Curio cabinets started as places to keep curios – defined in the dictionary as curious or unusual objects of art or knickknacks and whatnots that are perhaps worthy of collecting because of their oddity. This definition could, of course, include silver spoons from Alaska, all assortments of wedding and christening favors, crystals, face masks from Africa and possibly even shrunken heads from the Amazons of Ecuador and Peru.

Nowadays, however, you can use curio cabinets for anything:

- Show off your family’s sporting interests by displaying your son’s bowling trophies next to your husbands autographed baseballs.

- House your priceless family heirlooms – such as, great grandma’s turqoise and silver comb, grandpa’s golden pen, mum’s old sapphire brooch which you wore on your wedding day and your son’s first baby photo.

- Or perhaps, protect from dust and grime the brass alto saxophone that you know you’ll learn to play one day in your retirement years.

But how do you choose the curio cabinet that’s just right for you? Ask yourself the following questions below and find out how.

Tips on how to choose a curio cabinet

1. The first question you should ask when buying a curio cabinet is: What kind of curios will I put in it? If it is a tall brass alto saxophone, then you need to get a tall, traditional curio cabinet with fitted glass doors to keep the dust out and with removable glass shelves to make room for your favorite musical instrument.

2. How much light is there at the spot where you are going to put your curio cabinet? Is it in the sunroom with plenty of natural light or is it in a dark corner of the house? If the latter then you need an illuminated cabinet to brighten the corner as well as provide accent lighting to your displays.

3. How big a space do you have for your curio cabinet?

- Is the space amply high and wide? Then you might want to get a traditional, dark cherry curio cabinet with generous measurements of 44W x 17D x 79H inches.

- If narrower, then a more contemporary curio cabinet with practical urban living measurements of 24W x 12D x 76H inches may be better.

- If low and wide such as in a family room or den, then a golden oak console curio cabinet measuring 56W x 13D x 30H inches is probably what you need.

- And if angled in a corner, you may want a curio cabinet that can be snugly placed in a corner and probably measuring around 28W x 16D x 72H inches.

4. The other question to ask is – Do you want to match the look of your curio cabinet with the other furniture in the room?

- If you want to maintain a traditional look, then you might want to choose from grand old fashioned designs with bevelling, hand-carved details and dark timber finishes.

- If the room is contemporary, then you might want the clean lines and lighter timber finishes of a more urbanized curio cabinet with lots of mirror and glass.

5. What type of wood or non-wood appeals to you?

- If affordability is a consideration and you do not mind the look of MDF or engineered wood, then you might choose a curio cabinet made of strenghtened pressed particle board and topped with timber veneer or laminate.

- If you feel that a solid wood curio cabinet sounds like a good investment, then you should get a curio cabinet made from the more popular oak or maple – hardwoods that can only gain character and charm as they age.

6. And last but not least, what is your budget?

- Are you prepared to splurge on a Louis XV-inspired Pulaski curio cabinet selling for $2000 so that you can have a spectacular accent piece that can transform your entire living room experience?

- Or do you just want a simple wall curio cabinet – one that you can get for $20 at ebay to put your dog figurine collection?

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Hardwood flooring solves all these problems. It can be light-coloured while remaining easy to clean, as there is no way for stains or dirt to get attached to it. Wood floors also tend to have interesting natural patterns, which are usually much better than the flowery or swirly-patterned carpets they replace. Also hardwood, as opposed to softwood, will not dent or scratch if heavy objects are dropped or placed on it.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that hardwood flooring doesn’t have problems of its own. To begin with, it is often expensive, as natural materials must be used instead of synthetic ones. It also tends to take longer to lay, as it must be laid in strips instead of being cut to size and laid all at once as carpet can be. Wood floor can lose its shine over time, making it dull in appearance, yet at the same time stays slippery, making it dangerous to walk on in socks.

For most people, though, the advantages of wood floor over other kinds of flooring outweigh the disadvantages. If you’re thinking of getting hardwood flooring, it is usually best to get the highest quality floor you can afford. If you’re not convinced of the value you’ll be getting for your money, have a walk around in a house that has cheap wood flooring compared to one that has gone to some extra expensive: the worst wood floors are little better than laminate, while the best ones can be truly excellent.

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To the latter part of the eighteenth century the English furniture of which time has been discussed on the site belong the quaint little “urn stands” which were made to hold the urn with boiling water, while the tea pot was placed on the little slide which is drawn out from underneath the table top. In those days tea was an expensive luxury, and the urn stand, of which there is an illustration, inlaid in the fashion of the time, is a dainty relic of the past, together with the old mahogany or marqueterie tea caddy, which was sometimes the object of considerable skill and care. They were fitted with two and sometimes three bottles or tea-pays of silver or Battersea enamel, to hold the black and green teas, and when really good examples of these daintily-fitted tea caddies are offered for sale, they bring large sums.

Eighteenth Century Wine Tables

The wine table of this time deserves a word. These are now somewhat rare, and are only to be found in a few old houses, and in some of the Colleges at Oxford and Cambridge. These were found with revolving tops, which had circles turned out to a slight depth for each glass to stand in, and they were sometimes shaped like the half of a flat ring. These latter were for placing in front of the fire, when the outer side of the table formed a convivial circle, round which the sitters gathered after they had left the dinner table.

One of these old tables is still to be seen in the Hall of Gray’s Inn, and the writer was told that its fellow was broken and had been “sent away.” They are nearly always of good rich mahogany, and have legs more or less ornamental according to circumstances.

A distinguishing feature of English furniture of the last century was the partiality for secret drawers and contrivances for hiding away papers or valued articles; and in old secretaries and writing tables we find a great many ingenious designs which remind us of the days when there were but few banks, and people kept money and deeds in their own custody.

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Hardwood flooring is healthier in your home because the hard surface does not trap dust and doesn’t provide an environment for mold and mites to flourish, more at http://www.floorsworks.com. Breathing in mold can lead to asthma and chronic sickness in kids and adults. This is better for everyone who lives in your home but especially beneficial to those thirty five million individual who suffer from either seasonal or continuous allergies.

The Environmental Protection Agency also found that toxins like pesticides used in gardens and to clean your home can accumulate on surfaces within your home, most easily in carpeting. This kind of thing is not only unhealthy for you but very dangerous for your children and pets. Too high a concentration of these toxins can cause sickness and also leads to allergies in adults.

When you use natural wood flooring in your home you are also eliminating off-gassing. This is the release of toxins by synthetic materials that can be very dangerous to all in your home. Off-gassing has been known to make people and pets chronically sick.

Hardwood flooring is also a good environmental choice. Wood is a naturally renewable resource and part of the cycle of life. Overall hardwood floors are the best choice for your home, your family, and even the planet. They also add to the value of your home more than just about any other type of floor covering. You can’t go wrong with natural hardwood flooring for you and yours.

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SITUATIONAL FACTORS
Almost every install will have physical or functional requirements that will further narrow down the scope and selection of an appropriate hardwood or laminate flooring system. Here is a brief summary of factors to consider:

FLOOR TRAFFIC EXPECTATIONS
The quantity and type of traffic you expect on your floors will impact the flooring material you can choose. Laminates offer high durability, as well as wood species that have high “hardness rankings” on the Janka scale. Softer woods are generally not a good selection for high traffic areas.

SUB FLOORING
The quality of any new hardwood flooring installation can only be as good as the subfloor underneath. For the best outcomes, the subfloor should be dry, stable, and level. Concrete subfloors generally are only acceptable for laminate installations, but you should be mindful of installing a quality underlayment the provides an appropriate moisture barrier as well as good sound installation. Poor laminate installations will sound very hollow when walking on it.

HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE
To prevent warping and cupping of floors make sure there is adequate ventilation and regulated temperatures thought the year. Laminates work best in areas that experience higher humidity levels.

INSTALLATION
The time and cost of installation is an often overlooked factor in floor selection decisions. Glueless click-style floating laminate floor systems can be a weekend project for experienced do-it-yourselfers, and can save a lot of installation labor. Other flooring installation methods are generally more complex and will require professional installation in most cases.

WARRANTY
Making a successful claim under a flooring warranty often requires that you can demonstrate the product was installed exactly as per the manufactures recommendations and that the damage is not a product of wear and tear or poor workmanship. Hiring a professional installer and dealing with a large brand name product that has an established track record is your best protection.

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The inevitably humid environment in a bathroom as well as unavoidable spills and splashes have the power to warp wood flooring, rendering it unattractive and encouraging the growth of potentially destructive and dangerous molds.

However, new finishes for hardwood flooring and creative designs are making wood floors in bathrooms a viable option.

To start with, you have to choose an appropriate wood to use. Choose a hardwood floor rather than a softwood floor, as softwood tends to absorb ambient moisture more, making it more vulnerable to damage. Particularly resilient and strong woods that could work in the bathroom are oak, maple, cherry, ash, walnut and hickory.

Polyurethane finishes on the hardwood floors make the floors resistant to most average bathroom conditions and should work in all but the most unceasingly humid and wet conditions. This finish uses synthetic resin, plasticizers and other film-forming elements to form a watertight seal that remains intact, sans peeling, when the wood expands and contracts.

Even with this finish, certain precautions need to be taken in the bathroom. For example, significant and even small spills should be cleaned up quickly. Leaks from the tub and toilet need to be addressed immediately, something that should be handled regardless of the flooring you choose but particularly important with wood floors.

Other minor additions in your bath could add protection for your hardwood floor and make maintenance easier for you. For example, placing mats with rubber bottoms around the wet areas, like the toilet and the tub or shower, will give a permanent moisture absorber that will save you the trouble of running around paranoid and wiping up every tiny splash. Another similar solution is installing a strip of stone or ceramic flooring around the wet areas and hardwood in the rest of the space. This will provide you with a completely water resistant area in vulnerable part of the bath while adding to the overall design of the bathroom and still giving you the warmth and comfort of hardwood flooring.

Hardwood floors give a space warmth and style that is unmatched by any other material. The physical warmth that the floors provide is also an attractive feature, especially on winter mornings when the cold ceramic tiles make getting up that much harder.

Their unequaled versatility, style and adaptability have made them a prime material for every other room in the home and now new finishes are making them a realistic choice for bathrooms as well.

If you’re not convinced, however, or are unwilling to take on the minor maintenance issues that come with hardwood floors in the bathroom maybe you should consider ceramic tiles made to look like wood. You will still get the warm look of hardwood without even the potential for water related issues.

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Cheap flooring or the wrong style or design of hard wood floor can clash with other home interior design features. But a well-chosen hardwood floor can accentuate and beautify almost any style or design of a home.

Carpeting has a few advantages over wood floors, the main one being softness when walked upon. But hardwood flooring can be accented with durable and beautiful rugs that have that same cushy feeling. So if it’s a soft comfy feel you’re after don’t think that hardwood flooring is not an option. It’s possible to combine the functionality of a carpet with the beauty, durability and shine of a hardwood floor.

Hard wood floors come in all different sizes and colors. And there are also many different types of wood grains that you have available to you. When deciding on the type of hardwood floor to install in your home you must first choose the color and type of wood. This is usually the most important consideration.

The color must be complimentary to the furniture, wall hangings, plants and other items that you intend to furnish your home with. But choosing a color of wood is not necessarily a straight forward and easy task. Different types of wood stain differently. Some wood flooring will stain darker than others, some lighter than others. So when choosing color you must consider the stain in combination with the type of wood floor you want. Do your homework and you will lessen the chance of installing a floor that has a different color and look than you expected.

Another major factor concerns functionality. A pine floor may look great, but pine is a soft wood that will dent very easily. This would certainly be a poor choice in a high-traffic area. When considering woods for flooring you want to install a floor that is long-lasting. Your flooring should last a lifetime and that means choosing a floor that will be durable, easy to keep clean and will continue to look new without a lot of labor on your part. If you are uncertain go with flooring that will be harder than you think is necessary. Hardness rankings according to the Janka scale can help you decide on which type of wood you need for the amount of traffic you expect to have.

The most popular styles of hardwood flooring are parquet, strip and plank. Parquet flooring is a series of wood flooring pieces that create a geometric design. Strip flooring is linear and is usually between 1 ½ inches to 3 ¼ inches in width. Strip flooring often gives the room the appearance of being larger than it actually is. Plank hardwood flooring is usually wider and is typically 3 to 6 inches in width. Wider planks may be used, but often have issues with moisture.

You must choose the style and size that you think looks most attractive. Take your time and view all styles, designs, sizes and colors of wood floors before making your selection. Once it’s installed it is not a cheap job to tear out and replace. It’s also a good idea to get different samples and lay them out in your home. Without actually seeing the floor next to your own furnishings and wall colors it’s near impossible to make a smart choice.

If you are interested in installing your own hardwood floor be sure you have enough knowledge and experience before attempting to do so. You must know what type of subflooring to install, whether it’s wood or concrete. You should learn about humidity and temperature and what affect they have on floors. To prevent warping it is important to keep your floors well-ventilated with regulated temperatures throughout the year. When the weather gets too cold it can cause the floor boards to separate. Before installing it yourself talk to some professionals in your area and find out what precautions you need to take that will help ensure a lifetime of satisfaction with your new wood flooring.

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Thus, it is comforting to know that with the right tools and the right kind hardwood, it is pretty much a do it yourself endeavor. And because prefinished hardwood floor planks are already available in hardware stores and instructional manuals everywhere, then you really have nothing to worry about.

How do you install hardwood flooring? First, decide whether you want to use oak, maple or cherry, or rustic ash. Oak is the most expensive kind of hardwood material, but it is reputably the best and the sturdiest. If you’re working under a particular budget, maple or rustic ash are also okay and will last as long as oak with proper care and maintenance.

Next, prepare the following materials: the hardwood planks, a vapor barrier paper, a pry bar, a hammer, a speed drill and drill bits, a pneumatic flooring pack (which consists of a nail gun, staples, a mallet, a hose, and an air compressor), a staple gun, a tape measure, a chalk line, and, of course, your how-to manual.

It would be wise to study the manual before you go about hammering away so you don’t waste time. Some hardware stores already have prepackaged hardwood installation necessities so you can avoid the hassle of looking for each piece. Of course, you shouldn’t forget your safety goggles and gloves, as all the drilling and hammering could produce wood dust and can be harmful when inhaled.

Before buying hardwood floor planks, measure the surface where you are going to install them. Order planks that are around 10 to 15 inches bigger to allow room for errors. Expect that your initial attempt will be very challenging, but once you get that first plank in place, the rest should be a breeze.

Get rid of squeaks by tightly nailing the hardwood plank into the subfloor. When cutting, always provide extra space. When you’re dealing with hardwood floors, it’s best to go over and make the necessary adjustments than be left with a space that would look awkward to fill.

If you got a prefinished hardwood floor, then the job is done after you’ve installed the planks in place. But if you bought wood in its purest form, you should also pre-equip yourself with sanding and finishing tools and prepare for another challenging task ahead.

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Don’t panic. Keep clasping your sample of hardwood and read about your options. You’ll realize that you know what you want better than you thought.

Board width:
Board width can be divided into two categories, strip and plank. Strip is less than 3” wide and plank is greater than 3” wide, usually getting as wide as 7” and sometimes even wider.

Strip flooring can be used to create almost any look by putting together the right combination of species, stain, installation pattern and furnishing. Strip flooring creates a running, linear effect that, much like a mirror or light paint colors, gives the illusion of a larger space. This makes it particularly appropriate if you are trying to achieve a contemporary look in your room, especially if you choose a select grade hardwood with a uniform color. It is the more common flooring option seen in both commercial and residential applications.

Plank flooring, with its wide boards, is more commonly used when trying to achieve a rustic or country look in the space. It too creates a linear effect in the room but the width of the boards doesn’t expand the space as significantly. Although traditionally made from pine and thought of as the floor used in old farm houses or colonial homes, designers are starting to acknowledge the beauty of this option for contemporary designs as well.

Installation patterns:
The installation pattern you choose for your space can have as much weight on the resultant look as the actual wood you put in. It will influence the way furniture will sit and the movement in the room. Although there aren’t that many options, they are vastly different from each other, so choose well.

The most basic and common installation pattern is straight. Wood boards are installed parallel to each other along the length or width of the room. This pattern is great for simple, contemporary designs as well as any other design that wants to use the beautiful look of wood flooring without showy installations – this pattern lets the wood speak for itself. This is also the least expensive of the available installation patterns, as it is the most straight-forward. All other patterns are more costly because of extra wood and longer installation costs.

Random installation is also installed in a straight-forward, parallel pattern but it uses a mixture of floor board widths. You can choose the ratio of wide to narrow boards, what widths you want to use, and how many boxes of each to purchase. This gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of shopping and could save you money if, for example, you buy left over boxes from discontinued series. This patterns often results in a rustic looking space, it adds a lot of movement to the room and gives it an energetic feel.

Diagonal pattern installation adds a touch of luxury and formality to a room without straying too far from traditional straight installation or adding too much to your final remodeling bill. Boards are installed parallel to each other but they are laid at a 45° angle to the walls.

Parquet pattern installation is in some ways a lost art. Parquet installation is the laying of wood in a repeated geometric pattern, often resulting in a floor that has the appearance of a checkerboard, sometimes with more complex patterns within each checkerboard square. The options for patterns are practically limitless. This pattern gives a room a very distinct and sophisticated look reminiscent of European grandeur. Traditional parquet installation is expensive and rare. It has now been replaced with prefabricated square modules with parquet patterns laid out in a wood veneer.

In a Herringbone pattern, strips of wood flooring are laid in a diagonal zigzag plan that looks like its name says. This pattern can be laid out in the traditional manner or with square modules, like the parquet designs. It gives the space a formal look reminiscent of old European flats as well as museum halls.

Any of the listed installation patterns can be complemented or finished off with a perimeter border or other decorative touches like mosaics. These can be made out of wood, natural stone or alternative materials like glass and metal tiles. The perimeter border frames the room in which it is installed, a feature that works to separate the room from adjacent spaces and add formality to it. Inlays like mosaics add custom individuality to a room and help to significantly sway the style of a room towards the classic, while still leaving you space to flex when choosing the design of the actual mosaic medallion or decorative border.

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What you want to do is find an inconspicuous area of your floor to test, usually a in a corner of a room. Apply 2 drops of water directly to the floor. If white spots appear under your drops within ten minutes your floor has a wax finish. If the white spots do not appear you probably have a surface finish floor, to be sure take a coin and scratch the surface of the wood. If it does not scratch then you can be sure that your flooring has a surface finish. More details can be found at http://www.oakfloorsupplies.com.

Cleaners for Wood Flooring with a Wax Finish

You must dust mop and vacuum regularly, usually once a week. You also want to buff the floor every now and again to keep it shiny. Eventually buffing won’t be enough to shine the floor, that’s when you know it is time for a waxing. Before waxing, clean the entire floor with a cleaner made specifically for your type of hardwood. Apply the wax evenly across the entire area and when it is dry buff it out. You should only need to wax your floor once or twice a year.

Cleaners for Wood Flooring with a Surface Finish

Sweep and vacuum your floor regularly. Never use wax on a surface finish floor. Instead, use a surface finish to recoat a dull wood floor. Depending on the amount of traffic on the floor, you may have to apply the finish every couple of months.

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