The Dallas Post A nis CS a oF ES a a iE a What's hot for wall and floor coverings By Karen Cooksey Copley News Service F or inexpensive decorating that n add pizazz while camouflag- b flaws, try decorating with int. Don’t be afraid to experiment — you and your mate don’t like the sults, you can paint it again. “Using a can of basic flat latex int that’s easy to clean up with ter, a couple working together n easily change the color of a pm on a Saturday afternoon,” ys Julie Waytt, ASID, an interi- ALLS AND FLOORS - A creative or designer in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Ask your local paint or hardware store for advice on wall preparation and necessary sup- plies.) Your husband can outline the edges with a brush while you fol- low along behind him with a paint roller, filling in the middle of the wall. If you're changing the color of the woodwork — the base- boards, doors and doorjambs, too — the project will take longer. CREATE SPECIAL EFFECTS floor, such as this one mixing > and inlaid carpet designs, defines a room beautifully. E DOO00O0000000000000O0C000000000 ¢ Ps Sy; Y 2 2 Co Crs ®e ° « Customized =" % LEE'S Upholstery - Phone: 717 -283-1852 Ok) x) ‘308 W. Bennett Street, Luzerne,PA S Dk) SO0000000000000000000000000000 ) Forrest St., W.-B. (Behind Hart Lunch- i Next to Big Bob) 829-5838 WALLPAPER SPECIAL! 0 0's OF NEW PATTERNS IN STOCK AT SUPER LOW PRICES! 1 OPEN: MON.-THURS. / 9 AM.- 7PM. IE S TUES., WED. & FRI 9 AM.-5PM. WAREHOUSE \ \ OUTLET SAT, 10 AM.-4 PM. TAKE A LOOK AT OUR NEW SANITAS WALLCOVERINGS REMNANTS TOO — AT GREAT PRICES! FAMOUS NAM LN The newest looks in painted wall finishes require multiple lay- ers of paint. After the first coat has been applied, a second color — either darker or lighter than the original — can be daubed on with a sea sponge that has big, irregu- lar holes to make a pattern on the wall. Paint applied with wadded-up rags instead of a sponge creates a different design. Another technique involves pull- ing color off the wall rather than patting it on. For this process, the second coat of color is an overglaze that contains chemicals to keep it wet longer. So before the glaze dries, some of it is lifted off the wall with the tip of a dry paintbrush, a sponge, a bunched-up rag or even a turkey feather from a hobby shop, allowing the underlying shade to show through. FASHION UNDERFOOT Whether you choose a soft, lush look or a polished, clean feeling, floor coverings set the tone for the rest of your decor. Your floors sheuld be a feast for your soles as well as your eyes. Before making flooring deci- sions, consider the following life- style questions: « Will your investment in floor- ing be a stopgap measure for a rental in which you don’t want to invest a fortune or a more long- term investment? * Are you decorating a house OLITBACK 19 Playground Fun in your ... backyard! The ideal activity center for your children. Kid-tested for fun and fitness. Sturdy 4" x4" and 2" x 6" construction. 20 year warranty. Engineered for above ground portability so that the fun goes with you. Many models and sizes to choose from. Stop in today. Visit our playcenter displays. Ask for a free color brochure and make your backyard the place where your children most want to be. CEDAR YARD FENCE Corner Shoemaker Ave. & Stites, West Wyoming 288-503 you want to resell in a few years and looking for higher-quality floor coverings that you won’t have to replace when you list the house? » What decorating style are you developing? Will a plush, cozy car- pet complement the high-tech glass-and-brass look you're aim- ing for? Would hardwood floors and throw rugs fit in best with your country furnishings? « What areas of your home have traffic patterns that need a more durable floor? «- Have you thought about the feel of your feet on the floor? Do you like the sensation of soft car- peting under your toes when you step out of the shower, or will a bath mat on your sleek tile floor appeal more? Remember, while a hardwood floor is beautiful, it can be cold on morning feet. — Once you and your husband have put your heads together about the style and feel you want underfoot, consider the pros and cons of each option. CARPET Wool has always been consid- ered the optimum carpet fiber be- cause it takes color so subtly and beautifully. However, recent ad- vances allow nylon to simulate natural fiber, making it less ex- pensive, more durable and easier to clean. The more texture a carpet has, such as the bumpy Berber, the more contemporary the look. By contrast, smooth carpet surraces like velvet pile are traditional. If you don’t plan on carpeting wall to wall, remember that rem- nants of pricey carpeting can be bound at the edges by your local carpet store and used as throw rugs, which can provide a warm spot on a hardwood kitchen floor or pull together a conversation area. VINYL FLOORING Vinyl comes in single sheets or squares, which can be replaced if they tear or dent from heel marks. Most sheet vinyl is easy to clean and has a built-in gloss that re- quires no waxing. Vinyl tile will have to be waxed. In either case, there are no grout lines to clean, but beware of pitted textures that trap dirt. Vinyl flooring is almost unlimit- ed in the range of design possibili- ties, from a chic black-and-white checkerboard to a charming faux brick. CERAMIC TILE More costly than vinyl, ceramic tile does offer a rich look and a variety of designs, from classic to abstract. When shopping for ceramic tile, be aware that if it is glazed, the color is painted on the tile and can chip off. Other tiles are the same color through and through and are more reluctant to show damage. FACTORY DIRECT NEW CABINETS FOR LESS THAN REFACING FREE IN-HOME ESTIMATES CALL (717) 675-7083 Bf NL er >a, Ci i a Featuring GREAT LAKES Cabinetry CUSTOM LOOK and DESIGN without the designer price tag. e Wide range of styles and finishes ® FREE desig consultation ts ¢ FREE estimating service ® Precision cr: manship Top-Value Kitchens 124 Main Road, Dallas, PA 309 North, Turn Right before Bullock Tire, 1st Intersection (Fernbrook Corners) _ Stop In - see our showroom displays By Debra Lee Baldwin Copley News Service Would you like to transform your yard from yawn-inspiring to awe-inspiring? The easiest way is to hire a landscape contractor. He or she will map out suggested improve- ments, recommend the right plants for your climate and imple- ment everything from automatic irrigation to erosion control. If you'd rather tackle the job yourself, the staff at a nursery or garden center can offer advice; there also are newly published books that can help. A clever one by Joel M. Lerner, “The Complete Home Landscape Designer” (St. Martin's Press), covers everything from how to lo- cate utility lines to selecting stat- uary — plus pages of punch-out trees, shrubs, flowers and more to use in planning and improving your landscape. Another guide, helpful for new as well as established yards, is “Landscape Design, Renovation and Maintenance,” by Cass Turn- bull (Betterway Publications). In a chapter titled “What Makes a Yard Look Good or Bad,” Turn- bull offers the following advice: Just as with furniture and interior decorating, gardens have styles. Sometimes these can be blended, sometimes not. Common garden styles include formal English (clipped hedges, roses, knot gardens), English cot- tage (fruit trees and lots of peren- nials rambling around in great profusion), Japanese (highly trained and maintained pines and other trees with masses of low sheared shrubs, placed rocks, and sand seas), early American (for- sythias, quince, peonies, bearded iris), Pacific Northwest (rocks look like mountain outcroppings, rhododendron, pines, heather, vine maples, Douglas firs), woodland (tall trees with understory plants and ground covers), prairie (grasses and sun-loving wild- flowers). Take time to look in books and visit gardens to see what style you identify with most closely. You may be torn among several, but eventually your own style will as- sert itself. Generally, you want your more intensive formal-looking areas, like roses and annual flower beds, closer to the house; then you can let the garden become more natu- ral as you move farther away. Is your yard on a slope? Re- member, gravity always wins. In- vest the time and money to fix your steep grades now; plant your garden later. Consider terracing, or rock and wall reinforcements. Ideally, your yard should in- clude truck access, or at least wheelbarrow access, and a hidden utility area. Also, be sure to plan your lawn so there is a minimum of objects to mow around. You'll want shrubs and trees, plus grass, to soften the hard, an- people eliminate grass altogether and use a patio surrounded by beds. A few very tall things are essen- tial to put your house in scale, but you don’t want so many that they block all the light. Put a big tree on the south or west side to pro- tect from the blazing sun and to provide a habitat for songbirds and other wildlife. Carve out your beds in gentle sweeps around the yard’s outside perimeter; make them three times as big as you think you should. The amount of grass you need is really quite small — enough for six chairs and a picnic table. Take measures to avoid a spot- ty, unplanned-looking yard. Plant in groups, never rows. Invariably, one of the plants in a row dies and is difficult to replace. Use group- ings instead to give your yard a sense of being planned. A sense of theme can be achieved by repeating a shrub or plant shape on different sides of an area, and by matching colors at bloom time. An interesting yard has shows for every season. Spring bloomers include rhododendron, azalea, flowering ornamental dogwood, cherry, plum, crab apple — as well as deciduous flowering shrubs and flowering vines, such as clematis. As spring turns to summer, you'll want some sweet-smellers to make lounging around outside appealing. There’s usually a lull midsummer, so you may wish to add some annuals or perennials to keep things lively. Choose some early fall bulbs and perennials to lead into the au- tumn show. Add some vines, trees and shrubs that turn colors or have interesting berries. In deepest winter your yard’s evergreen plants will keep the barren feeling away. Be sure to include plants with intriguing bark — such as London plane tree or red-twig dogwood. Winter is when your hardscape shows up the most: the lines of your beds, the big rocks that you might put in for interest, and the shape, arrangement and texture of the stepping stones or paths. People think flowers make a garden beautiful, but it’s really contrast — in color (gray leaves next to purple leaves), form (round vs. columnar) and texture (soft or lacy next to spiky). Plant things that are going to get tall in the back of the bed (or in the center of an island). Think in terms of “three stories”: Trees make up the top story; under or in front of them are shrubs and under or in front of shrubs are ground covers. Each area of your yard should have a focal point — perhaps an ornament or an interesting tree or shrub. It’s a resting spot for your eyes so that the remainder of the yard seems to fit in. Don’t have too many focal points in one area, though, as this defeats the pur- pose. Pole Building Specialists 1976 Residential e 864-3563 e Commercial Evenings SPRING SPECIAL 2 Car Garage 3 5 ® Hi 5 : Tax Included 24 x 24 Painted Steel w/ 20 Year Paint Warranty (1) 16' W x 7' H Painted Steel Raised Panel Overhead Door (1) 3' x 6'8" Painted Steel Insulated Walk Door (2) 4' W x 2' H Slider Windows 10' Ventilated Ridge Cap * Building must be erected in Luzerne County - Elsewhere add Travel Time. Customer to provide a level, prepared site with normal drilling. Customer to secure any Licenses or Permits needed. Price includes Erection, Warranties on Material & Labor. Special expires May 30. LANDSCAPE TIPS - A well-planned landscape enhances the beauty and value of any home. WAY IN CREATIVE PLAY™ — , WOOLSEY FQN Distributed By \ * EDWARDS LANDSCAPING SERVICE, IC. 525 River St. — LEADING T Spring Sats Flowering Dogwood Snow Fountain Cherry Pears & Crab Apples Pink Weeping Cherry Now in Bloom Dwarf Rhododendrons & Azaleas Call Plains Nursery & Landscaping For Personalized Landspace Designs or visit our Lawn & Garden Center 99 North River Street Plains (Located next to IGA Plains Plaza) Large Selection of Landscape Materials Seed - Shrubbery « Trees Mulch - Top Soil - Decorative Stone Landscape Division Garden Center 826-0057 826-0099 Mon. - Sat. 8:
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