cause the eye to view the room as a whole rather than jump from piece to piece. This will also give a cleaner, less distracting appearance to the room.

Color also sets a mood. As discussed in reference to lighting, color can give a cool, airy look or a warm, cozy feel. It also adds your personality to the room, giving visitors an instant impression about you. What do your walls say about you?

Shannon Emmanuel is a freelance writer avid home decorating enthusiast. You can find great sources for your home or office decor projects at http://www.simpledetailsdecor.com

Choosing up the hardwood floor or the home decorating plan or idea that better fits in with Empire furniture can be a little bit difficult. There are some very good books of designs to base your decor idea. You can then get from them interesting complements and ornaments for all the corners of your house, of course based on the colonial style. One the most famous books at the date was the - Illustrated history of furniture, by Frederick Litchfield. You can read some tips from that book along the following paragraphs. We want to encourage the readers to follow its ideas because they can help you to find your own style.

Materials And Ornaments For Careful Finishes

On secretaries and tables, a common ornament of this description of furniture, is a column of mahogany, with a capital and base of bronze (either gilt, part gilt, or green), in the form of the head of a sphinx with the foot of an animal; console tables are supported by sphinxes and griffins; and candelabra and wall brackets for candles have winged figures of females, stiff in modeling and constrained in attitude, but almost invariably of good material with careful finish.

The bas-reliefs in metal which ornament the panels of the friezes of cabinets, or the marble bases of clocks, are either reproductions of mythological subjects from old Italian gems and seals, or represent the battles of the Emperor, in which Napoleon is portrayed as a Roman general. There was plenty of room to replace so much that had disappeared during the Revolution, and a vast quantity of decorative furniture was made during the few years which elapsed before the disaster of Waterloo caused the disappearance of a power which had been almost meteoric in its career.

What Books To Read

The best authority on Empire Furniture is the book of designs, published in 1809 by the architects Percier and Fontaine, which is the more valuable as a work of reference, from the fact that every design represented was actually carried out, and is not a mere exercise of fancy, as is the case with many such books. In the preface the authors modestly state that they are entirely indebted to the antique for the reproduction of the different ornaments; and the originals, from which some of the designs were taken, are still preserved in a fragmentary form in the Museum of the Vatican.

Classic Designs And Ideas

An arm chair and a stool, together with that of the tripod table which are favorable examples of the richly-mounted and more decorative furniture of this style. While they are not free from the stiffness and constraint which are inseparable from classic designs as applied to furniture, the rich color of the mahogany, the high finish and good gilding of the bronze mounts, and the costly silk with which they are covered, render them attractive and give them a value of their own. By reading the books proposed above you definitely can break the look of the interior design of your house, and will learn how to include empire furniture into home decorating ideas and plans.

Andrew Caxton contributes adding articles to an online home decorating and interior design magazine. Your guide on home decorating and how to choose from hundreds of decorating ideas and tips. Andrew will inspire you to capture the look you wish. Find further information on decorating and design at http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com

Colors affect our minds, our physiologies, and our social interactions. The colors you choose when decorating a room can have an effect on any occasion that you hold there. The dining room is a place of delicate social situations that occurs between the most intimate of relationships. By first considering the psychological effects of the following colors, one can help to make the dining room a more relaxing place to eat and gather.

The first thing to consider when choosing a dining rooms colors, are the effects they will have on appetite. The color blue is a well known appetite suppressant. This is because there is very little blue food found in nature. The color blue isn’t exactly a weight loss program; it simply causes a slight psychological change that makes people feel less hungry. Avoiding this color will help guests to better enjoy they’re meals

On the contrary, orange and red can actually cause an increase in a person’s appetite. The color orange is often associated with need, hunger, and a desire to be full. Red is about devouring, and increases metabolisms. Using these colors strategically could cause the perception of your cooking skill to rise. However you have to be careful with red. It causes aggression and can lead to fighting. Be restrained in your use of this color, and fall back more on orange, which produces a more elated feeling.

For a gathering room such as the dining room, earth tones can be a wonderful way to convey a sense of warmth. These colors remind people of the earth, making them feel more connected to the world and to the other people in the room. The ability of tans and browns to make us feel safe, allow us to open up more when we are surrounded by them.

The greatest advice when decorating is to stay true to you. While you can dabble with colors and try to create positive influences in others, you also want to provide the best mental environment for yourself to enjoy.

Joey Lewitin is an author, artist, and designer of home décor accessories made from imported stone. Original designs from him and other artisans can be seen at Pebblez.com – Stone Home Accessories

You can find loads of information about home furnishings and decorating for your home. Once you have chosen a house or apartment to live in, one of the first things that you will want to do is to begin to furnish and personalize it. One of the easiest ways of personalizing your home is through furniture upholstery and other soft furnishings.

When it comes to home decorating, in these financially challenging times, you can find ways to save money without sacrificing style. The best ideas don’t have to cost a lot of time or money and can often be done with existing furniture and items found around the house.

If you’re still unsure of what might look best in your home, you may want to use an interior designer. Designers work in one of two ways. For an hourly fee, he or she can provide a plan and obtain competitive bids from retailers. Or the designer can buy your furnishings at wholesale and charge you the retail price. You may pay no more, yet save time and get a look that is uniquely yours.

To begin the process of home furnishings and decorating most online furniture stores feature the best possible prices on quality brand name furniture! At most online furniture stores you will be delighted by their attention to detail and white glove customer service. Leather furniture works well with any design style. Several construction types are available including all leather, partial leather and simulated leather.

Comfortable seating furniture does more to make a room appear inviting than any other furnishing. An ottoman in the living room is conducive to comfort as it can be used with an upholstered chair for lounging. All the furniture in a home should be shod with smooth metal disks so that it can be moved easily.

The beauty of a piece of furniture depends upon good design, good color, and interesting texture. With all the poorly designed furniture in the shops it is indeed an achievement to avoid it. Home furnishings and decorating should have the charm of variety. The ideal finish for furniture is a lustrous, eggshell, semi-gloss rubbed to a soft glow.

About The Author:

Roger King is a successful author and publisher of http://www.1st-home-decor.com. Home furnishing and decorating to showcase your homes.

The bathroom may be the hardest room to decorate. Its use and nature make the room decorative uninspiring, and its limited size and necessity of function make it difficult to add very much. Further, making a major change to the room’s décor generally requires huge sums of money, when you consider the expense of changing tiled floors or walls, or replacing existing fixtures such as showers and sinks. However, there are a few thrifty things you can do to turn your bathroom from an eyesore into a place of decorative elegance.

The first thing you have to do is decide what color range you can use. If the bathroom has existing features such as ceramic tiling or fixtures, you have to choose any other piece you bring in to match those colors that are already there. This is only a slight stifle to your creativity though, as there are an unlimited number of shades and colors you can match up with others. Even if you don’t like the original colors of the room, you can always balance them out with opposite colors in your décor.

The easiest way to decorate a bathroom is by using fabric coverings. You can throw carpets down to cover up boring tiles and add some color to the floor. They will also soak up water and help prevent slippage.

If your toilet looks out of date, get a seat cover in a funky color and turn it into an artistic eye catcher. Or go the whole way and get a whole new toilet seat. They are relatively inexpensive, and they allow you to change the look and feel of a fairly permanent piece. Here you will have to find a balance of comfort and style.

Bathrooms are functional areas, and they need to stay organized. Choose your containers with an eye towards color and style, and you will be adding natural décor touches to the room. There are soap dishes, toilet paper rings, and toothbrush boxes which can be purchased in matching sets. Buying items in the same or similar colors will give the bathroom a finished look that shows its appearance was planned with an attention to detail. In a room that is as small as the bathroom, one wrong color can unbalance the whole effect.

Bathroom accessories such as towels and washcloths are only temporary residents of the bathroom, and will be cycled in and out at various intervals. Buying a few matching linen sets allows you to change the look of the bathroom every few days. You can get a set in black for when you’re in a dark mood, and a set in red when you’re feeling particularly sensual. Always keep an eye on the rest of the colors in the room however, and try not to purchase anything that will clash with the colors already present.

The shower curtain is one of the most important décor pieces that you can easily change in your bathroom. They are prominently displayed, usually taking up a large section of the visual area in a room. This is the piece that can pull the whole bathroom together, so choose it carefully as every other color you bring into the room will have to match with this piece.

When it comes to bathrooms, take what you were given, and make it something that is your own. Play off of the features that are already in the room, balancing out what you don’t like and reinforcing what you do. By making small touches you can make the décor of any bathroom fit your style.

Joey Lewitin is an author, artist, and designer of home décor accessories made from imported stone. Original designs from him and other artisans can be seen at Pebblez.com – Stone Home Décor and Rustic Accessories