Sunday 25 November 2012

Build your own acoustic panels


The acoustic panels are used to absorb the sound energy (acoustical energy) so that the sound is not echoed. There are several music systems which are too loud for the smaller places like Movie theaters and studios. In these places acoustic panels are required the most. If you have a home theater at your house, then you might need to have acoustic panels installed at your place. The best is to build your own acoustic panels. That will not only be cheaper than the market, but you can design them according to your needs and have the satisfaction of being it yourself.
A thick fiber glass, or a thick wooden panel; and a thick acoustically transparent cloth are the only materials needed to make your own acoustic panel. These items are available in the market easily. One just has to fix the acoustically transparent cloth over the frame one chooses and put an extra decorative cloth over it to make it look decent/ matching with the surroundings. Now these panels can be placed on the ceiling, side walls, and corners of windows / doors.
The other simple way is to have wooden flooring, thick curtains, and interiors made of acoustically transparent materials. Sounds of longer wavelengths (sounds produced by heavy musical instruments) generally create echo. The basic purpose behind putting up acoustic panels is to absorb those sound waves which when reflected will create echo. Thus these help in providing more accurate listening conditions, improving sound quality and distant clarity and reducing echo. The heavy music systems (β-surround sound) produce very loud sound and to listen to it clearly one must have acoustic panels installed. These panels do not really make the room sound proof but make it a place where any sound is audible clearly and thus there use is not only limited to professional places like recording studios but even individual spaces such as media room in most modern houses.   

Green Products Building Going Eco Friendly


With the current scenario and by the rate at which the pollution is increasing, there is an increasing trend to go for green products and the eco friendly buildings. The green products using front line technology helps in increasing the energy efficiency, improving air quality, reduce pollution and saving water. These products serve in interiors as well as outside the buildings.
The very first thing is insulation of a building; it is to keep a check on the heat flow of a building. No matter what the temperature is outside but the inside conditions should be comfortable. The materials to be used are fiber glass, mineral wool, virgin polyester and cellulose fiber. Lighting is the other important factor that plays an important role in a building. Today’s green products include fluorescent lamps, light emitting diodes and compact fluorescent lamps. The eco friendly paints are also a significant contributor. These help protect buildings from corrosion, UV radiation and unwanted effects of rain and sunlight. The latest for interiors are not the paints but the wooden flouring and organically made wall decorating paper.
The sunlight should be allowed in the building at hilly places but in the desert or hotter areas it is a bit irrelevant. Green products like matting (chatai) should be used as these are eco friendly and gives a good decor. The green products have taken a leap forward and these are preferable for a variety of reasons. Eco friendly buildings are using these modern ages green products and systems like rain water harvesting system, shade structures, wall and floor coverings, renewable energy resources, green power reducing overall carbon footprint of the building, improving the usability/aesthetic appeal of the building and being more in synchronization with the nature/ environment.  

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Residential Roofing Solutions


Roofing differs from one geographical place to the other. The modern technology provides us with lots of Residential Roofingsolutions. In the new age we have igloos with glass roofing, Slate roofing in hilly areas and the modern metal roofing.
Today’s tailor made roofing’s are far better than traditional one. The geographical and the climatic conditions describe the roofing texture and design. The roof insulation and ventilation must be at top priority. It should have proper overhangs to stop the sunlight directly into the house and proper ventilation to keep the moisture intact.
In few cities people have utilize the roof for rain water harvesting and for solar power generation panel, we invent our roofs according to our needs. Earlier roof are only meant to give protection and shelter but in today’s world they are like accessories which provide an additional benefit. The modern world innovations have given us enormous options for our requirements. Metal roofing, fiber cement roofing are preferred now a days as they are less costly and can be re-decorated easily. Wooden or slate roofing are the first priority for the hilly areas. Even the color of the roof plays a major role. In desert areas those colors are used which reflect more heat and keep the inner surface of the roof cooler.
 We can draw environmental benefits from today’s Residential Roofing solutions. Did the need of modern men have changed the roofing experience? Indeed, Split roof, fireproof roofs, convertible roofs are few of the examples of today’s innovative world. It has changed the entire way we looked at roofs. 

Steel buildings for Modern Age and Stylish buildings


It was not a story that has simply a bit gone beyond the horizons of traditional architecture, stitching spaces between old and modern era. Instead the concept of steel buildings is increasingly revolutionizing building concepts with steel enabled such as Willis Tower in U.S.A. dotting  the hearts of the cities all around the world
From the temporary emergency quick construct flexibility of portable cabin, to the impressive state of the art Guggenheim museum in Bilbao (Spain), all kinds of structures are  now made from steel. It is easy to build, and safer than the concrete buildings, cost effective, adaptable to modern designs and that too in a sustainable manner. The steel buildings are rewriting the future of the architectural frontline thinking. They can give a modern and classy look to the future buildings going beyond the traditional structural stability roles. Steel is a superior quality, strong as well as flexible material. These qualities of steel make it an ideal construction material. We can get any shape we want from it. The steel structures require very less components and can be built faster than buildings made out of conventional material. These are suitable for getting the desired interior designs due to their flexibility. These structures are also more space efficient than other building made of conventional material.
The best part of steel buildings is that they are risk free and affordable. Steel buildings show great resistance to earthquake, tremors, and tsunamis. Not only this, they are resistant to moisture, storm, fire, corrosion and termites. They are independent of the weather conditions and a masterpiece can be constructed within a few weeks. These buildings protect the users from moisture, heat, and are efficient from ambient conditions management point of view. These buildings are sustainable, durable and have longer life spans. When we talk about the steelbuildings, we talk about modern structures which are more stylish, glossy, and give out of the world appearance.  These are energy efficient also reducing the maintenance cost of the building.
 The Eiffel tower is made of pure steel and the design it got is due to the flexibility of the steel. The architects are taking the steel designs to the extreme limits. They are trying every way possible to use the flexibility of steel. The modern designs made out of steel can’t be done by any other conventional material. The Chinas media center is Z shaped and that is the kind of structure steel can build. 

Saturday 10 November 2012

PASSIONATE ABOUT REAL WOODEN FLOORING


Designing the floors provides the much wanted aesthetic appeal to the house. Wooden flooring is a great option which gives the house that natural, warm and elegant look. Wooden flooring is great due to its environmental profile, durability, restore ability and insulation.

Wooden flooring is of two kinds; these are solid wood and engineered wood. Solid wood, as the name implies is a solid piece of wood, it comes with varying thickness. It can be sanded and refinished many times, allowing it to stay for 100 years if maintained properly. Engineered wood uses real wood having three to nine layers of different wood veneers. It is very stable which means it expands and contracts less compared to solid wood during changes in temperature and humidity levels. This type of flooring can be sanded and finished but unlike solid wood it can’t be done many times.

You can choose from varying designs some of the popular ones are Strip flooring, Plank flooring and Parquet flooring which give the house a unique look, you can also consider having different designs for different rooms. There is option also in the type of finishing for the wood viz. water based finishes which are durable and prevent from yellowing, oil based finishes, wax based and a few other.

Installing wooden floor is not difficult, first, make sure the surface is clean and leveled, then apply adhesive then place the boards directly on top and press hard. Second, apply painter’s tape every few feet to prevent the boards from slipping, wipe away any excess adhesive with mineral spirits. And finally, walk over the surface to ensure full contact between flooring and the concrete. Install shoe molding to cover expansion joints.

Vacuuming, sweeping, and damp mopping is usually all that is required to maintain the cleanliness and appearance of a wood floor. Oil soaps should not be used to clean the floors. Like tile floors, excessive grit and foot traffic will affect appearance. Unlike carpet or rugs, a properly finished wood floor, like tile, does not accumulate hidden soil or odorous compounds.

HOME DESIGNING WITH BEAUTIFUL WOODEN CEILING DESIGNS


When you design or decorate your home you want it to look beautiful and elegant and ceilings go a long way in giving your interiors that panache. Wooden Ceiling designs are a wonderful way to give your house the classy and aristocratic look. Wooden ceilings designs are very popular for the cozy and warm look they give to the house. They can be modified to suit the taste of the owner, are very stylish and provide good insulation to the house.
Wooden ceiling designs come in three varieties these are mentioned below:
1.      Plywood Types: Plywood is the most commonly used wooden ceiling designs. They are easy to install, require minimum maintenance and look very attractive. There are two main types viz. Decorative which needs only varnish and Commercial which can be painted.
2.      Planned wood types: These ceilings are mainly used to give the house the Victorian look but can also be used in modern homes for extraordinary ceiling designs with various patterns. They are strong, heavy and durable but since they are made of pure timber planks.
3.      Molding wood type: A unique ceiling type, which is very popular these days for the visual appeal it offers, is the molding wood type. Here, there is wooden, plaster or glass ceilings with wood moldings in their borders. You can also install lights inside or around the borders of the wood moldings to get a pleasures look.
Wooden ceilings typically require low maintenance and are very durable. But with time they are subject to weathering with cracks developing and the initial color fading. But this can be easily solved by applying stain and varnish, which will restore it to its original condition.

Friday 2 November 2012

Interior Ceiling Tiles Designing


Ceiling tiles or ceiling panels are light weighted sound absorbing material used to cover the ceiling of a house. Tiling the ceiling comes in the process of interior decoration. Adding ceiling tiles to a room can completely enhance the look and make it look gorgeous. Ceiling tiles are available in all variations.
Ceiling tiles are available in all colours and types to match your choice. There are metal tiles available to give your house a royal look. These metal tiles are long lasting and durable than any other substance. Wooden, and POP tiles are also available to give a sophisticated look to your house. Soft and sophisticated colours are mostly liked by people. Many ceiling tiles are self designed and complement very well with the interiors.
If you are thinking of giving your room a little change, then installing ceiling tiles is not a difficult task. Firstly, you will have to attach a plywood substrate on the ceiling to allow the tiles to hold on it and check in case of cracks and holes. To keep the measurement accurate and handy is a pre requisite. Secondly, finding the starting point is necessary to avoid miscalculation. So you should keep a chalk handy to mark the progress. Thirdly, in case you plan to install metal tiles then you should drill it with steel nails. Marble tiles or POP tiles can be installed by pasting with wet cement. By following some easy steps, you can install your own ceiling and make your house beautiful.