How to Paint Your House during Summer Heats

Finding the ideal time for painting your home is not at all easy, especially if we are talking about the exterior. It would be great if we could schedule it when the weather conditions are best, but we often have to accommodate only our own busy schedules.

In general, every season has its major problems when it comes to painting, so summer why avoid summer at all costs if it is the most convenient time for you. Even if you do it yourself, it is possible to do it without too much trouble, let alone if you leave it to the professionals who work equally well in all conditions. These are the thing to pay attention to, as suggested by home painting pros at Painterly.

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Avoid Direct Sunlight

One of the first, basic rules is to never paint in direct sunlight. Instead, follow the shade around the house and paint as it goes. The paint dries too quickly in direct heat and could become too thick. You can use early mornings when it is not so hot to paint some parts, most conveniently the southern side as it should be in the shade then.

The east side is also a good idea in the early morning, or late afternoon. The paint dries too fast because of the direct sunlight, but also because the surfaces heat up too much, which highly influences the quality of the work, so that is another reason to hide in the shade while painting.

Stay Away from the Wind

Another element which is not your friend during the summer painting is the wind. It may sound great to have some cooling breeze while you are painting, but it can actually ruin all your hard work. The paint evaporates faster in the windy weather.

Of course, you can add more water, up to ten percent, and keep thinning the paint in batches, but the wind is really not helping you with this one. Another damage the wind can do to your paint job is to bring the dust and debris to your still-wet paint. When these get stuck, it can really get messy.

Be Careful of the Rain

It may sound like it is never the right time to paint in the summer as you are to avoid all weather conditions, but there must be some “Goldilocks” moments in between all these. Even though the rain can bring some cooling, like the wind, despite the lower temperatures, it is not advisable to paint before nor immediately after the rain as it will definitely ruin your finish.

Cool Down Your Bucket

This is a simple trick which can make your painting job in the heat a lot easier. Before putting in the liner and filling the bucket with the paint, drop in a few ice cubes. This will prevent the paint from thickening too much in the bucket before brushing it on the walls. A cold bath does miracles in the summer, for people as well as for the paint.

Prepare the Surfaces Well

The painting experts say preparing the surfaces is equally, if not even more important than the painting itself. It is recommended to spend as much time on the preparations as on the painting process itself. Another important part which requires more time in the summer is letting the layers dry for a longer time. Take twice as much time to let the first layer get dry, especially if the humidity is high. If you put on the next coat too soon, the first layer could just peel off due to the humidity accumulated underneath.

The ideal temperature for painting is around 20-22 degrees Celsius with 50 percent humidity, but this is not so easy to attain, so just follow the steps above and your painting job should go without too much pain.

Keeping Your Bathroom Clean for Longer

It’s a fact that most people don’t enjoy cleaning the bathroom. It is also a fact that most people want the bathroom they are using to be clean. That means that we buckle down, suppress our disliking of the task and just go ahead and clean our bathrooms.

What if I told you that there is a way you could keep your bathroom cleaner for longer and not have to deal with all the mess of a monthly or bi-monthly big cleaning? We reached out to cleaning experts at Sunflower Maids for some tips on how to keep your bathroom clean and tidy for longer.

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Division of Tasks

It can be quite simple and easy to keep the bathroom clean, as long as you are willing to do a bit of work each day. I’m not talking about any of the big stuff, just a few minor things that you can do to keep the bathroom looking nice.

There are tasks which should be done daily, as well as those which can be done once a week. If you follow these tips, your monthly bathroom cleaning will be surprisingly easy and light.

Daily Tasks

Daily tasks are very minor and simple, so once you get a hang of them, you will be surprised that you were ever apprehensive about doing them in the first place. Doing things like cleaning the smudges and splatters from your mirrors as soon as you see them, or wiping down the sinks and faucets are pretty minor things to do.

However, if you leave them for your big cleaning, they will be just one of the several tasks you have to do, but they will also compound over the weeks, so a few smudges from last week can easily become a dozen or more if you’ve not cleaned them in a while. Not to mention that they can harden and become a pain to remove.

Weekly Tasks

Weekly tasks can be a bit more time-consuming to do than daily tasks, but you also just have to do them once a week, so that’s a plus. And besides, you’d have to do them anyway during your monthly cleaning, but even more, since you’ve not done them in a month or so.

Dusting is a task that most people don’t really associate with cleaning the bathroom. However, house dust forms wherever we are (and also our pets), so wipe down the surfaces in your bathroom with a microfiber cloth. Don’t worry if dust falls to the ground, it will be picked up when you clean the floor.

Disinfect the surfaces, especially your sink, bathtub/shower, and toilet. There are disinfecting products which you can buy, or you can make them yourself if you are versed in that. Spraying a disinfectant doesn’t take too much of your time, but it will help your bathroom keep the cleanliness for longer.

Disinfecting your bathroom is especially important now, during the pandemic, so it is advised not to miss this step.

Finally, mop the floor of your bathroom. You will pick up any of the spilled water from your cleaning, as well as the dust that may have fallen on the floor.

All in all, cleaning the bathroom should take you no more than 10 minutes for the daily tasks, and another 15 minutes for the weekly tasks. However, those two combines could save you an hour or longer when the time comes for a more in-depth cleaning once a month. Give it a go this month and see if it doesn’t save you time and if it doesn’t feel like you’re doing less work – which is always nice when it comes to a task as disliked as bathroom cleaning.

Things to have in mind when decorating a loft apartment

A style born out of necessity more than fifty years ago now represents one of the most wanted for so many reasons. Loft apartments are usually coveted for their spacious and open layout, but the same features can make them tricky for decorating. Many properties that are loft apartments at the moment, used to be industrial premises, which explains the high ceilings and open-space layout. Turning them into living areas that are warm and cozy might take a bit more effort than expected. Let's mention several things you should have in mind when decorating a loft apartment.

Loft apartment should be proportional

If the ceilings are too high, your entire apartment might appear smaller than it really is. You will need the vertical decor to fill the empty wall space. When it comes to windows, floor-to-ceiling models are great for lighting up the living space, but to pay attention to the scale you will have to put some extremely high and probably over-sized curtains. Be very careful here since you will probably have to pay a lot more than you would for regular ones. You will also need some extra cash for their maintenance, but hey - that is a small price in comparison to the view that you have from up there!

Proportion is one of the things to have in mind when decorating a loft apartment

Wall decorating items also have to be proportional to space. Tiny items will look even smaller if put against or on the big wall. The same goes for lighting sources - you will either have to get some oversized pieces or opt for multiple smaller fixtures. The principle is similar for furniture and carpets.

Lighting is one of the first things to have in mind when decorating a loft apartment

Even though loft apartments usually get a lot of natural light, some artificial sources are always needed. High ceilings call for longer pendants and additional sources of light from the walls, tables, or floor. In loft apartments, it is extremely important than you have layers of light and that space is lighted evenly heightwise. That's why you will need even more sconces, table, and floor lamps than you would in a regular apartment.

Track lighting is very popular nowadays and when combined with brick walls, it creates a modern feel to your loft.

Be careful when choosing art

If you love tall paintings - go for it! Loft apartments are the perfect space to display oversized art pieces. Those can be tricky to handle when moving in though. But if you choose a team of professionals like those from Divine Moving and Storage NYC, you will not have to worry about a thing.

Unusual combinations of art and light could work well in your loft apartment

The upside of a loft apartment is that there is a lot of room for art. Depending on a style you would like to achieve, you can opt for paintings (framed or on canvas - both fit perfectly), photos, or even stickers that are sold as wall art.

When it comes to decorative objects, the rule of thumb for loft apartments is - the simpler the better! Of course, you can always choose some kitschy details if you are a fan, but simple elements will create a better impression.

You can create separate rooms even if there are no walls in your loft apartment

Open space is great for so many things, but it takes a lot of time and effort to keep it tidy and well-organized. Loft apartments need to be functional, especially if more than one person lives in it. Every part of your home has its purpose and some sort of separation is necessary.  You can divide your space even visually by:

•  grouping your furniture and making a dining, sleeping, working zone, etc;
• contrasting colors - you can go as far as to chose a separate color scheme for each of the areas, just make sure that they complement each other and work together in harmony;
• area rugs - you can separate different spaces within your home by playing with your floor plan;
• pieces of furniture - bookshelves and closets can be used to segment the floor area;
• installing interior glass - this is a great option for keeping some spaces, like a bedroom or a home office, private. You can choose the transparency level that fits your needs;
• building partial walls - this can be rather practical, plus it's a great way of decorating a loft apartment. You will probably need a designer to help you out since partial walls can make your space look amazing or make it look like an office. Building walls is one of those home improvements you should never do by yourself.

Raised rooms are great additional space, but they cost a lot

You have probably seen countless photos of raised bedrooms in loft apartments and you might be considering making such an addition to your own space. That can be a great way to add the square footage, but it is, by all means, an expensive investment. Here are some of the ideas you can use the bonus space:

• bedroom (or even more of them if your home square footage allows for them); this project is similar, yet still structurally different from converting your attic to the bedroom;
• home office with a view;
• closet or storage room;
• library or a reading nook;
• game room;

Stairs and ladders are important details in loft apartment design. Make sure that they are safe and practical.

 

Some materials and textures are just perfect for decorating a loft apartment

What are the first materials that come to mind when thinking about lofts? Probably brick and concrete. Due to their original purpose, lofts tend to look great with brick walls, and we are not only talking about the accent walls here. Concrete is a great option for floors but you will also see concrete walls and many decorative items made of the material looking breath-taking. Glass and steel are materials that can add to the aesthetics of a loft apartment. The good news is that these materials are rather durable.

You can do no wrong with brick

Since all the mentioned materials tend to look cold, you might have to try a bit harder to warm up the look of your loft apartment. Avoid too many straight lines and cold colors when choosing furniture and add house plants wherever you can.

We hope you have picked your favorites among our ideas for decorating a loft apartment. Good luck with your project!