Crown Molding Tips and Tricks

Crown molding is an often overlooked part of home remodeling efforts.

In the world of trim, crown is king. Lording high over casings, chair rails, and baseboards, it cuts an impressive profile with elegant curves and distinguished angles. It also elevates a room's stature, drawing the eye up to the ceiling and echoing design motifs seen in other moldings to create a cohesive and polished look for the space. [ read more ]

"All About Crown Molding" by Sal Vaglica, This Old House Magazine

Concrete: The New "Go-To" Material For Home Remodeling

Concrete is frequently the material of choice in many of the home remodeling projects I am currently working on.

Concrete used to be exclusively considered a construction material for sidewalks, foundation walls and driveways. These days concrete comes in a variety of colors, applications and uses, and looks nothing like it did in years past. Concrete in your home can beautify your space with bold or subtle detailing.  Creative applications of concrete can be used as your kitchen countertop to your bathtub material. Concrete can be formed into almost any shape and it relatively inexpensive to purchase, compared to stone and granite materials. [ read more ]

How Concrete Can Beautify your Home by Ronique Gibson

A Pro's Guide to Painting a Floor Medallion

Many home remodeling projects contain the challenge of transitioning two types of flooring. A painted floor medallion is one way of accomplishing this.

When two types of flooring meet, a painted pattern can ease the transition. Here, an existing oak floor abuts an addition's heart-pine floor whose boards run perpendicular to the oak. An open cloverleaf, squared off and anchored by painted borders and solid circles at the center and in all four corners, softens the area's angles and echoes the curve of the arched passageway. In a longer rectangular space, a row of circles or smaller cloverleaf designs would work equally well. [read more]

How to Paint a Floor Medallion by Deborah Baldwin (This Old House magazine)