Tag Archives: lighting

EP43 – January 27, 2018: Selling Your Home In Winter, Extension Cords, Marine Varnish Question, The Perfect Light!

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Selling your home in the winter seems counter intuitive. Everyone waits until Spring, right? That’s the perfect time to list, right? Well, if you want to sell the house quickly and for the highest dollar possible, Winter might actually be your best bet! Roger Allan from Keller Williams Lakeshore Realty is with us and he makes a compelling case for listing now!

We’re also joined by Renee Huff from The Lighting Corner and she’s going to talk about the pivotal role lighting plays in our homes and in our decorating!

Listen here:

Show notes for episode 043:

The weather is cold and the ground is white...at least in some areas. Now is the perfect time to sell your house, right? We sat down with realtor Roger Allan from Keller Williams Lakeshore Realty in Holland to discuss this. Most people think winter is the worst time to sell a home. But Roger says now is the best time!
Do you have a new power tool? Do you want to ruin it very quickly? Use the wrong extension cord and you are on your way to success! Most people aren't aware that they need different extension cords for different tools. The more power the tool needs and the further from the outlet it is, the bigger your extension cord should be. We walk you through the basics of choosing the best extension cord for every job.  
Need to reach 25' or less14 Gauge Extension CordWill deliver up to 15 amps
Need to reach up to 50'12 Gauge Extension CordWill deliver up to 15 amps
Need to reach up to 100'10 Gauge Extension CordWill deliver up to 15 amps
Because we got such good questions at the Remodeling and New Homes Show a couple weeks ago, we decided to answer a few more. The first question has to do with choosing color. Many people struggle with this because there are so many options and they don't know where to start. We'll give you some tips to put you on the right path to color bliss. The other questions is about using a marine varnish on window sills. We'll tell you if it's a good or bad idea and why.
In the paint industry, we know how important light is to the final color outcome. A light bulb can actually make OR break a color scheme. Renee Huff from The Lighting Corner in Grandville stopped by to talk all things light bulbs. She discussed the differences in bulbs (CFL, LED, etc.), how to choose a bulb according to where it falls on the Kelvin heat scale, and so much more! This is a segment that is absolutely worth the time!

EP26 – September 30, 2017: Wood Finishes, Light Bulb Early Burn Outs, Tree Trimming 101, Decorating Small Bedrooms

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Lacquers, Polyurethanes, Shellacs, and more! There are so many finishes that can be classified under the broad heading of “clear coat”. Which one is right for your project? Which one is going to give you the most durability? It’s honestly not as confusing as it may seem! Today we clear up the confusion and give you everything you need to know to make the best choice!

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Show notes for episode 026:

When it comes to choosing the right wood finish for a project, many people are confused. There are so many options. What's best? In this segment, we talk about the most common choices and highlight the best uses for each one!

When light bulbs burn out early, we start to wonder what's going on! The packages say we'll get multiple years out of a given bulb, but sometimes we end up getting just a couple weeks. Why is that? And, more importantly, what can we do about it?

Today we're in the studio with Bill Haveman from Haveman Electric and he's got some answers and some recommendations!

Trimming plants back in the fall doesn't always seem like rocket science. And it isn't. But still, do it wrong (as I have) and you won't have any Hydrangea blooms next year!

Matt Bakker from Landscape Design Services joins us to lay out the do's and don'ts of trimming!

Small rooms can be frustrating to decorate. And often, we tend to just give up and resign ourselves to the idea that they can only be functional . . . not design-oriented.

We want to challenge that! Those small rooms can be eye-catching. You just need to approach the project with a little creativity!

EP15 – July 15, 2017: An Inexpensive Fix for Wet Basements

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  • Lighting and Paint Colors with Beth Maguire from Benjamin Moore
  • Back to School Supplies — Home Improvement Edition!
  • Waterblock: An Inexpensive Fix for Wet Basements
  • New Tech for Greener Lawns with Grapids Irrigation

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Show notes for episode 015:

Have you ever picked a color that seemed perfect while you were in the paint store, only to get it home and find it was totally wrong?! You are not alone! Lighting, and the absence of lighting, plays a big part in how we perceive color. Beth Maguire from Benjamin Moore walks us through things that will help us pick the perfect color every time.   Beth Maguire, Architectural & Design Representative with Benjamin Moore, has a passionate approach to color and design. While working as the showroom manager for Benjamin Moore's Designer Showroom at the Merchandise Mart, She was able to share her knowledge and passion for color with the design community for 5 years. Beth holds an accredited degree in Architecture from the University of Illinois Chiacago, and has over 15 years' experience doing retail design and marketing for several companies. In her 12 years with Benjamin Moore, Beth has worked on both the retail design side of the business, as well as with the Architect & Designer segments, delivering trend, color, and coatings presentations to designers, architects and students.  
  It's almost that time of year kids hate to think about....back-to-school! But for college students, it is a chance to escape from mom and dad to freedom. It's a time for them to make all kinds of new friends. And we've got a way to help. If you have kids going off to college, arm them with the right tools....literally!
A lot of people deal with wet  or damp basements. And the problem is even worse after a heavy rain or in spring when snow melts. More often than not, the dampness is accompanied by a less-than-pleasant musty smell. What most people don't know, is there's a paint that can be put on bare concrete or block that will drastically reduce, if not eliminate, the moisture that occurs in basements. And you'll be surprised at how little it costs to do! It's a great first step toward a dry, odor free basement.
Green lawns are something we all strive for. A sprinkler system may help. But for those with an older system, it can be very complicated. Aaron Katerberg from Grapids Irrigation joins us in the studio once again. This time he tells us all about the newest technology in sprinkler systems. The best news is, many things can be retrofitted to older systems.

EP14 – July 8, 2017: It’s Toilet Talk Time!

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We know, it’s something people don’t normally talk about in social circles. It’s a topic left for the privacy of our own homes. But we’re breaking the mould and asking all the toilet questions you may have pondered. Mark DeVisser from The Plummer Is Here stops by to answer our questions and walk us through the options when buying a new toilet. The subject matter makes us uncomfortable, but the information is worth the discomfort!

Listen here:

Show notes for Episode 014:

Kitchens are the most commonly redone room in a house. They are also some of the most costly. And there are some things you can do to change the look, without spending a ton of money. We've all heard of painting the cabinets and replacing the hardware. But there is one more project that is often overlooked, but dramatically changes the look of your kitchen.

Painting a tile backsplash can really change the look and feel of your kitchen. It can make a dated kitchen feel current. And, with a little creativity, you can make your backsplash a one-of-a-kind. Check out our Backsplash Ideas Pinterest board to see what inspired us!

Figuring out the perfect lighting for your home can be a challenge. But it can be more difficult as we get older. Our eyes go through drastic changes as we age and most people will require more and different types of light.

Renee Huff from The Lighting Corner in Grandville stops by to discuss how eyes change as we age and some things that we can implement to help us, or our loved ones, see better as we gracefully age.

Outdoor living spaces are the fastest growing segment of home improvement. Everyone is trying create that backyard spaces that every neighbor wants. And all may be perfect until it comes to the furniture.

There are three general issues that come up when it comes to patio furniture:

  1. It looks terrible from sitting in the weather.
  2. It's the wrong style. You bought log furniture, but now hate it!
  3. It's an eclectic collection of yard sale finds.

When people find themselves in one of the above situations they generally do one of two things: they either live with it, or they toss it (for the eclectic collector to find!) and buy new. But there is a third option that we like a lot better! It will save you money over replacing and you can make it something the neighbors will envy! You can find amazing ideas on our Outdoor Furniture Pinterest board.

Yes, we have finally come to Dan's favorite segment of this episode! He has been dying to have all of his hard-hitting toilet questions answered by an expert plumber. And lucky for us, The Plumber Is Here!

Mark DeVisser from The Plumber Is Here! stops by to answer all Dan's questions and add a few laughs.

Mark DeVisser is a Master Plumber and Owner of  Great Lakes Plumbing Services, LLC (or, as it is more commonly known, The Plumber Is Here!). The plumber Is Here can take care of all your plumbing needs including water heaters, faucets, tubs and showers, water and sewer hookups, drain cleaning and so much more! They service residential, commercial and new construction in all areas around Saugatuck, Holland, Zeeland, Grand Haven, Grandville, Jenison, Hudsonville, and beyond. 

Paint Colors, Light Bulbs and John Boomsma

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boomsma2The other day, I received a call from the Manager at our Jenison RepcoLite, John Boomsma (see inset).  He had just run into a crazy situation in the store and figured I could make use of the information on our blog.

John explained that he had received a phone call earlier in the week from a customer who was extremely frustrated.  She was at a loss–didn’t know what to do.  See, she had just painted two rooms in her home.  As most people do when getting ready to paint, she had agonized for a few days or weeks over colors.

Finally, after much effort and after asking her family 100 times which color they liked the most (and then opting for the color she liked the best despite what they said), she painted both rooms.

And that’s when things got weird.

In room 1, she loved the color.  It was perfect.  It blended with the fabrics, the carpet, the trim and so on.  It was exactly the look she had wanted.

However, she was shocked to discover that she hated room 2.  The color looked terrible with the fabrics, the carpet, the trim, and so on.

The weird thing?  The color was the same in both rooms.  So was the fabric.  And the carpet.  And the trim.  Identical rooms painted with the exact same color out of the exact same gallon and room 1 looked beautiful and room 2 looked terrible.

So she called RepcoLite in Jenison where she bought the paint, wanting to know what was going on.

Now, I’ll admit that while John was telling me this story, I was a little intrigued.  These things are sometimes like mysteries and it can be fun and rewarding to puzzle them out and find a solution.  However, I have to be honest:  I wasn’t sure, from what I was hearing, what the problem could possibly be.

I assumed maybe a paint color problem.  Maybe the roller she used had paint in it from another job.  Maybe the previous color on the wall was showing through, making the color in room 2 look different.

I had a number of different theories, but then John said “you know what the problem was?  You know what went wrong?”

I waited.  He waited.  (Turns out he wanted me to say “no, I don’t know what the problem was” before he’d continue.)  So I admitted ignorance (which made him happy), and he explained, in a single, compound word:  “lightbulbs!”

He went on to explain that the customer had an incandescent lightbulb in room 1–the room she loved.  In room 2, the lightbulb was one of those fluorescent, energy-saving bulbs.  The tone of the light coming from each of those bulbs was enough to visually alter the color on her walls.

The fix?  Simple:  change bulbs.

The customer tried the fix and was back in the store a day or so later to report that everything turned out well.  Instead of repainting a room–going through all that work and spending that extra money–all she had to do was change a lightbulb.

So the point of the story, if it’s not obvious, is this:  lighting matters!  Check out your colors in your room, in your lighting before you buy and before you paint.  And likewise, before you give up on a color that you thought you liked but find that you really hate when you see it on your wall, give some thought to the lighting in your room.  Could a simple changing of a lightbulb make all the difference?  It’s at least worth a try!