Page 34 – Homesthetics

Repairing an old concrete surface can be challenging, but it isn’t impossible.

Concrete is one of the most versatile construction materials on the market. However, its quality can degrade over time due to damage from weather, sun, and physical impacts.

Concrete resurfacing can be used to repair the existing concrete by removing a thin layer of old concrete and replacing it with a new layer. In fact, this is one of the most effective ways of repairing old concrete to make it more durable.

So today, we will tell you all about concrete resurfacing, including the best concrete crack filler, types of cracks in concrete slabs, and best asphalt crack filler to help you make an informed decision. Now, let’s dive in!

What Is Concrete Resurfacing?

Old concrete surfaces have a tendency to get damaged or cracked due to intense weathering and other external factors. However, it may not always be possible to replace them with new ones, mainly due to budget constraints. And here's where concrete resurfacing can come to your rescue.

The damaged top layer is removed, and the cracks are repaired before a new layer of concrete is applied to the concrete. This new layer is made from a material known as a resurfacer.

Although resurfacers look like concrete, they are fundamentally different when it comes to the main composition. The compound is made from a special bonding agent that allows it to adhere well to old concrete.

On the contrary, if you apply a new layer of concrete without applying a resurfacing material, then the two layers will not bond well. Eventually, these thin layers will crack due to various external reasons, but resurfacers add an extra layer of protection as well as help with better bonding.

How Does Resurfaced Concrete Look Like?

Despite having a different chemical composition, resurfaced concrete looks identical to an existing concrete surface. Resurfacing focuses on getting the cracked surfaces repaired and repairing the damages with a new layer of resurfacer. Hence, you can’t tell any major difference when you look at a resurfaced concrete slab.

Decorative Concrete Resurfacing Ideas

The good news is that you can use some techniques while pouring the resurfacer to enhance the overall look. And here is a list of options you can try to enhance the looks of your concrete resurfacer:

A. Texture

If you are bored of the plain old texture of a concrete surface, you can alter the look of the resurfaced concrete by adding different textures to the new surface using simple tools. For instance, you can use sandpaper to create a coarse texture, especially on white concrete.

B. Color

Besides altering the texture of the surface, you can change the color by adding color to the resurfacing material. Once you have mixed the color, apply the coat on the concrete surface and let it dry completely before adding more layers.

C. Lines And Patterns

You can also add additional details by using different shapes and stamps on the wet, resurfaced layer. For example, you can decorate the resurfaced concrete surface by creating unique patterns while the top layer is still wet. Asymmetrical black lines on white concrete deck can enhance the aesthetics of your driveway or deck.

D. Finish

Lastly, you can apply a layer of finish coat to give your concrete layer a sealed and uniform finish. This works exactly like paint which seals the surfaces and prevents corrosion from occurring. Besides, you can choose a glossy or matte finish.

How Can I Make My Concrete Resurfacing Last Longer?

Normally, a resurfaced concrete surface can last for more than 20 years or more without needing much repairs or maintenance. In fact, resurfaced concrete is extremely durable, making it a good candidate for repairing old concrete surfaces. However, you can further prolong the longevity of the resurfaced concrete by following a few tips:

1. Repairs

Before applying the resurfacer, you need to repair the damage on the existing concrete since the damage may intensify later on, thereby affecting the integrity of the resurfacer. Fill the cracks and let them dry completely before pouring the resurfacer onto the old concrete layer.

2. Cleaning

You should always clean the existing surface before applying a layer of resurfacer. Resurfacer compounds are generally known for having a special ingredient that lets them bond with the existing concrete; however, dirt and dust can affect the bonding property of the compound.

Therefore, you should clean and remove any dirt from the surface, which will help prevent any impurities from interfering in the bonding process.

3. Finishing

As soon as the resurfacer layer has completely hardened, we recommend applying a layer of finish coat since it seals the concrete surface and provides an additional layer of protection against harsh weather conditions and corrosion. And depending on your preference, you can go for a glossy or matte finish.

4. Inspection And Identification

If you are planning to do a DIY resurfacing of the concrete driveway, then we highly suggest inspecting the area first before making your decision. Look around the concrete driveway and search for any damages or cracks. Most concrete damages require heavy-grade industrial tools for repairing, and using home tools can damage the cracks further.

So, you can call a professional and ask them to repair the cracks and damages before pouring the resurfacer onto the surface. In addition, you will need to use the correct resurfacer, which will work well with your concrete driveway, concrete overlay, and concrete garage floor.

5. Maintenance

Resurfaced concrete surfaces usually require the least amount of maintenance, but they can definitely benefit from a little maintenance. One of the best ways to maintain the surfaces is by applying a thin coat of good-quality sealer. The sealer helps the resurfaced layer to last longer by sealing the porous holes and making it resistant to water.

Additionally, the sealer is capable of limiting UV rays and intense weathering damage. Some sealers are capable of providing resistance to chemicals that can easily corrode the new concrete. Hence, investing in a good-quality sealer can drastically improve the shelf life of the resurfaced concrete surface.

Can Old Concrete Be Resurfaced Frequently Asked Questions ?

When Should You Resurface A Concrete Surface?

There are several ways of knowing if your concrete surface needs to be resurfaced. For instance, if you notice deep cracks on the upper layer, then there’s a good chance that the underlying concrete is also damaged, so resurfacing it may be a good idea. You can also perform resurfacing to repair old pipes.

But if you haven’t done resurfacing before, we’d suggest contacting a contractor, who will get the job effectively and walk you through the maintenance aspects as well.

Should You Do The Resurfacing By Yourself?

Although you can purchase a resurfacer from a local hardware store, it is not advisable since it is expensive, and you might pick the wrong resurfacer for the concrete surfaces. The concrete needs to be treated properly as well; therefore, we recommend getting in touch with a professional to get the job done.

Besides this, resurfacing requires you to own commercial-grade tools, which may not be readily available to you.

What Is The Best Concrete Crack Fixer?

Epoxy coatings are the best concrete crack fixers on the market since they are cheap and easy to use. You can purchase the epoxy from a local hardware store and apply it to cracked concrete surfaces and floors.

After the epoxy has been applied correctly, it won’t take long to dry, which is another advantage. Nevertheless, you should let it cure properly according to the manufacturer's instructions for best results.

Epoxy can also be used to fill asphalt cracks and other materials similar to concrete, making it pretty versatile for DIY repairs around the house.

What Are The Types Of Cracks Observed In Concrete Surfaces?

Generally, there are six types of cracks that can cause severe damage to your concrete slabs or surfaces, which include:

Cracks formed due to premature drying
Cracks formed due to the overloading of slabs
Heaving cracks
Plastic shrinkage cracks
Settling cracks
Expansion cracks

Is It Possible To Stain Resurfaced Concrete?

Just like regular concrete floors, you can use stain on resurfaced concrete as long as you use concrete stain on the surface.

However, keep in mind that stains used for wood or any other surfaces are not compatible with concrete since the chemical composition is different. Hence, you should avoid using them as they can cause severe damage to the resurfaced concrete surface.

Instead, you can use a concrete stain of any color to add to the aesthetic of the otherwise boring plain concrete. Moreover, you can use different painting techniques and tools to create unique effects.

However, we’d suggest practicing it first on any unused or leftover concrete slabs (if available) or simple paper, as it can be difficult to remove the paint from the surface once applied.

Can Old Concrete Be Resurfaced Final Words

Concrete surfaces are prone to get damaged over time; however, you can still prolong their longevity by following a few tips.

For starters, always make sure to coat your old and new concrete surfaces with weatherproof paint as it will give the surface additional resistance to thawing and freezing cycles. Besides, try to keep heavy weights and objects away from them as they can easily form cracks on the surface.

And try not to use any appliances with strong vibrations near newly resurfaced concrete since they can cause irreparable damages, especially on walls and floors.

That said, we shall now say goodbye. See you next time!

Do you want to change up the look and feel of your home? Then you should give it a nice fresh coat of paint!

It feels great to refresh the appearance of your home from time to time. But painting your home can be a lot of work, especially if you are a DIYer. And when it comes to the ceiling, painting it may feel like a nightmare. Even the best quality ceiling paint can result in a messy failure, if you don’t know how to paint your ceiling.

However, we would suggest that you use a roller to paint the ceiling. That will make the process a lot easier to complete. All you need to do is clear out the room, get some basic arrangements done, and then apply the paint with the roller while ensuring uniform coverage.

Then again, we understand that not everyone may be familiar with using a roller. That’s why we have prepared this guide so that you can easily learn how to use a roller to paint your ceiling.

So, let’s roll!

What Is A Roller?

Before using the tool, you should first get familiar with it so that you can grasp the process better. So, let us begin by discussing a little about what a roller is. It is a standard piece of equipment that is used by professional painters and interior decorators.

Usually, a paint roller comes with two components - the roller frame and the roller cover. The roller cover is a cylindrical component that absorbs the paint and transfers it to the wall. Conversely, the roller frame makes up the remainder of the paint roller, which comprises the handle and an attachment for the roller cover.

It may be made using metal, plastic, wood, or any other durable material. On the contrary, the cylindrical cover is made from rubber foam, pile fabric, or urethane fibers. Although, the material may change based on the type of paint you are using and the texture of your ceiling.

However, the fundamental method of operation is more or less the same. It is designed to soak up the paint from the paint container or tray. And when you roll it on the walls or other flat surfaces, the paint is transferred to the surface.

During paint application, only the cover rotates while the frame holds it in position. Thus, compared to other painting tools like the paintbrush or a sprayer, a roller is a lot more efficient and convenient. It is also less messy since the paint usually doesn’t drip from it like paint brushes.

But you should know that the roller covers are typically not reusable, due to which you will need to replace them after painting. Roller frames, on the other hand, are durable enough so you can use them for a long time.

How To Paint A Ceiling With A Roller?

Now that you know what a roller is, let’s get back to our primary objective - how to use it to paint the ceiling. First off, you will need to make a few preparations before you begin painting. You need to gather all the supplies and additional tools that will be necessary while painting.

Ideally, you should keep them ready at hand so that you will have easy access to them whenever necessary. In this regard, besides the roller and the paint, you need a can opener, stirring stick, paint roller extension rod or extension pole, and painter’s tape.

You can also keep an angled brush, paint tray, step-ladder, drop cloths, rags, and sweepers. And always make sure to wear protective clothing, such as safety goggles, caps, and so on.

Gathering the necessary equipment and tools is essential to make painting your ceiling a lot smoother and more convenient. Once you are done, it’s time to proceed further by following the steps below.

Step 1: Clear The Room

We know that you are eager to start rolling the paint on your ceiling, but let’s not be hasty. Otherwise, you will be making the process a whole lot more bothersome than necessary.

You need to prepare the room that you are going to paint. If you plan to paint the entire room, such as the ceiling and the walls, a few extensive preparations will need to be made.

In any case, preparing the room is an absolute necessity before getting started. And to do that, you will first need to remove or cover all of the furniture and other items using old bedsheets. This will prevent paint from splattering all over your household items and furniture.

Then, you will need to remove all the objects from the ceiling, such as ceiling fans, light fixtures, vent covers, and so on. And if you are painting the whole room, then remove all the wall fixtures as well.

Step 2: Prepare The Room For Painting

After you are done clearing out the room, it is time to prep it for painting. For this step, you will need to cover the flooring with drop cloths to prevent splattering. And if you only intend to paint the ceiling, you can cover the walls with them too.

Even the fixtures which are unremovable, like your windows, vents, or switchboards, can simply be covered with these drop cloths. The same applies to any heavy furniture or household items that you are unable to remove from the room.

Make sure to use sufficient drop cloths so that there are no gaps left. It will be ideal if they overlap each other, which eliminates the chances of paint getting through them almost completely. Furthermore, to keep the drop cloths in place, you can use painter’s tape along the edges.

Step 3: Clean And Fix The Ceiling

Before you apply ceiling paint, you will need to make sure that it is clean. You may not know it, but the ceiling can get pretty dirty due to a number of reasons, which include cobwebs, roof leaks, spills, tobacco smoke, and so on. And if your ceiling surface is dirty, the paint will not adhere well to it.

Therefore, you can clean it up with a brush or a rag to eliminate most of the grime and dirt. Unfortunately, this will not be enough to clean out stains caused by roof leaks or tobacco smoke. To remove them, you need to use a stain-blocking primer. We recommend using white shellac, which will cover up these stains effectively.

Following that, you will need to fix any imperfections on your ceiling. So, if you have any holes or cracks on the ceiling, you need to repair them. And to do that, you can consider using spackle or caulk since they can fill in any holes or cracks completely.

As a good measure, you can also rub your ceiling with sandpaper. It will flatten out any imperfections and give you a smooth surface that will form a better bond with the paint. However, this step is not necessary if you have a textured ceiling, as it can affect the texture. Although, painting a textured ceiling is a different task for newbies and DIYers.

Step 4: Tape Off Walls Along The Top Edge

You need to apply painter’s tape along the top edges of your wall and on the crown molding. That will prevent the ceiling paint from touching the areas when you are using the roller near their edges. Make sure you use tape that is at least two inches thick so you can mask them off properly.

If there are vents, smoke alarms, or other unremovable fixtures on the ceiling, then you need to tape them off as well. This will keep the roller marks off them and also prevent any damage. On that note, if you wish to paint the walls as well, applying painter’s tape will not be necessary.

Step 5: Prime The Ceiling And Cut Along The Edges And Corners

Before applying the ceiling paint, it is necessary to prime the ceiling. The primer you need to use for this purpose depends on the type of ceiling you have. For smooth ceilings, you may use interior latex drywall primer, and for textured ceilings, high build primer can be used.

After you have applied the primer, you need to let it dry for a while. Once it has completely dried, cut along the corners and edges of the ceiling. Meaning, apply paint along these edges and corners with a brush.

The reason for doing this is to cover these parts with paint, as the roller will not be able to reach them completely. Besides, it will effectively conceal any uneven brush marks along the edges and corners.

Step 6: Apply The Paint On The Ceiling With The Roller

Now that all the above steps are complete, it is finally time to get the paint rolling! Dip your paint roller in the tray to soak it with the paint. Roll off any excess paint by running the roller on the edge of the tray. Then place the roller at one of the corners of your ceiling and slowly roll on the paint.

It is advisable to use slow and gentle strokes when painting, as that will give an even layer of paint. Also, we would suggest that you start by painting in small sections instead of rolling over the entire ceiling at once. This will prevent any uneven overlapping of the paint and minimize the overlap marks left behind.

However, it might not be possible to avoid lap marks altogether. Especially along the edges and corners, where you have already applied paint, the lap marks may become too prominent. So, to conceal them, gently roll over the lap marks while they are still wet to get an even paint texture.

Step 7: Dry The Paint And Apply A Second Coating If Necessary

Once the paint has been applied, you need to let it sit for a while so that the wet paint can dry completely. After the paint has dried, you may choose to apply another coating over it to give your ceiling a deeper and even coloration. And if you notice any imperfections or irregularities, you can rectify them with the second coating.

Now, applying the second coat of paint is not mandatory, so if you are satisfied with the first coat, you can skip it altogether. But if you choose to do it, then you need to follow the same procedure as described in the previous step. You will need to allow the second layer to dry as well before wrapping it up.

Tips For Painting The Ceiling With A Roller

In this section, we would like to provide some helpful painting tips for you to keep in mind. If you follow these tips, painting your ceiling with a roller will be a breeze.

1. Select A High-Quality Paint

You need to get good quality paint for your ceiling to give it a richer color. Such ceiling paint will not dry off very quickly, preventing it from leaving behind unsightly lap marks.

Conversely, it won’t take a lot of time to dry either, so you won’t have to wait for a long time to finish your painting. Furthermore, with good quality paint, only one coat of paint will be enough.

2. Choose A Suitable Color

Typically, you might be inclined to go with white or any other lighter colors. But don’t be afraid to experiment with different color options. If you select another color besides white, that might make your room feel more spacious and give it a professional-looking finish.

3. Follow All Safety Guidelines

Safety is of paramount importance when painting the ceiling. So, you need to make sure that you follow all guidelines and instructions. Always wear protective equipment, such as goggles, masks, and hair covers. Also, make sure not to paint directly overhead, as the paint may splatter all over you in that case.

If your ceiling is too high, you can use a step ladder or a paint roller extension rod. That will be a lot safer than straining your arms, neck, and shoulders. And make sure to clean up properly after you are done painting.

4. Always Roll Slowly And Gently

When you paint a ceiling with a roller, you should always be gentle and slow. Be careful not to apply too much pressure, as that will make the painting uneven. The same will happen if you roll too quickly, as the paint will not be properly transferred to the surface.

Maintain a uniform pressure and pacing throughout the process. And try to move the roller in a single direction for the most part. To spread the paint in a smooth and consistent manner, move the roller in both forward and backward motions evenly.

5. Use A Suitable Roller Nap

If you have a textured or popcorn ceiling, you will need to use a suitable roller nap as well. The roller nap refers to the width of the material on the roller cover, which absorbs the wet paint and transfers it to the surface.

There are different roller naps, and each has a specific usage scenario. For a smooth ceiling, you need to use a thin roller nap, while for a textured ceiling, a thicker roller nap is more suitable.

How To Paint A Ceiling With A Roller Frequently Asked Questions ?

How Long Does It Take To Paint The Ceiling With A Roller?

Usually, the whole process of painting a ceiling takes one whole day or two days at the most. However, this duration is not set in stone, and it may vary based on how much effort you want to put in and the area of your ceiling.

If you are in no hurry, then you may allocate more than two days to get the painting done. Likewise, if the surface area of your ceiling is large, it might require some more time to complete.

How Much Paint Do You Need For Your Ceiling?

The amount of paint required depends on the surface area of your ceiling, as well as the number of layers you want to apply. One gallon of paint can sufficiently cover around 300 to 400 square feet.

You first need to calculate the square footage of your ceiling by multiplying its length and breadth. If you divide that number by the coverage area of your paint, you will know how much paint is necessary.

In case you want to apply a double coat, the paint required will consequently double, so keep that in mind as well.

What Type Of Paint Is Best For The Ceiling?

Any normal paint that you use for the interior walls of your house can be used to paint the ceiling. However, if you want, you can use a special ceiling paint that is available on the market. Such paints have a matte or soft, flat sheen to make the ceiling stand out from the walls.

Should You Paint The Ceiling Before Or After The Walls?

If you are planning to paint an entire room, we would suggest that you start by painting the ceiling first. Then you can gradually work your way down to the walls. Not only will this be convenient, but it will also be a less messy job.

How To Paint A Ceiling With A Roller Final Words

The ceiling is an integral part of your home’s interior so it is crucial that you pay equal attention to it, just like the other walls of your home. Whether it’s your living room or basement, a ceiling must get a fresh coat of paint from time to time. Although, choosing paints for basement ceiling is slightly different from regular ceiling paints, due to its damp-proofing and mold-resistant nature.

That’s why we have prepared this informative, stepwise guide so that you can easily paint it with a roller. So, it is time that you shrugged off your fear of painting ceilings and gave them the love they deserve. We have also included some tips to make the work even easier for you.

With that, we have reached the end of this guide. We hope you enjoyed reading it.

Take care, folks!

If you’re looking for paint for furniture, then Farrow And Ball has a lot to offer.

The brand is known for its high-quality, durable paints for different surfaces. However, first-time DIY painters may get anxious, as painting furniture with these paints requires proper cleanup and priming of the surface.

And that’s where we come in. Dive in for all the know-how!

The Preparation

No surprises here- the first step in painting furniture is to clean and smoothen the surface so that the new paint adheres properly. And here’s how to do that effectively:

Step 1: Clean The Surface

Start by getting rid of any loose dirt or debris from the surface using a vacuum cleaner. And since outdoor furniture is more prone to dust, you may want to consider vacuuming multiple times to clean it properly.

However, ensure that the setting isn’t too high; otherwise, you may risk damaging the furniture.

Step 2: Sand The Surface

Now, grab a sander and begin sanding the piece of furniture. It’s usually recommended not to skip this step, as sanding will help remove the existing paint, sheen, and varnish from surfaces like previously painted wood.

Begin sanding the wooden surface with a low sandpaper grit (like 100) and gradually move up for a smooth finish. While low grit sandpapers are coarser and can remove larger irregularities, the high grit ones are finer and ideal for finishing off the process to make the paint adhere better.

In case of metal surfaces, you may want to choose higher grits (in the 300s), which will help smoothen any bumps as well as remove stubborn rust. However, you shouldn’t go above a 140-grit sandpaper for sanding plastic furniture, as it doesn’t really need too much finesse.

If you don’t have an orbital sander handy, then you can wrap the sandpaper around a sanding block to get the job done. Naturally, this alternative will take more time, so plan the painting schedule accordingly.

On that note, you can use this technique to lightly sand around the curves or tight corners of the furniture. Don’t apply too much pressure, as it may damage these areas or remove any design specific to these parts.

Step 3- Cleaning The Surface (Again)

Whether you’ve sanded solid wood, metal, or plastic furniture, it will produce a lot of debris and dust, which should be cleaned thoroughly. Here again, you’d want to start by dusting the loose debris before going in with soap and water. Remember that any unwanted particle on the surface can result in an uneven or distorted finish.

Furthermore, you can use either normal or sugar soap, but don’t use too much water. Both wood and metal don’t tolerate excess moisture well, so the surface may get damaged if the furniture doesn’t dry properly.

Likewise, use methylated or white spirit to eliminate any greasy or oily residue from wooden surfaces. This is specifically important for new wood, as it may have sticky resin knots that should be removed before you paint the surface. Then, get the patches treated with a wood filler before applying the primer.

Step 4- Priming

Applying primer before the paint gives it a nice surface to stick on to, as well as makes the paint more durable in the long run. In this regard, use an all-surface primer, which will be compatible with wood, metal, and plastic.

To cut corners, go over the larger areas with a small foam roller and use a synthetic bristle brush for the tight spots. And the number of coats you employ will depend on the formula of the primer, so check the manufacturer’s instructions.

In case of multiple coats, let each of the layers dry properly before applying the next one.

How To Paint The Furniture?

With the preparation part done and dusted, it’s time to get your hands on paint brushes and your favorite Farrow Ball paint tub. But the process will depend on the kind of surface you’re painting.

For wood that has been previously painted, apply one coat of the brand’s “wooder primer and undercoat” in the shade that best matches the topcoat paint color. Then, go with two coats of the topcoat, allowing the first layer sufficient drying time before applying the second coat.

However, bare wooden surfaces will absorb the primer faster and more effectively, which is why it’s a good idea to dilute the undercoat by adding about 20% water of the total amount being used. Apply an even layer, followed by a drying time of at least 4 hours and an undiluted coat of the same.

Once the undiluted coat dries completely, apply one layer of your preferred topcoat, let it dry thoroughly, and finish off with two coats of modern eggshell paint.

We’d advise using a fine-bristled synthetic brush for this step to get the best possible results. Besides, you can browse the brand website to look for other options (like estate eggshell or full gloss). These are compatible with non-wooden surfaces as well and render unique finishes to breathe new life into your old furniture.

How To Paint Furniture With Farrow And Ball Frequently Asked Questions ?

Can You Use Farrow And Ball Paint For Antique Furniture?

Yes, you can use Farrow And Ball paint for antique furniture like a chest of drawers, irrespective of whether they’re painted or unpainted. However, you will need to handle the piece with care, especially when it comes to sanding and priming the surface.

Does Farrow And Ball Manufacture Paints For Walls And Ceilings?

Farrow And Ball has a special “California Collection” manufactured in collaboration with renowned international designer Kelly Wearstler. It comprises eight distinct “sun-kissed” shades meant for indoor and outdoor walls, ceilings, and skirting boards.

These neutral paint colors suit most style preferences, so you can choose a color that best matches the existing decor of the space.

How To Apply Glaze To Painted Furniture?

Once the paint on the furniture is dry, prepare the glaze by shaking its can thoroughly. Open the lid and use a brush to mix it for another minute. Then, use a flat brush to apply it to the furniture while paying attention to the nooks and crannies, as well as other parts prone to damage.

Damp a cloth and use it to take off the excess glaze immediately according to the final look you want. If you end up removing too much of it, just use a small amount to re-apply it. Now, that’s how you apply glaze to painted furniture.

How To Paint Furniture With Farrow And Ball Final Words

That brings us to the end of our guide today.

But before we wrap up, here are a few tips that will make the overall painting process easier. If you haven’t worked with Farrow and Ball paints before or aren’t sure about the color, get some tester pots and apply the paint to a small section of the furniture.

And while painting, take out the required amount in a paint tray instead of dipping the brush constantly in the can. This will prevent the paint from constant exposure to wind and moisture.

See you next time!

Humidity is an unfortunate by-product of the lovely rains, which can be mitigated by getting a dehumidifier for your bedroom.

A dehumidifier can help reduce the humidity level of a room, but there is one small catch to them: figuring out the right setting. Since these appliances come in many models and sizes, picking out one that suits your room and residential temperature becomes vital to their success.

So, what should the ideal temperature setting be for your bedroom? The ideal setting should be between 70 and 90 degrees F for residential refrigerant dehumidifiers. But there are other factors that need to be looked into - which is why we have curated this guide.

Relative Humidity

The term ‘relative humidity’ refers to the amount of moisture present in the atmosphere in relation to what would be present in saturated air. If the temperature is high, the amount of moisture the air can hold is also high, and vice versa.

Every part of your home will have a different relative humidity depending on where they are situated. If you live close to a forest or a beach, you’ll experience a higher level of humidity, making a dehumidifier all but necessary.

The relative humidity level will contribute to your decision of getting a dehumidifier, if it hasn’t already.

How Does A Dehumidifier Work

To put it simply, a home dehumidifier reduces the relative humidity of the air by either refrigeration or absorption/adsorption. The two methods are equally effective in stopping the rise of humidity levels in your home.

1. Refrigeration

Most dehumidifiers use refrigeration as their primary way of reducing the relative humidity in your home by letting in warm air through a fan in the device. The warm, moist air passes over pipes containing coolants, condensing the moisture in the air, after which the air is allowed back into the room. This improves the air quality in addition to lowering the moisture levels of the room.

2. Absorption/Adsorption

Some dehumidifiers reduce the moisture levels of the room by absorbing the water content out of the air. It involves drawing in air through a duct, which is then passed through a rotating wheel that absorbs the moisture. Dry air is then allowed back into the room.

The way absorption and adsorption differ is that absorption involves water soaking into a material, while adsorption has the moisture content picked up on the surface of the material.

Utilizing Dehumidifiers

If your house feels very humid during the summer, you can put a dehumidifier to good use and trap the moisture in the air. There is no clear-cut temperature value you can set on your dehumidifier to keep the humidity perfectly at bay. However, you can use it to keep the moisture in the air low enough to ensure an optimal comfort level.

The objective of using a dehumidifier is to increase your comfort and remove issues born of humidity, such as pests, odors, and mold.

1. Sizing Your Dehumidifier

There is no such thing as a dehumidifier that is perfect for every room. Dehumidifiers come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, catering to the kind of space they’ll be used in.

Too small and your dehumidifier will not be effective at all. Too large, and you may end up drying out your skin and hair because of the excess drying agents. Not to mention you’ll end up wasting your money and space on something that can be achieved with a smaller device.

For reference, a dehumidifier as large as a smoke alarm is fine for a bathroom, but too small for a bedroom.

2. Placing The Dehumidifier

The right location to keep your dehumidifier is in the middle of the bedroom. This will allow the device to reduce humidity levels much more efficiently than when placed in the corner.

Close your doors to maximize the dehumidification and cool the room down to save your device from excess load. It’s also a good idea to have an air conditioning unit working in your bedroom with the dehumidifier to distribute the energy expenditure.

3. Maximizing The Efficiency

Remember to turn the device off after a while, as the aforementioned drying agents may have an unintended consequence. It’s important to utilize your dehumidifier in moderation and run it alongside your air conditioner.

4. Maintenance

You’ll need to remove the moisture reserves of the appliance once in a while. Once a month would suffice, if you use your dehumidifier regularly.

Some dehumidifiers will signal you to empty the reserves once full, as they’ll turn off automatically if you don’t.

Ideal Settings For Bedroom Dehumidifiers

Dehumidifier settings vary based on a number of factors, such as the room temperature, humidity levels, and size of the room. Let’s explore these settings in detail.

1. Temperatures

Differences in room temperature will require the dehumidifier to work harder in order to maintain cooler air and a comfortable level in the room. This is because the inside of the condenser will have to be cooler than the surrounding atmosphere to properly condense the humidity. Meaning, if the temperature drops, your dehumidifier will struggle to keep the room temperature low.

Residential dehumidifiers ideally work in the range of 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Other kinds of dehumidifiers, for example Low Grain Refrigerant or Desiccant dehumidifiers, work more efficiently in different temperature ranges.

2. Humidity Level

You can perform a simple test for humidity levels to know if you should turn the dehumidifier on. If it is excessively high, using your dehumidifier is a no-brainer. You can keep the device on 30-50%, which is considered by most to be the right humidity level.

Test The Humidity Level Of Your Bedroom

To find out the relative humidity of your room, you can perform the ice cube test. While this will not give you the exact figures of the moisture content of your bedroom’s air, it will give you a general idea.

Simply put a few cubes of ice into a glass of water, stir, and wait for a few minutes. If there is no moisture on the outer side of the glass, your room has dry air, which may mean you need a humidifier.

In case the condensation on the outer side of the glass is high, the air has high moisture content and will require you to use your dehumidifier.

Safety Precautions

The combination of water and electricity is quite the safety hazard, which is why you should read the safety guidelines of your dehumidifier before operating it. You can follow these precautions in addition to the manufacturer’s guide to minimize any risks of dehumidifier-related accidents:

Always plug the device in a three pin socket
Remove dust build-up from the dehumidifier
Wash air filters regularly
Check drainage passages for debris
Keep the appliance away from the walls, furniture, and curtains
Turn it off when not in use
Be vigilant for any burning smell or unusual noises

Health Benefits Of Using A Dehumidifier

The benefits of a dehumidifier in the bedroom extend beyond making your afternoons more comfortable, even though they do make the humidity pretty tolerable. They have tangible health and hygienic benefits that can significantly improve your quality of life. Not to mention the elimination of musty smells.

Excess moisture carries with it bacteria and microorganisms that may enter your body when you breathe in. Not only that, but pests like dust mites and cockroaches also thrive in areas with moist air, which are hygienic hazards that must be terminated quickly. You will even see a rise in mold growth in a damp environment.

Dehumidifiers eliminate the very source of the problem by reducing high humidity levels and keeping the temperature low. With dust mites and mold growth in check, you’ll also have lowered chances of an allergic reaction or asthma.

What Temperature Should I Set My Dehumidifier In Bedroom FAQs ?

How long should I run a dehumidifier in my bedroom?

You can safely run a dehumidifier for around 12 hours every day for maximum reduction of your bedroom’s humidity level. This will keep your room feeling fresh for far longer than otherwise.

But, it isn’t a good idea to keep it running 24x7, as it will cause the dry air to have an effect on your skin and hair.

How much energy do dehumidifiers consume?

Dehumidifiers remain turned on for a long time, resulting in their relatively low wattage and hourly electrical usage racking up.

Some dehumidifiers can consume up to 23 kWH of electricity per day, making their electrical consumption a substantial hit on the wallet.

How does a dehumidifier prevent mold growth?

Mold thrives in the presence of warm air and moisture, and the fungi will spread as long as they are in a moist environment. While dehumidifiers don’t kill mold directly, they stop their primary method of transmission and reproduction, thus stopping them from ever taking root.

Should I keep the windows open while using a dehumidifier?

No, you should keep the windows closed while your dehumidifier is running. Open windows invite more moisture, meaning more work for your dehumidifier. Not only does it increase the electrical consumption, but it also keeps the humidity levels from dropping.

What Temperature Should I Set My Dehumidifier In Bedroom Conclusion

By keeping the room temperature and bedroom size in mind, you’ll be able to maximize the reduction of indoor relative humidity in your bedroom. If you live in a tropical climate and are on the fence about purchasing a dehumidifier, think of all the sweat and discomfort that high humidity brings.

Scrutinize in great detail the most efficient brand of dehumidifiers for the bedroom and consider looking into the device. Not only will it reduce the humidity level of the room, the indoor air quality will also increase.

The benefits of a dehumidifier are plenty, and with the best setting, you’ll eliminate discomfort before long.

Painting concrete surfaces is not easy, even if you use the best concrete paints for the purpose.

It requires a tremendous amount of effort and several tools, including brushes, rollers, and sprayers. Moreover, the chances of accidental spills are high, and you will need to be prepared to remove such paint quickly before it dries, which can be even more difficult.

This is because there are multiple removal methods, but not all are guaranteed to deliver results in each situation. Also, you need to ensure that the surface does not get damaged while removing the paint, the chances of which are quite high.

And, the methods that are most effective are generally not very well known to most people. That's why we decided to put together this detailed guide on the subject to help you out. So, without further ado, let's get started!

How To Remove Concrete Paint

Tools Required

These are the tools you will need to undertake the paint removal process for your concrete surface:

Protective gear - This will include gloves and a respirator for dealing with paint fumes
Vacuum cleaner or broom - For removing dirt and debris from the surface
TSP alternative - Used for cleaning the painted surface
Scrub brush - Required for scrubbing the concrete surface
Putty knife (optional) - Can help remove chipped-off paint
Paint stripper - For removing the paint while also cleaning the surface
Power washer or hose - Used for washing away the paint

The Paint Removal Process

1. Cleaning The Concrete Surface

Before you get down to the actual process of removing the paint, it is important to prepare the concrete surface properly for the purpose. And that involves cleaning the surface to remove debris or dirt using a vacuum cleaner or a broom.

Once that is done, you will need to scrub the surface using a solution of warm water and trisodium phosphate alternative (TSP) or warm water and soap. For scrubbing, use a wide wire brush that can effectively remove dust or dirt particles lodged or embedded into the surface.

Also, make sure to wear protective gear such as gloves, goggles, and long sleeves if using TSP instead of an alternative. This is because it is highly toxic and can cause eye and skin irritation.

2. Application Of A Paint Stripper

You may notice that some of the paint has already started to chip during the cleaning process. If that happens, try to scrape away as much paint as possible and apply a paint stripper to the remaining area.

Generally, mineral or turpentine spirits can be used for the purpose, but if they do not work, look for a paint stripper especially suited for concrete surfaces.

3. Leaving The Paint Stripper To Set

After applying the paint stripper to the concrete surface, you will need to leave it for some time and let it do its job. This period may vary from 30 minutes to over eight hours, depending on various factors, such as the area to be cleaned and the type of paint used.

Also, keep in mind that applying the paint stripper in extremely hot or windy conditions can cause it to dry prematurely.

4. Scrubbing The Surface

Once the paint stripper has been left for an adequate period, it is time to scrub the surface again using your wide-wire brush. Keep on scrubbing until no more paint can be removed. You can also use warm soapy water with the brush in the case of latex paint, but it will not be effective in the case of oil-based paint.

Similarly, spray paint can be harder to remove since it gets applied quickly in multiple layers and often requires several applications of the chosen removal method.

5. Using A Power Washer

The best way to remove stubborn paint stains that cannot be removed simply by scrubbing is to use a power washer or high-powered garden hose. A power washer is ideal for exterior surfaces such as a basketball court or patio. Therefore, it can provide effective results even if you have used the paint for outdoor concrete basketball court.

Other surfaces where a power washer can be used include driveways and walkways.

6. Repeating The Steps

If you cannot remove the paint completely with these steps, simply repeat them by reapplying the chemical paint stripper and scrubbing the surface.

7. Final Cleaning

Once the paint has been removed completely, use the power hose to rinse the surface and remove all the paint stripper and other chemicals used during the process. After the surface dries, you can paint or seal it as required.

Staining or sealing the concrete surface will help improve its appearance while protecting it from the elements and harmful UV rays.

Paint Removal Methods That Do Not Require Chemicals

Due to the health risks of chemical paint removal techniques, many people prefer using more natural methods. In this section, we've mentioned a few of them so you can try them out before resorting to methods that utilize TSP or similar chemicals.

Just keep in mind that the first step in all paint removal methods is to clean the surface thoroughly for maximum effectiveness. So that you can paint over peeling paint on concrete effortlessly and create a visible flawless new surface.

1. Sandblasting

Sandblasting can help you effectively remove paint from outdoor and indoor concrete surfaces without relying on chemical paint strippers. But it can damage the surface, so be careful and work slowly when using this device.

Additionally, wear equipment like safety glasses, ear protection, and a face mask because silica in crystalized form is dangerous and should not be inhaled. Wearing long sleeves can also help provide protection to your skin.

For removing concrete paint, turn the sandblaster on and slowly open the valve, letting out the sand particles. You will need to slowly move the machine using upward and downward motions, covering the painted area. Also, avoid pointing the nozzle at one spot for long, as that can damage the surface.

2. With A Soda Blaster

A less aggressive and abrasive option than sandblasting is soda blasting, which can help remove stubborn paint stains without causing any damage to the concrete underneath. Soda blasters utilize sodium bicarbonate in granular form for removing paint from concrete floors and other surfaces and can even be used to remove epoxy off your concrete surfaces.

You can easily rent a soda blaster from the local hardware store and will also need some industrial-grade sodium bicarbonate. Common baking soda will not work for paint removal purposes.

This technique will release fine particles of dust into the air, so wear appropriate protective gear, including gloves, safety glasses, and a mask. Also, make sure that the compound does not come into contact with any nearby plants as its pH level is very high, which can harm them.

3. Pressure Washing The Surface

A pressure washer can be very effective for removing paint from exterior concrete surfaces such as the garage floor. If you do not own one, check the nearby hardware stores where they can be rented. Select a pressure washer with a flow rate of four gallons a minute and a pressure class of 3000 psi at the very least.

When using the washer, make sure that the nozzle range lies between 15 and 25 degrees, which will create a powerful spray and can even help remove spray paint. The distance between the wand and the surface should be one foot, at the very least.

Once ready, hold the washer at a downward angle and sweep it across the surface. At this angle and distance, the water will be strong enough to remove stubborn paint residue without causing any damage.

4. With A Floor Grinder

One of the fastest techniques of removing paint from any concrete surface involves using a floor grinder. This machine uses light abrasion for paint removal, resulting in a smoother concrete surface afterward.

After using the machine to remove the paint, it is a good idea to reseal or repaint it to keep it protected and improve its appearance. You can easily rent walk-behind or handheld floor grinders from nearby hardware stores.

Again, this method will generate tiny dust particles, even though some floor grinders have attachments that reduce dust, making cleaning up easier. Even in that case, be sure to wear safety clothing during the paint removal process.

5. Using Vinegar

One of the safest and most economical methods of removing concrete paint involves using vinegar. Vinegar is easily available in most households and is very effective as a paint remover. It also does not harm the environment and removes stains from oil-based paints, which cannot be removed easily using many other methods.

But when using vinegar cleaner on a concrete surface with a finish coating or sealer, you should test it and ensure that it is safe for the surface.

For this method, warm the vinegar using your microwave or stove until it becomes hot but do not boil it. Then, use a paint brush or sponge to apply it onto the painted surface before letting it soak for at least 15 minutes.

As the paint starts to separate from the surface, it will start bubbling. For removing incredibly stubborn stains, you may need to apply more vinegar after an interval of 15 minutes and again let it lie for some time before removing.

Finally, remove the paint using of the best paint scrapers or wire scrub brush and wash the surface using water and soap. Then, leave it to dry.

6. With Paint Thinner

As mentioned, spray and oil-based paints can be incredibly difficult to remove. And if all other methods fail, you may need to depend on a paint thinner used for commercial applications to remove such paints. But before applying it, test a small area by applying the thinner and leaving it for a few hours.

If the thinner does not damage the surface, apply it to the painted surface and leave it to soak. This period can vary between six and eight hours. Then, use a paint scraper or a stiff brush to remove the loosened paint, followed by washing and rinsing the area to remove any chemical residue.

Commercial paint thinners also contain harsh chemicals, and before handling, you should wear protective gear to prevent any contact with the skin and ensure safety.

7. Using A Homemade Paint Stripper

You can easily create a homemade paint stripper using absorbent materials such as cat litter and clay to remove paint stains from concrete. These materials remove paint by absorbing it as they dry, working in a manner similar to paint thinner and making it easy to scrape away any remaining paint.

For making your homemade paint stripper, you will need a cup of cat litter, one cup of well-ground clay, and half a cup of paint thinner. Combine all the ingredients together until they form a paste, and apply this to the painted area. Make sure to wear protective gloves during application.

Once done, let the mixture dry for about two hours, and then remove the loose paint using a paint scraper or wire scrub brush before rinsing the surface.

8. With Dishwashing Soap

If the paint is still wet, you can simply clean the concrete surface using soapy water to remove it. Use two tablespoons of dishwashing soap and a cup of hot water and scrub the surface with a brush or sponge to remove the paint. After that, rinse the surface with fresh water and check for paint residue.

If some paint is still left, use any of the above techniques to remove it but be careful while disposing of the paint. Most paints are toxic to plants and can be harmful to the environment.

How To Remove Paint From Concrete Frequently Asked Questions ?

How Much Pressure Does A Power Washer Require To Remove Concrete Paint?

A power washer should have a range of 2000 psi to 4000 psi for removing concrete paint. Ideally, a power washer with a 3000 psi rating is more than enough for most purposes.

Is It Necessary To Prime Exterior Concrete Before Painting?

Many people are bothered by the question, “do I need to prime exterior concrete before painting?” We’d like to mention that it is a crucial part of painting concrete and plays a significant role in determining the final result. Without proper priming, the exterior surface will have a poor finish, and the paint will have a higher chance of cracking and peeling quickly.

How Long Does Concrete Paint Last?

While the period for which concrete paint lasts depends upon the quality of the paint used and the use of the surface, it generally ranges from three to five years. After that period, you will need to apply a new coat.

How To Remove Paint From Concrete Final Thoughts

Removing paint from a concrete surface can often take considerable time and effort, besides multiple applications of different techniques. In some cases, you may not be entirely successful in removing it and should consider alternative options. For accidental paint spills, you can try to paint over the entire area to provide uniformity.

Or hire professional paint removal services, though this will involve some financial investment. In any case, the options are numerous, and you should think carefully before deciding. Also, when using any DIY paint removal techniques, make sure to wear safety equipment and take all the necessary precautions.

With that said, it is time to conclude this guide.

If you missed it, please checkout our previous article on how to store clay in a safe place for future use and in a way that can be used later without the clay getting damaged.

Until next time!

In most cases, an AC unit should have 350 to 400 CFM per ton of cooling for the most effective results. But sometimes, the number of CFMs required may be more or less depending on certain factors like humidity and HVAC unit size.

If you’re planning to get a new air conditioner installed, the CFM rating is one of the most important things to consider.

People generally assume an AC unit with a higher CFM rating offers better cooling. But this is not always the case, which is why learning about how many CFM per ton of cooling you require is quite essential.

And that’s just what this detailed guide can help you do. So, let’s start!

What Does CFM Refer To In Air Conditioning?

CFM, or cubic feet per minute, is a measurement unit that determines the amount of air that an air conditioning unit can move in a minute. A higher CFM means that your air conditioner can move a larger amount of air in that time. Generally, you require 350-400 CFM for every 12,000 British Thermal Units or BTUs for optimal cooling.

BTU is the measurement unit used to measure the cooling power of an air conditioning system, and 12,000 BTUs are equal to one ton. It is a common misconception that a higher CFM offers better cooling. In reality, there are other factors, such as BTUs, that determine how effective your air conditioner is.

The cooling capacity of air conditioning systems installed in homes generally ranges from 18,000 BTUs to 60,000 BTUs, or 1.5 to 5 tons. Other factors that can affect cooling include the climate, home size, installed insulation, and humidity level.

CFM also applies to heating capacity in the same manner. 350 to 400 CFM per 12,000 BTUs provides adequate airflow to help circulate the heated air through the supply ducts. It also pulls cool air back to the air handler or furnace.

A 3-ton HVAC system should have around 1050 to 1200 CFM, while a 3.5-ton one should be able to move 1600 CFM at the very least. But as I mentioned before, this can vary depending on various factors. For instance, if you reside in an area with a hot and humid climate, an HVAC system capable of moving 450 CFM per ton might be a better option.

In contrast, households that are insulated properly may only need an AC unit with a capacity of 350 CFM per ton. I recommend consulting an HVAC technician who can provide accurate information regarding the exact amount of CFMs required for your home.

Calculating CFM

The CFM of a blower depends upon the size of its centrifugal fan and the horsepower capacity of its motor. Every blower fan assembly is given a rating when it is manufactured. And this rating determines how many cubic feet of air it can move in a minute, depending on its speed.

The CFM per square foot depends on the following factors:

HVAC system size
Blower CFM rating
Size of the area where the system is installed

You can use this formula to determine the correct CFM required for a particular room - Tonnage x CFM of the blower / Number of square feet. For instance, a 2000 square foot room that has a 4-ton AC unit with a blower with a 400 CFM rating will have a CFM of:

4-ton AC x 400 CFM blower / 2,000 square feet = 0.8 CFM per square foot. However, including the number of air changes per hour or ACH would require additional calculation. Let’s take another example for this purpose.

A room with an area of 1600 cubic feet and a height of eight feet would need the air to be changed every ten minutes at 160 CFM. This means that the air will need to be changed six times every hour.

For more frequent air changes, a larger amount of air will need to be supplied to the room, and there should also be another return air vent. Calculating the CFM can also be done through various websites that provide tools like online calculators where you just need to enter the data regarding the room and HVAC size.

CFM And HVAC Size

A larger heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system can deliver more CFMs, but this also depends on the size of the blower. Knowing how many CFMs your system can deliver can make it easy to know the CFM requirement of the room it is installed in. It can also help you know how much time it takes to change the air.

For instance, a 1-ton AC unit has a CFM rating of 350 to 400, while that of a 1.5-ton one will range from 525 to 600. Similarly, a 2-ton AC unit will have a CFM rating ranging from 700 to 800, and a 2.5-ton one will have a rating between 875 and 1000. A 3-ton AC unit can deliver 1050 to 1200 CFMs, and a 3.5-ton one can deliver 1225 to 1400 CFMs.

Finally, a 4-ton unit has a CFM range of 1400 to 1600 CFMs, while for a 5-ton unit, the CFM can range from 1750 to 2000. Now, let’s look at the furnace capacity, which can also be very useful for airflow calculation.

A 60,000 BTU furnace generally has a CFM rating ranging from 1750 to 2000, while an 80,000 BTU one will have it between 2320 and 2250. For a 160,000 BTU furnace, this rating lies between 4670 and 5350.

Standard CFM Rates

As I’ve explained above, when it comes to cooling capacity, 400 CFM per ton is the industry standard. Other flow rates depend on the cooling system you use to lower the room air temperature.

For High Latent Heat Systems

Latent heat cooling systems use a cooling medium that can change its state depending on the temperature. Such a medium is usually a refrigerant that can change from liquid to gas during the cooling process. For such systems, 350 CFM per ton of cooling capacity is ideal.

Sensible Heat Systems And Heat Pumps

Often heat pumps do not send air through the evaporator or cooling coil but around them. This air is called bypass air, and these systems require 500 CFM per ton of cooling capacity for the best performance.

Why Do More Humid Climates Require AC Units With Less CFM?

Many people wonder why humid climates require air conditioning systems with less CFM, assuming that more CFMs will be required to cool the environment. However, the reason you need fewer CFMs is related to how an air conditioner operates to remove hot air from its surroundings.

When an air conditioner cools down a room, it also removes moisture from the area. Cooler air cannot hold as much moisture as warmer air and, therefore, has a lesser amount of latent heat. The process by which HVAC systems remove moisture from the air is called dehumidification, which is also important for removing heat.

As a rule of thumb, such systems will work much harder in humid climates to get rid of the heat and moisture. But they do not need to move a large amount of air for effective cooling.

Why Do Drier Climates Require More CFMs?

You may think that AC units installed in drier climates will require fewer CFMs since dry air is easier to cool. But in reality, the higher latent heat in dry air makes it harder to cool than air in humid climates. Because of this, an HVAC system is unable to remove as much moisture from the air.

With more moisture, the air still has some heat left remaining, which is why your AC will need more CFMs to cool the house properly.

Situations Where A Higher CFM Is Needed

Here are a few situations where you may require more CFMs than is needed on average.

1. A Large Sized Home

A larger home will require an air conditioner with a bigger cooling capacity and more CFMs. This is because the air conditioner will have to move a larger amount of air so that all the rooms in the house are cooled properly.

On the other hand, those with smaller houses may not need as many CFMs for effective cooling.

2. Having Improper Insulation

In the case of houses that are not insulated properly, the cooling system has to work harder to maintain a lower temperature. The building insulation may be poor due to the use of inferior quality insulating materials used in its construction. Similarly, the attic may not be insulated properly, or there may be gaps in windows and doors, allowing air to pass through.

If your home does not have proper insulation, more CFMs will be required to keep it cool.

3. Residing In A Hot Climate

Households located in areas where the climate is hot will require more CFMs to get rid of moisture. But if the humidity is high and the air contains a lot of moisture, the number of CFMs required may not be as much, as I explained above.

When humidity levels are around 50%, 500 to 600 CFMs per ton will be required.

What Happens If You Do Not Have An Adequate Number Of CFMs?

Having an adequate number of CFMs is crucial to ensure that your AC can function optimally. In the absence of an appropriate number of CFMs, certain issues may arise, which can include:

Improper cooling
Stuffy and hot rooms
Higher power bills
Short-cycling of the AC unit
More frequent breakdowns
Shorter lifespan of the unit

When it comes to the question of how many CFMs are required for a room, there is no standard answer. The ideal number of CFMs will depend on how frequently the air needs to be changed. You can use the room size per square foot to calculate the number of CFMs needed for two air changes per hour or 2 ACH.

A room with an area of 200 square feet will require 53 CFMs at 2 ACH, while one with 500 square feet will need 133 CFMs. Larger rooms, such as those with 2000 or 3000 square feet, will need 533 and 800 CFMs, respectively.

Air Circulation And Cooling Efficiency

Proper air circulation is also an important factor that should be considered when determining the cooling efficiency of your HVAC system. The reason is that if air cannot circulate properly, such as in a locked room that does not provide any space for air to escape, air pressure builds up inside.

This means that it cannot accept any more air coming from the air conditioner, and there will be no temperature drop, leading to ineffective cooling. To prevent this from happening, you can install a door that is slightly trimmed at the bottom, providing a gap for air to pass through. Ideally, this gap should be ¾ inches for best results.

What Is Better, High CFM Or Low CFM?

To ensure better indoor air quality and more effective cooling, having the right number of CFMs is vital. But the number of CFMs required for different-sized homes can vary, with some needing a higher CFM while others may require a lower one.

Issues With A Higher CFM

Sometimes, having an extremely high CFM can lead to certain problems. One of them is that such a CFM will result in a breeze blowing through your home, which may not be comfortable at all times. This is especially true in winter when you need better heating instead of cooling.

Similarly, higher CFM can worsen the humidity in very humid climates. Apart from removing heat from the air, your AC unit removes humidity from the air by passing the air over its evaporator coil. This coil is very cold, because of which condensation occurs and turns the moisture in the air to water, which passes through the wastewater pipe and goes into the drain.

However, when the CFM is too high, air passes over the evaporator coil very quickly without allowing the moisture to condense. Thus, the overall humidity in your home will increase, leading to problems like mildew and mold growth.

Problems With A Lower CFM

HVAC systems generate a huge amount of heat while operating. If the CFM is too low, proper air circulation cannot take place, and this heat has nowhere to go. When this happens, rooms located near the system can become extremely hot, while those further away will get uncomfortably cold in winter.

However, during summer, the reverse will take place, with the living space closer to the furnace becoming colder and areas further away becoming hotter. That is why having the right number of CFMs is ideal, which is generally 350 to 400 CFM per ton.

Indoor air quality is affected by several factors, such as the number of occupants in a room, how the room is used, and others. In some rooms, such as the kitchen, the air contains a lot of moisture and different odors. Similarly, a room used as a home workshop may have a lot of dust.

Rooms with more occupants, such as the dining room, will also have inferior indoor air quality. In all these situations, you will need to change the air more frequently, and that is why the CFM should also be higher.

Ductwork, CFM, and ACH

To ensure that your rooms get enough CFMs, the size of the ducts making up the HVAC duct system should be large enough. As is obvious, a smaller-sized duct will allow a smaller amount of CFMs to pass through. However, the size is not the only consideration, as the shape also affects how many CFMs are delivered through the HVAC ductwork.

One of the most challenging tasks for HVAC technicians is determining the most suitable duct size for a specific room. To make the task easier, they generally rely on computer programs that consider factors like the room size, CFM rating of the blower, size of the HVAC system, etc.

An important factor that can affect how well the HVAC ducts work is static pressure, which refers to the amount of pressure present while the blower fan is in operation. When this pressure is higher, the system has to work harder to supply air and ensure proper air circulation.

Tip

When selecting the ductwork size, you need to consider the amount of CFM that has to move through it. 4-inch ducts deliver 20 CFMs, 6-inch ones deliver 75 CFMs, and 8-inch ones deliver 160 CFMs. Keep in mind that the total duct runs should not be more than the CFM output of your AC unit.

Application Of CFMs To Different Types Of HVAC Equipment

All types of HVAC fans come with a rating for CFMs, which lets you know about the ideal CFM for the machine. Both the required ACH and recommended CFM ratings should be considered when looking for components like air purifiers, heat pumps, ductless air conditioners, and others.

Such ratings are also present for whole-house fans, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, garage heaters, portable ACs, and attic fans.

The Relation Between Air Velocity, CFM, And HVAC Equipment

Air velocity is closely related to CFM and should be considered when determining how many CFM per ton is required for lowering the air temperature in a room. It is defined as the quantity of air that is moved per unit of time and is measured in liters/meters per minute (LPM) or feet per minute (FPM).

This varies significantly for different components of your HVAC system and can determine how effective it is in cooling a particular space. For standard air ducts, the recommended air velocity or air flow ranges from 700 to 900 FPM for residential structures. But it is considerably higher for commercial and industrial systems, generally ranging from 1000 to 1800 FPM.

For replaceable air filters, the recommended airflow is 700 to 750 FPM, while that for low-velocity disposable ones is 300 FPM. Similarly, the airflow for a washable high-velocity air filter is 650 FPM. A heat pump or condensing coil should have an FPM of 1000, while for the evaporator and cooling coils, it ranges from 400 to 600 FPM.

Finally, the maximum recommended airflow for a heating coil is 700 FPM.

Final Thoughts

With that, this guide has come to an end, and hopefully, now you know how many CFM per ton of cooling is required. In most situations, 400 CFMs per ton of cooling will be more than adequate, but there may be instances where you need a higher or lower amount of CFMs.

If you’re not sure about the number of CFMs required for proper cooling in your home, I recommend talking to an HVAC professional. Such professionals can perform an inspection of the house and recommend the most suitable system that can provide the required number of CFMs.

This will help make your home comfortably cool without worrying about the technical aspects.

Using stencils, a foam roller, and concrete paints, you can enliven your concrete patio with a stylish makeover!

Nothing brightens a beautiful Sunday morning like sitting on your beautiful, artistically designed patio. And though you always have the option of calling professionals to do the job for you, it will lack a personal touch that only you can bring.

Luckily, the process is fairly simple, and the ideas for the desired aesthetic of your porch are abundant. You are bound to find something that suits your tastes perfectly.

So, without further ado, here’s how you can add that personal touch to your concrete porch!

11 Ideas For Painting Concrete Porch

1. Graphic Stencils

Repeating patterns are pleasing to the eye. With graphic stencils, you can create an appealing look for your patio to inspire a mood of your choice.

You can also get creative and mix a few concrete driveway ideas and designs to bring a fresh look to the patio floor.

2. Wooden Finish

The concrete texture may not be to everyone’s liking. Not helping the matter is its dull gray color that is simply too dull to inspire any feeling within. What you can do about this is to make it appear wooden by using paint and clever brushwork.

With a wooden finish, your porch floor will instantly appear more lively and classy.

3. Thick Stripes

In a similar vein to graphic stencils, thick stripes are aesthetically pleasing when spaced out evenly. Use contrasting colors or stick to the simple gray-and-white combination to bring variation to the monotonous look of a concrete patio.

The great thing about using a stripe motif is that it’s easy to execute for pretty much anyone.

4. Painted Tiles

Tiling your floor may be expensive, but using clever brushwork and paint can achieve a fragmented look that seems like tiles. All you need is your preferred variety of paint and stencils to achieve this look. From floor epoxy to acrylic, you can utilize many different kinds of paints for this.

Make your porch floor seem premium with the faux tile design.

5. Rock Paint

You can find a mix of colors that you can use to make your patio floor appear like natural rock. Combine this with natural decorations, and you’ll have a patio that blends seamlessly into the décor.

6. Abstract Patterns

Mix and match different paints to achieve your own abstract look. Plan how your concrete patio is going to look like, and execute it with a combination of decorative paint and a customized paint roller.

Feel free to experiment with the colors to make your porch floor stand out among others.

7. Stained Concrete Patio

You can create an artistically stained concrete porch floor by using weak acid along with salts. Acid opens up the pores in your floor, and salt acts as a catalyst for a chemical reaction, resulting in the concrete surface losing color.

The concrete stain will be one-of-a-kind, thanks to the unpredictable nature of acids. However, it pays to be careful when handling acid to avoid excessive and unsightly splotches.

8. Experiment With Color Schemes

This is where your creativity will shine the most. With the use of various coloring methods, you can replicate the look of natural materials like stone or earth or enhance your porch floor further by taking inspiration from murals and artwork. Now, you’re probably thinking, how to paint a garage door in a way that matches the concrete porch or patio paint?

Contrast is key when it comes to painting your porch. Even if you choose to keep your concrete surface a solid color, the garage door’s color and patio décor will enhance its appearance by bringing about a change to the monotony.

The resulting look can be funky or elegant, or it can include floral designs or bold accent colors. All you’ll have to do is broaden the horizons of your imagination.

9. Checkerboard Pattern

The checkerboard pattern is a classic, timeless design that you can modify to add a fresh angle. Split the squares in half, transform them into a geometric design, and combine them with décor and furniture of contrasting colors for a modern look.

10. A Glossy Finish

You may opt to coat the entire surface of your concrete patio with semi-gloss latex paint. The paint will form a protective layer over the floor and give it a gorgeous, fresh look that will always appear new. What’s more is that it makes cleaning more manageable as well, since dirt won’t be able to stick to the surface as readily.

Cast aside the worries of your concrete floor appearing dull with a glossy, modern finish.

11. Experiment With Textures

You can customize not only the look but the feel of the concrete as well. Be it with concrete panels to create a variation against the solid color or simpler, brick-like textures, you’ll be looking at a significant transformation of your patio.

With the right kinds of paint color, you may morph your concrete porch into appearing sand-like or make variations thereof.

How To Paint A Concrete Porch Or Patio

Painting a concrete floor is fairly straightforward, a process that demands your time only. Not only are professionals expensive to hire for something as simple, but they may also end up taking longer to finish the job. And that’s not ordinarily ideal.

With the following steps, you can implement the ideas mentioned earlier and have the perfect painted concrete porch.

1. Wash The Concrete Patio

You can sweep debris and unwanted elements on your previously painted concrete porch away with a leaf blower or a good old-fashioned clean broom.

By using a pressure washer, you can remove all the unwanted elements from the concrete surface. If you don’t own a pressure washer, use your garden hose to thoroughly rinse the concrete and scrub the floor with a wire brush. The surface has to be free of any blemishes before you proceed and so, make sure you do so thoroughly.

2. Repair Cracks And Irregularities

Next, you’ll need to repair any damage that may be present on your concrete surface. Apply concrete caulk sealant where you spot cracks and irregularities and allow it to dry for the next day. There are handy applicators that make placing caulk easier, which may be worth looking into.

Next, you can use sandpaper or a wire brush to smooth the excess caulk out, after which you can use a vacuum cleaner to clear out the debris. Be wary of the dust it produces, and keep a broom nearby for quick sweeps.

If your concrete porch is damaged severely, you may have to contact professionals for help. Otherwise, it may lead to a botched paint job or chipping prematurely.

3. Etch The Concrete Floor

No one likes a messy finish and so filling up pores in your concrete patio is paramount. To do so, you can make use of a powerful chemical known as muriatic acid. Of course, being highly reactive, you should take care while handling the acid. Ensure you don the appropriate protective gear before you get etching’.

Apply it evenly on your concrete porch using a spraying bottle. Now, it’s also essential to consider which material the bottle is made of. An ordinary plastic bottle will serve just fine as long as the acid is diluted sufficiently, but it’s best to have one made from PVC.

Allow the acid to perform its task for around 10 minutes, after which you can rinse it off with a garden hose.

4. Prime The Concrete Porch

Here’s where the long stretch begins. Priming and painting is a lengthy process that can take days to finish completely, so be sure to vacate your schedule before starting.

It takes multiple coats of primer to properly prep the patio for painting. Moreover, it has to completely dry between each coat to apply the next one smoothly.

This is where you bring out your paint roller and painter’s tape. The former applies paint quicker and more consistently than a paintbrush, and you’ll use the latter to cover up areas you don’t want to be painted.

You’ll be done within a few hours, depending on the size of your porch, before letting the primer dry. It can take up to a full day to properly dry and so, it’s vital to keep in mind that no debris touches the floor. Your patio floor will have noticeable spots if it does happen.

5. Painting The Porch Or Patio

The painting process is nothing out of the ordinary, especially when it comes to the first coat. With the first coat, you’ll be applying a layer of solid color that acts as a base coat for your design. It’s simple: apply the concrete paint evenly using a paint roller, wait for it to dry, and repeat the process twice. Now comes the fun part.

There’s a good chance you’re thinking of using stencils to bring that extra elegance or spice to the front porch. Fortunately, there is no shortage of the latest, cutting-edge stencils for you to choose from. From a simple repeated stencil pattern to more abstract ones, the process of using them is essentially the same. The only thing you’ll need to maximize your painting efficiency is a paint sprayer.

Now, if you’ve used painter’s tape during priming, you’ll need it for stencils as well. Use it to keep the stencil steady while spraying the paint over it. Keep your hands steady and your eyes focused because if the paint goes out of the stencil bounds, there are no quick do-overs. You’ll have to apply a second coat of the base paint over it or just make peace with it.

Once you’ve applied the concrete paint, remove the stencils using the previously-applied painter’s tape. Allow it to dry and voila, you’re done.

Ideas For Painting Concrete Porch Frequently Asked Questions ?

How do you keep paint from running under stencils?

You can temporarily stick your stencils to the patio to ensure the paint does not bleed in. To do this, use a mild, water-based adhesive on the back of your stencil and seal it to the surface.

After you’ve painted over the stencil, peel it off and you’ll find no visible signs of bleeding.

Which is the most long-lasting paint for concrete?

You can choose epoxy if you need the pattern to last as long as possible. Epoxy resin nets you not only a durable finish but a pretty design as well.

It is worth noting that due to the acrylic plastic base, it lasts quite a long while as well while offering a wider variety of colors in comparison to epoxy.

What can you do to make my concrete patio less slippery?

You can use rock salt to create small pores on the surface of your patio by applying it on wet concrete and allowing it to cure. Once the salt has done its job, you’ll be left with a textured finish that provides excellent traction as well.

How long does it take for floor epoxy to cure?

Floor epoxy can take upwards of nine hours to dry at room temperature. Any cooler, and the drying time rises to 18 hours. If you’re applying multiple coats, it could take several days before the concrete porch surface is ready to be walked on again.

Ideas For Painting Concrete Porch Conclusion

Your patio will add to the impression anyone has of your house, and it should showcase a bit of your personality. Add a visual flair to your home with your painted concrete porch, and make it stand out among others.

Stencils are a no-brainer for most purposes, and you can easily prepare them without hired aid. You can get creative; perhaps choose a color and pattern that will define the look of your home altogether.

No matter your choice, it’s critical to remember that painting your concrete porch will take days’ time. If you’ve opted for a more complex layout, it could be a full week before you can use it. And before long, your dream patio will be ready to be gaped at again!

A blower fan and a regular fan have different uses, and you should keep that in mind before deciding on one. While fans create a flow of air to keep the entire room cool, blowers provide a strong airflow in a specific direction.

There are many people who confuse fans with blowers and blower fans are same and also think that these two appliances can be used interchangeably. But that’s not the case, as these two appliances are technically different and serve different purposes.

Blowers are more suited for industrial applications, whereas fans are used pretty much everywhere. So, today, we are going to discuss what makes these two devices different from each other. This will help you understand how to make the most of them.

Let’s dive in!

Difference Between A Fan And A Blower Fan

If you are looking for direct and powerful airflow, there’s nothing better than getting your hands on an air blower. On the other hand, fans come with a range of modern features that might not be present in blowers.

Also, blower fans are not well-suited for wide-cooling. A fan circulates air better in a large space and is great for improving indoor air quality. Moreover, fans score better on energy efficiency, as the power bills will not drive a hole in your pockets.

To give you a better understanding of how these two devices are different, let us tell you what the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) has to say. According to ASME, fans and blower fans should primarily be differentiated on the basis of suction pressure and discharge pressure ratio.

Suction Pressure And Discharge Pressure

Going by ASME findings, fans and blowers have unique suction and discharge pressure ratios. Fans come with a pressure ratio up to 1.11. On the other hand, a blower mostly has a pressure ratio ranging between 1.11 and 1.2.

It is important to keep in mind that fans and blower fans both are ventilation devices that bring in air and throw some air out when they are functional. And during this process, a lot of dust, dirt and contaminants also get thrown out or eliminated. For example, industrial blower fans mostly have to handle high temperatures, chemicals and oil depending on the industry in which they are installed.

To help you understand better, here a quick summary of differences between fans and blower fans.

Fan	Blower Fans
An electronic machine	A mechanical device
Uses blades for functioning	Uses impellers for rotation
Runs on low power	High electricity consumption
Provides medium to high air flow depending on the motor	Offers higher air flow compared to fans
Most common types include industrial axis fan, radial, and propeller fans	Two most common varieties are positive displacement blowers and centrifugal fans

Different Uses For Blower Fans And Fans

Mechanical engineers will also tell you that blower fans and normal fans are used differently as their functions are pretty different. So, in this section, we will quickly take a look at where and when these appliances can be put to the best use.

1. Drying

When it comes to drying things, air blowers are definitely a great bet. They generally use centrifugal force and generate powerful airflow that dries up moisture pretty quickly. It ensures that the moisture-laden air is blown away and fresh air comes in to make the drying process super efficient.

Unlike fans, drying air blowers are great at producing strong airflow, making them better suited for drying activities.

2. Cooling

Summer afternoons might make you feel like roasted marshmallows dripping with sweat! You might even find the ice in your beverage melting even before taking a sip. Wondering what can bring you relief in these moments?

For cooling and air conditioning purposes, there’s nothing better than a fan. Unlike an air blower, a fan can provide area-wide cooling. So, you can chill in the room and feel the surrounding air turning cooler because of the fan.

Besides, fans come with electric motors and useful modern features such as remote controls, which make operating them super simple. And because the electricity consumption of fans is pretty low, you do not have to worry even if you leave them on for an entire day. Just don’t leave it running for days, as that might damage the internal combustion engines.

3. Workshop Usage

Centrifugal blowers and other types of air blowers are well suited for workshop space. Blowers are an excellent option to keep your workshop free of dust and unwanted mess. For example, it can be a lifesaver to keep wood dust and wood shaving at bay.

However, if you are planning to create better airflow in your workspace to ensure that it’s cold and breathable, it is best to use a garage fan. Its coverage is a lot better than air blowers, keeping you more comfortable while you work.

aIn short, blowers are best to keep the workshop clean and mess-free, whereas a fan can keep you comfortable.

Blower Fan Vs Fan Frequently Asked Questions ?

What is the use of a blower motor in a car?

The best blower motor for car performs two crucial functions-rotating the heater blower and AC fan. This is an electrical device that helps push air through the evaporator ducts and heater core.

Basically, it’s a major component of the HVAC systems in cars to maintain proper air circulation inside. And the assembly in the blower motor comes with a fan wheel and a 12 DC motor.

The working process of the motor fan is pretty interesting- it receives electricity from the battery of the car, gets charged and spins with the wheel. This rotating assembly helps move air into the passenger’s side through the vents.

Is using ceiling fans in the kitchen a good idea?

Using a ceiling fan in a kitchen with gas burners is not the best idea. Gas is inflammable, and in case there is a fire, it can cause the fire to spread quite rapidly across the house.

Instead, you can try using an exhaust fan or a chimney to ensure that hot air is removed from your kitchen. Conduct proper research on exhaust fan vs. chimney options to understand which will be better suited for your kitchen space.

Blower Fan Vs Fan Final Words

With that, we have reached the end of this guide. We hope that after reading this, you now have a better idea about how air blowers are different from fans.

Both blowers and fans make your life easy in the workshop and your home. However, to make the most of them, you need to know when to use what. So, study the area and determine the purpose of use before choosing one. To jog your memory, use fans for general cooling and blowers when you need more airflow.

Bye for now!

Are you the type to start panicking the minute you see a crack on concrete slabs?

Well, good news for you - it’s not always that serious! In fact, not all concrete cracks result in structural damage. This is because most of these concrete cracks appear during construction or may be caused due to external factors.

Yet we understand if looking for the best concrete crack filler is the first thing you do on spotting even a hairline gap. You may even go to the extent of learning how to fix a crack in a foundation wall or how to repair cracks in concrete.

But before you get started, you need to learn about the different types of cracks in concrete. This way, you’ll be able to fix the issue more effectively and prevent more cracks and damage in the future.

So, without further ado, let’s get into the deets…

Different Types Of Concrete Cracks

1. Plastic Shrinkage Cracks

Before hardening, concrete is said to be in “plastic” condition when it is full of water. Gradually, the water fully evaporates, thereby leaving huge holes on the concrete surface. As you may have guessed, these holes weaken the structure of the concrete, making it more prone to damage. Hence, these are known as plastic shrinkage concrete cracks.

Notably, these types of cracks are very common and can emerge on walls and slabs. However, you must watch out for these cracks on the corners and center of the concrete slab affixed with plumbing fixtures.

2. Horizontal Concrete Cracks

Horizontal cracks are usually spotted around areas of high tensile strength, such as column faces, column junctions, and beams. They are usually caused by improperly reinforced concrete, incorrect placement of installed reinforcement, uniaxial bending, insufficient moment resistance capacity, etc.

Note that horizontal concrete cracks call for immediate attention as they can degrade structural integrity.

3. Diagonal Cracks

If you’ve got a reinforced concrete slab, diagonal cracks are bound to appear along the concrete column face. These types of cracks may be caused due to inefficient load-carrying abilities, weak cross-section, insufficient reinforcement steel, and more. But unlike some minor cracks on concrete surfaces, diagonal cracks must be repaired immediately to prevent any damage to the entire structure.

4. Expansion Concrete Cracks

The nature of concrete is such that it expands when heated, further pushing anything that gets in its way. And as concrete does not bend or flex, such expansion causes it to break, creating concrete cracks.

Interestingly, expansion joints are used as points of isolation against static objects. This reduces the chances of concrete cracking in the future.

Moreover, expansion joints are used as shock absorbers as they are made of a compressible material like rubber, timber, or asphalt.

5. Splitting Cracks

If you spot short vertical cracks of varying widths along the concrete slab, they are most likely caused by a lack of load-bearing capacity, improper cross-section and steel reinforcing. You must also ensure that the concrete used is of top-notch quality to avoid splitting cracks in the future.

6. Settling Concrete Cracks

If the ground beneath the concrete slab settles and creates a void, you may notice settling cracks. For instance, when a large tree is chopped/uprooted and the hole is not refilled with soil, settling cracks can occur on the concrete surface. Another suitable example is when a utility company digs around for its services and leaves the surface bare.

7. Concrete Cracks As a Result of Premature Drying

When the concrete dries too soon, you may notice two types of surface cracks - crazing cracks and crusting cracks.

Crazing cracks look like spider webs and form when the concrete slab loses moisture soon after application. While these surface cracks may be an eyesore, they do not pose any structural damage.

On the other hand, crusting cracks usually occur during the concrete stamping process. Again, this happens when the concrete surface dries up too quickly due to sunny or windy days. Plus, the stamp getting pressed on the concrete creates more texture and minute fissures. These types of cracks are also not a major concern, so you need not stress about them.

8. Concrete Fissures Induced By Slab Overload

We are well aware of concrete’s strength and durability. But like every other material out there, it has its fair share of flaws. As such, excessive weight can cause cracks in concrete columns.

Although overloading of the actual concrete slab is highly unlikely in residential areas, heavy rain or snow can make things worse. This is because the excess weight presses down the concrete slab into the moist earth, thereby resulting in cracks.

9. Corrosion Cracks

These cracks start off at the same width but end up getting larger with time. You’ll mostly find such corrosion cracks on concrete column reinforcements.

Like most of the concrete cracks described above, these are also caused by improper bonding between concrete and steel bars. Another reason could be reinforcement corrosion.

Heaving Concrete Cracks

Sometimes it’s not just the carelessness or mistakes during construction but also natural factors that cause concrete cracks. For instance, the ground rises a few inches while freezing and goes back to its original size when thawed. Hence, if the concrete slab does not move with the ground, it will end up cracking.

The same thing happens when tree roots, both large and small, shift and shatter the surface if they’re too close to the slab. So, you must keep these factors in mind while laying a concrete slab.

How To Repair Narrow Concrete Cracks

You get a wide variety of options for repairing narrow cracks - all you need is a caulking gun for the process. Not to forget, many concrete fixing products are available in bottles with a convenient applicator tip.

In case of hairline cracks, you can use a vinyl concrete patching compound and smooth out the surface with a trowel or putty knife. The smoothening process is especially important because the concrete caulk tends to peel off after a few months.

Also, note that sometimes narrow cracks can be deep enough to extend throughout the width of the concrete column. Thus, we recommend starting off by using a foam backer rod to stuff the crack and hold the concrete crack filler.

In case you’re wondering about the size of the back rod, let us tell you that they are available in a wide variety of diameters. Just ensure that you pick one which is slightly larger than the width of the concrete crack, and you’re good to go.

Finally, you can screw in the backer rod with a screwdriver and then fill the crack with the concrete crack filler.

How To Repair Wide Concrete Cracks

Before learning how to repair cracks in concrete, it is important to understand the main aim, i.e., to create an inverted “V” with the sides of the crack. Doing so will allow the repair material to get absorbed into the crack and create a mechanical bond along with the chemical bond. Now, let’s check out the steps involved:

Step 1

Use a masonry chisel and hammer to widen the crack and chisel it. Make sure that you remove any loose material from the old concrete with the help of a wire brush.

Step 2

You can even use a pressure washer or a garden hose to spray the crack with high pressure water and remove debris. Then take a brush or wet/dry shop vacuum to remove the water as well. Remember that it’s okay to leave the surface damp/wet, but there shouldn’t be any pools of water.

Step 3

Now follow the manufacturer’s instructions and prepare the concrete patching compound. Scoop the mixture into the concrete crack, ensuring no air pockets are left. Also, use some of the compound on the surrounding concrete surface for better adhesion.

Step 4

Use a trowel to smoothen the surface and level it along the surrounding concrete. You can even use a brush to create patterns or textures.

Step 5

Leave the concrete compound to dry and cure. Here, you must check the manufacturer’s instructions and follow them to the T!

Finally, if required, you can paint or seal the entire surface.

Types Of Cracks In Concrete Slabs Frequently Asked Questions ?

How to choose the best concrete crack filler?

Concrete crack fillers are available in various forms; namely, sealants/caulks, quick-setting cement, hydraulic cement, patching compounds, epoxy, and concrete resurfacer. Depending on the width of the crack, your level of expertise, time at hand, prevailing weather conditions, etc., you can choose a suitable sealer for cracks in concrete.

How to remove concrete crack filler?

You can use an angle grinder and scrape off the concrete crack filler from the desired surface.

How to prevent cracks in concrete surfaces?

While concrete crack fillers can fix present cracks, they cannot guarantee any prevention from future damage. Hence, it is important to maintain the structural integrity of concrete columns.

You can do so by adding sealants every few years to protect the surface from top-layer damage. A good-quality sealant can harden the surface and prevent scratches, oil stains, and more.

Other than that, you can invest in routine power-washing, wherein all the dirt and grime are removed with high-pressure water. If you have already used concrete crack fillers, then rest assured that the surface will remain protected with no water seeping into small gaps.

Types Of Cracks In Concrete Slabs Final Words

Though not all types of concrete cracks spell trouble, it is always wise to repair them early on to prevent any possible damage to the entire structure. And while it is difficult to find the root cause of the crack, possible reinforcement corrosion, improper jointing, and inefficient load-carrying abilities are usually the ones to blame.

Hence, good concrete finishing techniques and proper site preparation must be ensured to avoid structural concern in the future.

Calculating the appropriate air conditioner size for your home is essential for efficient performance and energy conservation. One way of doing this is by multiplying the total square footage of your home by 20 and making a few adjustments, depending on climate, population, location, etc.

Purchasing the wrong air conditioner size can lead to airflow problems and electricity issues that will cost you a lot of money in the future. Besides, when it comes to an HVAC system, a bigger size isn’t always the better. Sometimes, a smaller and more efficient unit can save money and energy. So, it’s best to calculate the minimum air conditioning requirement of your home for optimum energy efficiency and to adhere to the budget.

In this article, I will walk you through some ways to calculate the appropriate size of air conditioners.

Understanding Cooling Capacity And How To Calculate It

What Is A British Thermal Unit Rating?

Be it central heating or single-zoned air conditioning, the British Thermal Unit (BTU) plays an important role in understanding the cooling capacity and energy consumption. In its simplest definition, BTU is a measuring unit that represents the amount of heat required to reduce the temperature of one pound of water by one degree. In terms of an HVAC unit, one BTU translates to the amount of heat an AC unit can vent in one hour.

Calculating The Right Air Conditioner Capacity

Installing a correctly-sized new HVAC unit can reduce overall operating costs and improve the system life, so here’s a step-by-step guide for precise calculation.

1. Calculate The Square Footage Of Your Home

If you want to cool a single, compact room, then calculating the right size for your air conditioner is quite easy. Simply multiply the room’s width and length if you have a square or rectangular space. But if your room is triangular, you need to divide the former result by two as a rule of thumb, as a non-equilateral triangle is half of a square or rectangle.

However, some rooms may have unique shapes, which can make it harder for you to determine the required capacity per square foot. In this case, divide it into smaller squares and triangles and add the result to find precise measurements.

For a central air conditioner, you’ll need to measure the required cooling capacity for the entire home. To do this, you’ll have to repeat the entire process and find the square footage for each room in the house. But if you don’t want heating, cooling, and air conditioning in some parts of your house, remember to exclude them from the equation.

Tip

If your house is perfectly square or rectangular-shaped, you can find the total measurement by multiplying one room’s measurement by the number of floors or square footage of the house.

2. Multiply Square Footage By 20

When it comes to cooling capacity being measured in BTU, 20 BTU per square foot is multiplied as a norm. So, you need to multiply the total sq ft measurement by 20 to determine the perfect capacity for your cooling system.

3. Make The Required Adjustments

The calculations you’ve made so far will give you a rough idea of the ideal cooling capacity in terms of BTU. However, there are several considerations you must factor in while deciding on the capacity, according to Energy Star:

i. Climate Zone

You are required to add or subtract a certain percentage of capacity depending on how much heat your home gets. For example, if your home gets sunlight and is also shaded by a canopy, subtract 10% of the capacity. Meanwhile, if your home receives a lot of sunlight, the capacity of the HVAC system should be increased by 10%.

ii. Population

If more than two people occupy your home or apartment at once, it is a general rule that you should increase the system capacity by at least 600 BTU.

iii. Location

Hotter zones in your home that require the HVAC unit to run for longer need a higher cooling power. For example, if you want an air conditioner specifically for the kitchen, you should add 4000 BTU to its power.

iv. Heat Or Cold Air Leaks

Always keep a margin of error in your calculations since air conditioners, especially large-size central air conditioners, often have cold air leaking through the vents. This puts an additional load on your outdoor unit, requiring higher power.

Finding The Correct System Size

As you may have read above, a residential load calculation can help you find the right-size AC unit. However, you can also determine the appropriate size by finding out the system size already installed. Generally, manufacturers don’t list the system size on the product; instead, it is coded into the model number of the outdoor unit.

For example, a 2-ton unit will have the number 24 coded into its model number - this is because there’s 12,000 BTU cooling power per ton. So, ‘24’ is actually 24,000 BTU, which, when divided by 2 (per ton calculation), comes to 12,000 BTU per unit. In a similar fashion, you can easily decode a model number to find its tonnage (look for the model, not the serial number) by using this simple information:

Coded Model Number	Weight (tons)
18	1.5
24	2
30	2.5
36	3
42	3.5
48	4
60	5

Square Foot Heating Guide

Calculating the required BTU per square foot is also important for central heating; however, the calculation for heating is a little different. Firstly, you have to figure out which climate zone your home falls under before moving on to the next step. On average, there are five climate zones in the U.S., United Kingdom, and other large countries - and each zone has a different BTU requirement:

Zone	BTU/sq. ft.
1	30-35
2	35-40
3	40-45
4	45-50
5	50-60

So, finding the precise climate zone will help you find how many BTU per square footage is required by your home for even heating. If your building's insulation is tight and sound, choose the lower range, but if you have a poorly insulated home, choose the higher one.

Now, just multiply the number by the total square footage of your home to find the capacity needed for your HVAC system to heat the area. For example, if you live in zone 3 and you have a 3,000-square-foot well-insulated home, the equation will look like this:

3000 sq. ft. x 40 heating factor = 120,000 BTU

You can also calculate the BTU output of a gas furnace by multiplying the energy efficiency rating by the input rating listed on the product. For example, if a product has a listed input rating of 80,000 BTU and an efficiency rating of 70%, it will produce the following:

80,000 x 0.70 = 56,000 BTU output

Learn About The Variables

Several variable factors such as insulation, number of windows, number of floors, ceiling height, construction type, and even humidity will affect the required British Thermal Unit (BTU) for heating and cooling. It is generally acknowledged that if your home is well-insulated and has modern single-pane windows, you can go for a small-sized HVAC system that’s compatible with the total square footage.

Moreover, in a two-story home, the lower floors put less load on the compressor and thermostat, as the one's above act as insulating layers. So, if you have multiple stories with poor insulation and old-styled windows, it’s best to go for a large-size air conditioner.

General Tips For Finding The Right HVAC System

Finding the type of HVAC system you already have goes a long way in finding the right cooling and heating system for your home. However, if you’re unable to identify it, here are some general guidelines you can follow while purchasing an air conditioner:

If your home has forced air heat, opt for a 5-ton air conditioning system
If you have gas heating installed in your home, you’ll require built-in ‘heat pumps,’ which will help in heating and cooling
A 3-ton AC unit is sufficient for homes with electric heating
If there’s no forced air heat in your home, you can determine the right-sized air conditioner by calculating the highest BTU heating load (follow the steps previously mentioned).

To Sum It Up

With proper calculation and research, you can easily calculate the right air conditioner for your house. In this article, I have highlighted different techniques for calculating measurements and units, including cooling capacity (BTU), ton per square foot, heating capacity, and output. All of these measurements can contribute to finding an air conditioner that will perfectly cater to your home’s total square footage and ensure even air circulation.

However, it can be quite challenging to figure out what unit to go for, especially if you’ve never had an air conditioning system before. In this case, I recommend calling an HVAC expert and evaluating your home to give you a ballpark figure for perfect air conditioning.

That said, I’ll be signing off. Until next time, take care!

As a beginner drawing with colored pencils, you are bound to make mistakes, and you will have to erase several times before completing a picture.

While the standard pencil erasers may not do the job well, there are a number of options that are designed to remove colored pencil marks. Some common erasers that you can try, include -

Plastic erasers
Electric eraser
Vinyl eraser
Kneaded eraser

But before you do so, it is essential to know the right method of using these erasers. Also, you need to work on high-quality paper to ensure it does not tear or crinkle easily when erasing.

There are some other alternatives that we have discussed as well if you do not have colored pencil erasers. Read on to learn all about them.

How To Erase Using A Colored Pencil Eraser

Step 1- Choosing The Right Colored Pencil Eraser

You need to get your hands on the right colored pencil eraser before you begin the work. Such type of erasers are cheap, and you will not have to pay more than $5 for a product.

Step 2- Test The Colored Pencil Erasers

Before erasing colored pencil marks, test the eraser on a small portion of the paper. To do so, you can start by erasing a corner of the pencil marks. Check to see if you notice streaking while erasing and make circular motions with the eraser. We always recommend beginning from one corner so that it does not affect the main picture.

Step 3- Using The Colored Pencil Erasers

Remember that even if it is premium-quality paper, the colored portions will be fragile, and it is best not to apply too much pressure on the paper. Colored rubber erasers are thick, firm, and coarser than normal erasers and can tear the paper easily.

Hence, do not apply the same pressure as you would when using a normal eraser. Rub on the colored area gently and check for streaking marks so that they can be removed as well.

Is Using A Vinyl Eraser A Good Idea?

You can always use a vinyl eraser to remove colored pencil marks if a colored pencil eraser is not available. Follow the steps below to do it properly.

Step 1: Find Vinyl Erasers

Vinyl erasers are available in different shapes, and you can purchase one on the basis of your needs. You will find these erasers online and they can be used to erase pigment from a colored paper. We will recommend getting the eraser pencil versions since they are easy to hold, and you can work on smaller areas as well as large surfaces.

Step 2: Test On A Small Area

Before you erase the entire picture, we will recommend erasing a small area. You may have purchased erasable colored pencils, but this eraser may or may not work well on them. So, choose a small area and rub in circles to test the product. If you notice too much streaking or the color does not fade, then you will have to use a different eraser.

Step 3: Erase The Colored Pencil Marks

Vinyl erasers are very stiff and are considered to be the hardest among all other options. Hence, you will have to be very careful so that you do not tear the drawing paper. Rub gently and take your time with the process to ensure you have removed all the unnecessary details before coloring on the paper again.

Can You Use Kneaded Erasers Instead Of Colored Pencil Erasers?

Kneaded erasers are made of a sticky substance that looks like putty. These are easy to shape, and you can shape them depending on the area that needs to be erased. For detailing on small areas, the kneaded eraser can be made pointed, while for large areas they can be stretched to erase colored pencil drawings quickly.

Kneaded erasers are easily available online, and purchasing them should not be tough. But know that a kneaded eraser will not erase colored pencil marks completely as it will only lighten the marks to help you color over them. A kneaded eraser works like wall putty, and you will get a similar effect.

Moreover, you can begin by using a kneaded eraser over a small area. Test it before to see how the paper reacts, and always begin from a corner so as not to destroy the entire image. After testing, start rubbing the eraser gently to remove colored pencils marks without streaking.

Now you may be wondering how much pressure to apply While kneaded erasers are soft, you should always refrain from applying too much pressure. Rub and fold the eraser as you work your way through the drawing. It will keep picking up color pigments, and you can fold over that section.

After you are done, remember to clean the kneaded eraser well. To do this, stretch the eraser and then rub it on another surface to get the pigments out.

Making Use Of An Electric Eraser

Sometimes black lines are difficult to remove with normal erasers, but an electric eraser can do the job well. It can lift pigments from the top, making a region brighter and cleaner. But before you use an electric eraser, make sure to add a little solvent to the desired region. This loosens the pencil marks making it easier to remove them.

It is best to test the solvent on a small area to see what happens to the paper. Then you can continue erasing the other parts of the drawing.

Using Tape: An Alternative Method

Before you use scotch tape, take a standard eraser and rub it gently on the paper without applying a lot of pressure. You will just need to lift the color for the tape to be effective.

Step 1: Cut A Small Strip Of Tape

If this is your first time working with scotch tape, then begin by cutting small pieces of tape. You can also use clear tape, artist tape, or masking tape for the job.

Step 2: Testing The Tape

As we have already established, it is essential that you erase a small portion to get the hang of the process. Also, the tape can damage the paper, and you will have to test it first to see if the paper can withstand it.

Attach a small piece to one of the corners of the picture and then rub gently over it. There is no need to apply a lot of pressure as it may damage the picture when you peel the tape off.

Step 3: Using A Pen

You can use a sharp pencil to write on top of the artist's tape by using a normal pencil sharpener. Also, make sure you apply even pressure on all the areas with the pencil, and that should make the pigment stick to the tape. Most colored pencil artists use this method to easily remove pencil marks from high-quality paper.

Step 4: Peel Off The Tape

After the pigment sticks to the tape, peel off the tape slowly but firmly. Most colored pencils leave marks that come off with tape, but there is a chance that the paper may rip. So, do not repeat the process over the same area as the paper becomes thin and more vulnerable to tearing.

After it has peeled, you may still see some color remaining, for which you can use a standard eraser to eliminate the marks.

How To Erase Colored Pencil Frequently Asked Questions ?

It is essential to learn about how to organize colored pencils and erasers as well when you are working with them. We will always recommend taking them out of the pack and lining them up according to shades.

This will ensure you have access to all the colors when needed and you can keep the eraser of your choice beside the colors. Moving on, we will talk about some of the frequently asked questions about colored pencils in this section, so keep reading.

Can colored pencil marks be removed without an eraser?

There may be times when you do not have a colored pencil eraser to erase colored pencil marks. You will be surprised to know that bread can help you in the process.

Yes, take some bread without the crust and then create a small ball with it. Use it just like a kneaded eraser and then rub it gently to erase colored pencils.

Another method is to use a rubber band for this job, as you can roll a rubber band and then rub it over the surface. Anything rubbery should do the job in case proper materials are not available. However, ensure that you do not end up smudging the colored pencil marks.

We will also talk about one more alternative, and that is flip-flops. You read that right, flip-flops are made of rubber, and the sides can be used to rub remove pencil marks. But they are big, and we will recommend cutting a small portion of the flip-flops before using them.

Why do some pencil erasers become hard over time?

Erasers are made of rubber, and rubber becomes hard and brittle when exposed to continuous sunlight. You can restore their quality again by sprinkling some water on them.

How can you learn to use color pencils?

If this is your first time coloring, watch a few beginner videos to learn how to use color pencils. You can learn about the process of using different shades and blending them perfectly with each other. Also, keep practicing so that you can get better with time.

How To Erase Colored Pencil Final Words

While some erasers are specifically designed to remove colored pencil marks, you will still need to test them before using them on the paper. While choosing colored pencils, check the back of the pack to see if they are erasable.

Additionally, do not use a number of different erasers together but opt for just one and check if it works for your drawing. In case it does not, you can try another type for the job.

Using the right tools is essential to protect the paper. We believe that a white eraser is a better option to choose than the traditional pink eraser as it can often be too firm, damaging the paper easily.

If you like this article on erasing colored pencils, checkout our previous article on furniture paints and can you use acrylic paints on furniture to gain an outstanding look to your drawing room or any other part of your home.

Acrylic paintbrushes require care and attention, especially when it comes to cleaning them after you’re finished with the painting.

Unlike watercolors, acrylic paints have a tendency to stick to the brushes, which can cause long term damage and render even the most expensive brushes useless.

Today we’re going to look into the causes of such damages, and help you avoid them.

First off, we’ll describe the process of getting your brush as close to the store-bought condition as possible.

Then, we’ll look into common causes of damage to your brushes, and help you mitigate these damages to the maximum extent possible. Finally, we’ll cover a few common questions you might have regarding care and cleaning. Without further ado, let’s begin!

How to Clean Acrylic Paint Brushes Step by Step

Once you’re done reading this section, you won’t go back to your general methods of cleaning - for very valid reasons, too. With that in mind, next up is the walk-through.

Method 1 | No soap, simple rag/paper towel and water

Wiping the excess paint left over using a dry cloth rag or paper towel

While there’s no absolute need to perform this step, doing so can help you avoid damage later. Indeed, this step will take you some time - but that time will be well spent in caring for your brushes. Wrap the dry cloth rag or paper towel around the brush and get the excess paint out.

This has to be performed as soon as you’re finished with the painting. The only thing to keep in mind is to not delay this process under any cost - else it might be too late.

Using a paper towel or a cloth rag, gently glide over the surface of the paintbrush

Until you notice the brush not making marks anymore, brush the bristles of the paintbrush with a paper towel or a cloth rag. You’ll remove all the excess paint this way.

Take a cup of water and swish the brush around in it until the brush is clean

You do not need to perform this step for too long, but until the time you have a significantly cleaner brush. Make sure you keep the brush straight and that the bristles do not get bent in any case. For this purpose, the water that you used while brushing (if you did use water) is good enough, you only have to get the remaining excesses out of the brush.

Method 2 | Soap and water-based cleaning

Use lukewarm running water to clean the paintbrush

Hold the paintbrush under a medium strength faucet with both the hot and cold faucets engaged, until the water is mildly warm. Hold the paintbrush for around ten seconds to rinse it, while rotating the brush so as to hit all different sides of the bristles. The pressure definitely helps you in dislodging any leftover paints from dry cleaning the paintbrush.

Use your fingers or a fine comb to gently pinch through the bristles to get rid of paint

You’re best off using a fine-toothed comb since blunt nails and fingers are not as likely to get those small pesky bits of paint out of the paintbrush. Do remember, however, that the paint isn’t yet fully clean, though it may appear to be so. Your best bet is to continue the water cleaning as described in step 1 of this method.

Use gentle soap on the bristles of the paintbrush to clean it thoroughly

Turn off all the faucets, and take some smooth, preferably pH-neutral soap (or shampoo of similar quality), and get to work with gently massaging the bristles with the soap. For larger brushes, make sure you get the soap into all the different size bristles, whether large or small.

When you’re working the soap through the paintbrush, you should get the soap to the metallic part joining the bristles and the body of the brush, known as the ferrule. The ferrule needs to be cleaned regularly, otherwise you the bristles get hardened over time and eventually the shape of the bristles of the paintbrush changes.

Run the paintbrush through lukewarm water again

This step follows the entire cleaning process as described above. You have to work your fingers through the water stream above, up until the soap has been completely rinsed off from the surface of the bristles and the ferrule.

Take some soap and gently swirl it on to the bristles

You have to swirl the brush through a few drops of soap you’ve taken in one hand while holding the brush in the other hand. This is done to exactly copy the movements your brush makes while painting. Make sure you reach the bristles near the ferrule as well.

Now, rinse the brush out

This step should be done under the same lukewarm temperature of running water that we’ve discussed earlier. This should result, ideally, in there remaining no bristles left with residual amounts of soap.

Dry the brush thoroughly yet gently

The brush has a tendency to adapt the same shape it has for long periods of time, whether dry or wet. Consequently, you should take care that you dry the brush with a gentle cloth or paper towel, making sure there’s no residual water left. However, once your brush is sufficiently dry, you should stop at this stage. Take a breath - you’ve successfully cleaned your paintbrush!

This wraps up our section on the best methods to clean your brush properly. Now, we proceed towards the next part of our discussion - common mishaps and pitfalls to avoid when dealing with acrylic paintbrushes.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid While Dealing with Acrylic Paintbrushes

This part of the article deals with avoiding mistakes one is likely to make while dealing with the care of paintbrushes. Let’s begin with the first such mistake:

Letting acrylic paint dry on a paintbrush

Among the cardinal sins which one could commit against their paintbrushes, this comes up near or on the top. Your brush must, at all times, be either wet or at least moist when it comes in contact with the paint. A dry paintbrush means the harder it becomes to remove all the residual paint which accumulates on the bristles and near the ferrule.

To avoid this, always have a cup of water nearby which can help you keep the brush relatively moist if not fully wet. If you’re not using the brush, you should keep it on the rim of the cup. Also, it’s not as if brushes which go crusty have no use - there’s just some effort involved in reviving the paintbrush and getting it to good-as-new condition.

Resting your paintbrush with bristles down in the water

This is a common mistake people tend to make while painting. This is by far the easiest way to kiss your perfectly new paintbrush a fleeting goodbye. This causes the hairs to go all wonky and frizzled, and there’s no way to undo this damage. Even if you can get away with this because of cheaper brushes, we recommend not doing it just the same.

Getting paint stuck on the ferrule

This is another problematic situation you want to avoid. The ferrule is the silver, metallic part of a brush which connects the bristles of the brush with the body (wooden or otherwise). The problem with getting paint on the ferrule is that even after washing the ferrule, some paint will remain stuck between the bristles and near the joint.

This wraps up the top few ways in which artists tend to take their paintbrushes on a one way journey to the bin. Avoiding these takes actively participating in care for your tools, and realising that caring for your paintbrushes is equally important as is being involved in the painting process.

Coming now to the final part of today’s discussion - questions you have regarding the process. Now, we will cover a few important questions artists tend to ask regarding brushes and cleaning in general.

We start off with ruined brushes.

How to Clean Acrylic Paint Brushes FAQ

Absolutely not! You can find a number of uses even for the most crusty and sticky of brushes. If you find yourself having to paint abstract art or know someone who does, these brushes are perfect for rough usage in this way. You can also use these brushes for any artwork which does not require many intricacies or complex detailing.

Take 10 seconds and rotate your brush in water very gently yet quickly, and then squeeze out all of the excess paint on a paper towel or cloth rag. Swish it gently as before and then leave it resting across the rim of the water cup. This process generally takes anywhere between five to ten seconds.

How To Paint A Ceiling - The Easy Way

Whether you want to make your room appear spacious or add a modern touch to it, painting the ceiling is no doubt the best way to spruce up the space. Of course, you can hire a professional for home improvement projects, but they will charge exorbitant rates just to paint the ceiling.

Instead of spending a fortune by hiring professionals, the best way to revamp your ceiling is to paint it yourself. Not only will you save money, but you will also develop a new DIY skill.

Though slightly tricky, painting the ceiling isn’t a Herculean task. With the right skills, tools, and knowledge, you’ll be able to get the job done efficiently. Knowing the difference between ceiling and other regular paint is very important when it comes to painting ceilings.

Having said that, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how to paint a ceiling, so you can go about it without issues. Let’s dive in, then!

Step 1: Prepare The Room

Before starting your painting project, it’s advisable to remove the furniture, mattress, carpets, and all the other items from your room. After that, lay down canvas drop cloths or paper on the floor so that they don’t get stained by drips or spills.

In case any piece of furniture is unmovable, spread plastic tarps over them to protect them from the paint. And, don’t forget to remove any ceiling fans, light fixtures, and smoke detectors from the room, so you can paint the ceiling without worrying about ruining your expensive décor items.

Step 2: Hang Plastic Sheeting To Protect The Walls

Let’s assume you’ve painted the walls before the ceiling, which is why you will have to protect them by using plastic sheeting. Since you’ll have to use the sheets to cover the walls, make sure you buy a sufficient number.

Start with one wall and then move to the other, while including windows and doors. And don’t forget to measure the height and length of the wall using a measuring tape for accuracy before buying the sheets.

Step 3: Use Painter’s Tape Over Trim

After hanging plastic sheeting over the walls, you’ll have to grab painter’s tape and use it over the molding and trims of the ceiling. Mainly, such tapes are used to create crisp lines and protect the trims from the paint.

If you skip the painter’s tape, the ceiling paint will lack perfection and smoothness.

Step 4: Prep The Entire Ceiling

Now that you’ve taken care of the trims and moldings, it’s time to prep the ceiling to make your job easy. Though it may sound challenging, cleaning the ceiling is an easy task.

Take a vacuum cleaner and use it all over the ceiling to remove the dust and other minute particles. When the ceiling is free from impurities, the primer and paint will adhere to the surface properly.

In case there are cracks or tiny holes in the ceiling, fill them before priming the ceiling. Ideally, it takes two hours for the spackle to dry, after which you’ll have to sand it to smooth the surface and blend the patches seamlessly.

If there are rough spots on the ceiling, use sandpaper for sanding and then vacuum the surface to ensure it’s free from dirt.

Step 5: Grab Your Tools And Arrange Your Supplies

Before moving on to painting the ceiling, we suggest laying a liner on a paint tray on one side of the room. You can even keep it outside the room so that you don’t trip over it while painting.

Now, attach a spout to the primer can and pour it over the paint liner in the tray. Next grab a paint roller frame and replace the old roller cover with a new one.

Subsequently, dip your roller into the primer and attach it to the extension pole so that you can have better control while painting the ceiling. Another benefit of using an extension pole is that it reduces strain on the arms and back, which means you can work for hours without any issues.

Note that the secret to success lies in using the shortest possible extension, or the weight of the pole will lead to pains and aches.

Step 6: Start Priming The Ceiling

When it comes to applying primer, start by cutting in the borders of the ceiling using a paint edging tool or an angled brush. After completing the edges, apply primer onto the rest of the ceiling and allow it to completely dry.

More often than not, people prefer using a stain-blocking primer to prepare their ceilings before painting. Mainly, they use it to hide stains, flaws, and other imperfections while preventing stains from bleeding through.

Step 7: Paint The Edges Of The Ceiling

After the primer dries, it’s time to paint the ceiling, and we suggest starting with the edges. But before that, pour paint onto the tray and use an angled brush or a paint edging tool to coat the edges.

However, make sure you only paint the edges of the ceiling, not around them. And once you’re done painting the edges, let them dry before moving on to the next step.

Step 8: Apply Paint To The Rest Of The Ceiling Using A Paint Roller

As soon as the edges dry, you’ll have to paint the other parts of the ceiling without further delay. Certainly, changing the paint roller cover is important, so replace the dirty cover with a new one and then start painting.

Before that, make sure you pour more paint into the tray and dip the roller into it to soak the paint. As already mentioned, the best way to paint the ceiling is to use the roller in three-foot by three-foot sections. That’s because keeping track of how much area you have covered is easy when you paint in grid-like sections.

When painting a new section, make sure you overlap the wet edge of the previous portion to prevent lap marks and blend the sections seamlessly. Once the ceiling is painted, you can apply a second coat of paint if need be.

Another thing we’d like to mention is that you must move the roller slowly in straight lines to avoid splattering the paint. And you’re done!

3 Tips That Every DIYer Must Know Before Painting Their Ceiling

1. Ceiling Paints Are Thick And Sticky

Only a few people know that ceiling paints are different from wall paints because they are formulated to prevent paint drips. That is why they are slightly sticky, have a thick consistency, and are compatible with roller covers.

2. Different Ceilings Require Different Naps

While thick naps are perfect for textured ceilings, a 3/8-inch nap is excellent for smooth ones. Before buying roller covers, make sure you consider the surface of the ceiling and then buy the one that fits the bill.

3. Flat Or Matte Paints Are Best For Painting Ceiling

As you already know, the market is saturated with varieties when it comes to ceiling paints. Different colors can go with different types of ceiling finishes, and mastering them all is almost impossible if you’re not a professional.

However, we suggest going for flat or matte paints because they hide imperfections better than others. Going for a satin or gloss finish ceiling paint is a big no-no because they highlight every dent, bump, and flaw present on the surface.

How To Paint A Ceiling Frequently Asked Questions ?

How Many Coats Of Paint Does A Ceiling Need?

Basically, a ceiling needs a minimum of two coats of paint, only then will it cover imperfections from the surface.

How To Paint High Ceilings?

If you want to paint high ceilings, using a sturdy and premium-quality extension pole is the best bet. However, those using a brush for painting ceilings must use a durable step ladder to reach the ceiling.

How To Paint A Ceiling Summing It Up

There you have it - everything you need to know about painting a ceiling like a pro!

Without a doubt, painting the ceiling is the best way to add depth and element to a room. Though white is the most preferred option by homeowners, you can go for any other bold color like yellow, brown, blue, and red to add an understated effect to your room.

With that, we’ve reached the end of our guide on the topic. But before we sign off, here’s a last piece of advice - don’t forget to wear a face mask or respirator, safety glass, and gloves before starting your project.

And that’s it for today. Happy remodeling!

Getting a good night’s sleep after spending a long day at work surely feels like bliss. That is why you should make all the arrangements to make it as comfortable as possible. This includes getting a good dehumidifier for bedroom spaces.

However, we have come across many people who feel a bit skeptical about using a dehumidifier in their bedrooms. And if you count yourselves as one of them, then you will be glad to know that a dehumidifier can be used in the bedroom without any issue.

Although, if you being skeptical try cat litter as dehumidifier for bedroom or any other places. They comes handy as dehumidifier, but have issues. Checkout our exclusive article on the particular topic to know more.

If anything, using a dehumidifier has a lot of advantages, some of which you might not be aware of. So, if you feel like your curiosity has been piqued by that sentence, then you are in luck because that’s what we have addressed in this article.

Let’s get started then, shall we?

Dehumidifiers And Their Types

Before we get to the meat of the article, let us discuss a bit about what dehumidifiers actually are. If you are not as savvy in these matters, you might find this information helpful.

As the name suggests, a dehumidifier removes moisture content from the air. More than one type of dehumidifier exists today, and each type has a distinct mode of operation.

The refrigerant type dehumidifier uses a refrigerant to cool a metal plate. In turn, the plate captures the moisture from the air by the process of condensation. The dried air is then cycled back into the room.

Likewise, the desiccant type dehumidifier uses a special substance known as a desiccant. This is a substance that actively absorbs moisture from the air. Silica gel is used in these dehumidifiers, given that it is one of the most well-known and powerful desiccants.

There are other types of dehumidifiers too, such as membrane dehumidifiers and heat pump dehumidifiers, but they are not as common as the ones mentioned above. Regardless of the type, the basic principle and functions of this appliance remain the same.

Dehumidifiers Vs Air Conditioners

Contrary to what some people might believe, a dehumidifier is not the same as an air conditioner. An AC removes moisture from the air and provides a flow of hot or cool air as required. On the other hand, a dehumidifier only helps to remove the moisture content from the air. It does not regulate the temperature inside the room in any way.

Yeah, we know what you might be thinking right now - if an AC can accomplish whatever a dehumidifier does and more, then why get a dehumidifier in the first place? Well, then allow us to tell you why. For starters, it is significantly cheaper.

Compared to a conventional air conditioning unit, a dehumidifier comes at a relatively lower price. Not only that, but it is also way more energy-efficient, which helps keep your energy bills in check.

Should You Have A Dehumidifier In Your Bedroom?

Yes, you should definitely have a dehumidifier in your bedroom since it will eliminate excess moisture and make it comfortable for you to get uninterrupted sleep. Thanks to its energy efficiency, you can safely run it for the whole night (and even throughout the day, if you wish).

A bedroom dehumidifier helps to considerably improve the air quality inside your bedroom. And despite not being able to make the air hot or cool, it does help in combating unpleasant room temperatures to a great extent.

In any case, the several benefits of having a bedroom dehumidifier have been discussed in greater detail in the following section, so we suggest you keep reading.

Advantages Of Having A Bedroom Dehumidifier

1. Allows You To Control The Humidity Level

The biggest and most obvious advantage of a bedroom dehumidifier is that it allows you to achieve the desired humidity level for your bedroom. Most dehumidifiers come with an in-built humidity sensor or humidistat that monitors and regulates the ambient humidity levels.

In that context, modern dehumidifiers come with automated controls that monitor and adjust the humidity levels on their own. You could control it manually as well but in this case, you need to know about the optimal measures for relative humidity.

Very little or no moisture in the air can be equally undesirable as high moisture content. High humidity inside your bedroom will make you feel sweaty and uncomfortable, while very low humidity can make your skin feel dry, which is equally uncomfortable. It can also cause respiratory problems by drying out the nasal passages and throat.

Therefore, the overall humidity level should be kept such that it is neither too moist nor too dry, which is where the dehumidifier becomes helpful. All you need to do is adjust the settings of the unit, and the appliance will keep all the humidity problems at bay while you sleep.

2. Removes Mold And Mildew

It is a well-known fact that harmful microorganisms, such as mold, bacteria, and mildew love to thrive in moist environments. As such, the high moisture content in the bedroom poses a lot more problems for you than just being uncomfortable.

The growth of such organisms can cause respiratory problems, such as asthma, cough, and irritation of the eyes, nose, or throat. In extreme cases, it may trigger allergic reactions or other similar health conditions. All of this can make it a nightmare (no pun intended) to sleep in your own bedroom. And if you have a family, the situation can become even worse.

That is why using a dehumidifier is always a wise decision. Since it helps remove humidity from the room, it indirectly prevents the growth of mold and mildew, which could otherwise pose a serious health problem.

3. Removes Dust And Mites

Besides removing moist air, a dehumidifier is capable of removing dust from the air as well. Dust accumulation inside the bedroom is never a good sign, as it causes respiratory problems. Moreover, the dust and moisture provide a favorable environment for dust mites to thrive. And in case you are not aware - dust mites are responsible for causing allergies and other health issues in humans.

Thankfully, a good dehumidifier takes care of these problems. There are a few fans inside a typical dehumidifier unit that continuously sucks the air inside the machine. Along with the humid air, all the suspended dust particles get sucked inside and ultimately get removed via the exhaust pipe.

This makes the machine relatively more versatile and eliminates the need for getting separate air purifiers for your bedroom. And since there is no dust inside the room, you won’t need to worry about dust mites either.

4. Removes Dank, Musty Odors

Surely, you would not want to sleep in a room that has a repulsive, musty smell, right? That is why you should keep a dehumidifier in the bedroom since it can effectively get rid of these odors.

These smells usually emerge because moist air has a tendency to trap odors. It can also be due to a build-up of mold, which, in turn, grows in humid environments. Dehumidifiers remove moisture, giving you fresh, clean air free from odors.

5. Portable And Convenient

Most dehumidifier models come with portable features, such as wheels, carry handles, and so on. They do not require separate installation either, so you can simply plug them into a wall outlet and start using them.

And because of these features, you can conveniently carry them around to another room as and when required. For instance, if you spend the evenings with family in the living rooms, you can shift it there and set it up. Similarly, you can move it back into the bedroom before going to bed.

Such features are also very convenient if you have to move around a lot. Unlike air conditioners, you can simply pack a dehumidifier up in your car and take it to your new house. There again, you can place it in your bedroom without needing to worry about installations.

In addition to the portability, they include features that make them easier to use as well. For instance, with features like timers, auto-start-ups, and shut-downs, you can sleep peacefully, knowing that the appliance will handle the operations on its own.

6. Easy Maintenance

Many dehumidifiers today come with top-loading filters and easily accessible compartments so that you can quickly open them up and access the internal components. These features make maintaining the unit a breeze.

Every few months, you can open up the compartments and clean out the filters, which will keep your appliance working in top condition for a long time. On top of that, this aspect will help save a lot of time and elbow grease in case the unit’s reservoirs need to be manually drained.

Factors To Consider When Using A Bedroom Dehumidifier

As you can see from the discussion above, using a bedroom dehumidifier is a wise decision indeed. However, you do need to figure out certain aspects of your bedroom to get the best results. That is what we have discussed in this section, so if you want to know what these aspects are, then read on.

1. Placement

One of the most important things to keep in mind is placement. As a general rule, the appliance should be placed in a spot where there is good air circulation. That way, it will take a considerably shorter time to recycle the air inside your bedroom.

Also, make sure to keep it slightly away from walls and corners. If you keep the dehumidifier too close to the wall, it might block the air outlets and vents, which can be detrimental to the machine. And if possible, place your dehumidifier near one of the windows or the door. This makes it easier to take out a drainage pipe and prevents making a mess.

Typically, we would suggest that you place it in a spot near the bed. That way, if you need to make some manual adjustments, you can do it from your bed without getting up.

2. Dehumidifier Size

When looking to use a dehumidifier in your bedroom, the size of the unit is another major factor for consideration. The size of a dehumidifier is measured in pints, which indicates the amount of moisture that it can remove in a day.

To determine what size dehumidifier will best suit your needs, you need to consider two things - the size of your bedroom and the ambient humidity levels outside. If you live in an area with high humidity, then you will need a larger dehumidifier. Conversely, if you live in a dry region, a small dehumidifier will be sufficient for your needs.

In the same vein, a small dehumidifier will be sufficient for a small or average size room. That will allow you enough living space without feeling too congested. However, if you prefer, you can opt for a medium-sized dehumidifier for the latter.

For large rooms, though, a medium to large-sized dehumidifier is a must. If you get a smaller unit here, it will not be able to provide efficient dehumidification. Not only that, but it will also overload the unit beyond its capacity, which will affect its function in the long run.

If you want better clarity, we would suggest that you consult a dehumidifier size chart when making the purchase. Most dehumidifier brands provide a size chart based on both of these factors, so you will find it helpful when deciding.

3. Temperature

We have discussed the sizes and humidity levels, so now you must be asking yourself - “at what temperature should I set my dehumidifier in the bedroom?” Well, to be honest, a dehumidifier can’t really control the room temperature, like we have stated before. But you do need to consider the temperature ranges within which you can safely use a dehumidifier.

You should never use your dehumidifier if the outside temperature is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. In such a situation, the moisture collected on the cooling coils may freeze up, which will eventually damage the appliance.

On the other end, you should try to use the dehumidifier less when the ambient temperatures become higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Using the unit continuously when it is so hot outside may cause it to overheat, which is never a good sign.

Should I Have A Dehumidifier In My Bedroom Frequently Asked Questions ?

What is the ideal humidity level for your bedroom?

According to experts, the ideal levels of relative humidity for any living space, including the bedroom, should be around 30 to 50%. Thus, you should adjust the humidistat on your dehumidifier to any value within this range to ensure optimal comfort.

Should you keep your windows open when using the dehumidifier?

Open windows draw in unfiltered air from outside, which can hamper the functions of the dehumidifier. So, you should never keep the windows open when the unit is running. That said, you can keep it slightly ajar to make room for the drainage pipes if there are any.

Should you use an AC or a dehumidifier for your basement?

Wondering what is better for a basement - bedroom air conditioner or dehumidifier? We would suggest that you go with a dehumidifier. The versatility of a dehumidifier makes it better suited to handle the environment of your bedroom, as well as your basement. And since it is not a living area, using a bedroom air conditioner for the basement won’t be worth it.

Should I Have A Dehumidifier In My Bedroom Final Words

A dehumidifier is probably one of the most useful appliances that you can get for your household. Not only does it keep out the sweaty humidity, but it also provides you with fresh, clean air.

Thanks to its versatility and portability, you get a dehumidification solution for the entire house, including your bedroom. Once its turned on, you will get a comfortable and dry environment within minutes, which will help you fall asleep faster.

And that brings us to the end of this article. We hope that it could clear out any skepticism you had about using dehumidifiers in your bedroom.

Nothing can be more frustrating than having a small bedroom. The space feels cramped, and there's hardly enough space to fit all your things.

If you're looking for inspiration to spruce up your small bedroom, you've come to the right place.

We've listed 30 different small bedroom ideas to help you out! Pack up your things, and let's start maximizing every square footage of your small bedroom.

30 Stylish Small Bedroom Design Ideas

You could be desperately trying to find bedroom ideas to maximize space yet fail to find practical storage solutions.

We've all been there, and we more or less know how unbearable the feeling is! Worry no more because we've got some small bedroom ideas for your next room makeover.

1. Use a Raised Platform for Your Bed

via : IKEAhackers

If your room lacks valuable floor space, you can maximize your room's height instead.

A functional layout you can use in a limited space with the help of a raised platform. It's a great idea to put storage under your bed! Not to mention, you can easily store and access your things.

This is perfect for a tiny bedroom, such as your guest bedroom! You might even be interested in trying a floating bed design for a more modern theme.

2. Trade Your Full-Size Bed for a Sofa Bed

via : IKEA UK

Every space matters in a small bedroom, and having space-saving furniture is always ideal.

Trade your bed for a sofa bed instead. This is one of the best small bedroom ideas you can apply, giving you extra floor space during the day.

During the day, you can use your room as a lounge or office space. And at night, all you have to do is lay your sofa bed flat and have a good sleep.

This is one of the best small bed ideas, especially if you have a small bedroom.

PRO TIP

Remember to try out the sofa bed and ensure it's comfortable enough to sleep in.

3. Let Natural Light Through

via : BuzzFeed

If you want to create the illusion of having a big room, don't be afraid to let natural sunlight in.

With the help of a few layout and design changes, you can make your space look bigger. This is one of the best small bedroom ideas that can help save your electricity bill.

This lessens your need for an extra light fixture in your room and leaves more room for other accessories.

PRO TIP

Use a blackout curtain if you don't want light getting through your room.

4. Every Space Can Be Used as a Storage Area

via : Home Decor Ideas

No space is big or small to be a storage area. We always appreciate the extra space where we can tuck all our belongings away.

Just because you have a small bedroom doesn't mean you have to sacrifice storage. Even the smallest of spaces can already make a huge difference.

You can use hidden storage solutions to create more closet space without taking up too much square footage.

5. Window Sills Are Friends

via : ArchDaily

Your window sills aren't there for nothing; they're certainly not just there to collect dust.

If your window sill is large enough, you can put a window seat to lounge on. It's a great way to catch up on your favorite books and even have a nap!

You can always use it as an extra shelving space if it's not big enough. Add a few accessories, like a candle or your favorite picture frame.

6. Use A Neutral Carpet Flooring

via : Lauren McBride

Carpets are a great way to give your small bedroom a cozy feel. The soft carpeted floor signals your body that you're about to rest and relax.

Trade in your dark carpets for a nice neutral shade. It can liven up your beautiful space and gives an illusion of having more space.

PRO TIP

Have your room carpet cleaned regularly. This helps prevent nasty mold and smells from building up.

7. Expand Your Small Bedroom Using Mirrors

via : Pottery Barn Teen

Mirrors are a crowd favorite when making any room look big.

This is why it shouldn't come as a surprise that putting up mirrors is highly recommended in small bedroom decorating ideas.

Make sure to know where to put them and what shape the mirrors should be. Once you've found the perfect spot, your room will feel much bigger and brighter!

8. Use a Multi-Purpose Storage Bed in a Small Space

via : Next Luxury

A good way to get enough space in your small bedroom is by using storage beds. It's one of the greatest hacks for small bedroom ideas.

A multi-purpose bed is ideal for a smaller bedroom because of its functionality. You have a bed, storage, and even a dressing table in one.

You don't need to sacrifice storage to lie comfortably at night.

PRO TIP

Make sure the storage on your bed is enough to fit all your things.

9. Less Is More in a Small Space

via : Petra Yoanna

Time and time again, we've always mentioned how less is always more for small bedroom ideas.

Fewer things in your small room translate to more space to walk around and enjoy.

Make sure to keep only the essential items in your room. Tidy up your space, and don't be afraid to declutter the things you no longer need.

10. Make Your Curtains Stand Out

via : Target

Just because you have a small bedroom doesn't mean it can't be fun. Liven up your wall space with the addition of fun and bold curtains.

Don't be afraid to express your personality with fun and lively curtains! It can make your vertical space look a lot bigger.

Not only do curtains look good, but they also serve the practical purpose of blocking the light at night.

11. Add Some Throw Blankets and Throw Pillows

via : Amber Interiors INC.

If there's one thing we love about small spaces is that it always makes us feel cozy. It sets our mood and signals our mind that it's time to finally relax.

Don't be afraid to cozy up in your small bedroom by adding a ton of blankets and pillows. This is one of the most simple small bedroom ideas you can find out there that's highly effective.

You can even scatter cushions on the floor for that ultimate relaxing vibe!

12. Build an Effective Storage System

via : IKEA

No matter how much storage system you have, if you don't know how to utilize them, it will all be for nothing.

Make sure to have an effective storage system in place, by knowing which items go where. It keeps your things organized, and you know where to find them the next time you need them.

13. Use A Loud Wall Hanging Decor

via : BuzzFeed

One of our favorite small bedroom ideas is putting up some decorations in our petite bedroom.

Wall hangings help draw attention towards a particular area, removing the attention from the small space.

If you want to have a clean and put-together look, we highly recommend choosing wall hangings that go with the theme of your room.

You can also go for natural materials to give your room a boho and chic look.

14. Give Your Small Bedroom Some Symmetry

via : LLD-DESIGN LIMITED

Even with a small space, you can still create the illusion of symmetry inside your room.

One of the best small bedroom ideas we can share is creating symmetry by utilizing your furniture.

You can add floor lamps on either side of the bed or put built-in shelves on either side. Using a side table also does the trick!

Creating symmetry makes your room look put together and clean.

15. Add Some Plants

via : Apartment Therapy

Consider adding some live plants inside your small bedroom. It can instantly lift your room and your spirits!

You can add small pots of your favorite succulents and flowers to your side table.

If you don't want to put live plants, you can opt for fake plants to still achieve that natural feel.

16. Skip the Bed Frame

via : Karup Design

Bed frames usually take up space in the bedroom. This is why we recommend skipping the bed frame in most small bedroom ideas.

You can keep your mattress as is, even without the frame. If it feels bare, consider creating a gallery wall or a feature wall.

You can add more pillows on the bed, so it doesn't look too bare.

17. Don't Get a Four Poster Bed

via : TurnPost

Four poster beds look visually appealing. It gives off this classic and quaint vibe, perfect for every bedroom.

Unfortunately, we don't recommend four poster beds in small bedroom ideas. It tends to make the room look cramped, which is the opposite of what we want.

This is especially true if the surrounding furniture is large and bulky!

18. Install a Pull Down Bed or Wall Bed in Your Room

via : Luciano Correa

Consider installing a pull-down/wall bed in your smaller bedroom at home.

You can do this for your guest room to utilize the extra space when you don't have visitors around.

Check out interior design ideas for making the pull-down bed blend into the room!

19. Use Your Built-in Storage in the Room

via : Amber Interiors INC.

If your small bedroom has a built-in storage unit, use it! You no longer have to worry about needing additional store boxes or storage areas.

Place all your belongings inside the built-in storage, and assemble them properly.

20. Add a Floating Shelf to Your Room

via : Pottery Barn

Add a floating shelf to your accent wall, making your room much homier. We love using floating shelves because they can serve multiple purposes.

Not only is it a good interior design idea, but it's also a good way to sneak in some extra storage in your small bedroom.

Make sure not to overdo the floating shelves in your room. Remember, you don't need to fill every inch of the space with a shelf.

21. Create a Gallery Wall

via : Color & Chic

With all the wall space in the room, you're probably excited to fill it with frames and art pieces. It's your gallery of all your good memories.

However, if you want to make these memories special and create an impact, put it all on one side of your room.

An accent wall helps draw attention to that space alone. It also helps keep the room looking less cramped.

22. Skip the Big Bedside Table/Dressing Table

via : JD Williams

Bedside tables are a staple in any bedroom. It's the quintessential piece of furniture you'll find in every small bedroom idea.

You won't need a big bedside table for a small space. A small table is enough for you to put your things.

It may not be what you envisioned for your room, but it's still useful. You can put your phone on top and even some of your favorite books.

23. Have Your Furniture Measured

via : Purl Soho

The beauty of furniture is that you can buy them in all shapes and sizes. Sticking to a general theme is a lot easier, thanks to the wide range of options you have.

Because of this, it is easy to find furniture that can match your small bedroom ideas.

Before you buy your piece of furniture, always measure it. Make sure it's the right size for the space you want to put it.

24. Don't Be Afraid of the Statement Bed

via : My Aashis

A big bed in a small space. Isn't that the opposite of what we want?

Don't be afraid to go big on your bed, especially if it comes with extra storage underneath. You won't need a dedicated storage area anymore with a storage bed.

You can always play around with the room layout to ensure your statement bed won't take up all the space.

25. Loft Bedroom Layout

via : Da Vinci Lifestyle

If you have adequate ceiling height, a great small bedroom idea is to transform your room into a loft space.

Consider your loft space as a 2-in-1 solution for your bedroom ideas. You can dedicate your entire floor space as a working area by creating a small office space.

Alternatively, you can also use it as a gaming area or a lounge where you can relax!

26. Stick to One Color

via : Home Designing

We know some of you are tempted to transform your room into a rainbow but stop right now.

If you want to make your small space look bigger, we recommend sticking to only one color. Or at least one color palette.

Doing this makes your room look bright, clean, and easy on the eyes!

27. Add Shelving Units

via : Kasie Chelanne

Never underestimate the power of having a large shelving unit in a small room. That's instant storage for you!

It's also a good way to accessorize your room because you can practically put anything. Books, plants, mirrors, frames, candles, you name it!

PRO TIP

Always check the dimensions of the shelf you want and compare it to your bedroom wall.

28. Utilize Every Corner

via : Urban Outfitters

Every corner in your small room is a gold mine for extra storage room or room accessories.

Don't leave the corners of your room in the dust. Instead, utilize every corner of it with your favorite furniture.

You can push your bed to the corners to give you a bigger floor space. In the alternative, you can set up a corner table for a small office space.

29. Make Your Accessories Pop

via : Sage & Sill

Playing around with color for your bedroom ideas can transform a plain and simple room into a fun and lively one.

We recommend adding a few accent pieces in your room that can become the center of attention.

It could be as simple as a bedside table, a floor lamp, or a table lamp!

30. Be as Extra as You Want

via : Apartment Therapy

At the end of the day, your comfort is our number one priority. After all, you'll be lying on the bed and enjoying your personal space.

If you feel more comfortable with more colors, shapes, and patterns, don't be afraid to go all out!

You can unleash your creativity in designing your sleeping space the way you want.

Top Tips for Designing Small Bedrooms

We're sure you're excited and ready to start working on your small space. The different tiny bedroom ideas we've listed are enough to get you running to the home store.

But before you do, we have some helpful tips to make sure you get the most out of your room.

1. Have a Limited Color Palette

There's no right and wrong color palette for your small bedroom. But one thing's for sure, stick to a limited palette and don't be all over the place.

Having a limited color palette makes the room feel like it was professionally done. The colors are in-synch, and everything looks put together.

We recommend going with a monochromatic theme, regardless of the palette. You don't have to worry about mixing and matching the shades anymore.

2. Utilize Natural Light

Believe it or not, natural light can immediately transform your room into a model unit straight from the IKEA website.

Many overlook the importance of natural light to make the room feel much bigger and more homier.

Play around with the room and check where the natural light hits. You can utilize mirrors and paint colors to improve the room's feel.

3. Maximize Storage Space

We've said it before, and we'll say it again, storage is everything to a small bedroom.

One of the common problems we often encounter with a small space is the need for more storage options.

Luckily, there are different storage solutions out there that can create adequate storage even in smaller spaces.

You can use a storage bed to neatly tuck your things in the space underneath. You can also create a hidden wardrobe space in your room without looking messy!

4. Consider Made-To-Measure Pieces

One of the best ways to get all your furniture to fit inside your room is to have made-to-measure pieces.

Instead of buying store-bought furniture, seek help from a professional to make the furniture fit only your room.

Doing this helps odd-fitting items. More importantly, you can customize your furniture in the best way possible for your compact bedroom.

Small Bedroom Design Ideas FAQs

Before we leave with our parting words in this small bedroom ideas article, we’ve answered some of the FAQs we get about styling small bedrooms.

Keep reading, and you might learn something from what we’re about to share.

For us, neutral tones and earth colors are perfect for small bedrooms. It makes the space look bigger and brighter at the same time.

We recommend soft shades of yellow, blue, gray, and green. But if you want to keep it simple, white walls are just as perfect.

Dark colors are also okay, and many people like them. You can choose between colors like brown, black, and navy blue bedroom ideas.

Although it won’t help make your room look bigger, it will give it a cozy vibe.

There’s no right or wrong way of fixing your small space. You can be as minimal or eccentric with the interior design.

But one thing’s for sure, you need to learn how to prioritize the essential pieces in your bedroom: clothing and shoe cabinet, storage space, bedside table, and bed, to name a few.

This will make the room feel organized and complete in the long run! Even with limited floor space, you at least have everything you need in one space.

Some couples usually quarrel about how to style their small bedrooms. With all the debate going on, having a good night’s sleep in their new space seems impossible.

One great tip we can share, which all couples already know by now, is to communicate. Sit down with your partner and talk about your bedroom ideas and plans.

Most often than not, the two of you may have different styles and visions. There’s no need to fight about it as long as you communicate and learn to compromise.

Small Bedroom Design Ideas Conclusion

You don't have to suffer in silence anymore just because of your small bedroom.

A simple room makeover can transform your small space into a big one. Just stick to the best small bedroom ideas, and you'll be on the right track.

We hope you enjoyed this article. Let us know in the comments which of the small bedroom ideas you want to try.

Feel free to share this article with your friends and family who might be looking for small bedroom ideas to spruce up their homes.

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Have you just finished building a new concrete driveway in front of your home? Then it is time that you gave it a fresh new look using concrete paints.

The driveway is the main entryway to your home, so you need to give it a striking appearance by incorporating a few driveway paint ideas. That way, people coming to your house will have something to look at and admire. Moreover, if you make it durable enough, your driveway will stay attractive for a long time.

On that note, you can utilize different materials and finishes to enhance the overall aesthetic while simultaneously enhancing your driveway longevity. But if you are fresh out of ideas about jazzing up your driveway, then allow us to help.

In this article, we have discussed some of the trendiest concrete driveway ideas that you can try out. So, without stalling any further, let’s roll!

Concrete Driveway Paint

A painted driveway can make the exterior of your home look appealing to onlookers. However, you need to be careful when painting your concrete driveway since they have a reputation for developing cracks or other signs of damage too soon. And even if there are no damages, there is a high chance that the paint will get washed away after heavy rains or snowfall.

That is why you can’t just use any type of paint for your driveway. There are special types of paints that are suited for this purpose, which is what we have discussed in this section. So, if you want to know what they are, keep reading below.

1. Masonry Paint

Masonry paint is a specialized type of paint that is designed to be applied on masonry surfaces, such as bricks, stones, clay, or concrete. It is composed mostly of silicon, acrylic resins, and other polymeric compounds, due to which it possesses a higher degree of durability and elasticity than conventional paints. Because of these properties, it is also known as elastomeric paint.

Besides, masonry paint is available in a wide range of colors, so you can choose whichever color suits you best. For added brilliance, you can choose a color that is the same as the house color. Thus, the customizability alone makes it one of the best driveway paint products.

Applying a fresh coat of masonry paint to your driveway is relatively easy. Since it is made for rough or uneven surfaces, you don’t need to prep the surface extensively before you start painting. Consequently, the time required for painting your driveway is reduced as well, even if you need to apply more than two coats.

2. Epoxy Paint

Epoxy paint is another great paint option for your driveway. This concrete paint contains durable epoxy resins that can withstand the toughest environmental conditions with ease. Apart from that, epoxy resins are highly versatile and elastic. So, the paint can withstand heavy loads for a long time without showing any signs of damage.

That is why you can use it not only to paint your driveway but also to paint floors that have heavy foot or vehicle traffic. Plus, you can use it on the exterior walls to protect them from the elements, such as heavy rains or snowfall.

However, you do need to consider the thickness of the paint you want. A thicker coat will be more durable than a thin coat. But on the flip side, a thicker coating will cost you quite a lot.

You can get the paint in different colors and finishes, so the potential for personalization is great. If you wish, you can opt for transparent epoxy resin, which can be applied over other materials to improve their durability. For instance, you can apply it over your garage floor paint to make it more durable than it currently is.

One thing that you need to keep in mind, though, is that this paint dries rather slowly, especially if you apply multiple coats. Thus, if you are looking to use your driveway soon, this might not be the best option.

Concrete Driveway Finishes

Despite the popularity of driveway paints, many professionals recommend against them. They cite reasons such as high annual maintenance costs, and additional labor requirements, both of which are perfectly valid.

However, this doesn’t mean that all hope is lost since you can go with some great concrete finishes for your new or existing driveway. So, if you are curious to know what they are, read on!

1. Plain Concrete Driveway

If you are a fan of minimalistic designs and finishes, then this one is the perfect choice for you. With the plain concrete finish, you get a no-frills look for your driveway. You can also complement it with a grassy lawn around the driveway or even a shrub lining along the edges.

Achieving this finish is no hassle either since all you have to do is pour the concrete over your driveway area and allow it to dry. In this regard, we recommend putting an even spread of concrete throughout so that there are no irregularities on the surface. The presence of irregularities may make the driveway more vulnerable to damage and disrupt its uniformity.

2. Polished Concrete Driveway

This is one of the most attractive finishes that you can give to your driveway. It will give the driveway a lustrous and appealing sheen, which will considerably enhance its aesthetic. Not only that, but the polished concrete is also highly durable against flaking or chipping. It is resistant to sunlight and UV rays, which can make your driveway look dull over time.

To get the sophisticated, polished look, you will need to put in a lot of labor. Polishing the concrete is often a multi-step process, which requires scrubbing the concrete surface with sandpaper, wire brush, or bonded abrasives. But we believe that the end results make all the effort worth it.

3. Exposed Aggregate Concrete Driveway

This is the exact opposite of a polished driveway since you get a very rugged texture from it. Because of this, it is skid-resistant, which implies that there is no risk of slipping or falling, even when the surface is wet or greasy.

Moreover, it is pretty attractive to look at since the aggregate materials used in the concrete, such as stone chippings and pebbles, are exposed to the surface. The outer layer of the cement paste is removed, which exposes the aggregate materials below. Likewise, it is relatively low-maintenance as well.

4. Stamped Concrete Driveway

You can use stamped concrete for your home’s driveway, which has a finish that can be regarded to be a hybrid of the polished and exposed aggregate options. In that context, it combines the best qualities of both, which makes it a perfect choice for your driveway.

The stamped concrete finish involves adding a concrete color and texture separately, which helps it to mimic any material or pattern on concrete surfaces when applied. You can use a single color for simple textures or multiple colors for more complex textures. In fact, you can even go with gray or another neutral color to get a more simplistic texture.

Once the concrete is applied, it is pressed with a polyurethane concrete stamp to imprint the texture. After it is completely dry, you get a beautiful, durable, and low-maintenance finish that can withstand any weather exposure.

5. Broom Finish Concrete Driveway

This finish is somewhat similar to the plain concrete finish that we discussed before. In it, you apply the concrete layer over the driveway area without any additional preparation. However, there is one major point of difference that sets this apart from the plain concrete finish. And that involves running a stiff broom over the concrete surface before it dries up completely.

Ideally, you would want to run the broom in a single direction for a more uniform texture. But you can also run the broom in a circular motion or any other random motion to create unique variations in the driveway texture.

As you can guess, this makes the surface relatively rougher than plain concrete. The rough surfaces provide exceptional skid resistance to the driveways, which makes them safer for people and vehicles alike.

6. Rock Salt Finish Concrete Driveway

This is a traditional method of adding a very subtle finish to concrete driveways without using any complex tools or chemical reagents. All you need to do is pour some rock salt over the concrete after application. It leaves behind shallow indentations on the concrete surface, which gives it a pattern similar to weathered rocks.

You need to pour the rock salt over freshly applied concrete that has not yet dried. Pouring it over dried concrete will have no effect other than messing up your driveway. Likewise, once the cement dries up completely, power washing the concrete is mandatory to dilute the rock salt.

7. Slick Trowel Concrete Driveway Finish

The slick trowel finish involves applying and fixing the concrete substrate with the help of a manual steel trowel or trowel applicator machine. Here you should keep in mind that there is a very limited window for applying this finish after pouring the concrete.

The surface needs to be hard enough to withstand the person or trowel machine. But it should not be hardened too much, or else the trowel won’t be effective.

In the end, it gives a very rugged appearance to the concrete, which makes it durable enough to withstand bad weather conditions.

On that note, an interesting aspect of this finish is that the surface texture is pretty smooth, despite having a rough appearance. And because of this, the slick trowel finish makes your concrete driveway incredibly easy to maintain.

The smooth surface texture prevents the accumulation of dirt and grime. That's why you can simply wash it with a hose and squeegee it off with a bit of soap solution.

8. Engraved Concrete Driveway Finish

If you want to enhance the curb appeal of your driveway considerably, then we recommend getting an engraved concrete driveway design. After you have applied the concrete over the driveway area, you can etch patterns on it using a sharp tool.

You can etch any type of pattern over the concrete, which makes this finish extremely unique compared to any other type of driveway idea. However, the engraving process requires a lot of time to complete.

Regardless of the pattern you choose, the engraving needs to be completed before the concrete has fully dried up. A similar principle is used for creating joints in concrete. These joints protect the concrete from cracking when it expands or contracts under extreme temperatures. Therefore, you get practical utility out of an engraved finish as well.

Other Concrete Driveway Ideas

You can go with more innovative and appealing ideas in addition to the paint and finish ideas discussed above. For instance, you could try using different materials alongside concrete, such as stones, asphalt, marble, and so on. They can effectively complement the appearance of your concrete driveway.

Honestly speaking, the potential ideas that can be generated are limitless. But for the sake of convenience, we have discussed some of the most common and trendy ideas in this section that can significantly ramp up your property value.

So, we suggest that you keep reading below to know what these ideas are.

1. Stained Concrete Driveway

Stained concrete is a very innovative way of refreshing the look and feel of your driveway. Not only that, but concrete stains can also be fairly versatile and economical compared to conventional paints or finishes.

You can choose between two types of stains - acid-based and water-based. An acid stain reacts with the concrete to form a strong and long-lasting bond and is extremely resistant to fading or peeling. Conversely, a water-based stain dries faster, is comparatively safer, and is available in many colors. Regardless of your choice, a concrete stain will produce a very attractive and natural-looking finish for your driveway.

Alternatively, you could go with conventional stained brick pavers as well, which are typically used alongside the concrete. They produce a more uniform stain and give your driveway a very rustic appearance.

2. Irregular Concrete Driveway

Asymmetric patterns and engravings are quite popular these days, which is why this is a great idea that you can use for your concrete driveway. There are two ways of achieving an irregular appearance - by stamping or by using stones and rocks.

As we have discussed in a previous section, stamping can help to mimic different textures on concrete. Thus, if you use an irregularly-shaped stamp, you can give the concrete driveway an asymmetric finish.

Or, you could simply use irregularly shaped stone pavers along with the concrete in your driveway for a more realistic feel. In that case, you should use enough concrete to fill cracks and gaps between the pavers adequately, or else the stones may come loose over time.

3. Stenciled Concrete Driveway

This is yet another idea that can significantly enhance the attractiveness of your concrete driveway. And the best part is that this can be done on a new as well as existing driveway. Using a concrete overlay or adhesive-backed stencil, you can liven up our new concrete driveway or refurbish an old one.

Concrete stencils come in a variety of shapes and patterns, which makes them customizable. Besides, applying stencil patterns on your concrete driveway is fairly easy and doesn’t require considerable prep, which further adds to its convenience.

4. Concrete Blocks On Driveway

Instead of pouring concrete into your driveway, you can use pre-built concrete slabs. This idea is not only appealing but also serves a practical purpose. The joints between the concrete blocks protect your driveway from cracking under extremes of temperature.

Besides, if you use irregularly shaped slabs, you can create a striking asymmetrical pattern for your whole driveway. Apart from that, you can fill the gaps between the blocks with cobblestones, flagstones, or gravel for a contemporary look. You can even grow grass between the joints for a more unique appearance.

5. Slatted Concrete Paver Driveway

A slatted concrete paver contains several gaps and holes on the surface. In addition to giving your driveway a distinctive look, the slatted concrete helps drain the water on your driveway into the ground below. This effectively helps in stormwater management and prevents the buildup of moss on the concrete surface.

On top of that, if you use a neutral color tone on the slatted concrete and complement it with lush grass on either side of the driveway, you can give it a highly rustic vibe. Coupled with the water drainage aspect, this is one of the most eco-friendly driveway options to consider.

Concrete Driveway Ideas Frequently Asked Questions ?

How to remove paint from concrete driveways?

If you are looking to refurbish or repaint your already-painted concrete driveway, you will need to remove paint from concrete driveways first. For that, you will need to scrape away the peeled and chipped paint with sandpaper or brush. Then apply a paint stripper, which will remove the paint coating from the concrete.

You may need to re-apply the paint stripper multiple times in this regard. Just make sure to rinse away the paint stripper after each application. Also, ensure that the paint stripper you are using is compatible with the paint on the concrete surface.

How thick should your concrete driveway be?

Typically, a concrete driveway should be around 4 to 5 inches thick. However, the desired thickness of your driveway depends on its usage scenario.

If you have lighter vehicles, such as bikes or have light foot traffic on the driveway, a thickness of 3 to 4 inches is sufficient. For regular-sized passenger vehicles and heavier foot traffic, the driveway should at least be 4 to 5 inches thick. And for considerably heavy vehicles or storing multiple vehicles at once, the thickness of your driveway should be over 5 inches.

How to avoid water from puddling on your concrete driveway?

As a rule of thumb, concrete driveways should always have a sloped design to eliminate excess water from the surface. In this regard, you can keep the center of the driveway thicker than the sides, which will effectively prevent the puddling of water. Or, you could slope the driveway gently towards the street to drain the water outside your home.

Alternatively, you can opt for a slatted concrete design for your driveway, which will take care of the water management issues altogether.

What is the life expectancy of a concrete driveway?

Usually, the average lifespan of a well-built concrete driveway can be around 25 to 30 years. However, it depends on usage and maintenance as well. If you use your driveway very frequently or you run heavy vehicles on it, the driveway will degrade faster than normal. Likewise, the lack of periodic maintenance will degrade the concrete driveway more quickly.

The top finish or paint of concrete driveways has a slightly less lifespan of around 10 to 15 years. This is because the upper surface is exposed to harsh weather conditions, such as rain and sunlight. In addition to the regular usage, these factors take a toll on the top surface too.

Does a concrete driveway need rebars?

Rebar is a structural component that makes the concrete stronger and more resistant to damage. So ideally, it would be a good idea to use rebar for your concrete driveway. However, it is not absolutely necessary in all cases, especially if the ground below is firm.

The costs also need to be considered since using rebars on your concrete driveway can be considerably expensive. If your driveway won’t be having too much traffic, it will be more feasible to build your driveway without rebars.

Concrete Driveway Ideas Final Words

Like most other outdoor features, such as porches, patios, or pool decks, the driveway is an integral part of your home. And that is why we have discussed both the concrete floor paint ideas and the finishes you can use for your driveway.

Some of these ideas are simple enough, and you can do them on your own, provided you invest the necessary time behind the task. But if you find the DIY process too complicated, you can hire a professional mason or contractor who can get the job done in a jiffy.

With that said, we have arrived at the end of this informative guide about concrete driveway ideas. We hope you have been inspired enough after reading through it.

So, until next time, adios!

To give old wardrobes or tables a complete makeover, you can try your hands on chalk paint for furniture.

It is true that chalk paint is slightly different from other standard paints like latex or acrylic, and there’s a bit of a learning curve. However, once you get the hang of it, trust us, there’s no going back. This paint requires minimal prep work, and you can get started with just a few accessories.

Once the surface area is prepared, you can directly get to applying the paint on your furniture pieces. But as we have mentioned, there’s a slight learning curve, and you will have to follow a few steps. Study the material that you are working on, get the right brushes and paint, and you’re good to go.

To help you, we have prepared a beginner’s guide to use chalk paint. Let’s dive right in!

What Exactly Is Chalk Style Paint?

Before we go into the nitty gritty of chalk painting furniture, let’s first take a look at what it is.

Annie Sloan chalk paint is one of the oldest available paints out there, and we thought it would be a good starting point. It was originally manufactured by her and presented a luxurious and velvety finish. And the best part about using chalk paint is that you won’t necessarily have to prime or sand the furniture before applying the paint.

This ultra matte paint is mostly liked by people who do not like a glossy finish on their furniture.

It dries up super quickly on painted furniture and is preferred because of the versatility it puts on the table. And most of the chalk paint that you find on the market can be applied on a range of materials, such as wood, glass, fabric, ceramic, and so on.

Steps To Follow: Chalk Paint For Furniture

Now, it is time we take you through the various steps involved in making chalk-painted furniture.

1. Choose The Work Piece Carefully

In case you have no prior experience working with chalk paint, it is always best that you first practice on a tiny piece. Directly painting the furniture might lead to dire results.

Most people have experience using acrylic or latex paints. In case you are in the same boat, we suggest that you spend some time practicing how to use chalk paint, as it involves a significant learning curve.

Before applying chalk paint, it is always ideal to get acquainted with its properties first. You would not want to experiment with your luck on the final piece directly. So, it is best that you first practice and then select the piece that you want to transform.

2. Get Your Supplies In Place

We suggest that before you start chalk painting, gather all your supplies and accessories required for the job. You won’t need to prepare a lot, as the paint does not generate any fumes. So, you can conduct the painting process indoors too, if there’s enough space.

To be able to paint in the house is a great plus for DIY enthusiasts as there are no elaborate processes involved. If you decide on doing the same, it is best that you keep some drop cloth handy. Or you can opt for a lint-free cloth as well. This will help you immediately clean stains when there are spills.

Special Tips

When using chalk paint on a piece of furniture, you can make it sit on a wooden block. That will help you paint all across with much ease, especially the bottom half. You can make use of any type of paint brush that you like for the purpose. However, you will also find certain brushes that are made specifically for this..

A professional painter would tell you that an angled paint brush is a great bet for chalk paint projects.

In case you take up a paint project that is big, it is best to use a roller and not a brush. Suppose you are painting kitchen cabinets or big wardrobes; it is best to use rollers as that will help you save time. When painting more intricate areas, we suggest you use a paint brush to ensure that all the nooks are painted well during the first coat.

Once that is done, use a roller when applying the second coat. Some people even opt for using paint sprayers too. In case you want to spray paint furniture, it is recommended that you thin the paint first.

3. Cleaning And Preparing The Piece

Before you can apply chalk paints on furniture, it is crucial that you clean the surface properly. Unless you do that, the final output might be compromised. In the worst-case scenario, dirt and grime will show through the paint, and the color might not stick well to the surface.

For cleaning, you can make use of a number of materials. The most commonly used ones are denatured alcohol, Windes, and TSP. If the surface is not too dirty, you can simply use a soap and water mix. Once you are done with the cleaning, it is prep time!

Remember that all materials are different and need to be handled differently. If you love chalk paint and want the results to be amazing, it is essential that you fill all gaps and holes during this step. You can consider using sand smooth or wood filler for this purpose.

Don’t believe anyone who says that chalk painting needs no preparation. For the colors to come out well, make sure you lightly sand all rough surfaces before you embark on the color process.

Special Tips

Many DIYers who have no prior experience in painting wood complain about how the colors bleed. There are some woods that are very dark in color, like mahogany, which might result in bleeding even after you apply multiple paint coats.

The solution? You simply have to use a sealant on the furniture piece before applying the paint. A primer or sealant is great as it will help prevent the wood color from mixing with the chalk paint and save time.

4. Time To Paint

After you are done with the cleaning and prepping, now it’s time to have some fun! A word of caution, before you start painting, make sure that you remove all sanding dust that the light sanding might have generated.

For prepping the paint brush, run it under water before dipping it in the paint can. It is also essential that you give the brush a squeeze to ensure there’s no excess water. The brush should ideally be wet but not dripping water so that you can paint smoothly.

Now, it is time to check the color in the can. You should ideally be thinking of creating a thin layer on the furniture. And if you notice that the paint present in the can is very thick, just mix a few spoons of water and give it a good stir.

If you have used chalk paints before, you will know that they tend to become thick over time, so this is a crucial step to follow.

Coming to the painting style, most people like painting with wood grain. However, when you are renovating a piece of old furniture, you can opt for a crosshatch painting style that will help preserve the look.

Special Tips

If you like an ultra-smooth look, you can put a foam cabinet roller to use.

We would suggest ensuring that the finish is proper, so consider lightly sanding between the coats. Do this before the last coat and before applying the top coat as well. For the ultimate finish, you can thin out the last paint coat by adding a bit of water to the paint.

Chalk paints are a great bet for DIY enthusiasts as the paint tends to dry up pretty quickly. This will make your furniture painting process quicker, and you will be done with it in a short span of time. The best part is that you will not have to spend long hours between the coats to ensure that they dry fast.

Also, keep in mind that the first paint coat might look a bit splotchy but there’s nothing to worry about. This blotchy look will vanish with the subsequent color coats that you put in.

5. Additions

Did you know that you can add interesting elements to chalk paint when taking on a furniture makeover project? This, however, is not a mandatory step.

But you can consider using stencils, transfers, or graphics to give your painted piece a special touch and ensure that it stands out from others.

6. Apply Wax For Protection

Unlike latex paint, chalk paint lacks a sealer. Therefore, it is best that you use clear wax on the furniture surface after you are done with the painting. A wax coat will ensure that the color does not fade and water causes no damage to it.

But before applying the wax, ensure that the paint coat has dried up completely. Also, get a separate wax brush for the purpose. These brushes are different from regular paint brushes and are specifically designed to apply wax coats. The only downside to these brushes is that you cannot use them for painting once you’ve applied furniture wax with them.

For a few projects, you have to be really generous when applying wax. So, we’d suggest keeping a paper towel handy to wipe off the excess wax as you keep working.

Wax coating can be really useful when you are working with dark woods, as it will prevent the possibility of color bleeding. If you know how to apply glaze to painted furniture, you will face no difficulty with this step as the process is pretty similar.

Choosing Between Regular And Dark Wax

When you choose wax to cover coffee tables or other pieces of furniture, you need to keep in mind that there are two choices. You can either opt for a dark wax or a regular wax, depending on your requirements.

As the name suggests, dark wax, when applied to furniture, gives off a dark tinge that makes the piece look dated. If you have a preference for old-world looks, this might work well for you. But keep in mind, when you decide on using a dark wax, you will have to designate a brush only for that purpose.

Once you use a brush for dark wax, there’s no way that you will be able to use it for regular wax or for other painting needs.

Chalk Paint For Furniture Frequently Asked Questions ?

What can be used to seal chalk paint other than wax?

There are a lot of people who do not prefer using wax on chalk paint because it involves going through a labor-intensive process. The finish that wax delivers is undoubtedly glamorous. But the time it takes is quite a lot.

If you do not want to put in all that time and effort, you can simply go for a poly coat. There are plenty of poly options that you will find on the market, and they do a pretty decent job. However, let us warn you that the final output is not as great when you apply a light coat of wax.

Apart from that, poly has a few other disadvantages. Many DIYers complained that when they painted poly on white or other light-colored furniture, they noticed that the top coat soon started to turn yellow.

However, yellowing of color sometimes happens because of the underlying wood, and to prevent it, consider using a primer.

What is the difference between chalkboard paint and chalk paint?

Just knowing how to paint furniture with farrow and ball chalk paint to give it the ultimate makeover is not enough. Knowing when to use what paint is essential to give your furniture the looks they deserve.

For example, if you are trying to turn the big cabinet in your kid’s nursery into a canvas, consider using chalkboard paint. This color delivers a surface on which your kids can write with chalk and erase the writings when they like.

On the other hand, chalk paint is quite different. It is pretty similar to other regular wall paints, apart from the fact that it delivers a unique finish. So, even though the names are quite similar, their functionalities vary widely.

Is it essential to sand before applying chalk paint?

Chalk paint is water-based, and you can directly paint it over a clean and dry surface. It can be applied even if the surface is already painted. And although not mandatory, it is best that you do some light sanding before applying chalk paint.

We also suggest that you use a wax coat as the final touch to give the ultimate sheen to your furniture.

As we have mentioned, since chalk paint is water-based, you will have no trouble cleaning the brush after you are done painting. You will not need to dip the brushes in mineral spirits to get rid of the color. Simply dip them in water, and the color will come off.

How much drying time does chalk paint need?

The drying time required for chalk paints varies slightly from company to company. In case you are using Annie Sloan paints, it is best that you give it a day between paint coats to enjoy the best results.

It is true that the ‘curing time’ for chalk paint is less, and the coats will feel dry to the touch in a few hours. But when you are painting furniture, we recommend that you provide enough drying time between the coats to ensure that each layer solidifies properly and becomes durable. That will ensure that the paint lasts for a long time.

After you are sure that the coats are completely dry, you can proceed to apply a final wax coat or a poly sealer. This protective finish will further enhance the durability of the paint.

Is it necessary to thin chalk paint?

Honestly, chalk paint is relatively thicker when compared to other standard paints that are available on the market. So, we would advise that you add some water to the paint to ensure that the painting process is smooth.

On adding water, the consistency of the paint changes, and it becomes easier for you to use the brush. Also, experts suggest that adding some amount of water to the chalk color and thinning it out helps in ensuring that the final finish is smooth.

Chalk Paint For Furniture Final Words

That’s all we have for you today! We hope that you had a good time going through this informative read.

You can try and experiment as much as you want with chalk paints. Some people even use chalk paints for a dual tone where one color shows through the other. This can be really great when you are trying to create a shabby chic look.

If you have more questions, consider reaching out to the manufacturer of the chalk paint that you purchase. And make sure that you follow the steps we have mentioned for the ultimate chalk paint results.

Until next time, take care!

Art is a form of expressing one's feelings.

It has transcended across time, becoming a part of our daily lives. Wherever we go, we always get to see various forms of art. Take a look at your wallpaper. Isn’t it a form of art created by some artist? Or it may be a strategically clicked picture by a renowned photographer. Or it’s a selfie, and well, you are a work of art, too!

If you take a closer look, art is limitless, and so are the different artistic techniques and methods associated with art. So, can you paint oil over acrylic? Don’t worry beginners tend to get lost in the world of art and aesthetics. That’s where we come in.

After extensive research, we have curated this blog to guide you on the various oil paints for professionals, especially acrylic and oil paints techniques, as well as complete oil paints how to guides for beginners so you can bring life to your artwork.

FUN FACT | Did you know, there is a type of paper called yupo, which modern painters are shifting to from traditional paper? We have an existing article on how to paint on yupo paper to curb your curiosity.

So, you can relax and enjoy this read.

Types Of Paints

Paints have the ability to transform any room or canvas into an artistic masterpiece. But have you ever wondered what the different types of paints are? There is a variety to choose from, and we are here to guide you.

Based on our research, paints are divided into two main categories - oil paint and acrylic paint. Here’s a simple informative guide on the two most commonly used paints and their applications:

Oil Paints

Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint formulated by mixing pigment particles with drying oil such as refined linseed oil. Linseed oil is well known for being flexible and highly resistant to cracks, making this oil best suited for making oil paints.

Moreover, one can change the viscosity of the paint by modification. In most cases, solvents such as turpentine or white spirit are used to make the paint more resistant and durable for a longer period of time. In order to improve the glossiness, some artists prefer to add varnish to the oil-based paint.

Applications And Tips To Remember While Choosing Oil Paints:

- Oil-based paints offer a rich finish, boast water-resistant properties, and are long-lasting and durable.
- It is highly recommended for trim work.
- It is best suited for walls, windows, metals, doors, and stained surfaces for durability.
- It is also easy to apply and use.

Benefits Of Using Oil Paints:

- Attractive glossiness
- Ideal for high moisture rooms (ex. kitchen and bathroom)
- Long-lasting

Acrylic Paints

In contrast to oil paint, acrylic paints are well known for being a fast-drying paint as they are made of pigments suspended in various other solvents like stabilizers, silicone oil, deformers, and many more, as well as acrylic polymer emulsion. In general, acrylic paints are a kind of water-based paints, but some tend to resist water when they dry up.

Moreover, the final acrylic work can either resemble a gouache, a watercolor, or an oil paint, depending on the amount of water diluted with the acrylic paint. Modifying the paint with acrylic gels, acrylic medium, acrylic gesso, and paste can also alter the dynamics of the paint.

Applications And Tips To Remember While Choosing Acrylic Paints:

- Acrylic paints have strong adhesion to a wide range of materials such as wood, masonry, metals, and plastics.
- It can dry very fast (it tends to take 5-20 minutes).
- It can also retain color and resist the harmful effects of UV rays and the Sun.
- Acrylic paints have a creamy, water-based consistency and smoothness.

Benefits Of Using Acrylic Paints:

- Water-soluble
- Affordable
- Quick-drying
- Versatile as you can mix it with different mediums to get different results.

Can You Paint Oil Over Acrylic?

Over the last few years, artists have debated whether they should paint oil over acrylic or not. After years of research and testing, it has been proven that high-quality acrylic gesso and paints provide excellent adhesion to oil paints.

Additionally, adhesion is rarely an issue when it comes to mixing oil paints with acrylic gels, gesso, and mediums. Keeping this in mind, we still recommend carefully modifying the two paints to get better results for your artistic photos and images on your canvas.

Guidelines To Remember While Using Oil Over Acrylics

Here are some methods and techniques to remember while using oil over acrylic to get the best results on your canvas:

1. Protect Natural Fiber Substrates

While painting, we recommend applying three to four coats of acrylic gesso or two coats of acrylic medium. Papers, canvas, and linen tend to soak the oil from the oil paint, and this could result in premature deterioration of natural fibers. Wood substrates are highly resistant to oil penetration, but we still recommend applying acrylic sizing between the wood substrates for better protection against absorption.

2. Let The Acrylic Layers Dry Fully Before Applying An Oil Coat

Based on our research, acrylic paints take a longer time to dry based on the number of coats an artist has applied to the surface. Thinner coats can dry easily within three to four days, while thicker coats tend to take a longer time to dry. We recommend waiting till the coats have completely dried up before applying the oil paint.

3. Avoid Using Any Soft Or Spongy Acrylic As A Base

Since acrylic paints have the ability to stay flexible for an indefinite period, layers of oil paints on top can become fragile over the decade. Further, soft or spongy acrylic paints take a longer time to become rigid, and therefore it is recommended to avoid them as the base for oil paints.

4. Stay Away From Textures And Sharp Peaks

Just like the previous point, gels and paste can soften if exposed to increasing temperatures. Moreover, ridges, sharp peaks, and pointy mounds could compromise the flexibility of the acrylic paints and make the oil overcoat brittle.

5. Multiple Layers = Better Stiffness

Increasing the stiffness of the base has proven to be highly beneficial for oil paints. Adding multiple layers of acrylic paints can increase the stiffness of the base and improve the rigidity of the oil paints for a longer period. This is especially important while working with flexible support and thinner acrylic paints.

6. Matte Or Gloss Surfaces?

During our research, we observed excellent adhesion toward both surfaces. But in most cases, a matte surface provides better adhesion and toothing for any system. For better results, we recommend using matte acrylics over a glossy acrylic base for additional toothing and adhesion to your oil paint coat.

7. Avoid Highly Absorbent Acrylic Paints

Lastly, some acrylics have a higher tendency to be absorbent such as the Golden Absorbent Ground. Such paints can easily draw out the excess oils from the top coat, leaving the layer more matte and friable. Moreover, this could result in potential cracking or flaking. Applying a layer of thinner acrylic or thinner oil paints could help in reducing the absorbency of these surfaces while making them more desirable for oil paint use.

Paint Oil Over Acrylic Frequently Asked Questions?

In this section, we will cover some of the most frequently asked questions related to acrylic paints and oil paints.

Is It Possible To Paint Acrylic Paint Over Oil-Based Paint?

Under most circumstances, acrylic paints or water-based paints can easily peel off from the oil-based paint base, and therefore it is advisable to avoid such a method. The formula of acrylics doesn’t bond well with oil-based paints. Taking the right precautions and steps could help in achieving the right outcome.

Which Is The Most Commonly Used Support Medium for Oil Painting?

In most cases, linseed oil is commonly used as a support medium for oil painting. The chemical structure and composition of linseed are best suited to achieve the desired results, but certain precautions should be taken. We recommend a certain amount of thinning of the solvent or the use of cold-pressed linseed oil to reduce drag and achieve a smooth finish.

What Types Of Medium Can Be Used With Oil Paint?

- Turpentine
- Oils from walnuts
- Oil from linseed which is an excellent source for omega-3 acids
- White spirit
- Environmental-friendly solvents

What Steps To Keep In Mind While Painting Over Acrylic Paints?

Here are some steps you should follow while painting over acrylics…

- Before painting over acrylic paint, make sure to dry it completely
- Remember to sand out any texture you want from the acrylic paint
- Use multiple coats for better stiffness and firmness
- Always wait till the humidity falls down and then dry the first coat
- Always use small containers to store your gesso

How Often Should You Clean Your Paint Brush?

Based on our research, we recommend washing your paintbrush as often as possible for better longevity. Make sure to clean them thoroughly every time you decide to paint something new. Watercolors and acrylics can be easily removed with water. On the other hand, it is recommended to use chemical solvents to clean oil-based paints from your brush.

What Colors To Get As Beginners?

As a beginner, we would recommend getting red, yellow, and blue along with white. Make sure to pick a warmer and cooler version of the primary colors, as it would give you better results once you start mixing them. In this way, the color combinations are limitless, and you can experiment to your heart's content!

What Should You Paint On?

Painting has no limits, and you can paint on any surface as long as it provides proper toothing and grip to your paint. Acrylics are best suited for canvas, paper, wood, cards, and many more. The use of primer is mandatory while using oil paints since they tend to deteriorate the paper or thread of the canvas.

Which Paint Is More Affordable?

Generally, oil paints tend to have a higher maintenance cost than acrylic paints. Acrylics, however, are easier to use, and painting mediums are not mandatory.

But on the whole, oil paints require various painting tools and solvents, which add to the maintenance cost. In addition to this, you will need to get a primed canvas or primer if you want to use oil paints.

Which Paint is Best Suited For Craft Projects?

Based on our research, Acrylic paints are best suited for paintings and craft projects. Also, they are well known for drying fast, and you can apply them on most surfaces.

Paint Oil Over Acrylic Final Verdict

Now that we are nearing the end of our informative blog, we hope you have a better idea of the different techniques and methods of painting your art. Different paints add to various dynamics of your art, and they can bring life to your imagination if used correctly.

But before we wrap up, let us summarize a few observations when it comes to acrylic paints and oil paints. Acrylics are easy to use and require less maintenance cost. Plus, they are well suited for quick craft projects.

On the other hand, oil-based paints are highly water-resistant and durable for a long period. But, we also suggest taking a few precautions and steps while painting oil over acrylic paints.

That said, we’ll be signing off now, but stay tuned for more informative articles. Until next time!

For today's artists, there’s no dearth of painting mediums for expressing their ideas on canvas.

One such medium is acrylic paints, which has attracted art enthusiasts owing to its intriguing composition and range of shades. Look around you or search the web— you’ll find a multitude of acrylic paintings by artists who can’t get enough of this exciting variety of paint.

So, if you’re yet to try it out for your paintings or have limited knowledge regarding its applications, now is the time to take the leap.

But we know there are many considerations to make and essential factors to be aware of if you wish to work with acrylic paints. So, we’ve tried to help you out by curating this comprehensive guide on the various ways to enhance your artwork using high grade acrylic paints.

Let’s find what is acrylic paint for artwork here together.

What Is Acrylic Paint For?

Before we move on to discuss the various applications of acrylic, such as whether acrylic paints can be used on metals or not, we’ll help you develop a clear idea about this paint type and other vital aspects associated with it.

Let’s get started.

About Acrylic Paint And Its Main Ingredients

Introduced in 1934, acrylic paint is formed primarily using three ingredients: an acrylic resin suspension, pigment particles, and water. The best part about this paint is that it possesses qualities of both watercolor and oil paints, which is why artists began applying it as an alternative to those in the 1950s.

Also, you can dilute it with water easily, which implies you can use it to create lighter shades for any specialized artwork. This paint can’t be regarded as a complex variety since the components mentioned above make up most of its composition. So, let’s briefly learn about the significance of each of them in the formulation:

1. Acrylic Pigments

These pigments are responsible for providing color to all acrylic paints and are generally obtained from a natural source. But you can get synthetic varieties of these pigments as well. These minute pigment particles are immersed in the paints and are not similar in any way to the surface that they’re used on. That’s why you’ll need other components when applying the pigments to your canvas.

2. Acrylic Binder

As the pigments won’t stick to any surface on their own, you’ll need something to ensure they stay on your canvas. And that’s where acrylic binders come into the picture. After the water has evaporated, the binder and acrylic polymer combine to form a coat that clings firmly to the surface or paper.

3. Water

In acrylic paints, the water actually works as a vehicle to transport the pigment and the binder to the area where you wish to add the paint. When combined with the acrylic binder, it creates an acrylic polymer emulsion. Upon evaporation of the water, the paint dries to a clear film of polymers containing colored pigment particles.

Other Components Of Acrylic Paint

Apart from the basic ingredients of acrylic paint, there is more to its composition. To ensure the pigments don’t float on the water surface, a paint dispersant is added to the formulation as it provides better consistency. Paint brands also often include other components to enhance the effectiveness of these paints.

Why Are They So Popular?

Back in the 70s and in successive periods, artists began to use acrylic paints extensively, and since then, they have only become more popular over time. In this section, we’ve discussed the main reasons behind this immense popularity.

1. Elastic and Flexible

This implies acrylic paints will contract and expand as temperatures fall and rise, without cracking or flaking in the artwork. And even after they’ve dried fully, they’ll remain equally flexible.

2. Non-Toxic And Non-Flammable

Standard acrylic paints don’t come with inferior-quality pigments or binders, which is why they aren’t flammable or toxic at all and don’t emit any kind of fumes. This makes sure that these paints are completely safe for kids and pets.

3. Fast Drying And Permanent

Want to know how long do acrylic paints take to dry? The short answer is: fast. But acrylics also keep the colors intact over time, especially if you are using artist-grade quality. Another great benefit, they’ll never turn yellow in the long term, which often happens with oil paints.

Remember that some cheaper acrylics might lose their saturation with time, though they will not fade entirely.

4. Highly Water-Soluble

The high water solubility of acrylic paints makes it easy to wash palettes and brushes, plus your hands using water and soap. That’s why you won’t need turpentine or paint thinners for the cleanup, unlike some other paints.

5. Water-Resistant Upon Drying

Last but not least, they become completely waterproof upon drying, so rest assured your finished acrylic painting won’t be affected if it accidentally comes in contact with water.

The Types Of Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paints are available to artists in a number of types, which actually signifies they come in different thicknesses. But the paint consistency is independent of its pigment content or quality. The difference lies in the binders applied in the paints — they might be semi-gloss, matte, or gloss.

Applying a gloss binder can make the paint transparent. On the other hand, matte and semi-gloss finishes are slightly milky and translucent when you lay down the paint.

1. Soft Body Paints

Akin to their name, these acrylic paints are very smooth and thin in terms of texture, almost like yogurt. They facilitate smooth application and are perfect for combining with different acrylic mediums like flow improvers, retarding mediums, and texture gels, to name a few.

2. Heavy Body Paints

These are the thickest and heaviest among all the types of acrylic paints and are also the most popular variety. Heavy body paints are similar to acrylics in that they retain brush strokes and marks and provide a feel of soft butter. Note that such paints also work well on rough canvases.

3. Fluid Paints

These paints are available in bottles rather than tubes and come with the consistency of double cream. They’re ideal for painting fine details, staining, and glazing and might even be applied using airbrushes or sprayed onto your canvas.

4. Acrylic Gouache

You shouldn’t confuse this variety with the regular gouache as they’re a lot different. Acrylic gouaches are efficient choices in case you wish to paint a large space with a single color. That’s why illustrators find these paints to be really useful for their projects. As they dry, they level out brush marks and dry to velvety matte finishes.

5. Spray Paints

By applying acrylic spray paints, you can cover larger areas with thin paint layers while also controlling the amount of paint to lay down. This lets you paint either fine lines of paint or a lot in one go. Note that this type can also be used efficiently with other acrylics.

6. Open Acrylic Paints

This is another variety resembling oil paint in that it dries slowly; hence you would be able to apply the same techniques as used for the latter type. Notably, some of these techniques include color blending on the canvas or surface and wet-on-wet paintings.

7. Interactive Acrylics

Up next is a unique type of acrylic paint that you can wet again once dried, though it dries up at the same pace as the other types. Thus, you can slow down the drying time of these paints just by adding a little bit of the unlocking solution.

Note here that unlocking solutions are specialized chemicals that can help you modify or retouch a dry painting as per your needs. You may apply this solution using a spray bottle or brush.

8. Acrylic Ink

Here’s another, more fluid variety of acrylic paint that’s used by grinding the pigment to a super-fine powder and suspending it in an emulsion. Note that this emulsion is just as viscous as water, which implies it can be used with pens, airbrushes, and normal brushes quite smoothly.

Also, acrylic ink colors are quite intense and ultimately provide a highly glossy look to an artwork.

Different Grades Of Acrylic Paint

The various acrylic paints can also be combined to provide artists with better control over their application. After all, they might want to use these paints in their own way. Such applications and techniques are quite vast, which is why different grades of acrylic paint can be created using its different types.

Student Acrylic Paints

This grade of paint contains binders in higher proportions than pigments, while mediums and fillers are also added to create more bulk. However, these ingredients might affect the saturation and opacity of the paints. Note that some may find them to be more chalky owing to the filler content.

Student grade paints are suited for those who prefer a more budget-friendly option, such as beginners or amateur artists.

Artist-Grade Paints

Artist-grade acrylics are prepared using more of the binder and many other components that help enhance their quality. A point worth noting is the low color shift of these paints, meaning that they are less likely to turn darker with time, unlike the cheaper varieties. Plus, the greater binder content makes them quite affordable.

Professional-Grade Paints

The professional-grade varieties undoubtedly have the highest quality and utilize superior pigments in their formulation. Note that even the other ingredients included are of the best quality, and the proportion of binder added is much lesser than the other paint grades.

The resultant paint is quite vibrant and offers numerous options to artists.

However, a point of caution is that they’re much more expensive than other grades of paint, though the price might vary from one brand to another. And based on the ingredients and pigments applied, the texture, opacity, drying time, and other qualities of professional-grade acrylics might vary.

Buying The Right Type Of Acrylic Paint

First, you should know that choosing a particular brand or type of acrylic paint depends on various factors, including your preferred style, techniques, and surfaces. There are also some general considerations, which are as follows:

1. Quality

The quality of paint you’ll need for your projects is a key factor, as it will determine how your artwork will ultimately turn out to be. First of all, it’s essential to consider how you want it to be — whether a low pigment content will suffice or you want the acrylic painting to be more vibrant.

The greater vibrancy and consistency of professional-grade paints make them suitable for seasoned artists who are looking to create masterpieces. Note that such paints will be easier to layer and blend, which implies they also offer greater versatility. Likewise, getting some student-grade and artist-grade paints will suffice if you’re a beginner in the field.

We’d recommend using artist-grade paints when you start creating paintings that you want to preserve in the long term.

Another alternative is to use the student-grade paints for just the earth colors, but make sure to use superior varieties for the more intense colors. On a side note, a few artists also use student colors for underpainting and apply professional-quality paints on top.

2. Viscosity

Viscosity can also be referred to as the thickness or consistency of acrylic paint. That’s why it’s important to figure out the consistency you’ll need for the project at hand. Side by side, you should be clear about your personal preferences in this regard.

If you want the brushstrokes to be retained in the artwork, it’s best to go for heavy body paints. On the other hand, the fluid varieties are thinner though they come with a similar pigment concentration. And in case you want consistency somewhere in between, you’ll also find different mediums to combine with the paint to yield the desired outcome.

3. Lightfastness

This quality tells you how well the pigment can resist fading on exposure to light. The varieties that fade gradually are often termed fugitive colors. Note that most acrylics have much higher permanence ratings compared to watercolor or oil paints.

While selecting the right paint for your projects, you should take into account some lightfastness standards. The ASTM International, formerly called American Society For Testing Materials, categorizes colors based on an assessment that simulates two decades of exposure to the gallery.

ASTM I - Excellent permanence
ASTM II - Efficient lightfastness
ASTM III - Lightfastness not sufficient

Except for when you’re experimenting, I’d suggest using paints with very good or excellent lightfastness. Remember that the ASTM rating will be mentioned on the jar or tube containing the paints.

4. Brands

Certain brands might be better compared to others. However, with regard to the top-notch manufacturers in the business, it’s mostly about personal preferences.

5. Drying Times

While acrylic paints are loved for their ability to dry very quickly, this property becomes a hassle in case the paint on the palette or brush dries out before you’ve finished the artwork.

Additionally, if you’re willing to combine paint and create a blending effect, it’s more convenient if the paint remains wet for a longer time. This is possible with retarding mediums or by using interactive acrylics, a newer type containing retardants that we discussed earlier in our guide. Such paints and mediums can slow down the drying time to a couple of weeks.

Notably, open acrylic paints are also convenient for those willing to replicate the look of an oil painting with acrylics.

6. Container Type

Acrylic paints come in either jars or tubes, with the former option being more cost-effective as you get more paint with every purchase. However, the paint tubes are smaller and easier to carry.

Even the consistency of the two varieties differs slightly — while tubes contain paste-like paints, those coming in jars are thicker though they will flatten when kept on the color palette.

A Guide On Using Acrylic Paints

1. Choosing The Colors You’ll Need

As there’s a vast range of acrylic colors to choose from, any beginner may find it difficult to figure out those they need. Additionally, some colors are costlier than others, irrespective of their grade. That’s because a few pigments are more difficult to obtain compared to others.

But in most cases, you’ll find that earth hues are the most cost-effective options, while cadmium hues are the costliest. In case you’ve just started out with acrylic colors, we’d recommend going for a set of acrylic paints or only the following colors:

Burnt Sienna
Alizarin Crimson
Cadmium Red
Cadmium Orange
Dioxazine Purple
Cadmium Yellow
Phthalo Green
Phthalo Blue
Titanium White
Ivory Black

2. Selecting The Tools

Unlike the paraphernalia required for creating oil paintings, you’ll need just a couple of budget-friendly tools for working with acrylics, which are as follows:

Brushes

The most suitable brushes for acrylics are synthetic as they work well with such paints. Notably, you’ll need two round and two flat brushes for painting with acrylics, a large and a small one for each type.

Acrylic Paint Set

Make sure that the set you’re getting contains all the shades of paint that we’ve listed above.

Palette Knife

You’ll need a tool to mix the paints properly, and a palette knife will be most suitable for the purpose. That’s because it won’t get clogged with paint, which might happen with brushes and damage their bristles.

The Painting Surface

Your painting surface should be clean and free of wax or oil, as well as small particles and dust that might stick to it.

Plate Or Palette

You’ll have to mix the color or put down color dabs on such an additional surface.

Water

You will have to rinse the brushes at certain points during your painting sessions. So, make sure to keep a cup of water by your side.

3. Some Essentials Of The Process

Once you’ve gathered all the tools and equipment, you can start with an acrylic painting project. But in case you’re a beginner, it might take time to get accustomed to how quickly acrylic paints dry.

Fortunately, as we've discussed earlier, you can alter the drying time for some specialized acrylic paints. Make sure to extend the time to as long as you require by adding the retarding medium to the paint.

Increasing the drying time will let you work on the finer details in your painting for longer. You’ll also be able to blend various colors on the palette or canvas while the colors are still wet.

4. The Finishing Touch

Some artists might want to varnish their painting once it has dried completely. Note that varnishing will seal an artwork and make sure that the colors retain their sheen.

Acrylic varnishes are the fastest drying variety and are made using polymer resins dissolved in an emulsion. Some solvent-based varnishes are also available, though they dry relatively slower.

Irrespective of the chosen varnish, you should ensure the painting is dust-free and clean before varnishing it. And once it’s completely dry, you will be able to wipe it down using a damp cloth before you begin the varnishing. On a side note, there are specialized brushes that you can use to carry out the varnishing and make sure you layer the varnish uniformly.

A semi-dry varnish can feel tacky, so propping up the artwork against the wall and facing it inwards will ensure small particles and dust don’t get stuck onto the surface.

What Is Acrylic Paint For Frequently Asked Questions ?

Can you use acrylic paint on surfaces other than canvas?

Yes, acrylic paints are suitable for painting on other surfaces, including cardboard, paper, glass, metal, wood, leather, and fabric. You’ll just need to clean the surface and remove oil, wax, and dust from wherever possible.

Since acrylic paints dry quickly, are they only fit for painting wet on dry?

No, rather, you can use acrylic paints for impasto paintings which are actually thin paint layers that add texture. You should work fast, though, since the paint will dry quickly. Alternatively, the drying period can be slowed down, or open acrylics can be used.

What is the average shelf life of acrylic paints?

Unused water-based and latex paints can last up to 10 years, while oil-based and alkyd paints have a longer shelf life of up to 15 years. Note here that since unopened paints haven’t been exposed to the surroundings, they will have semi-solids and liquids in the same ratio, though these components might separate over time.

What Is Acrylic Paint For Final Thoughts

That was all about the different applications of acrylic paints and other essentials of using them the right way for your paintings.

Hopefully, you enjoyed this colorful journey just as we enjoyed researching all about this interesting variety of paint. Our guide will help you apply the different types and grades of acrylic paints to bring the desired effects to your artwork. So, go ahead and create your dream painting today!

But before we sign off, we’d like to remind you about an important requirement for working with any type of paint. Working knowledge of color theory, as well as the result of mixing different colors, is essential if you wish to apply a variety of acrylic colors to your paintings. So, make it a point to spend some time on this.

We’ll wrap things up for now. See you soon with another intriguing guide on painting. Take care!

The foundation supports an entire house, and it is essential that you use only the best concrete crack filler if you notice any cracks in it.

Cracks in foundation may appear for a number of reasons, and they will make your building look shabby. And, unless you treat the foundation problem on time, you might see bulging walls and in the worst-case scenario, the building might lose its structural integrity.

So, we suggest that you keep a regular check on the foundation wall and take note of any cracks, and use only the best crack filler to fix the issue. This will block any crawl space from water and won’t allow the concrete to contract or expand.

However, that’s not it! There are a range of other things that you can do to fix cracks in a foundation wall and we will tell you all about them.

So, let’s take a look!

Things To Do To Fix Crack In Foundation Wall

1. Inspecting Your Foundation Cracks

Can old concrete be resurfaced? We get this question a lot and before we give an answer, we will take you through the reasons behind it.

There are plenty of reasons behind a cracked foundation wall. And, to fix it, you need to find out why it is appearing in the first place.

When there are instances of too much water, it starts to infiltrate the foundation walls. This phenomenon makes the concrete walls contract and expand when there’s a change in temperature. Alternatively, you might be in a situation where you find that the soil beside the foundation has settled. Together, factors like these weaken the concrete, leading to crack formation.

And, once the cracks start appearing, there is no stopping. Over time they continue to grow, and if you leave them for too long, they might become a severe problem. The reason behind a foundation crack can be easily identified if you take a close look at it. If you see horizontal cracks, they are most likely caused by settling soil.

Also, you might be in a situation where you find too much moisture around the foundation. This leads to water infiltrating the concrete, seeping through it to the other side of the basement floors. And, in the worst-case scenario, the water may start to create pressure on the foundation walls, resulting in vertical foundation cracks.

But, rest assured, cracks caused by these factors are mostly hairline cracks and won’t cause problems if treated on time.

2. Preparations For Repair

Before you learn how to repair foundation cracks, it is crucial to get yourself acquainted with how to prepare for the process.

Get your hands on a flathead screwdriver or a stiff wire brush to clear off any loose material and broken bits of concrete around the crack. In order to ensure that the adhesive works properly, use a chisel and hammer to broaden the crack and cut under the cracked edges. This will provide more area for the patch to stick when the adhesive is applied.

Once you are done with these steps, get a garden hose and clean the crack with water.

3. Fixing Hairline Cracks

Unlike fixing structural cracks, hairline ones are pretty easy to mend. If you notice one, go to the local supermarket and get your hands on some patching compound and vinyl concrete. To ensure that the bond between the patching material and the old surface is top-notch, you can consider applying concrete bonding adhesive.

After that, you can use an old paintbrush and apply the liquid to the cracks and around the edges. Next, you can use a putty knife and apply the patching compound in layers. And, while you are at it, do not forget to push the first layer into the cracks. For a long-lasting hold, we recommend that you allow drying time between applying each layer.

If you are not looking to follow such a lengthy process, you can consider going for a quick fix. You can make a cement mixture for fixing foundation cracks. In case you notice that the crack you are trying to fix is wide, consider adding some sand to the cement mixture. For that, you will need to mix one part of cement with three parts of sand and add enough water to make a thick paste.

In another container, mix cement and water to make a runny cement paint that you will have to use like a primer. Once the primer has dried off, you will have to apply the mixture properly into the cracked foundation. For this, it is best to use a putty knife. Next, you will require a flat-headed tool to flatten the mixture.

Ensure that you leave the patch undisturbed for an hour before blending it correctly with the surrounding area with the help of a float. However, if you are on the lookout for quicker fixes, consider using an epoxy seal instead.

4. Repairing Larger Cracks

Not all cracks are of the hairline width, and some may even be wider. And, to fix a crack like that, you will need to be equipped with caulking materials like silicone, polyurethane, or latex concrete caulk. It is best to use a caulking gun to fill the cracks with it.

This method is very effective as it fills up the entire crack and does not allow the concrete to expand or contract due to changes in weather. After you are done applying, let it rest for a while and dry up. If you notice that the caulk has contracted and has not filled up the entire crack, you will need to reapply.

A structural engineer would attest to the fact that this method is extremely suitable for treating both horizontal and vertical cracks.

That said, while inspecting a crack, you might notice that it is wider than ½ inch. In such cases, you will need to use foam backer rods in addition to the concrete caulk. A foaming rod will act as a great support to the patch and will prevent it from sinking into the crack with time.

However, keep in mind that it should be placed ¼ inches below the surface. To fix the rod in place, you will have to use a putty knife to insert it into the crack. After you are sure that the foam rods are placed correctly, you can fill up the crack with caulk or apply a vinyl patching.

How To Fix Crack In Foundation Wall Frequently Asked Questions ?

How to use hydraulic cement to fix foundation cracks?

Using hydraulic cement is a great way to fix shrinkage cracks and stair step cracks. To use this repair method, you will first need to get your hands on a packet of hydraulic cement. Begin by mixing the cement with water in a container to make a gooey paste.

Once you are done preparing the mix, proceed to dampen the cracks using a spray bottle. After that, swiftly insert the mixture into the cracks using a putty knife. Now that the major work is completed, you will have to let the layer dry before applying a pure layer of cement over the crack.

If you use hydraulic cement to fix the crack, the structural integrity of the foundation wall will stay intact.

Is sealing foundation walls necessary?

Filling the cracks with cement mixture and using patches won’t be enough unless you apply a proper sealant. For this, you can use a waterproof masonry sealer which will last for a long time.

A sealant is very crucial to prevent water from infiltrating the concrete and putting additional pressure on it. To apply the sealant easily, you can use a paintbrush and apply the coating directly over the dried patch. Once the first coat has dried, you can use a larger brush or consider using a masonry roller to apply another layer.

A lot of times, people wonder why cement cracks even after applying fillers. And, in most cases, this happens when they do not apply the sealant correctly or when the sealant is too runny.

Experts suggest that applying sealant on the entire surface is a pretty good idea as well.

How To Fix Crack In Foundation Wall Final Words

It is important to keep in mind that to prevent structural damage, you should try to prevent water infiltration to the best of your capabilities. To avoid foundation problems, also keep a regular check on the downspouts and gutters to see if they are functioning optimally.

Be it a horizontal crack or a vertical one, you must attend to it as soon as you can to prevent it from becoming a major problem. Small cracks may seem harmless in the beginning, but when left unattended, they soon expand in size.

We hope that the suggestions we have talked about in this guide come to help if your foundation walls develop cracks. And, if you liked reading this guide, do not forget to keep a watch on this space for more such reads.

Fixing cracks in foundation wall is not an easy job; likewise, figuring new clay sculpting ideas is not easy as well. Checkout our next article on finding clay sculpting ideas to enhance your DIY knowledge pool.

Until next time, take care!

When recreating landscapes on a canvas, painting grass lawns or meadows the right way can make all the difference.

But this is an area where amateur artists often struggle, as they can’t always recreate the different intricacies of a clump of grass accurately, even if they use the best professional watercolor paints. Plus, there are several other important considerations, such as the shades to use, the variations to create based on the type of landscape, what to paint in watercolor landscapes, compostion, etc.

If you aren’t fully aware of such details, the quality of the painting might fall short of your expectations. That’s why we thought of compiling this guide on how to paint grass with watercolors to know about painting grass with watercolors, this will work with watercolor paints In tubes sets as well as watercolor pans.

Let’s start painting!

How To Paint Grass With Watercolors

Characteristics To Consider While Painting Grass

To draw or paint anything, it’s essential to observe it and identify some features that will guide your art. Here are the features of grass that you’ll need to take into account:

1. Lines

While painting grass, the first thing to consider is the type of lines you’ll have to draw. Make sure to draw lines that are thicker at the lower portion and narrower towards the top.

2. Direction Of The Strokes

All grass doesn’t grow in the same direction; some might be shorter, damaged, or bent.

3. Color

You should try to add subtle color variations through different brush strokes instead of using just one shade of green, a mistake that beginners tend to make.

The Color Scheme

Though grass can be other colors, like yellow or red, artists paint them green for the majority of their creations.

But they often combine several other colors with green so that the painted grass resembles real grass as closely as possible. The most widely used color scheme for painting grass of different shades is as follows:

Lighter shade: lemon yellow + permanent light green
Darker shade: Prussian Blue + Emerald Green
Add a tinge of umber to get a brown shade

At the start, make sure you have the light green, dark green, and umber paints ready for use. You will need two round brushes for the job — one of size 8 and the other of size ½.

Painting Grass With Watercolors - The Technique

The wet-on-wet method is the simplest and most widely used option for painting grass and requires pre-wetting the lower portion of the canvas lightly beforehand. It can be useful both for painting simple scenes, such as long grass clumps growing near a lake, or more detailed landscapes, like an expansive meadow surrounding a farmhouse.

The steps to follow for the purpose are described below:

Step 1

Firstly, dab the light green color along the lower part of the painting to create the base. Then draw dense vertical brushstrokes a little towards the top that resemble the typical shape of grass blades. Keep in mind that you won’t need to go into the details at this stage.

Step 2

Next, dab the dark green shade with the help of the brush point. But you shouldn’t cover up the first paint layer completely — remember when we talked about the importance of adding variations to the color? You’ll need to blend the colors in such a way that slightly darker grass blades are visible among the lighter blades.

Step 3

At this point, you should switch to the smaller brush. Paint thin linear strokes using the lighter green shade initially, then switch to the darker shade later. Also, the lines should tilt in different directions and be of varying lengths.

Step 4

After you’ve painted the vertical strokes, the grass will seem as though it’s floating. To make it look like it’s growing from the soil, softly dab light and dark green shades towards the bottom. This will help combine the dark and light green colors while the paint is damp.

Step 5

You can follow this by adding grass flowers on the top. It just requires painting dots around the tip of some grass blades.

Step 6

Proceed to paint the soil by dabbing the burnt umber paint softly and blending it at the lower portion.

Step 7

Now, you’ll have to enhance the depth of the grass by combining a little bit of burnt umber with dark green. Paint short vertical lines at the lower portion for this purpose.

Some Basic Tips To Follow While Painting Grass

In place of the above method, you can also apply some fundamental theories and ideas for painting grass in different types of landscapes:

1. Apply Directional Brushwork

A simple yet effective method is to use brushwork that matches the movement and form of the grass. In case you want the grass to point upward, use upward brushwork. Likewise, if a strong wind is blowing the grass to your left, work the brush in a similar way.

Legendary artists like Vincent Van Gogh used vertical, strong brushwork to draw grass on a calm day, creating a strong stylized effect.

Alternatively, you can adopt a subtler approach with such brushwork, keeping the strokes vertical at the low portion of the sketch and flattening them over a distance. Then the painting might offer a better perspective.

2. Utilizing Underpainting Or Stained Canvas

Some artists deliberately begin their paintings by staining the canvas using an earthly, dull tone such as burnt sienna, yellow ochre, or raw umber. Such a strategy provides them with the alternative to leave portions of the stained canvas more exposed in the final painting. It’s especially useful for painting different types of grass since the earth tone of the canvas mimics plants, rocks, dirt, etc.

3. Identifying Some Basic Shapes

The challenge of painting grass lies in the details it provides to the painting, that is, the different colors, highlights, shadows, lines, etc. You can overcome this difficulty by simplifying the grass down to some abstract and basic shapes. That way, you can recreate the form and structure of the grass in a better way.

The best examples of such art pieces are those where the grass is painted using the basic tones of dark and light. Remember that such artwork lacks finer details.

4. Applying Broken Color

The term broken color is given to the method of building up a number of colors in different layers on a canvas, which makes the lower layers exposed. Such a technique generally involves painting the canvas with small color dabs until it’s filled.

When it comes to painting grass, this method lets you create the illusion of numbers without having to draw every grass strand separately. The great French artist Claude Monet had mastered this technique and used distinct color strokes that seemed like plants, rocks, grass, etc., in his paintings.

On a side note, applying broken color doesn’t mean you have to use several hues every time. You could also use a limited range of hues but create variations through their saturation. Thus, the green color could be made of several tones, such as dark, dull, and light greens.

5. Use Points Of Interest

Another useful strategy is the application of flat color planes and the addition of small points of interest on the top. For example, in the Cremorne Pastoral watercolor painting by Arthur Streeton, the artist has depicted flowers, small plants, rocks, etc., that provide context and direct attention to the painting. Note that this technique can also wonderfully spruce up an otherwise bland area.

6. Identifying Important Portions

While painting grass, you won’t require drawing each grass strand, as identifying and focusing on some important areas can be much more effective. For example, many famous artists have used remarkable details for the foreground in their landscape paintings but have kept it simple when painting the bushes in the background.

7. Utilizing The Physical Texture Of The Paint

Apply the physical texture of the colors to mimic the grass texture you want to paint. You can build up thick and textured paints to create a rough foreground.

This technique can be especially effective when it’s combined with certain contrasting strategies like:

Thick hues for highlights and thinner alternatives for shadows
Thick hues in the foreground and thinner paints in the background
Thick hues for warmer shades and thin paints for the cooler ones

While using thicker paint, the small marks formed by the bristles of the brush can depict individual grass strands. But this will be more effective when created with brushes having firm bristles rather than those with weak and thin bristles.

Things to Consider While Using Watercolors

Now that you know about the nitty-gritty of painting grass, we’ll touch upon some basic precautions to take while using watercolors for the purpose:

Buy specialized paper watercolor
Plan the colors beforehand
Keep the pencil sketch light
Protect the lightest areas
Allow the layers to dry
Clean the brush between colors
Replace the water regularly

Paint Grass With Watercolors Frequently Asked Questions ?

What other colors can you use to prepare a grass green color?

To mix light greens, you can apply light blue hues like Cerulean Blue and a light yellow like Cadmium Yellow. The resultant color can also be made lighter using Titanium White.

As for the darker shades, you will need to combine a gray shade, such as Paynes Gray, with the above mixture of yellow and blue. Notably, Paynes Gray is a mixture of black and blue.

In case you wish to make it warmer, use equal proportions of Paynes Gray and New Gamboge in the mixture.

Does the color of grass vary with the location and the season?

Yes, both the texture and color of grass will vary with the location and season. While young shoots are green during early spring, long grass that’s scorched by the sun takes a light brown or ochre shade. So, keep in mind that the grass in a painting depicting a spring scene shall be different from that in a fall landscape.

Another point worth noting is that you should use strong colors as accents in the foreground instead of creating flat color blocks; otherwise, the grass might look artificial.

Can a fan brush be of any help in painting grasses?

Firstly, know that fan brushes have thin bristles spread out by a ferrule. They are particularly useful for blending colors, so you can apply them while painting grasses using the wet-on-wet technique.

Paint Grass With Watercolors Final Words

We hope you enjoyed this colorful journey through the world of landscape paintings. So, gather the right paints and brushes, and let the magic unfold on your canvas!

Before we call it a day, here’s another tip for you: to create a unique texture when drawing grass, add some kosher salt just after you’ve painted it. Keep in mind that you’ll need quite a bit of paint to create the desired effect, as it would then mix with the salt to produce the necessary texture.

See you next time!

Contemplating whether to buy a dehumidifier for the bedroom?

Chances are that you’ve had to wake up due to sneezing fits in the middle of the night or may have observed mold growth on the bedroom furniture. The excess moisture in the air is the probable culprit and can be detrimental to your sleep cycle and long-term health.

Dehumidifiers are specifically designed to remove excess moisture in the air, so they’re an apt choice for homes with humidity issues.

But can these air conditioning devices improve the ambiance of a bedroom in such homes? You'll need to look at several vital aspects to get a clear answer to this question.

So, we’d recommend reading through this guide before making the purchase.

Benefits Of a Dehumidifier In Bedroom

Your bedroom might already have an air conditioner that's keeping the air cool and 'comfortable.' So, it’s completely natural for you to wonder - why should I have a dehumidifier in my bedroom?

Here’s why we’ll tell you to go ahead and install one:

1. Reduces Mildew And Mold Growth

Excess moisture content in the air might cause extensive growth of mildew and mold, no matter whether your region experiences heavy rainfall or is relatively dry. While mildew growth occurs on top of a surface, mold might penetrate beneath the surfaces of any household item.

Some common spots where you may observe such fungal growth include wood, ceiling tiles, windows, carpet, upholstery, paper, or even drywall and wallpapers. So, if you don’t provide adequate protection to bedroom furniture, carpets, and walls, they might degrade and lose their appeal over time.

Know that fungal growth also poses the risk of health issues such as wheezing, irritation, congestion, and more. Moreover, it becomes more difficult to tackle with the passage of time, so you should prevent such growth by keeping a check on the moisture content of the air. That’s why using a dehumidifier can improve the air quality of your indoor space.

In comparison, an AC may not always be able to prevent mold growth as it doesn't come with strong dehumidifying properties.

2. Alleviates Symptoms Of Allergy

The spring season often triggers allergies from pollen, dust mites, pet dander, and mold. As such, you might experience allergy symptoms, including dryness, runny nose, watery eyes, itchiness in the nose, throat, or eyes, and congestion.

Making the indoor air less humid can help prevent or reduce traces of allergy-causing particles. Ultimately, the air will be healthier, and you’re unlikely to sneeze and sniffle from allergies, which will help provide a sound sleep.

3. Reduces Pest Issues

You shouldn't ignore pests infesting the bedroom- they're bound to cause health issues if not tackled on time. As per Pest Control Services Inc, a humid environment is one of the most likely causes of pest infestation.

That’s because termites and pests extract the water to survive — even water in very small amounts can help them survive for longer periods. Plus, remember that many pests can enter a home by chewing damp wood.

Removal of excess moisture from the air using a dehumidifier helps create a balanced environment, making your home healthier in the long term.

4. Lowers Energy Costs

As dehumidifiers make the air less humid, you won’t need to run the air conditioner as frequently as before. The cooling equipment in the AC will also require less energy to maintain the temperature at the desired level in the house.

Notably, Energy Star Certified dehumidifiers are a step ahead in this regard, using much less energy while they run and letting you save more during summer. In fact, you can sometimes enjoy a relaxing night’s sleep with just the dehumidifier put on.

5. Reduces Dust Mites

Considering the dust that homeowners need to tackle daily, the dust-reducing action of a dehumidifier is a significant benefit. Dehumidifiers are powerful enough to filter out the dust particles floating in the air.

When the air has less moisture, dust mites and bacteria can no longer thrive and spread in your bedroom. This will naturally result in a reduced level of pests such as dust mites, in turn reducing the chances of developing dust allergies.

6. Improves Respiratory Problems

Did you know that too much moisture in the air can make it difficult to breathe? Excess moisture activates the nerves in the lungs to narrow the airways, which can naturally lead to breathing difficulties. Plus, the air becomes stagnant and starts trapping allergens and pollutants like mold, smoke, dust mites, dust, and pollen, which can set off respiratory issues such as asthma.

That’s why installing an indoor dehumidifier can enhance the breathing comfort of any space. In fact, dehumidifiers can be of great help to individuals struggling with symptoms of asthma. Healthline recommends maintaining the humidity level indoors between 30 to 50% to control asthma symptoms effectively.

7. Prevents Musty Odors

A foul or musty odor in the bedroom is the last thing you’d want — it will not only disrupt your sleep but may also lead to long-term health issues. This is especially true for regions with damp climates or high moisture content in the air. As a cold surface comes in contact with the humid air, it might cause musty odors and condensation.

Dehumidifiers work by extracting the excess water in the air to bring the humidity levels back to normal. Thus, it won’t be long before the foul smell is gone after you’ve installed one in your bedroom.

8. Cleanup After Water Leakage Or Flooding

Leakage or flooding of water is one of the most common issues faced by households. If the bath attached to your bedroom has a leakage, some of the water might make the floors slippery or flood the floors in the worst case.

A dehumidifier can come to your help in such situations, reducing the hassles, time, and stress of tackling the mess. This appliance can double up as a vacuum cleaner by drawing in the moisture and extra water to speed up the drying process.

Furthermore, it can help you deal with the immediate as well as long-term after-effects of flooding. A dehumidifier prevents mildew or mold growth throughout, which helps retain the durability and appeal of the walls and floors of the bedroom. As such, it’s highly useful for people living in areas with a rainy climate.

9. Dries Clothes Faster

Sounds surprising? Indeed, dehumidifiers speed up the drying process by drawing excess water from the air and your clothes. This makes them a super-convenient option for drying all the laundry quickly. So, you can have your favorite outfit ready just a while after washing it.

Benefits Of A Dehumidifier In Bedroom Frequently Asked Questions ?

What’s the best spot for a dehumidifier in a bedroom?

You’ll have to decide where to put the dehumidifier in the bedroom based on the room size. However, the appliance is generally placed in the center and, if possible, close to the plug to enable proper air circulation around the unit.

It’s also worth noting that larger bedrooms will benefit more if the dehumidifier is placed close to the source of moisture.

What do you need to consider while choosing a dehumidifier?

The model you choose will depend on the space where you plan to keep it and the humidity levels in your home. A small dehumidifier will naturally be enough for a small room, while you’ll require larger models for spacious areas such as basements or large bedrooms.

Also, make sure the model you choose is easy to operate and maintain. Homeowners with more unique and specific needs should consider purchasing a model with specialized features.

What are the signs that your bedroom requires a dehumidifier?

Apart from suffering from allergy symptoms, you might want to consider some other signs of high humidity levels in your bedroom, including:

The room doesn’t have enough ventilation
The ceiling or walls have water stains
The room smells of mildew
Frequent condensation on the windows
Black spots on the walls or areas having high humidity

Are dehumidifiers very loud?

It’s no secret that appliances that use fans will produce some amount of noise — the higher the fan setting, the more noise you should expect. Dehumidifiers also work with a compressor, making them slightly noisier than ceiling fans.

Note that if you put the appliance in a lower setting, the noise will be insignificant. Anyhow, good-quality models won’t be so loud as to disrupt your sleep.

Benefits Of A Dehumidifier In Bedroom Final Words

So, how about getting a dehumidifier for your bedroom now?

It will help you steer clear of the unhealthy air affecting your sleep quality and long-term health. Ultimately, you’ll feel healthy and rejuvenated from within.

Finding a budget-friendly model isn’t a problem either, provided you’ve figured out your needs. Make sure you read through some reliable guides to find the right choice. Also, scan some customer reviews of the model you’re considering to have a clear idea about its performance.

On our trips to art museums, most of us would have had the desire to paint like the Renaissance masters.

Most of them used best quality oil paints, a medium that doesn't appear to be that approachable compared to something like acrylics. But there's no need to worry, as the easy availability of oil paints and other art supplies today has made starting with oil painting rather simple.

In fact, oil mediums are making a comeback as many contemporary artists opt for their rich and versatile qualities. That's why we thought of creating this guide to familiarize you with painting using oil paints, especially if you're a beginner. We hope our step-by-step approach will help you create an art piece in a few sessions.

FUN FACT | Do you know that acrylic paints dry way faster than oil paints?

Thus, choosing oil over acrylic paints is a wise decision in this aspect. Check out our exclusive article how long acrylic paints take to dry to find out more on this topic.

So, without further ado, let's get started with oil paints how to guide!

Step By Step Process Of How To Oil Paint

The general conception is that it takes a lot of courage to start oil painting and pick up the numerous techniques to blend oil paints required to make the piece look good.

However, most artists state that oil painting is not that hard with a bit of practice. It does require a lot of patience as the composition of oils and pigments gives the paints a slow drying time. So, a painter needs to apply the paint in layers, often leaving gaps of a few days to avoid messing things up.

With time you'll surely begin to get habituated to the distinctive nature of oil paints. Nevertheless, we wanted to highlight some initial steps that can make the process of oil painting a tad simpler for you. So, let's begin!

A. Preliminary Steps

1. Choosing Your Paints

One of the first things you need to take care of is acquiring suitable quality paints. Like most other art supplies, oil paints are available in different grades. We suggest you steer clear of student-grade colors as they are of inferior quality, which can make your painting experience quite frustrating.

Instead, try purchasing mid-budget paints from brands like Winsor & Newton and Gamblin with good reviews. High-quality paint also ensures that you will get the expected vibrancy and blend-ability in a single coat.

Coming to the colors, you don't need a whole lot of them. A set with primary colors, along with black, brown, and white, would work just fine. The most common colors recommended by artists are cadmium yellow, yellow ochre, alizarin crimson, burnt sienna, cadmium red, ultramarine blue, titanium white, and mars black.

You can mix these paints in different combinations to create any shade for painting. Do stock up on white as it usually gets used up the quickest.

Before you jump to the step of creating a whole art piece, it can be useful to spend some time getting familiar with the paint. Playing with the colors will help you get a better idea of their vibrancy, thickness, texture, pliability, and drying time.

2. Gather Other Supplies

Here's a comprehensive list of supplies that you'll require to create oil paintings:

High-quality hog hair and synthetic paint brushes
Dropcloth
Primed stretched canvas
Solvent and linseed oil
Mixing palette
Palette knife
Paper towels
Easel
Apron

These are the basic things you will need to have when planning to create an oil painting. One of the common mistakes made by people is to use the wrong brush with a specific painting medium. That's why we suggest you get brushes designated to be used with oil paints.

Most artists use hog hair and synthetic brushes while painting with oil colors. While hog hair helps add texture to the artwork, synthetic brushes let you create smooth layers of paint. You'll most likely require both variants to create a full-blown art piece.

However, there's no need to go out and purchase a big set of paintbrushes. Rather spend on some high-quality brushes with round, square, and fan-shaped bristles in a couple of sizes to experiment with oil colors.

Originally, artists had to stretch and prime their own canvases. But, these days, you can easily find pre-stretched and pre-primed canvases on the market. Even though it isn't necessary, we suggest getting an easel as it lets you set the canvas at a proper angle for painting with comfort.

Another essential thing to get is a solvent like white spirits or turpentine, which will help to thin out the thick paint. Always remember to wear latex gloves or nitrile gloves and a mask while using a solvent as it can be toxic for your body.

3. Set Up The Work Area

Here are some of the things to keep in mind while setting up an area for oil painting:

Choose a well-ventilated space in your home or work outdoors.
Be careful about opening a tube of oil paint as it may have fumes, and wear protective gloves made of latex or nitrile.
If possible, use non-toxic and water-mixable paints made without harmful chemicals.
Handle solvents with extra care and avoid getting them on your skin.
Set up your easel and canvas away from direct sunlight.
Select a proper position for your easel that isn't uncomfortable or hurts your back.
When painting indoors, you may also want to prep the floor by covering it with old rags or a plastic sheet to prevent oil paint stains.
Keep the drop cloth with you to clean spills or lift abrupt layers of paint.
Wear old clothes that cover your skin to prevent contact with oil colors.
If your skin gets in contact with oil paint, immediately wash it off using vegetable oil and dish soap.
Put long hair in a ponytail or bun to avoid it from getting in touch with the colors.

4. Preparing The Canvas

As you may know, most artists prefer to prime their canvas with a layer of gesso before starting to apply oil paints. That's because if you apply colors directly to the canvas, the porous material can soak up the oil, ruining the paint.

However, if you apply a thin layer of gesso before starting to paint, the colors will stay on the surface and last longer. The gesso also helps to make the application of the paints much smoother than painting directly on a bare canvas.

Gesso is nothing but a mixture of chalk, gypsum, and pigment that painters use to prime the boards before applying acrylic or oil paints. Usually white, gesso is also available in various colors, including black.

All you need to do is take a flat brush and apply a layer of gesso on the bare canvas. Wait an hour for it to dry, and top it off with a second layer if required.

B. Evaluating Your Painting

As a beginner, you'll want to start with the basics of oil painting. We recommend choosing a relatively small object like a fruit or a vase as your first subject. Now, take an appropriately sized canvas and think about how to fit the object in the available drawing area. Let's check out some steps that can help you make the preliminary decisions for the painting.

1. Create A Rough Sketch

One of the extremely helpful painting tips provided by professional artists is to always start with a rough sketch. If you don't feel comfortable beginning on the canvas, try drawing on a sheet of paper.

Try to compose your subject in a way that looks proportional to the canvas. It's best to start by sketching dominant lines, shapes, and focal points onto the surface with a hard pencil or charcoal. Remember not to apply too much pressure as it may leave an impression, which isn't desirable.

While sketching the subject on the canvas, make sure to leave enough negative or empty space for it to stand out. The areas may seem empty at first, but you can use them to add details later. Also, having a few overlapping shapes in an oil painting adds depth and makes it look realistic.

2. Figure Out The Light Source

Those familiar with the oil paintings of renowned artists will know that one of their distinct painting techniques was to play with light and shade. On witnessing the artworks of Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt, you may almost feel where the light source would have been.

As a beginner, finding the angle of light might seem a bit challenging for the first few paintings. But, we suggest you keep on practicing placing the highlights and shadows to get a more realistic outcome. Try using real objects as your initial subjects to grasp how light and shadows are formed and can change based on positioning.

Keep in mind that highlights or shadows may not be extremely bright or dark. You'll find a range of values rather than a strong definition in most cases. When you can depict that on a canvas, your oil painting is bound to become more lifelike.

3. Choose The Color Palette

We asked you to purchase a limited number of oil paints because a new painter can quickly become overwhelmed by the task of choosing colors. By using the colors suggested by us, you'll be able to mix and create most shades. However, they may not be quite accurate at first.

It's best to observe the actual color of the object and check its nuances, especially under natural light. You may notice that the color needs to be darker if the painting is set in the evening or night compared to a sunny day.

4. Note Any Movements

Does your sketch have any movements like rustling feathers or leaves? If yes, you may need to prepare to add brush strokes to create a sense of motion. We found making proper brush strokes was easier for those who have experience painting with other mediums like acrylic.

C. Beginning To Paint

1. Mixing Your Paints

Before you can layer the colors on your prepped canvas, you'll need to mix the shades. Oil paints are often known as a forgiving medium as they take several days before beginning to dry. So, you have a much longer time to work with them than other mediums like acrylic, which dry almost instantly.

It can be tough to mix the same shade twice, so we recommend mixing large batches at once and storing them in jars to use between painting sessions. Also, it’s advisable to mix oil paint using a palette knife to get an even shade and also avoid wastage of color.

New painters prefer to use color wheels as a reference for mixing their shades as they are quite handy. The wheels will guide you through creating primary, secondary, and tertiary colors by mixing the right paints. You can also refer to the brand website of your paints as it may contain more information on mixing colors.

One of the basic things you need to remember is that pure hues are colors that are yet to be mixed with white or black. So, you can add either of them to lighten or darken the hue.

To create a tint or a pastel shade, you need to add white to the color. On the other hand, mixing black will create a darker shade. You can then add white to the shade to create a new tone, which are colors primarily used to paint everyday objects.

2. Apply The Colors

Yes, it's finally time to start with your oil painting. As we have told you already, the golden rule of oil painting is to start with thin washes of color and move on to thick layers. That's why you won't be able to finish a painting in a single sitting, as the layers need to dry in between sessions.

The average wait time is around three days before you can add a second layer. However, the duration may vary between brands, especially when using heavy body professional paints that may take weeks to dry.

Follow the thin-to-thick method and start filling the obvious shapes of your canvas. Use linseed oil or turpentine as thinning mediums, but don't go overboard and add small portions at a time to get the right consistency.

3. Try Out Oil Painting Techniques

This is the best time to get your hands on different oil painting techniques as a beginner. So, let's have a look at some of them.

I. Scumbling

In this technique, you take a small yet thick portion of color and apply it to the canvas with short strokes to add texture. For scumbling or dry brushing, you can take the color straight from the tube and apply it to the canvas without adding a thinning agent or medium. Many artists use this to soften the edges of their oil paintings as well as to add specific details.

II. Alla Prima

Don't be fooled by its name, as this is nothing but the well-known wet-on-wet technique cherished by artists like Rembrandt. In this technique, the subsequent layers of an oil painting aren't allowed to dry, letting you get done with the piece sooner. Painters using this technique are commonly known for finishing a project within a single session.

III. Impasto

This is primarily a technique used by painters to add textures as it requires you to apply the paint with broad and quick brush strokes. It's commonly used to create shadows, as well as add highlights and depth. Rather than using oil paint brushes, palette knives are often used for the impasto technique for a more defined outcome.

IV. Sfumato

Hailing from the Renaissance era, sfumato is the direct opposite of impasto, as the technique adopts a much softer approach. The transition between colors is well-blended and often lacks distinct lines or borders.

A soft and clean brush is commonly used to apply new colors for optimal blending. Leonardo da Vinci frequently used this method, the most obvious example being the use of sfumato to paint the eyes of the Mona Lisa.

D. Finishing Your Painting

1. Correct Mistakes

A great thing about using oil paints is that you get around three to four days to fix any mistakes and wipe excess paint before the colors have dried. Use this time efficiently and make changes only after observing the painting for a considerable time.

2. Don’t Forget To Save The Paints

Do you still have some colors left after your painting is over? Rather than throwing them away, scoop up the excess color into small jars to use for another painting. You can also use saran wrap to cover your palette and keep the paints fresh.

3. Clean Your Paint Brushes

One of the common mistakes of new painters is to forget about cleaning their oil paint brushes. Letting the oil paint dry on them can be detrimental, especially if they are natural hair brushes.

Hence, make sure to clean the brushes with turpentine or paint thinners and a paper towel after you have finished painting. Follow it by rinsing your brushes with warm water and mild soap, then air-drying to retain their health.

4. Be Patient And Apply Varnish

As we have said already, you need to learn how to be patient when beginning oil painting. Depending on the size of an art piece, you may need to wait for weeks or months for it to dry. A much longer drying time is needed for paintings with several layers of thick paint.

Remember to put your painting in a clean, dry place free from any disturbing elements to avoid damage. Once the painting is completely dry, add a coat of high-quality varnish to preserve the brilliance of your painting.

Oil Paints How To Frequently Asked Questions ?

Do you need water while using oil paints?

In the case of common painting mediums like watercolor, gouache, or acrylic, it's a must to have a pot of water by your side. But, that isn't true for oil painting, as water repels oil. Instead of using water, you'll need to stock up on solvents like turpentine and linseed oil which will help get a thinner paint for layering on the canvas.

Why does your oil painting appear dull?

At times, even after investing in the best quality oil paints, a painting may end up looking dull or lackluster. This is due to a phenomenon called sinking, where the oil of later layers gets absorbed by a previous layer. It can happen for several reasons, including improper priming of canvas, using an excessive amount of solvent, or using too little medium.

To avoid dull areas in your area, make sure to prep your canvas well, and allow a layer of paint to dry before adding more layers. You can also try to fix the sunken or dull areas after they have dried by lightly treating them with a painting medium.

What is underpainting?

One of the oil painting basics is knowing how to apply a very thin layer of paint on the canvas. This single shade acts as a background on which you can build up the other colors and thicker layers. The underpainting technique can also help an artist portray layers added to create depth and shadows.

Oil Paints How To Final Words

That's everything we had to tell you about, starting with oil painting. We hope the guide will help you find your footing in the medium and clear any remaining doubts on oil painting basics.

As we have said already, remember to use the "thin to thick" or "fat over lean" method to ensure that your painting comes out good and doesn't develop cracks. Also, wait for enough time to let the painting dry before applying the varnish to prevent smudging of colors.

If you're still a bit confused about where to start painting, we recommend purchasing canvas boards and begin practicing the oil paint techniques. This will help you get better acquainted with oil paint qualities and paint texture.

Until next time, take care and have fun painting!

Do you want to transform your home and furniture without spending too much? Then it’s high time you consider the best paint for furniture.

Yes, you can now glaze your existing furniture to transform them all together and create a new ambiance in the house. Also, you can paint the furniture in a different color and then use glaze to match all the pieces of furniture.

However, you might be confused about the process and wondering whether to hire a professional for the job. Let us tell you that this can be taken up as a DIY project and can be done by one or two people together. No professional is needed if you are up and ready for the job with the right supplies.

You can save a lot of money this way, and you can easily purchase paint and glaze of different shades from local stores for the job. We will tell you about the entire process and share information about the materials as well in this guide.

So, read on to know more.

What Are The Best Types Of Glaze Applicators?

Glaze can be applied with several applicators, and the choice will depend upon the type of surface you are working with, along with the desired texture.

1. Sea Sponges

You can use sea sponges to dab paint over furniture like, for example, a dining room table. It will lead to a mottled effect overall, making it look aesthetically pleasing.

2. Paint Brush

If you are looking for a striated finish, then dry paint applicators are the best. These paint brushes can be rolled or dragged on the furniture to get the required effect.

3. Plastic Sheets

Plastic sheets can be used to cover wet-colored surfaces, and you will be able to get a smushed finish. It is best to lay these sheets immediately after glazing so that you can get a mushy effect before the glaze dries up.

4. Rags

Rags can help you recreate a leathery finish. You will have to bunch them up to create the crinkly effect that you would generally notice in leather.

5. Wood Grainer

Faux finishing combs and wood grainers can be used to create a stained wood grain effect. You will easily find them in any local paint supplies store.

Kinds Of Paint Glaze

Before we tell you how to paint wooden furniture, let us take you through the different kinds of glaze.

1. Antiquing Glaze

Buying authentically antique furniture may not be within your budget, and that is where the antiquing glaze comes in.

So, have you previously used colored wax on the top of furniture with chalk paint? An antiquing glaze is a ready-to-use option that will offer the same effect as colored wax. However, keep in mind that you are not supposed to mix this with paint like you would with clear glaze.

Instead, you can use a soft cloth to rub the antiquing glaze over the required area. Make sure the antiquing glaze gets into the details and crevices in the wood. After it has dried completely, use water-based polyurethane or wax to seal it well.

2. Clear Glaze

That is the most common glazing mix that you can use with water-based paint. The white liquid medium can be mixed with paint to make it transparent when dry. Using this, you can also create depth, as the undercoat can be seen through the clear coat.

Moreover, you should know that adding a clear glaze to paint will take more time for the paint to dry completely. This is used for creating raised details and faux finishes for furniture. Just remember to seal the furniture with water-based polyurethane or wax after it has dried.

You can also use the paint and glaze mix to accentuate crannies and crevices on different surfaces. That is the reason why many carpenters use this paint and glaze to give old furniture pieces a complete transformation. Some users even use it for garage or front doors to make the surface imitate stained wood texture.

However, you should know one fact about this white glaze: it does not act as a sealer. While you might think this will give you a shiny finish, it will not. The glaze does not come with protective features, and you will need to use a sealer on top of it. Also, this glaze will have a satin or matte finish, and the type will depend on the brand you purchase.

3. Glaze Finish

Glaze finish usually refers to the topcoat of polyurethane. A lot of brands use the term “glaze,” and you should not confuse it with a paint mixing medium. This will not create faux layers on top of the paint.

4. Gel Medium

Fine artists use gel medium or glaze to make their paint colors transparent. It is usually very thick in nature, and you should know that the thickness can vary with the brand.

5. Triple Thick Glaze

Finally, we have an option that will work as a shiny sealer for you. It cannot be mixed with paint but can be applied on top of it to get a shiny transparent effect.

How To Mix Glaze And Paint For Glazing Furniture?

You can mix paint and glaze to give your furniture a makeover. To do this, take one part paint and three parts glazing medium. The paint can be water-based, acrylic, or latex as needed for the project. And the glazing process needs a clear transparent glaze to ensure that paint colors are not disrupted by any other shade. You can mix them thoroughly before application.

How To Apply Glaze To Painted Furniture?

This glazing technique can provide an antiquing effect on your furniture. Now before we take you through the process, let us tell you about the materials needed for the job.

What Are The Paint Supplies Needed For The Job?

You will first need to purchase water-based paint or acrylic paint for this. If you want a unique effect, mix some shades to create a color of your own. Other than paint, you will need,

Sea sponge
Paintbrush
Valspar antiquing glaze mix
Paper towel or rag pieces
Stick for stirring
Plastic bowl with an airtight lid
Measuring cup

You can get a paint roller to paint the base coat.

The Main Process For Antiquing

Step 1: Sand The Furniture Surface

If boxes are kept on the furniture, remove them before sanding the surface. Also, keep all hardware away, and then you can sand the furniture pieces with 100 grit sandpaper. There is no need to sand it down to bare wood. All you have to do is make the surface rough. Then you can clean the furniture surface with a damp cloth or a damp rag and let it dry.

Step 2: Prime The Entire Surface

You will need to cover the furniture surface with a good primer. If the old surface is covered in white paint and you want to paint it a darker shade, then use a black primer for the job. When you add the paint over it, you can get a better depth.

Step 3: Using Paint Or Glaze

You will now need the sea sponge to apply the paint in a thin layer. First, make the sponge wet and then wring out any excess water. You can take a tin and pour the furniture glaze or paint in it.

Then you can dip the sponge in the mix and rub it on the furniture. Keep turning it with your hand as you dab on the furniture surface so as to create a unique pattern.

Once you have painted a thin layer on the entire surface, let it dry completely before moving on. After the glaze dries, you can repeat the process and apply a second layer of paint or glaze. If you like the existing finish, then there is no need for an additional layer.

Also, if you add more layers to glaze furniture, the intensity of the color will increase, and it will look brighter. And if there you have used too much paint or glaze for the project, then wipe off excess glaze with a damp napkin. Remember that the extra glaze must be removed immediately before it dries.

Step 4: Adding Sealer And Antiquing

After glazing furniture, you can use an antiquing glaze to accentuate and highlight the recessed panels. However, if you do not have a Valspar antiquing glaze or something similar, then use dark wax or soft wax for the job.

Step 5: Using Dark Wax

Initially, you should apply a layer of clear wax to the painted furniture. Then take a rag and use it to apply the dark wax in all the areas needed. If you have applied it to an area by mistake, you can always use clear wax to rub over it and remove it. It will act like an eraser and will be much easier to use.

Once you are happy with the finish, you can use a lint-free cloth to buff the surface and obtain a sheen finish. Also, the surface gets sealed because of the wax, and you do not have to use any other sealant.

Let it dry overnight, and make sure all the nooks are well-covered. If there are any smudge marks, use a cloth to buff them.

Can Glaze Be Applied On Chalk Paint?

Chances are you may not be able to see the detailing on a piece of furniture if you have painted it with chalk paint. The carving details may not be visible, and you may want them to stand out. That is exactly where glaze comes in, and it will offer a semi-transparent layer, which will highlight the crevices and details.

However, remember to apply the chalk paint and let it dry completely for 24 hours or more as needed. Also, read the instructions mentioned on the pack and follow them diligently. Once the paint has dried well and has been left for three to five days, you can apply the glaze.

Now, if you want an antiqued finish and shabby but chic-looking kitchen cabinets, then a single coat of chalk paint should be enough. But, if you are looking at a deeper and richer color, then at least two coats of paint are required.

Also, chalk paint often absorbs glaze, and you might find it challenging to wipe away excess glaze. You can get more control over such a situation by using a polyacrylic top material that will act as a sealant for chalk paint. Use a synthetic paintbrush to apply this protective layer and to make a huge difference. Let this layer dry well before you can use glaze over it.

Usually, adding a polyacrylic layer should not take more than an hour or two, and you can continue with your project after that.

Dark Glaze V/s Light Colored Glaze

A light-colored glaze will work well if you are looking for a rustic look with a faded appearance. It can provide a slightly worn-out antique look that will surely add to the aesthetics of the house.

For this job, you can opt for pearl or white glaze. The glaze, when applied on top of dark-colored paint, lightens the color tone. And if you apply it on light-colored chalk paint, then you will get an effortless and distressed look. But there is a catch here- light-colored glaze will not bring out the detailing on the original wood.

On the other hand, if you use a dark brown, antique, or black-colored glaze, you can create better shadows and highlight the details. So, if you are looking for that antique look, then opt for a dark glaze that can make the furniture look aged.

Dark glaze can be used on top of dark paint as well to provide a rustic look with all the carved details standing out.

Tips To Remember

While you might know how to apply glaze to painted furniture, there are certain factors to be careful about, and we will be listing them here.

1. Proper Ventilation

The area has to be adequately ventilated while working with paint and glazing furniture. Otherwise, the smell of chemicals can give you bad headaches, and it is not good for your health. So, keep your windows open for 24 hours, at least even after the work is completed.

Because of the same reason, you should not sleep in the same room as the painted furniture.

2. Clean Dirty Furniture

If the furniture you are going to work with has been lying in the dust for a while, then it will need a thorough cleaning before using paint for antique furniture. For this, a sponge or a damp cloth can be used.

However, if the furniture is very dirty, then it is best to use some dishwashing liquid for the job. Add some drops of it on a sponge and then wring it out well. Use it to scrub the furniture until it looks clean.

How To Apply Glaze To Painted Furniture Frequently Asked Questions ?

Can wax be used over paint glaze?

Dark, colored, or clear wax can always be used as a sealer over painted furniture or paint glaze. This will seal the surface and make sure your furniture makeovers are complete. Just remember that when you are using a wax sealer, always apply a thin coat and follow it up by buffing it properly with a soft rag. This will provide a sheen finish that will protect the furniture surface over the years.

What are the paint types that can be mixed with glaze?

If you wish to add some color along with transparency, then mixing acrylic paint is a good idea. Glaze dry over a longer period of time, giving you the space to use rags, sponges, and brushes for faux painting as well.

How long do you need to wait after painting and before applying glaze?

Typically, even if the paint dries quickly, you should wait for a day before painting another coat on top of the base coat. Then leave the furniture for three to five days to cure completely. After the fifth day, you can touch the surface to see if the paint has dried before you apply the glaze.

How long does glaze take to dry?

Apply the glaze to all the desired areas of the furniture. If you are using pastel or a white-shaded glaze, then the color of the furniture will change. In case it becomes too light, you can use a cloth to wipe the surface. Then let it dry for an hour or two before touching it. We recommend leaving it for a day before you use the furniture.

What is the number of glaze coats needed for furniture?

It is best to apply three coats of glaze for the desired effect. Now ensure that you provide enough time for every coat to dry well before applying the next coat. Also, every coat will harden the furniture surface slightly as the glaze contains binders. So, you will get a more stable base for the second and the third coat.

What is the thickness of glaze that one should try to achieve?

You will have to achieve “postcard” thickness to get the right amount of glaze. If it is not very thick, you will need more coats than one. However, some brands sell thick glaze, and one coat should be sufficient in such cases.

Can glazing cause splotches?

Yes, glazing can go wrong if you are not careful about the thickness of the layers. If you apply a very thick layer of glaze, then it might trickle down the sides of the furniture. That can cause blistering and uneven layers resulting in streaking and splotching. While the glaze can be transparent, it can lead to uneven texture and color.

Hence, always ensure you use the right amount and wipe the surface immediately if you think too much glaze is used. It is going to be water-based and should be easy to clean.

How to create a tinted glaze for furniture?

You may find a number of pre-tinted glazes on the market, but you may not come upon the exact shade that is needed. There is nothing to worry about, as you can create your own glaze.

To do so, purchase a tintable glaze from the store, which is absolutely clear. Then pour about half a cup of it into a container. Add five paint drops into the glaze and use a paint stick to mix it well.

If you are looking for a light tint, then add only two to three drops, and mix to check the color. Then add more color if necessary and test it on the furniture. Leave it for five minutes and check the shade. If you are not satisfied with it, then wipe away any excess glaze and create a different mix.

We recommend letting the glaze dry completely before adding more color to the mix, as the color can darken as it dries further. In case it is too dark, you can always add more clear glaze to lighten the shade whenever needed.

Also, adding a few drops of cream or white color paint to the glaze can help you lighten it. Check the finished result in clear daylight to see if the color is perfect. Additionally, make a note of the amount of paint color you are using if you want to create the same colored glaze for other pieces of furniture.

How To Apply Glaze To Painted Furniture Final Words

While you might want to opt for a polyurethane coating to keep the paint safe, remember never to choose an oil-based option. Although oil-based polyurethane acts as a sealant, it will yellow or darken the color of the existing paint. So, stick to water-based polyurethane, and there will be no change in color.

However, know that it is not mandatory to seal furniture before glazing. Sealing will only make the surfaces durable and works better for chairs and table tops which see a lot of traffic. Otherwise, you can skip sealing and finish the job even more quickly.

Finally, it is time to wrap up, and we hope you have all the necessary information about applying glaze to painted furniture. So, do not wait any longer and start looking for the right shade of glaze for the job.

Have a great experience.

Ah, the joys of scribbling away with colored pencils! Nearly all of us can recollect fond memories from our childhood when we used them to create artistic masterpieces.

In fact, some of us do it even as adults, either professionally or as a pastime. Besides being a viable source of income, it is a great stress buster. And it allows you to bond with your own children as they set out on their imagination journey.

But while doing that, it is crucial to keep the colored pencils in order so that you can find them whenever needed. You can store each set in a separate container and sort them by color so that they are easily accessible.

We have expanded on the above point in this detailed yet simple guide. So, if you or your child is having trouble keeping your colored pencils organized, this will help.

Let’s go!

How To Organize Colored Pencils

As we have stated before, organizing colored pencils requires sorting the colors and storing them in separate containers. Additionally, you may need to consider the place where you keep them, especially if they are used often.

Regardless, we have expanded on each of these aspects below so that you can keep your colored pencil collection neatly arranged and easily accessible.

Sorting The Pencils

The first step to organizing the pencils is to sort them out properly - either individually or in a group. Likewise, if you need any help with the sorting process, you can consult downloadable charts and color wheels. Or, simply create your own color swatches. They are great organizing tools for any type of coloring supplies, including colored pencils.

There are different approaches you can take to accomplish this task, as we have described below.

1. Sorting By Color

In this technique, you will need to sort every colored pencil based on its general color family. For instance, you can separate all the red tones, like crimson, maroon, and other similar colors. You can do the same for the blue, green, yellow, or any other tones as well.

Make sure that each pile is separate and there is no intermixing, as it can mess up the sorting process. You can even make a separate pile for neutral colors, such as black, white, gray, or brown. To better ascertain the color and make the sorting process convenient, you can prepare individual color swatches for every pencil.

2. Sorting By Temperature

The color temperature is another method of categorizing different color shades. When we say temperature, we usually refer to the two most common categories as depicted on any color wheel or chart - warm and cool colors. Generally, orange, red, and yellow hues are identified as warm colors, while blue, green, and purple hues are considered cool colors.

On that note, some of the neutral colors, such as black, brown, white, and gray shades have their separate category. This is because they cannot be considered to be warm or cool. But, you can put them in either of the two groups for convenience. And if you face any difficulty during sorting, you can consult different color charts.

3. Sorting By Color Intensity

You can also sort the different pencils by color intensity. To do this, keep all the brighter colors, such as red, violet, or indigo, in one pile. Subsequently, you can sort the lighter pastel shades, like yellow, cyan, or lime, into their own stack.

As for the neutral colors, like black and white, keep them in their separate pile. Once you have sorted them, keep the bundles separated from each other to prevent intermixing.

4. Other Sorting Techniques

Apart from the above techniques, you can sort the colored pencil sets based on their type or brand. This is especially helpful if you possess multiple sets of colored pencils. On the other hand, it may require more time and effort than the previous techniques.

Sorting by brands is relatively easy since the brand for each colored pencil is typically engraved on its body. Besides, different brands may use distinct designs and shapes for their pencils, which can also help with the sorting process.

There are two broad types of colored pencils - water and wax-based. So, if you want to sort the pencils by their type, you may need to refer to the packaging, as the type is normally mentioned on it. This is where things get a bit complicated since the packaging may get damaged, or you may have disposed of it soon after purchase.

In these cases, you might need to do some research online to determine the type. Some brands may mention the type on the pencils themselves, in which case, you can consider yourself lucky, as it will make the sorting process easier.

Colored Pencil Storage

After you have sorted the colored pencils, you should store them in a suitable container. Now, there are different types of storage solutions for colored pencils, so you can choose any one according to your preferences. If you are feeling a bit creative, you can even make some DIY solutions for storing your colored pencils.

Anyhow, we have discussed some of the easiest and most convenient options below, so we suggest that you keep reading.

1. Cardboard Box

In case you have lost the original packages of the pencils, then this is the best and simplest alternative. Cardboard boxes come in different shapes and sizes, so you can pick whichever suits your needs the best.

If you use small cardboard boxes, you can store each pile of colored pencils separately. But if you have a large box, you can create smaller compartments inside it by using cardboard cutouts, which will make it convenient to store the pencils.

2. Plastic Containers

Using plastic containers to store colored pencils is another simple option that you can go for. Like cardboard boxes, plastic containers are also available in different shapes and sizes. So, you can get a box that best suits your needs.

You can store separate piles of colored pencils inside each box. We recommend that you use transparent containers for this purpose, as it makes it easier for you to see the contents inside. As such, you won’t need to fumble around with the boxes while coloring.

3. Mason Jars

The shape and size of mason jars make it convenient to store colored pencils. Like the previous options, you can keep a different pile of sorted pencils in each jar.

In this regard, simply store them in these jars, or you may get a little creative. For the latter, you can join multiple mason jars in a staggered fashion with the help of sticking tapes or adhesives. Then lay them on their sides to create an attractive display of jars in your art studio.

4. Pencil Stands

Pencil stands are a very convenient option for a table or desk. These stands often have a minimalistic design and come with prebuilt compartments for storing all of your art supplies.

You can also get stylish pencil stands that have distinctive designs for enhancing the appeal of your craft room. Likewise, you can go with different colors to match its décor. For instance, if you work on a wooden table, you can get wooden colored pencil stands to complement it.

5. DIY Pencil Caddy

If you are seeking a bit of originality, make a DIY pencil caddy out of cardboard pieces or used toilet paper rolls. Using adhesives and sticking tapes, you can put cardboard pieces or toilet paper rolls together to create a custom storage solution for your colored pencils. You can even color the caddy for a more personal touch.

6. Pencil Carousels

A pencil carousel can be considered to be an upgraded form of the simple caddy, with larger and more compartments. So, apart from colored pencils, you can easily store other coloring supplies like gel pens, paintbrushes, pastels, normal pencils, and so on.

You can get pencil carousels from any online craft store, or simply go the DIY route. To make it more unique, you can make a rotating carousel that will considerably enhance the appeal of your craft room.

7. Pencil Wraps

Another interesting storage solution for your colored pencils is a pencil wrap. These are highly convenient pencil cases that are usually made from fabric or nylon. You can even make your own wrap with some cloth and a sewing machine.

On the inner side, there are numerous elastic flaps or pouches in which the pencils can be stored. Once you put all the pencils in it, roll the wrap into a cylindrical shape and carry it with you. The wrap is typically held together with a string or a Velcro strap.

8. Zipper Bags

Like pencil wraps, zipper bags are another convenient solution for storing and organizing your colored pencils. The bag’s exterior may be made from fabric or toughened polyester for enhanced durability. There may also be a strap included so that you can easily carry it with you.

Inside, there may be one or more compartments for storing your colored pencils, as well as other supplies. In some zipper bags, the compartments may be arranged like the pages of a flipbook, making it even easier to organize your colored pencils.

9. Drawers And Cabinets

If you are looking for an all-in-one solution for storing your colored pencils and other drawing supplies, you should get a drawer or a cabinet. These are generally large wooden boxes having multiple compartments.

The compartments may be designed to store the pencils either in a pile or in a single file. Personally, we prefer the latter, since it makes organizing the pencils more convenient. Also, you can keep it separately or attach it to the wall like a display cabinet.

Accessibility Of The Colored Pencils

Once you have sorted and stored the colored pencils, you need to determine where they should be kept. If you use them frequently, then the ideal place to store them is your art station.

Even if they are not used frequently, you should keep them in a place where you have easy access and can remember easily. That way, you won’t have to search high and low for your pencils if you feel like doing a bit of drawing and coloring.

Usage Of Colored Pencils

Besides proper storage, you need to use your colored pencils carefully, or else they may get misplaced or lost. To avoid that, we would suggest that you pay some attention to the pencils when using them.

See to it that you take out only one or two pencils at a time from the pencil organizer. Likewise, make sure that you place them back into it once you are done with the project.

Also, you should only place the pencil back into the storage container to which it belongs and not some other place. You might find this easier to do if your boxes, jars, or bags are properly labeled.

How To Organize Colored Pencils Frequently Asked Questions ?

Can you use colored pencils on canvas?

Yes, you can use colored pencils on canvas, but not all colored pencils produce viable results when used on canvas. That’s why we’d suggest that you use oil-based pencils with harder cores.

Can you purchase individual colors if you misplace or lose a pencil?

The ability to buy individual colored pencils may vary from brand to brand. That is why it is best to consult the brand’s website to learn more about this aspect. On that note, you might find individual colored pencils, but they might not be from the same brand you require it to be.

How To Organize Colored Pencils Final Words

That is all we have to say about how to organize colored pencils. If you keep your art supplies in order, it will bring you a lot of satisfaction, not to mention the time it will save while working on an art project.

The best colored pencil brands like Prismacolor, Faber Castell, or Crayola use decent packaging right out of the box. And it is a good idea to retain the packaging boxes since they can make the organization process more convenient.

But it is fine if you want to use your own methods for this purpose, which is where you will find this guide helpful. And if you follow it correctly, you won’t need to worry about losing any of your colored pencils ever again.

Now it is time for us to wrap it up over here. Be sure to check out this space for any future updates.

Adios!

Besides coloring books and art projects, clay for sculpting is a unique way to develop your kids’ creative side.

Playing with clay improves hand-eye coordination, teaches play-based learning, and increases self-confidence. Adults can also take time out of their busy schedules to make funky and beautiful sculptures for relaxation.

However, selecting the right clay is critical, and the two best options among all clay types are air dry and polymer clay. In this guide, we have looked at the difference between polymer clay and air dry clay in detail so that you have more information while making sculptures.

What Is Modeling Clay?

Modeling clay comprises a group of malleable products that kids, hobbyists, art students, professionals, including animators and potters, use for sculpting. Among various modeling clays, air-dry clay is probably the most popular or preferred option.

Thanks to its soft and spongy composition, air-dry clay proves suitable for making sculptures and can be molded into any shape. Hence, it is a popular choice, particularly for children's toys and beginner’s art projects.

A sculpture or an art piece made using clay that air dries takes around 1-2 days to set, depending on how thick your art piece is. And once thoroughly air-dried, the clay has a porous texture, which makes it more resistant to breaking.

Another reason this clay is popular among artists is that it comes in many different colors, and you can even use acrylic paint for decorating it.

Pros And Cons Of Air Dry Modeling Clay

Pros

A. Easy To Use

Air-dry clay has a smooth texture and doesn’t need much kneading. You can easily mold, craft, and sculpt funky or unique designs with it on the go. Plus, there’s no need for sculpting tools if you know how to use it.

If it starts to dry as you work, spray a little water on it to make it smooth again. But make sure not to overdo it, as you may end up with cracks in the sculpture.

B. Non-Toxic

The most commonly used air-dry clays, including Jovi and Activa, are all-natural, paper-based, and non-toxic. So, using these will not put you at risk of developing rashes or allergies.

But the ingredients of an air-dry clay vary for different brands, and some contain gluten (like Crayola) which might cause allergic reactions depending on your medical history. Although air-dry clay is deemed safe for children above three years, keep a watchful eye to ensure they don’t put it in their mouths.

C. Best For Beginners

Irrespective of your skill level in sculpting or pottery, you can get started with this clay. Experiment with simple crafts like making air-drying clay earrings, bowls, pinch pots, or trinkets.

And if you want to improve your pottery skills - take a specialized course, read a book, or go online where you will find plenty of information related to air-dry clay.

Cons

A. Not Waterproof

Since air-dry clay is porous, it will eventually absorb water and deteriorate. Plus, sealing the clay won’t help much, as it merely slows down the process, so you can’t use it to make functional mugs, vases, or flower pots.

B. Flammable

When exposed to open fire, air-dry clay does not ignite but rather chars and turns to ash. That’s why making ashtrays with this clay is not a good idea.

C. Fragile

Delicate and small details like the ears and fingers of your dolls, flower petals, or other similar sculptures made with air-dry clay are fragile and break off easily. Even a careless touch of the finger can damage your sculpture.

What you can do is use armature, like wire for petals and fingers, or a sealant to make your project more durable and stronger.

What Is Polymer Clay?

Polymer clay is hardened modeling clay, known for its quality, simplicity, and versatility. The clay, made from Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), is simple to use and becomes malleable and soft once you begin sculpting.

After you’ve finished making your clay sculpture, you need to cure or bake it. The best part about it is you won’t need a professional kiln fire, as your home oven works just fine.

Polymer clay is available in several colors and you can use it to make anything, be it keychains, beads, figurines, jewelry pieces, and other sculptures.

Pros And Cons Of Polymer Clay

Pros

A. Doesn’t Dry

A unique blend of synthetic polymers goes into a polymer clay, so it doesn’t dry out, irrespective of how long you keep it outside. This makes it suitable for those who don’t like sculpting at a stretch and want flexibility while working on their project.

B. Repels Dust

You can leave your clay sculptures outside without worrying about them hardening or gathering a layer of dust. Polymer clay is dust-resistant to a degree, and your sculpture remains cleaner and brighter much longer.

It is also a big bonus for those who work on complex projects that can’t be protected or covered.

C. No Kiln Required

As already mentioned, polymer clays don’t need a kiln fire to harden, and a home oven works perfectly fine. Compared to other modeling clays that need to be heated at high temperatures before they are ready, polymer clay only needs temperatures between 265 and 276 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once polymer clay is fired up in an oven, its hardness is somewhere between air-dry and natural clay. Also, a properly heated polymer clay is slightly flexible even after it has hardened.

Cons

A. Need Sculpting Tools

Polymer clay is a bit tricky to work with compared to air-dry clay, and you might need specialized tools for sculpting. Although kneading and shaping polymer clay can be done by hand, tools like rubbing plates, press tools, clay cutters, and rollers are essential for detailing.

B. Not Safe For Children

Although it is unlikely to cause allergies in adults, this might not be the case with children. The clay polymers may not suit kids’ highly sensitive skin and could lead to rashes or redness.

Not to mention, kids tend to bite anything they find appealing, which you can’t afford with any form of clay, let alone polymer clay.

Modeling Clay Vs Polymer Clay Frequently Asked Questions ?

Can you mix polymer clay and air-dry clay?

Yes, you can, but it’s difficult for polymer clay to stick to absorbent surfaces like air-dry clay. Sometimes, you can just squeeze polymer clay over the latter.

How long does an air-dry clay last?

If you store air-dry clay properly, it can last a very long time. But for that we recommend wrapping the unused clay in a Ziploc or plastic bag before putting it in an airtight container.

Modeling Clay Vs Polymer Clay Final Verdict

When it comes to air drying clay vs polymer clay, which is a better choice for making sculptures? Our decision is in favor of polymer clay because it is more resistant to water, heat, or breaking, while offering greater flexibility when sculpting.

But for kids just learning the art of clay sculpting, they should start with air-dry clay. Polymer clay is a bit tricky to work with compared to air-dry clay, so you will need to enroll them in various courses or pottery classes available online.

The bottom line is to let kids have fun while making unique clay crafts!

If you are looking for the best clay for sculpting and the steps to making your own jewelry, look no further.

Everyone loves wearing stylish pieces of jewelry but making them is a satisfying form of art. Creating a personalized pair can be the next new hobby to tap into, and air-drying clay is the perfect medium to use.

Try your hand at making a few adorable, lightweight air dry clay earrings, and you'll find them easier to create than expected.

Clay Earring Making Process

Right off the bat, it is safe to say that making earrings out of clay is the easiest thing ever. It's beginner-friendly, does not require ovens or baking for long hours, and anyone can use the cutters to make the shapes. Most of the time, you'll have to smooth out and roll the air-dry clay with your hands.

Don't worry too much about getting them in the right shape when starting out. You should start with simple shapes such as round, rectangular, or square ones. Before starting, ensure all the materials and tools are prepared and ready for use when required.

Purchasing air-dry clay is the first step which is fairly simple since you can buy it in 2 lbs packets in stores. Approximately two pounds or one kilogram of air-dry clay should be enough to create 20 pairs of earrings.

Additionally, craft starter packs are available in local arts and craft stores which contain all the materials and tools required to make clay earrings. This will come in handy for anyone planning on making these earrings often.

However, they aren't cheap, so they might not be the right choice for one-time use. As an alternative, it's always possible to use household objects as tools and shape makers. Now, let’s take a quick look at the materials and tools required for making air-dry clay earrings.

Materials Required

Air-dry clay
Earring hooks
Jump ring
Acrylic paint

Tools Required

Clay rolling board
Clay rolling pin
Clay cutters
Craft pliers
Paintbrush
Shape cutters

Stepwise Guide To Making Air Drying Clay Earrings

Now that all the materials are acquired, you are ready to make custom handmade jewelry for yourself or friends and family. Here's the complete guide to making clay earrings using just a few steps.

1. Roughly Divide The Clay

If you are making clay earrings for the first time, it will help to find a sample earring of a similar size similar to the design you want to create. At the very least, they will eliminate the need to build from memory, and there will be a visual guide to help you construct earrings.

Begin by pinching off a small piece of the air-dry clay and placing the rest in an airtight bag, so it doesn't dry out. If you leave it exposed to air, it might become useless and will need to be thrown away. Dry clay for jewelry and accessories is an absolute disaster, and there's no way to construct a good-looking and durable piece from it.

2. Work With The Clay

Firstly, take the piece of clay between your fingers and press to loosen it, and roll it into a ball shape. Then, press down on the ball to get a somewhat flat round disc to create the basic shape of the round earrings.

At this point, make sure to keep the flat disc at a thickness of at least ¼ inches so that it does not break after drying. Circles and round shapes are what beginners start with, but you can try other shapes like teardrops if you are confident.

Incidentally, many people try to smooth out the imperfections and nit-pick about the size or structure for too long. Don't get us wrong, but that's not a huge problem because handmade pieces are not meant to appear perfect. Allow a few mistakes here and there, as that will add to the raw beauty of an air dry clay earring.

Apart from that, remember to always use a sharp pin to poke a hole in one corner of the flat disc. This hole will serve as the holding point, and jump rings or hooks will pass through it.

3. Keep The Clay Aside To Dry

Since there is no baking involved, the drying time may take longer than you’ve anticipated. It is by no mean an instant process, and some pieces do dry overnight because they have a larger mass. The smaller ones, like the very first air dry clay earrings you make, will take around four to five hours to dry completely.

At this point, the question arises, "How to harden modeling clay," and the answer is simple—just expose it to air. This is a characteristic of air dry clay, which is also the reason why it's a popular material in DIY projects.

Essentially, the clay that starts out as a darker gray color and eventually shifts to become whiter as it dries.

4. Paint The Clay Earrings

Now's the time to unleash your dormant creative side and paint one side of the flat disc clay earrings. This is the only part of the guide that doesn't have any rules because you can cover it with anything you like. We'll leave the fun part of making air dry clay earrings to you, but we suggest looking up basic designs that are quick to pull off.

For instance, the earrings can have stripes, flowers, leaves, polka dots, or a solid plain color. Usually, people make a matching pair, but you can bend the rules to create a unique print with variations for each earring.

Sometimes, the basics aren't enough to make a gorgeous pair of air dry clay earrings which leads us to glitter, stones, and other accessories that stick with glue. Dig into your craft supplies and search for size-appropriate gems for your new earrings. After the paint and accessories are all dried up, it's time to move to the next step.

5. Seal The Clay

Now, sealing the clay after drying and painting is a pretty important step because of its delicate nature. The material is brittle and porous after drying and can break easily upon contact; thus, we seal it with a binding agent.

For sealing, take some mod podge and mix it with water until it becomes a slurry. Using a paintbrush, apply a coat of this mixture over the finished earring and allow it to dry. The mod podge itself is available in various types like matte, gloss, sparkle, or stain finish, but you can add some glitter to jazz it up.

Make sure to follow this step to keep your precious handmade air dry clay earrings in good shape for a longer time.

6. Attach The Hooks

After the clay, paint, gems, and sealing coat are all dry; it's finally time to add the earring hook and jump rings to the disc. Using craft pliers, insert the attachments and secure them by twisting them, so they can stay firmly in place.

Next, add the hook portion to the rings, and you will have a brand-new pair of homemade air-dry clay earrings. If you are considering gifting these earrings to someone, we suggest placing them in a sheer bag with a card that contains personalized wishes.

Air Drying Clay Earrings Frequently Asked Questions?

Can I bake modeling clay?

First of all, you may not need to bake the clay at all if it is an air-drying type. As the name suggests, it can dry completely by getting exposed to air at a comfortable temperature. But, if you have a clay type that requires oven baking, it can be baked for ten minutes at 275 degrees Fahrenheit with ¼ inch thickness.

Coming back to the question, "Can you bake modeling clay?"—yes, you can if they are oven-baked ones.

What are some alternate tools to use?

It's alright to use anything you find in the house for a project as simple as this. Any cylindrical glass can act as a rolling pin, and old toys or icing nozzles can replace the cutter shapes. Also, you can use a table to flatten the clay pieces and use sharp tools like an X-Acto knife to materialize the shape.

Air Drying Clay Earrings Final Words

More than anything, you need to try creating air-dry clay earrings for the sheer enjoyment of the process. Grab a rolling pin and experiment with various shapes, and you'll have a dozen new pieces to add to your collection in no time.

Moreover, let the rough edges be because it does not have to look super finished with pristine smoothness. We’re hoping you enjoy making air dry clay earrings as much as we do. See you next time!

Colored pencils are some of the simplest coloring media to pick up and use in the world of fine art. Everyone who has ever learned how to write started with pencils, for one very simple reason: accessibility.

You can experiment with them wildly and even create photorealistic portraits with the right color pencils. But, before you leap into photorealism and all the wonders of fine art, you have to start at the basics. Don’t skip the basics - after all, you can’t learn how to run before knowing how to walk first.

Have your colored pencils ready, prepare to step into their marvelous world, and take your artistic skills to the next levels by mastering them.

Using Colored Pencils For Making Fine Art

1. Introduction To Colored Pencil Art

A. Sharpening Colored Pencils

What you must remember about colored pencils is to sharpen them regularly. A dull pencil won’t be nearly as effective at applying the techniques you are about to learn in the following sections.

Sharpened pencil points will enable you to modify the pressure you apply with each stroke to a greater degree. Moreover, the color they leave behind embeds itself more readily. With a fine point, lighter strokes are more easily visible and there are no chances of white streaks being left behind due to a dull tip.

Colored pencils are made out of wax or oil-based materials, which makes sharpening them an easy task. You can use an artist’s knife to sharpen your pencils’ tips, but do so with care, or else the tip may end up snapping off. Alternatively, the safer and often preferred method of sharpening colored pencils is to use a regular pencil sharpener.

B. Tip Hardness

You can find three distinct types of colored pencils based on tip hardness: soft, hard, and specialty colored pencils. The cores of soft pencils are made from wax or clay, while those of hard pencils are derived from oil-based materials. As for specialty colored pencils, their cores are derived from graphite, the same material used in regular ones.

Core hardness determines the fragility of a colored pencil. Soft colored pencils are prone to snapping easily, while it is much more difficult to break hard ones.

3. Colored Pencil Techniques

One thing that remains consistent in every colored pencil technique is uniformity. The aim of colored pencil techniques is to teach you how to keep your pencil strokes uniform, without varying pressure mid-stroke. Many artists often advise beginners to fill up entire pages with these exercises to further polish their skills.

There are three basic colored pencil techniques that will develop your muscle memory and improve your strokes while making art pieces. These double as shading techniques as well, making them invaluable to an artist’s repertoire.

A. Hatching

Hatching involves drawing short parallel lines going in the same direction. The goal is to maintain the distance and length between each line with minimal variation. You can use hatching to convey a specific kind of texture (skin, cloth etc.) as well.

B. Cross-Hatching

Cross-hatching is a series of hatchings overlaid on top of another, resulting in a crisscross pattern, hence the name. This technique is often used in art pieces to convey shadows and depth in an object, as well as textures. Cross-hatching is the bread-and-butter of colored pencil art.

C. Stippling

Think of stippling as hatching with dots. Stippling serves as an excellent warm-up exercise before you begin practicing your art. Being uniform is not as important here, as controlling the exact shape and size of a point while being fast is not easy.

D. Back And Forth Stroke

You can define this technique as hatching without lifting your pencil at all. It’s the universal technique, one that nearly everyone has used in their childhood. As someone looking to master colored pencils, you can use this technique to further increase your pressure control and uniformity.

Helpful Tips For Drawing With Colored Pencils

Now that you’re well-acquainted with the basic colored pencil techniques, here are a few points to consider throughout your journey to mastering the medium. These are basics that you can build your fine art around, as they remain important even after you’ve fully mastered the usage of colored pencils.

1. Consider Pencil Type

If you’re a complete beginner, you may be able to get away with using low-quality colored pencils. But, as you grow more proficient in the art, you will need to seek higher quality ones so that they provide the desired results.

Try to avoid low-quality pencils altogether, if at all possible. The kind of pencils you use will have a massive impact on the art you produce. If you are in it for the long haul, the comparatively steeper price point of the best colored pencil brands is well worth paying.

2. Paper Quality

Next comes paper quality and how a colored pencil point performs on it. To practice the basic techniques, you can use low quality paper without hesitation. In fact, some would even insist that you fill up dull sheets of paper with hatchings, cross-hatchings, and stippling as they directly improve your skill.

But, when it comes to creating finished artworks, always use high-grade paper. Now, you may be wondering what determines the quality of a paper. The answer is simple: the texture and tone of the paper.

A. Texture

More textured surfaces absorb more of the color from your pencils and vice versa. A rougher texture may limit your detailing capabilities at first, but once you adapt to it, the paper will help enhance your finished artwork.

The opposite is true when it comes to smoother paper. You’ll initially have an easier time detailing on a smooth paper but lose out on multiple color applications for more complex pieces.

B. Tone

White paper seems a no-brainer when approaching art, but you’ll be forced to use darker shades in order to convey depth. If you use a toned paper instead, you’ll be closer to both ends of the spectrum and have an easier time with highlights as well as shadows.

3. Practicing Pencil Pressure

The techniques mentioned in the previous section help you achieve a uniform stroke. To practice pencil pressure, you should start by varying how hard you press the tip of your colored pencil. By adjusting the pressure applied to the sheet of paper, you’ll have a higher degree of control over what color values you want to use.

Pencil pressure can make or break the depth of an artwork. Conveying lighter hues becomes much more difficult if your hand isn’t trained to uniformly apply pressure. The converse is also true, as a darker color would require a lot of constant effort from an untrained hand.

3. Blending Your Colors

Blending is the process of creating a seamless transition between two different color values. It’s done by overlaying one color on top of another in a slow, methodical manner. This process is crucial to painting in general, not just colored pencils.

There are plenty of ways to blend colored pencils, and each method gives a different look to the blended area. You can use kneaded erasers to erase the seam between colors, use colorless blender, apply the lighter color over the darker shade, carefully smudge multiple colors together- the list goes on.

Furthermore, you can opt to blend colors together at any point during the workflow. All you need to do is ensure that you don’t accidentally transpose the hues somewhere they don’t belong.

4. Layering Your Colors

Layering colors provides more depth to any artwork. Be it portraits or elaborate landscapes, the manner in which you distribute colors matters a lot to make your piece feel more natural.

In portraits, layering can often be difficult to achieve since the human face only has so many color variations. The shades you can work with are fewer and you will have to work intricately with shadows to create the necessary contrast, depending on the lighting setup.

Landscapes have enough variety in shades to not have as much of a problem. That said, a scene may lose all of its depth if the wrong values are chosen.

In either case, remaining vigilant is important to succeeding with your artwork.

5. Work Your Colors Up Slowly

Any lighting setup can be segregated into three parts: highlights, shadows, and midtones. Now, these parts have subcategories that work in tandem to create a natural, realistic artwork. But, initially, you must not worry about those aspects at all.

Lay out your colors one step at a time, after which you can begin refining your piece. With colored pencils in particular, you’ll be able to use the additional pressure control to further enhance these aspects of the work of art.

6. Stroke Direction Determines The Flow

Consider the drawing of a cylinder with winding lines going down its length. Note how it directs your eyes downwards, and it is all because of the stroke direction and where the lines taper off.

Stroke direction gives the viewer an idea of the form of an object. As an artist, your objective is to create an illusion of depth and bring a natural quality to a flat drawing. With a medium such as colored pencil, there’s a lot more freedom in expressing your flow with the way you shade objects.

Mastering this will make you a seasoned artist in no time.

7. Burnishing

When using a colored pencil, you may have noticed that it leaves behind white dots in the midst of the color. This happens when the ‘tooth’ of your paper pops out of the surface.

Burnishing is the process of pushing these teeth down and transforming your colored pencil artwork into a true painting. The irregularities disappear and your artwork is complete.

You can get specialized tools for burnishing to add a finishing touch to your artwork.

7. Detailing Is The Last Step

It’s a mistake a lot of beginners make, which is to concern themselves with the details from the get-go. If you start adding intricate details to your artwork right away, it’s a surefire way to end up with a difficult-to-fix mess later on.

The first step should always be to sketch, i.e. to plan ahead. It’s in this stage that you make the most changes and do most of the heavy lifting. Once you know what the finished artwork may look like, start applying flat colors, followed by lighting setups, blending, and refining.

Once you have your colors ready and figure out how light hits the subject, you can start detailing. It is the most time-consuming part of the drawing process, but by no means is it the most difficult. Develop your colors and values one step at a time, and before long, your artwork will appear gorgeous and full of life.

8. Remember To Be Patient

An important tip to remember is to be patient with your progress. It is said that an average person needs several hours of practice to master something. With a medium that demands a meticulous approach, like colored pencils, you should remain patient through the learning process. Learning how to organize colored pencils will also streamline the process.

It will take time before you start seeing leaps and bounds of improvement. But, all that hard work will be well worth the result.

How To Use Color Pencils Frequently Asked Questions ?

How do I make my colored pencil look more solid?

With colored pencils, heavy pencil pressure will create a more solid or brighter look.

If you’re overlaying the color on top of another, you may consider swapping to a different contrasting color that would achieve the same result. This is because the base color quickly blends with the one you lay over it.

What is the difference between blending and layering?

Layering is what you do at the beginning of a project, just after the sketch. Essentially, it is a color map of your artwork and conveys a sense of depth to the image.

Blending, on the other hand, is the refinement of all the colors you’ve applied in an artwork. It’s one of the last stages of your piece and it adds to the finer details of a drawing.

Mastering both is key to the success of any artwork, so it’s a good idea to practice them regularly.

How can I apply more layers to a finished colored pencil art?

You can use a small amount of solvent over your existing base layer to add multiple layers of color once it has dried. It has the added benefit of making your pencil artwork resemble paintings. To put it concisely, it is a fast tracked version of burnishing.

However, solvents can dissolve or fade the colors on your canvas. So, apply a light layer of it on your art to prevent it from causing any damage.

How To Use Color Pencils Conclusion

Simple to use, difficult to master: such is the way of colored pencils. We develop a natural affinity towards pencils because of our early experiences with them. Because of this, it always feels as if we’re covering known territory when using them.

However, it would be wise to not expect instant expertise with them. Like every field, colored pencil techniques demand time and patience from your end. It’s a gradual process, one that will eventually lead to a moment of epiphany when everything falls into place.

Art is a culmination of the artist’s experiences. The moment it clicks and you find that direction, you will become unstoppable.

Like our article? Checkout our next article on other topic such as, comparing size of dehumidifier for bathrooms to get a perfect balance. Dehumidifiers are helpful for artists who needs climate control to paint their way to excellence.

Tiles, artwork, paint for bathroom ceiling and walls - all these are imperative for giving the most functional room in the house a stylish makeover!

Yet bathrooms are often the most overlooked when it comes to interior design. And while most homeowners may not agree, designing and styling a bathroom plays a key role in making the house feel comfortable and relaxing.

Utilizing your bathroom wall space aesthetically further enhances the overall style of your house. Thankfully, the possibilities of doing so are endless, and you will find something that suits your tastes in the list below.

So, here’s how you could bring new life to your bathroom!

24 Unique Bathroom Design Inspirations

Level up your bathroom with these aesthetically pleasing designs and suggestions. From tiles and artworks to unique textures, these are sure to make your bathroom more pleasant.

1. Floor Designs That Lead Into Your Bathroom Wall

Line your bathroom floor with new tiles for a fresh look. Abstract or geometric, these will create a premium look that withstands wet conditions while being striking to behold. Use vibrant stone tiles and experiment with different colors and designs for a look unique to your bathroom.

2. Using Decorative Murals

Hand-painted murals will freshen up a typically dull bathroom layout. You can use stencils and paint brushes if you are not comfortable with free-hand painting just yet. The best thing about this method is that do-overs are easy and convenient.

So, show off your creative skills with hand-painted murals and give your bathroom a fresh look.

3. Using A Limited Color Palette

Color-coordinating every element of your bathroom will make it stand out in its own right. The curtains, shelves, wall and floor tiles, and artworks or murals can all be of a single color or two, channeling elegance out of simplicity.

4. Save Wall Space With Shelving Essentials

Shelves save space, give your bathroom a neat look, and are an interesting break from the monotonous bathroom layout. Coordinate colors, find designs that suit your fancy, and just go for it. With a spacious and aesthetically pleasing shelf, your bathroom will have the perfect addition to the otherwise boring wall tiles.

5. Bathroom Wall Tiles

Wall tiles come in all shapes and sizes. As far as color and textures are concerned, you can play around with them to your heart’s content.

Regardless of the color and design, tiles create a stylish and striking look for bathroom walls, and with the right color combinations, you add visual interest to your bathroom walls. Using the color wheel, you can find which colors complement each other the best and use them for interesting color and texture variations.

6. Unique Mirrors

Mirrors reflect the light around the bathroom and make the space look larger than it is. With the correct lighting setups, this can end up making your bathroom look brighter and more lively. Combined with an appropriate wall texture, these will prove to be a fantastic décor choice.

Note that bathroom mirrors are available in a myriad of designs and shapes. These will be a practical and fancy addition to the bathroom walls.

7. Bring About Visual Variation With Artwork

If hand-painting a mural is not your thing, check out some pre-made designs for your bathroom walls to bring their aesthetic appeal to a new level. Position it strategically so you can have a leisurely eye on the artwork while bathing.

Whether you choose painterly classics or abstract bursts of color, these will bring about a great change to your bathroom.

8. Use Different Designs For Each Of Your Bathroom Walls

Using complementary colors, you can create a unique bathroom design where the walls have different colors or textures across the board. You can make your bathroom truly uplifting and colorful with the right combinations.

9. Using Sliding Screen Doors

Prominent in Asian cultures, you can fit sliding doors to your bathroom to change the usual design formula. With sliding doors, you can stretch the designs on your bathroom walls onto the door screens for an effortlessly neat look.

10. Using A Combination Of Wallpaper And Tiles

Bathroom wallpapers have been increasingly popular in recent times. So, tile the wall where the chances of it being wet are high and use wallpapers to bring about a sophisticated look.

There are no limits to wallpaper designs. They add a unique visual flair to the bathroom without causing any worry about durability.

11. 3D Patterned Bathroom Wall Textures

You can use 3D patterned textures on the walls to bring a striking change to your bathroom walls. These can be softer or more prominent, as per your tastes.

12. Vary Your Bathroom Designs With Different Materials

By mixing natural materials with man-made ones, you can create a premium feel for your bathroom.

You have the freedom of creating harmony between different textures or going about a more plain but elegant look. The depth added by the texture and material variation is unmatched.

13. DIY A Slatted Wood Accent Wall

This is perhaps the easiest bathroom wall idea to DIY reliably. All you need is a few planks of wood and a nail gun to make an accent wall for a premium look.

14. Create A Contrast With Wainscoting

Painted or slatted, wainscoting can make your bathtub pop with an interesting use of texture and color. Wainscoting makes your bathroom feel more sophisticated, and when combined with wallpapers, it can lead to a very cohesive look.

15. Accentuate The Background With Paint

Combining dark-painted walls with bright bathroom tiles or vice versa will spruce up your bathroom like nothing else. A lot of people ask us, “Do you need special paint for bathrooms?”

While you can use paint for bathroom tiles, there’s more that you can do with them. Try experimenting with the colors and contrast them for striking results. Transform your bathroom into a spa with the right combination!

16. Experiment With Repeated Patterns

Human minds like repeating patterns. There’s a kind of satisfaction to them that we just can’t get enough of. Even with a monochrome palette, you can bring life to your bathroom walls by repeating the same pattern across the room.

By replicating the pattern on your bathroom wall on the shelves and ceramics, you’ll produce a result that pleases the mind.

17. Using Plants To Enliven Your Bathroom

Greenery can make your bathroom feel richer. Using bathroom-friendly plants has the added benefit of making the space feel more breathable.

So, hang up a few plants to instantly make your bathroom wall more lively. You can choose to dedicate a corner to them or spread them around the room.

18. Fill Up Empty Space With Monograms

Be it initials, elaborate symbols, or a single letter; a monogram can complement your bathroom wall textures with its simplicity. Contrast the details on your wall with the elegance of a monogram’s simplicity.

19. Recreate Stained Glass Paintings With Tiles

Another alternative to painted murals, you may use a pre-painted set of tiles that make up a beautiful painting once put together. The tiles can stand on their own with their unique textures and shapes. You can combine them with a mural for a truly artistic spin on a modern bathroom.

20. Personalize Your Bathroom With Wall Decals

A simple sticker can make all the difference. With custom bathroom wall decals, you can get rid of the empty space on your bathroom wall and bring forth a personal touch.

21. Tiled Accent Walls

The idea here is broadly the same as with slatted wood accent walls. The difference is that these are significantly tougher to DIY, and you will likely need professional help. A simple accent wall with interesting textures may be just what your bathroom needs to make it feel fresh.

22. LED Cabinet Mirror

A cabinet mirror hides away bathroom storage without taking up excess space. The mirror is lined with an LED ring light to enhance the designs on your walls as well, making it an ideal choice for your bathroom.

23. Something That’s Just Out There

Cover the whole room in cabinets, or line the walls with wine crates. You can opt to make your bathroom utterly wild in all the right ways with dramatic lighting setups and unconventional décor. Have your shower curtain on rails or make pixel art from bathroom wall tiles - let your creativity run loose!

24. Mixing It All Up

You can use some of these bathroom wall ideas, or you can use all of them. Have differently styled wall tiles and combine them with a painted backdrop, or you can use repeated textures with different color combinations. The great thing about bathroom wall designing is that you can experiment with them until it suits your taste.

Things To Keep In Mind With Bathroom Walls

The list of bathroom wall ideas is endless. You can scour Pinterest boards for hours and still find new ways to decorate your empty wall space.

But even with an inexhaustible supply of things to implement, there are a few things to consider when decorating your bathroom. The size and shape of your bathroom, usage, longevity, and design you're using, all play a crucial role in this.

Size Of The Bathroom

Depending on the size of your bathroom, using the ideas listed above may have differing challenges. Since most washrooms are smaller, the decorations should match accordingly. You wouldn’t want all the available space to be occupied by a single cabinet. As such, the space in a modern bathroom will define what kind of décor would suit it the best.

Storage

Minimizing clutter in a bathroom can be challenging since it's usually the smallest room in a house. As such, storage is an essential factor when it comes to bathroom designs. A mirror cabinet is always a great pick, as is an integrated storage unit.

Building the latter, though, is a more suitable way to save space in a bathroom. It's a fusion of style and function, after all.

Humidity And Moisture

Naturally, washrooms are wet and humid places. Modern bathrooms take this into account during the design process. It would be best to keep any decorative articles that cannot tolerate humidity out of your bathroom.

Lighting

The lighting makes all the difference when it comes to the appeal of a bathroom. Since bathroom tiles reflect light significantly, the best way to go about this would be the minimalist route. Small wall-mounted lamps will make a dramatic change to your bathroom décor.

Suitable Colorway

A defined color palette goes a long way in defining a bathroom's atmosphere. You may use a color wheel guide to pick the right tones and contrast them without compromising on the looks.

Colors inspire a certain kind of mood in people. Using the right colors, you can generate a relaxed atmosphere by mixing and matching different tones.

Experiment All You Want!

Trying out different combinations is all part of the fun. You can use bold patterns, uniquely shaped mirrors, a small photo gallery on an empty wall, framed windows, or go monochrome - the list goes on.

There is no reason why you mustn’t go wild with colors and design options! So, analyze the space of your bathroom and decorate it accordingly.

Ideas For Bathroom Walls Frequently Asked Questions ?

How can I make sure I have enough space for my ideal layout?

Consider consulting a professional to have your desired layout fit your bathroom. They will help you chalk out the path to your perfect bathroom décor.

If your bathroom is too small, chances are you’ll have to rethink the approach to the design. Sometimes, all you’ll have to do is swap a few things around to finalize it. If not, you may build storage units into your wall to save space for this purpose.

How can a bathroom design be future-proofed?

It's generally advised to incorporate practicality into your bathroom design, but doing so without compromising its style is where things get tricky.

The most crucial detail is to keep ample space to move around. Keeping the bathroom from feeling cramped is essential. You can add overhanging cabinets and use creative ways to hide storage (as in a mirror cabinet). Other design choices, such as sectioning off the shower completely, can add to the future-proofing aspect of a bathroom.

You may also use high-quality taps and shower faucets, so you won't have to worry about replacing them for a long time.

What are the best lighting setups for bathrooms?

Working in layers of lighting will get you the best results. Task lights are used for utility, such as above your bathroom mirror and sink.

Use ambient lights as overhead fixtures to create a calming atmosphere. Generally, these are overhead fixtures that bounce light off tiles and other reflective materials.

Moreover, with accent lights, you'll be able to highlight a particular area of your bathroom. Be it artwork, the bathtub, or the mirror; these will make the defining feature of the room pop even more.

On the other hand, decorative lights are smaller bulbs and pendant lights that add to a bathroom's overall look and feel. Hang these on your accent wall or simply across the ceiling to bring a dramatic shift to your bathroom's mood.

Be sure to use ample lights for the best results. It's wise not to overlook lighting since it can single-handedly define the mood and feel of your bathroom.

Ideas For Bathroom Walls Conclusion

The kind of décor you choose for the bathroom brings forth a part of your personality and gives it a visual flair that can’t be found elsewhere.

The easiest way to go about this is to dedicate a corner of your washroom space and hang paintings or plants to enliven the space. Add depth to it with vanity fixtures and proper lighting, throw in some tiles, and you’ll have your desired bathroom layout ready. So, get ready to make a statement with your bathroom with the ideas listed in this article.

However, no matter what you choose, it’s crucial to plan the changes ahead of time. With a professional's help, you can mix and match the efficiency and style quotient of your bathroom.

And before you know it, your dream bathroom will be ready for use!

Featuring a lightweight and compact design with a powerful built-in compressor, the BougeRV Portable AC is an option to consider for van life. Its adjustable dual outlet design and extendable hose give it a versatile quality, making it a feature-packed portable air conditioner for all situations.

The summer heat can quickly put a damper on all the fun of exploration when on a camping trip.

And since summer is the time to go out and explore, the heat can be quite uncomfortable. That’s where portable air conditioners can be quite useful, giving you and your party a nice cool breeze.

So, to see if it can help you stay cool and beat the heat, read my BougeRV Portable Air Conditioner Review!

BougeRV Portable Air Conditioner Review

BougeRV Portable Air Conditioner, 2899BTU Tent Air...

【Take and Go】: With an Ergonomic handle & compact air...
【Enjoy Cool in Summer】: Built-in the powerful Panasonic...

What I like

Lightweight and compact
Low noise levels
Touch-operated
Multiple operation modes

What I Don't Like

Not battery-operated

Design: Compact And Convenient

Featuring a compact stereo-like design, the BougeRV portable AC is meant to be carried around without any hassle. And the ergonomic handle atop the air conditioning unit further adds to its mobility. The air conditioner is longer than it is wide, making it fit easily in the boot space of any car without requiring extra space. And its low weight makes it even easier to carry.

This portable air conditioner is operated using a touch panel that is responsive and easy to use. You can switch between AC and thermostat modes instantaneously, and the same goes for the fan mode.

It comes in a yellow-and-black color scheme, which is not a color option often seen in air conditioners. You may use it as a cooling device in a Recreational Vehicle (RV), camper van, camping tent, and more.

Cooling Capabilities: Quick And Functional

Rated at 2899 BTUs, the BougeRV air conditioner has a high cooling capacity that can be activated through a touch-operated control panel.

In hindsight, it aims to be as powerful as your office or home air conditioners packaged in a small unit. Its powerful Panasonic compressor makes its operation pretty quiet in all modes. Plus, it can start cooling within 15 seconds of turning it on, which is quite fast.

The unit also comes with three fan speeds and a cooling mode that can reach temperatures between 60 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Its high air output rate, combined with the adjustable thermostat, allows the air conditioning unit to cool down spaces up to 54 square feet. That said since it is a small unit, larger spaces may take a while to have a cooling effect.

A prominent feature of this portable AC is its dual outlet design, with an inlet port on either side of the unit. The other port seen close to the inlet port is the outlet port, to which you have the option of connecting a vent hose. This allows you to extend the reach of what would otherwise have very little coverage area.

Much like a home air conditioner, the BougeRV air conditioner lets out warm air from the exhaust port while expelling cold air from the outlets. You can also adjust the angles of the dual exhaust ports, ranging from 30 to 180 degrees, in increments of 30. This allows the air conditioner to cool air in nearly all directions.

In typical camping tents, you can have the AC facing your direction, with the exhaust port allowing hot air out through the window.

Noise Levels

As for its driving noise level, the BougeRV portable air conditioner lets out around 45 dB of noise at its lowest fan speed. On a higher driving mode, it may reach up to 65 dBs, which is still relatively quiet.

I rarely noticed its whirring noise unless the environment was completely silent, which only happens at nighttime during a camping trip. During the day, it may not even be noticeable that the unit makes any sounds.

Outdoor Performance: Requires A Power Source

The BougeRV portable air conditioner is designed to be used outside as well as indoors. As such, it comes with features to handle any outdoor or indoor situation.

You may use it by connecting it to a number of different power sources without much trouble. And since it’s a 24V and 10 amp unit, the air conditioner uses very little power to bring the temperature down in your space. This makes the AC energy efficient, which is a critical feature for any outdoor portable model.

Additionally, the portable AC comes with a 360W AC adapter if you ever want to connect it to the power supply of your home. As such, it can be used in your patio and garden as well, giving it applications beyond camping trips and exploration.

Being a portable plug-in-and-run type of air conditioner, the BougeRV air conditioner requires no setup or installation. It works much like a home air conditioner, with the sole difference being the unit works in an outdoor setting. Thus, this portable unit can work for several hours, as long as it has access to a power source.

There is a slight caveat to its small size and portable design, which is its lack of an electrical battery for off-grid use. Since it is not a battery-operated AC, you will have to find a wall outlet to power it from. This can be a bit troubling if you don’t have a portable power station or battery pack while you’re out camping.

Price: Premium Range

Like the BougeRV portable refrigerator, the BougeRV is a premium product for all the features that it comes with. Its price competes with other portable air conditioners like the Zero Breeze Mark II, albeit without a few key features. The feature-packed BougeRV is a decently hefty investment.

That said, the high build quality and cooling volume provide the desired returns on investment.

Verdict

If you’re a frequent camper, you may look at the BougeRV Portable Air Conditioner as a dedicated cooling device for camping. Its 2899 BTU rating may seem a little low at first glance but has sufficient cooling power for smaller spaces.

With its dual outlet design, the air conditioner can cover many directions without issues. Its vents can be adjusted to a large degree, and it features outlet hose support to extend its fast cooling effect.

Its compact size, low weight, and long handlebar lean into its use as an outdoor cooling device. The BougeRV portable AC was designed with several settings in mind, and it functions sufficiently in them.

To sum up all the information, the BougeRV portable air conditioner will perform well in most scenarios, so long as it has access to power.

Nothing takes the wind out of your creative sails like finding that your sculpting clay has hardened to unusability. But solutions like clay softeners can help the best clay for sculpting become limber and ready to use again.

Besides, there are many other simple ways to make your hard clay soft again, such as using plasticizers and fresh clay. Even if it has become rock-solid, the clay can be rejuvenated for use again. The point of no return with clay is quite far, and it can be revived to pristine condition in most cases. So, dive in to know about them!

Squish Test To Gauge The Stiffness Of The Clay

Before anything else, it’s important to check the stiffness of the clay so that you can employ the right technique to soften it. And here’s an easy way to do that.

Squeeze your polymer clay between your palms to check if it’s still somewhat squishable. The clay can still be restored if edges can be worked with. Being still a ways away from the point of no return, you can try a few things to revive it to its former glory using some of the methods mentioned below. Just ensure that the method you use is compatible with the material your clay is made of.

But if the clay feels as stiff as a brick, the chances of revival are slimmer. Nevertheless, you can still try to work with it.

How To Soften Modeling Clay?

Clay softeners are perhaps the easiest and most accessible option to bring your polymer clay back to a perfect working condition. But it is far from being the only way to restore the softness of polymer clay.

In the following sections, you'll find several ways to make your modeling clay usable again.

1. Using Clay Softeners

Clay softeners come in both solid and liquid varieties and should be added to the clay once it has been warmed a little.

Add a few drops of liquid clay softener (like the Sculpey clay softener) or a small piece of solid clay softener to your warm clay: one part softener to five parts of clay. Knead until your polymer clay has reached the desired consistency.

Something to remember while using a clay softener is that it dilutes the color of the clay it is applied to. If you wish to retain the color of the clay, limit the amount of softeners added. Alternatively, you can mix in colors meant for clay to have it retain its vibrance.

2. Using A Rubber Mallet

If the clay you're working with is not rock-hard, you can use a hammer to smash it until it starts to move again. Throw your clay in a zip-lock plastic bag and put in a little bit of elbow grease. You can also add a small amount of fresh clay to make it work.

Remember that your clay will break into pieces if it is too hard. So, warming it up before using a mallet is preferable, as it reduces the chances of the clay being brittle.

3. Using A Food Processor

Chop up your hard polymer clay into small bits, chuck it into a food processor, add a softening agent (like petroleum jelly) and blend away. The blades of your food processor will work the softening agent into the clay, softening it and making the pieces usable again. Use the blender in short bursts to effectively have the softening agent do all the magic.

Take the pieces out of your food processor and knead them together. The clay should be usable again.

4. Mixing With Fresh Clay

You can also mix fresh, soft polymer clay with hard clay. Like softening agents, these can cause the color of your clay to fade. Hence, try to ensure that the fresh clay is of the same color as the hardened one.

5. Using Heat

You can simply use your body heat, which is surprisingly effective in softening modeling clay. But this will only work if the clay isn't too hard.

You can also use a hot water bottle for this purpose. However, ensure that the clay doesn't become too hot, or it will harden even further.

Once warmed up, knead the clay with your hands until it is of the desired consistency again.

6. Using A Conditioning Machine

You can use a conditioning machine if the clay is slightly hard. A conditioning machine compresses the clay to make it limber, smoother, and workable again. Pasta machines will work just as well, as they flatten the clay and release the air trapped in it. You can use the pasta machine repeatedly to create layers of clay of your desired thickness, which is ideal for making handcrafted materials.

On the other hand, moderately hard polymer clay can be softened by working it well enough.

Why Does Modeling Clay Become Hard?

Many factors contribute to modeling clay hardening. For instance, polymer clay contains plasticizers that make it limber. Over time, it loses these substances, causing them to become Other reasons for old polymer clay becoming hard is being left out in the heat for too long and aging. If stored in a warm place, the clay bakes and may not be salvageable anymore.

Drying up is also a common reason for hard clay. If stored long enough, the clay will eventually harden and need restoration.

The Troubles Of Working With Hard Clay

Once hardened, clay will be tough to work with, as it becomes brittle and begins to affect the overall quality of the project. Even if you manage to sculpt something, there will be cracks and deformities on the surface of the sculpture once it’s baked.

This will, in turn, affect its durability, but that is not the only problem. Firstly, you'll need more effort to model and condition the clay, which will cause undue hand fatigue or strain. The clay won't bend and shift quickly, no matter how much effort you put in.

The Different Kinds Of Modeling Clay

Clay can be broadly classified into four categories: polymer clay, air dry clay, natural clay, and oil-based clay. When it comes to modeling vs polymer clay for sculpting projects, the former, along with air dry clay are the most common kinds of clay. Natural clay is used to make ceramic products, while oil-based clay is favored for its malleability.

Each of these clays behave differently when dried and require various methods for revival once hardened. Oil-based clays react to mineral oils the best when softening, while air dry and polymer clays can be made limber with softening agents.

Air Drying Clay Vs Polymer Clay

When it comes to air drying clay vs polymer clay, there are a few key differences you may want to be aware of. Polymer clay is generally more favorable to work with since it won't dry as quickly, nor will it become brittle upon drying. Air dry clay is a mixture of glue and clay that air dries, while polymer clay needs to be baked due to its plastic base.

As far as the revival process is concerned, air dry clay can often be restored with water, while polymer clay must have its plasticizers replenished for it to become limber again. The degree to which either can be restored is different, and each method has a unique effect on the type of clay.

How To Soften Polymer Clay That Has Aged?

Polymer clay can last a long while, so clay that has aged enough to be rock-solid is something of a rarity. Nevertheless, it can be restored to a usable condition fairly easily with the use of plasticizers.

Using Plasticizers

Polymer clay contains plasticizers that keep it soft. And over time, the clay will lose enough of their plasticizers to make it rock-solid. Hence, adding them back to it will make your polymer clay workable again. In this regard, mineral oils and baby oils are some of the more common plasticizers that you can find on the market.

Kneading some mineral oil or baby oil into your hardened clay will gradually soften it up. However, if you mix too much of these oils into the polymer clay, you’ll end up with a blob that cannot be sculpted with.

Hardened Natural Clay

Unlike polymer clay, natural earth clay can be restored relatively easily. It will take a lot of time to fully revive, but the result is well worth the effort.

Reviving Natural Clay

With this method, you will be able to reuse your hardened earth clay within a day or two. For this, you’ll need a bag of clay, a large bucket, mortar and pestle or hammer, water and a container to store the clay slurry in.

Break the stiff clay into small pieces and grind it down using mortar and pestle. Mix the powdered clay in water and make a slurry out of it. Ensure the sludge is not too diluted, as it can become difficult to manage afterwards. Leave it out to dry until the clay has regained its malleability.

Stiffening Polymer Clay

Working with polymer clay that is too soft can be a mess. Likewise, it can be difficult to shape if it is too sticky or slimy. This happens if there is an abundance of moisture in the environment or if the weather is too warm.

Since polymer clay consists of plastic, warming it up softens it considerably. Hence, the first solution to making it stiff again is to cool it down by putting it in the refrigerator for some time. Alternatively, let the clay sit in a cool room. If it does not make the clay workable again, you can move on to a different solution.

Another option you could try is to mix fresh polymer clay in the hardened batch. This will even out the excess moisture, reducing the sliminess to a considerable degree. Make sure to use an ample amount of fresh polymer clay; otherwise, the stickiness will linger in the mixed clay.

The last resort would be to squeeze the excess moisture out of your polymer clay. To do so, flatten the clay and sandwich it between two sheets of paper. Place a heavy object on top and leave it for a few hours. The paper should absorb the surplus fluids from your clay, making it stiff enough to be worked with again.

However, keep in mind that removing too much moisture from your clay can make it brittle and unfit for use. It would be advisable to be careful while using this method.

How To Make Modeling Clay Soft Again Frequently Asked Questions ?

Can clay be revived if it has hardened completely?

If you’re working with polymer clay, you can try using solid and liquid clay softeners or plasticizers to restore it. To restore air drying clay, you may use water and heat to revive it.

Though it takes a long time, clay can harden to the point of no-return. Hence, we’d suggest keeping your expectations tempered when working with old clay.

Can a microwave be used to restore dry clay?

Yes, a microwave oven can be used to heat up hard polymer clay. Use the oven in short 10-second bursts until the clay can be kneaded with your hands. Do so until you get the desired consistency.

Since you’ll be essentially heating up plastic when heating the clay, let fresh air into your microwave afterwards. This will help remove the harmful chemicals from the oven.

Can you use lotion as a softening agent?

You can use lotions to help knead the clay, but they don’t generally contain plasticizing oils, which is why they won’t do much to soften the clay. It would be better to use mineral or baby oil instead.

How effective of a clay softener is olive oil?

Olive oil, when used in moderation, can be pretty effective. A few drops of olive oil will be enough to make the clay malleable. Knead it in properly and it should be good to go.

How To Make Modeling Clay Soft Again Conclusion

No matter the kind of clay you use, the process of restoration is nearly always universal. It all comes down to the composition of the clay, which is what determines how one can make it usable again.

For amateurs and professionals, polymer clay is an ideal clay for sculpting and artifact creation. It lasts for a long time and can be worked with even after it has aged a bit. Owing to its contents, the clay can be restored to its former glory with no troubles.

This guide has listed a few of the ways to restore your clay to working condition again. You can experiment with the methods detailed here and see what works the best for your needs.

The ways to make an air conditioner more energy efficient are several, involving steps like ductwork upgrades and ceiling fan installations. However, simple steps like regular maintenance and keeping curtains closed matter more in the long run to save money on utility bills.

Air conditioners can consume a lot of energy, and during the summer heat, your electricity bills can shoot up high enough to cause worry.

Luckily, there are several easy tips and tricks that you can perform to improve your air conditioner efficiency and reduce the financial load. These range from maintenance and servicing to simple lifestyle changes.

So, let’s take a look at a few ways to improve your air conditioner efficiency and save up on energy expenses.

12 Air Conditioner Efficiency Tips To Reduce Energy Bills

1. Have Your Air Conditioner Serviced

Air conditioner units have several complex parts that make them work, and if any of them are faulty, it can lead to higher energy consumption. There’s nothing worse than the air conditioner malfunctioning during a heat wave in summer months, and a poorly serviced AC will be prone to working incorrectly.

Be sure to make regular service calls for air conditioner repairs or cleaning air filters. The frequency of this needn’t be more than once a year, and by having your AC serviced, you will see a marked improvement in its performance. A well-performing air conditioner will consume just enough power to cool your room without any signs of slowing down.

2. Outdoor AC Unit Maintenance

It’s important to note that the outdoor unit for split ACs requires just as much attention as the indoor unit. Having the outdoor unit cleaned can add years to the lifespan of the home appliance while improving its efficiency as well.

Additionally, the area surrounding an outdoor unit can have trees and debris blocking the vent, which can lead to a host of issues. Keeping this area clear will help your air conditioner unit work properly. Simply rake away the shrubbery and dust once a few weeks, and you’re done.

This is a step exclusive to larger air conditioners such as wall-hung or mini-split air conditioners. By virtue of including all the functional components in a single unit, portable air conditioners require no outdoor units and thus, require no outdoor maintenance.

3. Insulate Your Walls And Attic

Insulation can do wonders for the efficiency of your portable air conditioner by helping to trap cold air during summer. Once the air inside a room remains cool, the air conditioner doesn’t have to consume as much power to keep it cool. And considering the fact that ACs consume the most power during summers, insulation can help reduce energy bills.

Not only that, but insulation is also beneficial for trapping warm air during winters with no warm air escaping outside. There are no real downsides to insulating your walls and attic.

4. Upgrade Your Ductwork

Central air conditioning systems use a network of ducts to keep the whole house cool. If the ductwork of such air conditioners is exposed, the cold air inside them can quickly become warm before it reaches the desired room. This can render the whole point of a central air conditioning system moot.

Insulating your ductwork can help mitigate this issue, making your air conditioning system more cost-effective. This can bring a big difference in the energy bills you receive during the summer.

5. Invest In A Smart Thermostat

Smart thermostats are a great way to reduce your overall air conditioning costs and save up on your electricity bill. These allow you to program schedules for your AC, as well as set it to turn on or off when the room reaches a certain temperature. When you’re away, the programmable thermostat can sense it and signal the air conditioner to either ease up on the cooling or turn it off.

Thermostats have been a part of regular households for quite a while, but many people neglect to adjust their thermostats during hot weather. All too often, thermostats are left at the lowest possible temperature setting, which causes them to run continuously. This issue is completely resolved by using a programmable thermostat after a one-time setting adjustment.

6. Keep The Curtains Closed

The warmth from direct sunlight can reduce how effectively an air conditioner cools a room down. The fact that blocking the sun can help cool the room down is something that may fly under people’s radars.

Optimizing your ambient temperature by limiting the sunlight is as simple as drawing your curtains, window blinds, and solar screens. This will have your home cool down significantly more quickly, and consequently, your air conditioner will not have to work as hard.

7. Avoid Using Heat-Inducing Appliances

Cooking stoves, ovens, dishwashers, and the like produce a lot of heat, which can reduce the effectiveness of your air conditioner. The air conditioner has to compensate for the added heat and consumes more power as a result, adding to your cooling costs. Moreover, running these devices during the day will wear out your AC even further.

It’s always best to schedule your use of such heat-producing devices so that they are in use when the temperature is not as high. This will reduce the workload on your AC system, improving the performance and energy conservation in the process.

8. Invest In Ceiling And Portable Fans

With a ceiling fan in the room, an air conditioner doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain airflow. Once your air conditioner has cooled your room down, consider turning it off and using a ceiling fan instead. Or, if you have a portable air conditioner, you can switch to its fan mode as well.

Along with portable fans, ceiling fans consume less energy, saving up to 40% of the air conditioning bill. The only real caveat with portable fans is that you have to worry about positioning them well.

Tip

When installing a smart ceiling fan, it’s important to ensure that the blades are angled to push air downwards. There’s no use for a fan that throws air upwards and away from the user, is there?

9. Planting Trees Around Your House

The principle behind using trees for your home is similar to that of curtains in that they block a lot of warmth produced by direct sunlight. The only difference is, trees are of a larger scale than curtains.

If you have an attic, there are very few ways of keeping the crawlspace from becoming the warmest part of your home. Of course, this makes trees a permanent solution to this problem, providing your attic with much-needed shade and blocking out the UV rays.

It’s important to remember that you won’t see immediate benefits in your energy bill, as trees are very much a long-term solution. According to the United States Department of Energy, trees can improve the efficiency of your air conditioner by up to 10%, which is a sizable amount.

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Consider planting birch or red maple trees, should you opt to use this as your solution. These provide enough shade to cover a good portion of your home, making them a viable long-term solution.

10. Correctly Place Your Thermostat

Thermostat placement can be the deciding factor in how well your Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, or HVAC system works. By placing it on the right wall in your home, you can make sure that the cooling system doesn’t activate too frequently or too sparsely.

For instance, if you place the thermostat on a wall that receives heat through factors like solar exposure, the battery-powered AC will turn on frequently. On the other hand, if the device is placed somewhere that remains constantly cold, the thermostat may not turn the AC on when needed.

To make sure neither of these instances occurs, you may place the thermostat on a centralized wall that is a few paces away from the windows.

11. Close Off Leakage Points

Cold air can leak through openings left in your home, no matter how small. The biggest culprits of this issue are cracks and openings in doors and windows, allowing cool air to escape through. Additionally, the foundations of your home, where the meeting point of brick and siding is, can cause cool air to leak.

The best way to ensure there are no leaking points is to have a professional perform an energy audit. These audits will give you a complete picture of the state of the home and its energy efficiency, giving you room for optimization. Consider using caulk or similar sealant to close off these leakage points.

12. Pick The Correct AC Size

If you’re looking to purchase a new air conditioning unit, choosing one that is sized correctly can save money on utility bills. An AC unit that is too small for a room will have to work harder to maintain its temperature. On the other hand, a cooling unit that is too large will consume too much power to condition the space properly.

You can gauge if your future AC is of the right size or not by looking at its BTU (British Thermal Unit) rating. Every AC receives a BTU rating that increases by a factor of 20 for every square foot of living space. A 2,000 BTU air conditioner can cool a space of 100 square feet well, while larger rooms can require more than 20,000 BTUs.

The rating also increases with the size and weight of the air conditioning unit, in addition to the size of the room. Thus, the energy consumption of larger air conditioners increases as well. The energy consumption also varies based on the height of the ceiling, solar exposure, and heat-producing appliances in the room. You can look at the energy star rating for gauging energy consumption as well.

Conclusion

There is virtually no end to how you can optimize your air conditioner's energy consumption. The ones listed above are just a few of the simple ones, and if you’re up for it, you can opt for more involved steps. Installing solar panels is one such intricate step for energy-efficient use.

In most cases, the smaller and less intricate options are all that matter. These small steps add up and eventually, you’ll be looking at energy savings in the thousands of dollars. It’s all just a matter of keeping up these small habits. Balancing comfort with cost-effectiveness is always a wise step, and you can save money by starting with the air conditioner.

If you found this guide insightful, consider checking out our review of the Zero Breeze Mark II portable air conditioner.

When it comes to the best clay for sculpting, many people prefer to side with modeling clay.

Both children and adults like this flexible material as they can make fun sculptures out of it. And the popularity of the clay has led companies to introduce various types of modeling clays catering to different age groups.

Most associate modeling clay with its pliability, which is preferred for children as they are able to reuse it to make new things every day. But, that might not be true for someone who wants to preserve their project.

That's why today we're here to discuss whether you can bake modeling clay. We hope this guide will help you in figuring out if modeling clay would be the best for your projects.

Can You Bake Modeling Clays Of All Types?

One of the things you need to know before purchasing any modeling clay is that all variants can't be baked or hardened. The most common colorful kids modeling clays available on the market are meant to be reused, so they can't be baked. They usually have an oil-based formula that prevents the material from drying out.

Having said that, there are options available that allow you to either bake or air dry them to make the clays non-pliable. A popular option is polymer-based clays, which are preferred by artists and sculptors. The projects made using polymer clay can be baked as per instructions provided by brands to harden them within minutes.

Another alternative is air-dry modeling clays. After creating a project, you need to let it sit for a period of 24-48 hours, during which the moisture will dissipate to harden the clay.

At times, packaging for modeling clays can be vague, and brands don't mention whether they can be hardened. Before making the purchase, check the package to see if it mentions drying or baking.

We also want to point out that it isn't a good idea to try clays that don't explicitly mention the baking process. Doing this can be especially hazardous when the material contains toxic compounds. If in doubt, check out the recommendations of professional modeling clay artists about which modeling clay would be best for preserving projects.

Two Ways To Harden Modeling Clay

Even though you may not be able to harden modeling clay by baking, you can try other techniques. These would require you to get a few extra things, but they are a handy and economical way to harden projects made from modeling clay.

1. Use A Polymer Clay Sealer

A polymer clay sealer is one of the best ways to harden modeling clay figures to preserve them for a long time. You just need to brush the sealer on your project and wait for it to dry. The sealer would make the project much less pliable than before, but be careful while handling your sculptures as they may get damaged if you apply too much pressure.

2. Dip Them In Resin

Do you love making tiny knick-knacks or jewelry using modeling clay? If yes, dip your models in a layer of quick-drying resin to make them non-pliable.

All you need to do is get a pack of quick-drying resin and mix it according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then, carefully dip the items into the resin and put them on a dust-free surface. Wait for them to dry, and the resin should create a transparent, waterproof coating over the modeling clay.

Remember to be careful when using resin, as some can be toxic. Always follow safety precautions and never involve children while working on resin projects. The good thing is that resin becomes non-toxic after curing and doesn't react with your modeling clay pieces.

How To Bake Modeling Clay Items?

Make sure to get a modeling clay that can be hardened by baking in an oven. Usually, the package of such clays will provide you with detailed instructions related to the temperature and duration needed to bake the sculptures until they are completely hardened.

Some brands even create video tutorials of the procedure to make the process simple for you. The general rule is that the clay items should be baked at a lower temperature, and the drying time would depend on their thickness. Most sculptors agree that when in doubt, you should bake the items for a bit longer for them to harden fully.

Here are the detailed steps based on the basic instructions provided by modeling clay brands:

A. Preheat The Oven

The first step is always to preheat the oven as per the baking instructions provided by a brand. In case you decide to combine clays from different brands, use a lower baking temperature out of the two instructed temperatures to prevent overbaking the sculptures.

B. Prepare The Baking Surface

Based on the different methods we studied, most brands recommend using an aluminum foil-covered metal cookie sheet as the baking surface for modeling clay items. You may also try to use other materials like parchment paper, but make sure it doesn't have artificial colors as they may seep into your projects.

C. Provide Support To The Pieces

Want some pieces to harden in an upright position? Use rolled-up pieces of aluminum foil to prop them up to prevent the pieces from toppling. Sculptors even prefer to use oven-safe glass and ceramic pieces as support for fragile items that may fail to remain upright.

D. Baking The Items

This step is pretty simple, as all you need to do is put the pieces into the oven and wait for them to bake for the specified duration. Most brands recommend baking clay items for 15 minutes, but you may need to wait a couple of more minutes for thicker pieces. You can also choose to glaze or paint the pieces before baking.

Remember not to open the oven immediately after the baking time is over, and let the pieces cool down before checking on them. If you feel that the sculpture isn't fully hardened, re-bake it for 10 more minutes.

E. Dunk Pieces In Ice Water

While going through the different methods used by polymer clay artists, we found that some prefer to dunk their pieces in ice water right out of the oven. They believe it helps prevent thermal shock and makes the pieces shinier. But, this step is completely optional, and you may skip it if you're a beginner.

For the process, sculptors usually take out the clay pieces as soon as the baking time is over. Then, they use a pair of tongs to place the pieces in a freshly prepared ice bath. The pieces should be completely submerged in water, and the bath should last for no more than 30 seconds.

Can You Bake Modeling Clay Frequently Asked Questions?

Can you bake air-dry modeling clay?

Even though air-dry clay isn't supposed to be hardened in the oven, some advanced sculptors still prefer to do it to reduce the drying time. However, the baking temperature should be less than 175°F to prevent the clay from overbaking. And make sure to leave the oven door open to let the moisture in the clay escape.

What’s the difference between sculpting clay and modeling clay?

In strict terms, modeling clays aren't meant to be baked or hardened. On the other hand, sculpting clays are nothing but natural air-dry clays that harden when exposed to air. If you're looking forward to preserving your clay projects, try using beginner sculpting clay that can be suitable for everything from sculptures to pottery items.

Can modeling clay melt in the oven?

No, most modeling clays, including polymer clays, shouldn't melt in the oven, but the modeling clays of the plasticine variant may melt due to the oils present in them. So, before purchasing any modeling clay for permanent projects, ensure it's free from the plasticine compound.

Can You Bake Modeling Clay Final Words

That's everything we have to tell you for now. We hope that all the details on how to harden modeling clay will help you create long-lasting craft pieces.

As you might have noticed, the best method to have non-pliable, hardened modeling clay items is to choose the right clay. So, spend time researching different types of clay to pick one that suits your crafting projects.

Until next time, take care, and goodbye!

Lacking space at home is a dilemma that most owners may face especially when there is simply no option of building an additional room and while others have attics to a use for storage, the use of under stairs have become a popular choice for the ones that do not. It is an ideal and ingenious way of utilizing the spare space under the stairs, not to mention a lovely addition inside a home. If the need arises for any additional storage at home and if the space under your stairs may be available than here are some clever and attractive under stair storage designs that you will surely find inspiring.

Free Under Stair Storage

1. Simple and classic cabinet design

Under stair storage can be as simple as having compartments that can fit items to be stored. These compartments can be concealed by cabinet doors that fit the shape of the under stairs. Even with plain white paint these useful under stair storages can be just as lovely and useful as any customized cabinets.

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2. Storing shoes and jackets in style

Having immense drawers able to slide outwards and unravel an immense collection of jackets and shoes would be insanely practical, how do you see it ?

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3. Storage and reading nook for kids and adults

Storage areas do not need to be boring or less attractive. This under stair storage design hits two birds with one stone- having an area that can be used for storage and a reading area inside the home. This idea is a great way of maximizing all the space while complementing the whole interior design of a home.

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4. Easier access to home cleaning equipment storage

Not all homes have proper storage areas big enough to hold large cleaning equipment and materials. This under stair storage can hold big cleaning items inside a home and still have space for other cleaning items. The storage is also very discreet, making it perfect for people who do not want to let anyone else see where the cleaning items are.

5. Under stair storage rack for convenience and style

Storage areas under stairs can go for drawers but having draw out racks can also be an option especially for people who want to have more than drawers and/or compartments for under stair storage, people that need this area as an open display to showcase various items. This is also a lovely change and a way to revamp for those who already have an under stair storage.

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6. Under stair cupboard for the rainy days

The kitchen is not the only place where cupboards can be found, under stair storage is also a perfect place to store food and keep the stash for the rainy days in a safe and accessible place.

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7. Wine and beverage storage under the stairs

Wine storage inside a home may not be always an option especially with restricted home space. Having this wine and beverage storage is genius and can be an amazing part of any home that guests will truly envy.

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8. Under stair storage for the fresh produce

Under stair storages are mostly used for items that can be seasonal but it is also great for items that are used every day. With clean, white and mold free interior and spacious shelves, this can be the perfect storage for fresh produce and other dry foods used for everyday meals.

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9. No drawer no problem

Drawers are very common way of designing a storage, but it is not always the most practical option. Having just shelves can be a great alternative to having drawers. These shelves make use of all spaces and the woven baskets add as lovely and useful decoration for the under stair storage.

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10. Personal locker for each member of the home

This under stair storage design is perfect for people who want to organize personal items as much as possible. It gives enough space for each individual and can hold items that are used every day. A grab-and-go design that is perfect for a busy household.

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11. Multi-purpose and clever under stair storage

While drawers, shelves, and cabinets are common under stair storage, combining these three and adding more function to the under stair storage is just as lovely. This idea for under stair storage with TV rack gives more space for other furniture and also have space for other decorations at home. This is perfect for apartments or homes that have small living rooms.

12. Maximizing work and storage space

There are homeowners who would want to have their own space as an office or work area. When space is limited, using the under stair space can be a wise and beautiful option. It adds aother functional area of a home and more storage area for important items. The idea is also stunning even with its limited space.

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13. Elegant under stair bookshelf for the bookworms

Creating a library may not be possible for most homes and having bookshelves can take up space that can be used for other items or furniture inside a home. Using the under stair is a perfect use of spare space and have a mini library at home. The under stair bookshelf can be filled with more than enough books and magazines for any bookworms.

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14. Lovely display of memories and storage for knick knacks

There are some decorations and little displays that define a home and give a personal touch. The under stair can be a perfect place to place these photos, personal knick knacks and decorations. Adding small drawers gives more room for storage of items that are needed inside the home.

15. Not-your-typical pet home

Pet sleeping areas may also take some space. Though this is not a typical storage idea, this is unique and gives space to pets. It is a perfect way to keep pets tucked in while keeping the whole home in order.

16. Simple pull out storage for fragile items

Fragile items at home, such as plates and bowls, can easily be stored inside the under stair pull out storage. The storage is strong enough to hold fragile items and big enough to have space on multiple layers for numerous items. The setup also looks modern and can be a great addition inside a home.

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17. Perfect shelf for a reading corner

Most of the time, spaces under the stairs are not used or left empty and do not necessarily look appealing for the rest of the interior design. Creating shelves and storage or compartments under the stairs where books and other small items can be placed allows it to look more attractive. Add cozy chairs and the under stair storage becomes a perfect backdrop for a reading corner.

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18. Open under stair compartments for seasonal items

Having a place for seasonal items that can be accessed easily and in an organized manner can be done by having under stair storage. The compartments are big enough to hold items big and small. This type of storage also creates a discreet space where items can be pulled out anytime when needed or in season.

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While the simple designs may not be extraordinary solutions they are insanely useful and they will definitely make your everyday life easier. What do you think about them and how do you use the under stair storage ? We would love to hear from you !

The forest is not just the usual definition of a large space of tree signifying the untamed beauty and power of nature. Because this sublime beauty of a forest holds the secrets of time and the evolution of beings that were there when no humans existed.

But have that time really passed into oblivion or are the mysterious woods really that uninhabited? Or, are they actually doorways to the realm of unimaginable wonders?

Artists have actively sought to capture this enigmatic forest aura in numerous art forms since time immemorial, but not a single depiction seems to have failed to amaze us. The developments of the digital art mediums have redefined the effects depicting the forest environment, opening up an enormous scope for stunning new designs!

And if you’re looking to create just the thing, then your search ends here! Because we have brought you a list of 51 breathtaking ideas for the enigmatic forest concepts for your art!

So sit back and go through what we have to tell you about them all!

Forest Concept Art

The Forest of Tree-dwellers

The concept of houses made in the trees is usually a pretty fun thing to think about, probably connecting us to our childhood memories. However, over here the idea is to create a forest that is entirely consisted of cottages built on trees. The structures look like a bit inspired by the Japanese art style. The digital work lays the foundation of an unusual rural setting beautifully with the world of the rest of the forest inhabitants.

Image via artstation.com

Of the Mythical Beings

The mystical forest of the untamed forces manifests to those who feel their presence with the deepest emotions of love and reverence for their abode. The forest draws you in and makes you a part of itself revealing its wonders to you. The feeling is probably that of fear initially which gives way to an awe-inspiring, yet at the same time, a humbling experience. To depict this takes for one to play with varying depths of colors and incredible layout pattern.

Image via Tumblr

Forest Lights

To depict the enchanting lights in a darker sylvan environment, a scheme of darker colors should be allowed to unfold naturally on a layout that accentuates the levels of saturation showing the variations for these tones. Once you’ve created the layout, etching out the positioning, the figures are going to be fairly easy. The formation of lights will take a bit of patience and experimentation with positions and proportions.

Image via Pinterest

Tunnel-vision of the green

A forest done in absolute green tones could stand for many things- the good, the beautiful or dangerous elements. A streamlined vision of the path winding through such a place could evoke the most profound sense of mystery if done using just the correctly balanced-out color palette. Complimentary earthy tones will emphasize the natural hues of the forest making an incredible overall visual impact. The order for light-to-dark tones will depend on the symmetrical positioning of the spaces in the scene.

Image via Pinterest

Snow-toned

A snowy forest with medieval elements could be a tad bit tricky to manage than most natural scapes. The colors to balance out the natural white tones can be tough but with little understanding of the cool and neutral-toned palette is going to help you immensely in creating the snowy forest. Natural depths of gray and blues contrasted with the warmth of the morning colors(since it isn’t night) is just what you need in the right proportions to fill up the many layers of this particular scene.

Image via artstation

The sun-filtered forest

The effects of sunlight filtering through the dense foliage and dropping to the forest-floor in strands of brilliantly green gold can absolutely hypnotize the eye and captivate the heart. The play of stunning greens and gold tones set against a more darker, and somewhat “haunting” setup of ominous looking forest realm will bring about the kind of balance that the world would rarely have witnessed. This balance is the true magic line that divides the spheres of mystique and drab reality.

Image via creativeuncut

Earth and warm-toned primal forest

The earthy colors to paint an old and primitive forest require a well-studied and thought-out approach with the overall design and layout. The fundamental structure of the forest will provide you with an idea of the saturation levels of the colors. This decides the effect that the darker and the lighter tones will create. The setting depends entirely on what order you follow with the varying color intensities. The positioning of the trees will give a decisive touch to the element of mystery in such a setting.

Image via blogspot

Watercolor effects to draw a forest mystical

One of the most attractive creations in the department of enigmatic forest creations is that of the watercolor effect that you could easily achieve using the digital art medium. The effects that the blend of such colors will provide can give you all the scopes of developing further on the theme of enigma and mystery to accentuate the visual impact of the scene. The elements of magic in this image will depend significantly on the proportions of the object depicted. That is what is going to tell the story.

Image deviantart

An unusual forest village

The secret village of mysterious beings in an equally enigmatic forest setting that can be one of the most stunning ideas for cryptic forest concept art. The mystery of the inhabitants further intensifies with the effect of the green, swampy setting that is lighted up with this beautiful colony that looks not of this world. The brilliance of the layout is coded in the color scheme and an idea that follows the division of the realms of the humans from that of those who aren’t.

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The secret forest temple

The legend of the secret temple hidden deep within the recesses of the primitive forest evokes the kind of primal sense of fear mixed with a sublime feeling of absolute awe in the wake of the magnanimity of the structures and the history of the beings that constructed it. The human amidst this is a foreigner, but they will respect his feelings, expecting the same for him. The forest is not his territory and to portray this in art will take more than just the dead-set rules and expected plan of action.

Image via conceptartworld

The Darker Forest Ground

The darker parts of the jungle would no doubt pose a challenge for the artist. The color scheme for these areas should be panned out on the kind of layout that allows you to coordinate them with the natural tone of the jungle. The immediate requirement to create such a design is a technique of comparing the levels of saturation and contrast between the naturally darker tones of the forest. The cohesive element for the structure is contained within the calculated dimensions of the layout itself.

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The Futuristic Forest World

Next up we have an image that immediately strikes us being pretty futuristic-almost like a prediction of how our familiar world will change in the upcoming times. This kind of a forest setting almost displays the intrusion of something foreign into the area of something that used to be uninhibited, wild and raw in essence. The proliferating alien colonies in the forest look breathtakingly beautiful and yet at the same time present a viciously fearful setting that might just spell doom for the rest of the human race.

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Blue Horizon

The experimentation with the calmest hue in the color spectrum for creating the mysterious forest concept could give you simply spectacular results. If you’re trying to define a multilevel forest structure that also demarcates a border between the entrance or familiar grounds of the forest and a deeper level that marks the beginning of a more mysterious realm, this kind of a blue color scheme that mixes seamlessly with every tone of gree, could work wonders for your creation.

Image via deviantart

The solitary forest waterfall

The lonely waterfall in the dark recesses of the forest stands to be enigmatic is its sheer origin. It could be the visiting grounds for god knows what kind of creature, but at the same time it looks hauntingly beautiful is whichever way you want to look at it. The structure and the proportions of the overall design are almost set ablaze with the beauty of the tiniest ray of glimmering daylight that is sparked off the water intensifying the mysterious aura of the setting even more.

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The mutant forest

The setting for the otherworldly mutant forest setting almost reminds you of something straight out of a Lovecraft or Stephen King book. Trees like no normal forest trees rooting around huge glowing orbs monstrously can draw the unsuspecting wandering in, closing off the exits to this perpetual maze, ending all hopes for the human figure all at once. This eldritch setting could be depicted fantastically well if you laid out a calculated pattern for the overall structure. As long as you get the pattern right, the color scheme is not going to pose much of a problem.

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The Secret of The Snowy Forest

Although we have previously discussed the techniques which you could use to get a snowy forest, this one could be a challenge to the artist, owing to the textural variations. The image is undoubtedly created on a digital platform but the textures achieved are those of acrylics and oil paints. This could be easily achieved with the modulation and manipulation of the textural settings on whatever software you’re using.This balance between the cool and warmer tones accentuating the darker tones and impressionistic touches for the scene is the key factor creating this visual enigma.

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The Ultimate Gothic Forest Setting

The Gothic forest is probably the most beautiful and stunningly spectacular setting when it comes to enigmatic concept art for forests. If you have the just the perfect play of colors going on with the natural dark forest tones, then this is a concept you can seldom go wrong with. The gigantic figure of the weeping angel that you do see in the image is the focal point on the picture with the ultimate enigma being the presence of the burning lantern in her hand regarding the origin of it.

Who lights it every day in the forest? What does the relic signify? All of the lives of the inhabitants of this forest seem to be going around it, and it almost seems like a protective figure to them for that reason.

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The Hermit’s Cottage

The solitary cottage in the dark depths of the forest is one of the widely popular themes for the enigmatic forest setting. The literal sense of fear that it might evoke on the mind is the feeling that this image seems to stand for. The color scheme is evidently all dark for this one, the real deal with this is the kind of layout you have to decide on for the environment surrounding the structure. If it is placed towards the mouth of the forest, it’s not gonna be that impactful. To signify the dark recesses of the forest to signify the location will require a more controlled way of depicting the colors, for instance, the forest mists and the green glow of the creek.

Image via deviantart

The fun treehouse in the woods

We have already discussed one of the enigmatic concepts regarding treehouses earlier. This is a more relaxed and a more traditional depiction of our familiar treehouse. This one actually carries a fun tone and is not that serious in the kind of visual impact it creates. This is why it gives you a certain degree of freedom when it comes to playing with the colors than the rigidity found in traditional layouts and schemes. The residence of the unknown inhabitant of this forest is surrounded by an almost “fairy-tale”-ish aura that makes a wonderful overall visage.

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The Forest Nymph

The Nymph of the sylvan world is an incredibly beautiful figure that holds her reign over numerous legends, stories, and lores. The forest of this spirit-figure is as her beautiful as she is. Although there can be a wide range of interpretation regarding the nature of the figure, this kind of an image creates a mystery that further deepens with an equally enigmatic silhouette of the “seeker” going towards the nymph. The color is kept in a surreal texture that easily mesmerizes the eye, and the entire scope is warped a bit inwards to accentuate the “zen”-like feeling evoked by the setting.

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The mystical fireflies

The depiction of the fireflies in the forest is the traditional depiction of a mysterious setting that is depicted in an endless number of fanarts. The play of colors can be kept to just the very basic that won’t require much experimentation on your part if you want to keep it simple. However, placing the dots to create the fireflies could be something that you have to be aware of, especially at places you want to throw in a bit of sun-rays for that matter. The saturation of the dot colors should stand out boldly against your forest setting, accentuating the enigmatic leading pathways inside the forest.

Image via conceptartworld

Depicting forest animals

The animals of the forest could be a challenge as it requires for you to portray both the essential beauty and spirit of the forest as well as the vital energy of the life forms that inhabit this beautiful realm. The proportions and dimensions of such a forest scape should no doubt be a sprawling one that sustains the life forms and majestically displays them in their natural situations to the human eye. The structural cohesion and integrity will require for you to invest the major part of your focus to details of the overall form and design.

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The grandeur of the forest temple

The image of the lost temple in the forest that could be viewed from atop a hill or a plateau is a famous concept for enigmatic forest art. This structure that seems to belong to the Mayans or the Incas is depicted as being situated near a huge waterfall deep into the jungle. The tribal designs and patterns for the jungle are of the utmost importance when etching out such a design. The epic design and the grandeur of the whole scene will depend on how well you position the different structures and the pathways to the temple through the forest as well as the overall view of it.

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The cabin in the snowy woods

The image of the lonely cabin in a clearing surrounded by deep, lush forest areas in a winter setting evokes an incredibly serene and calm feeling. The mountain range coupled with the snowy white visage on a lonely knight stirs up a deep sense of romantic mysticism in the heart. But, the only element of utter shock in the entire picture is the splintering of the ice grounds on which it stands without no visible boundary separating it from the waterbody.

The uncomplicated color pattern for this could be brought about beautifully, especially using digital software which can give you any sort of texture for portraying the beauty of the setting.

Image via behance

Surrealistic magnificence

The utter beauty of the surrealistic forest setting captivates the eye in a way that no other art form can. The vivid colors contrasting the glowing effects can pan out stunningly, given that you grasp the requirements of the overall layout which may be tricky to understand, especially because of the mystical, otherworldly figures you’re supposed to represent. This mysterious forest is unlike any other and has an unstoppable brilliance that pervades into the sensual realm of whoever beholds the scene.

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The Glowing Forest Waterworks!

The depiction of lively, cheerful, brooks and creeks cascading through the upturns and features of the forest and merging into great fall, can make anyone give up on the drab human existence in the city and become a prisoner of its beauty for the rest of their lives. The depiction of this setting of marvelous beauty, complemented by jutting, imposing features, going up to the sky, showcase a unique balance between the elements of nature. The only thing about this one is the positioning of these features and the control that you have to exercise to depict the waterways.

Image via deviantart

The Silhouettes of The Forest

This image is one of the simplest one to recreate or develop upon. Unlike the intricate layers of textures that generally go on to create an elaborate forest setting, this kind of a layout is going to give all the scope etching out a brilliant image for an enigmatic forest image. The simple dark layers forming the silhouettes are accentuated by the vivid red veins that mark the tree branches pooling out into a glaring forest pathway that guides the curious wanderer deeper into its realm. The entire thing is set against a beautiful tone of green background that intensifies the riddle for us.

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28.The forest of the Titans

This is a unique concept of the forest that can evoke raw feelings of fear and awe in equal measures when transcribed in visual art. The titanic, earthbound, frighteningly humanoid relic structure with their palms outstretched and glimmering in a single strand of sun ray and set against a colossal cascade is something that creates a haunting the atmosphere for every human eye.

You may only think that the only beings that can fearlessly tread this ground are the mysteriously glowing figures of the mystical beings, but there might be so much more for the mind to explore. The challenge lies in sketching the intricate pathways that connect the almost tipping boulders that form this realm.

Image via kotaku

The Impressionistic Touch

The great thing about digital art media is the numerous kinds of textures that one could create when it comes to depicting natural scapes. The variations in the colors and tone that you could achieve from the default slots as well as customize upon is literally endless in this. What we have over here is an impressionist rendition of a beautiful forest area depicting spring colors in full bloom. The touches for creating the texture specifically create an intense, romantic feeling that tugs at your imagination and makes you want to be the lonely wandering figure inching towards their idealistic quest.

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The Forest of the Wendigo

Well, whether the Wendigo is just an urban legend that keeps campers from sleeping, we cannot tell, neither can we say that the lonely traveler has ever had the ill-fate of coming across one. But what we can say is that the awesome concept of this monster figure can create a spectacularly haunting forest atmosphere. The key factor to set the scene is the subtle depiction of the monster figure-only the silhouette-coming out of the dark forest at night to meet the lonely camper. It is taller than the trees.

The only popping visual in this entire setting is the vividly colored tent and the silhouette of the camper inside, ignorant of his fate. This play of silhouettes is what sets the story for the sequence and the setting.

Image via vk

Down the Forest River

The forest river is a fantastic concept for depicting the real mysterious realm of the forest. The green aura of the atmosphere reveals a rare tone of the color when it hits the light, reflecting back off the surface of the water. And this is exactly what you have to reveal when you go for the concept. The character that is sailing down the river is the cohesive element for all of the elements of the scene to come together in unison, irking the curiosity of the viewer. The statistics for the layout is extremely essential to create this kind of an image.

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Arthur's Eden

King Arthur’s destiny was set in the stone from which he had pulled out the Excalibur. But the concept of the riddling circumstances amidst which he became the ultimate Knight figure has been repeatedly projected in art since the birth of the legend itself, portrayed in a million different styles, toggling between traditional and digital art forms. The enigmatic forest setting with the Sword in the Stone, waiting silently for its claimant is an exceptionally charged emotional visage for an enchanting forest concept.

Image via visualart

Classic digital forest lights

There are numerous stunning ways to depict forest lights and mystical forest realms using the digital art media. The layouts for creating such spectacular designs are fairly uncomplicated. The only thing that is required is a deft hand at layering up and controlling the saturation levels of the colors.

The scene can be given a surrealistic touch by changing the dimensions and proportions of the setting, which could include warping, manipulating the structure and modulating the tonal variations. The silhouettes of characters provide a depth to the scene, intensifying the mystery of the setting.

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Forest Joojoos

As had been discussed earlier, the depiction of mythical characters and figures require an understanding of the kind of aura that you are aiming to create in relation to the nature of the beings you want to create. Rather than looking like vicious creatures emerging from the dark, “joojoos” can look pretty adorable and in all possibilities, can turn out to be the “good guys” if you obeyed the rules of their forest realm.

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Acrylic strokes on digital media

Acrylic strokes or oil-paints effects are one of the coolest effects to work with when you want to etch out nature sketch in the digital medium. This provides a free play of all kinds of brush strokes available by default in the software, or you can customize your own strokes for that matter. It also provides an excellent scope for experimentation with natural colors bends for trees or foliage in general. The mix of color attained by this medium is truly remarkable.

Image via deviantart

The kingdom of the forest spirits

To portray an entire kingdom and civilization of the unnamed beings of the forests takes for one to decode the complexity of the structural layout. The grandeur achieved in the style, form and the overall structure of each of the elements in the scene can only be replicated when the artist can exercise complete control over the handling of the cohesive factors while depicting such an epic concept in color. The only simple factor in the entire concept is probably the color scheme, but that too needs to be manipulated according to the requirements of the tone and atmosphere of the setting.

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The Enchanted Forest!

The mystical environment of the enchanted forest lit up with the floating, glowing orbs and specks creates an absolutely hypnotic environment for the human eye and soul. The mystery of the entire setting deepens when the question regarding the nature of the tiny “winged-beings” who can be glimpsed through the dark foliage is questioned. The magnificence of this setting is expressed with carved monoliths with beautiful haunting designs and the presence of the unaware human forms on the horizon of the boundaries.

The depiction of the entire setting runs on an extremely intricate layout devised on meticulous calculations of the tiniest details. This could the most spectacular challenge for any artist.

Image deviantart

Where the elemental force abounds

To etch out the true spirit of a realm that is controlled entirely by the raw, elemental forces staying in mutual harmony with the mortal beasts of the place is the highest form of art. One has to understand the fact that it isn’t just the depiction of the animals, trees, rocks or the immediately comprehensible facets of the setting that holds the central place. What essentially matters in such a setting is the vital balance of the auras belonging to both the worldly and the otherworldly elements residing in the forest, that is reflected in the astonishing, powerful visual impact created by the image.

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The Revolt of the Monstrous Roots

The theme of the evil or monstrous trees is an incredibly popular theme that is depicted in literature and art of all forms alike that include both textual and visual representations found in books, movies, and stills. The mysterious forest path going through the glowing, slimy green trunks of gigantic trees creates an aura of suspense and doom. The portrayal of the human figures has been made to look tiny, being drawn in by sheer curiosity to this vicious form, which seals the fate for them and sets the tone of story for us.

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The heart of the forest

The fascinating thing about portraying the structure of trees in any kind of art medium (be it traditional or digital) is that you could give it your own interpretations expressed through all kinds of forms and designs. What we have here is an epic structure of trees in the forest that looks like a gateway to a different world against an electrifying shade of neon light blue. This natural portal beckons the protagonist of the story deep into the mystical world of heavens know what residing on the other side to it.

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The Forest Cove

Following the unusual fairy lights through the deep recesses of the mystical woods, the solitary wanderer finds a gigantic cove exuding a shocking blue glow that is reflected off the turquoise waterway in the forest. The setting is eerily beautiful even with the ominous sense of foreboding in the human mind regarding the nature of whatever lies in the cove. This perfect balance of dynamically powerful feelings that are evoked upon witnessing such a scene spells the level of grandeur of the concept itself.

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Lively Greens!

A forest done in resplendent, radiant shades of green provide the artist with two main benefits- first, the scope to experiment enormously with the natural colors and textures of the wood; and second, the ease to confidently set the aura of the atmosphere as they work on it. To accentuate the mysticism of such a structure, the artist can play with proportions by adding the element of mysterious creatures and the draw out a layout of immense dimensional difference between the figures and the forest.

Image via pgntree

Setting the position of the view

Positioning the view for the onlooker's eye is unquestionably the most significant aspect of any art piece, especially for a visual still in both traditional and digital forms. The present image of a lotus fall cascading through a forest opens up the view from a lower angle in the foreground that focuses on the effect of the texture of water and the elements in it, rather than the epic fall in the background itself, that is placed in relation to what we immediately see when we see the image.

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Playing with single colors and monochromatic textures

The experimentations with single colors for a natural scape fundamentally requires for the artist to be extremely well-read and skilled in playing with textures as well as the saturation and opacity of the chosen color. The portion done in a brilliantly or shockingly bright color looks twice a much beautiful against a black and white setting than a piece that consists of several things going on with bright lights.

To add a sense of awe, over here the gold color has been used to depict the human and the supernatural figure going at it. The visual drama is created with proficient handling of controlling the levels of saturation of the colors.

Image via twitter

The theme of the relic in the forest

A popular style of depicting a riddling setting of a forest or solitary mountain range is adding the element of a seemingly strange structure-a relic that apparently hints at the presence of a similarly unknown civilization that had lived in the past or may still be dwelling in the recesses of this realm. The requirement for portraying this well lies in the positioning of the relic in the forest and the positioning of the view that will emphasize the aura of this enigma for the viewer.

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The roof of the hut in the forest

This present image somewhat adds a contemporary touch to it, in the sense that it is almost photographic and interprets the significant portion of the theme through just a slice of personal space, like that of a small part of the interior of a forest-dweller’s home. The immediate effect and question created are about the origin and ownership of this place. Who lives here? The atmosphere of suspense intensifies with the depiction of a lush, untamed growth of forest foliage on the bamboo roof of this makeshift place.

Image via Pinterest

Guardian of the Forest

The figure of the ultimate guardian spirit of the forest is one that demands the portrayal of all other elements of the image to be in a perfectly cohesive structure around it. It’s almost like a build-up where each of the elements of the forest is created in a way that anticipates a final mega and ultimate expression in the figure of the guardian spirit. This can be a breathtaking forest visage concept that works entirely and solely on the factor of extreme control exercised while creating the overall setting.

Image via heartit

Miyazaki’s Forest!

For those acquainted with the brilliance Hayao Miyazaki’s and Studio Ghibli’s creations have probably tried to depict Princess Mononoke’s realm and put Totoro and No-Face from “Spirited Away” in it! But nevertheless, this is one concept that stands to be one of the greatest forms of inspiration for creating the forest realm of riddles since its creation. But the icing on the cake for this one? Of course, the adorable figures of the forest spirit beckoning you towards their home!

Image via Pinterest

The Ethereal Glow of the Sublime Forest Realm

Portraying the true forest atmosphere is indeed one of the daunting tasks when it comes to the enigmatic forest concept art factor. Apart from the importance of moderating the textures of the scene in the appropriate levels, the tonal changes and variations of the colors should be in accordance with the emotions that you’re trying to depict. The solitary human figure stands for the myriad emotions that anyone would feel on witnessing the utter magnificence of such a place.

Image via Pinterest

The doorway in the forest

The portal to a world beyond that which you know reveals itself to those who can feel the power of the forest entirely with their own power of true emotions. The lonely wanderer or the forest dweller might catch a glimpse of the residents of that other world and the sparkling glory of their visage from a distance, but they know that that is sacred ground and obeys the rules of the forest. The depiction seems to express the harmonious existence of these two worlds and the mutual respect that their residents have for each other.

Image via Pinterest

In unconventional colors

An enigmatic forest setting can be depicted in a spectacular way using unique colors and textures. The variations of the colors and the balance that is achieved between the play of colors and textural cohesion owing to the manipulation of the saturation of hues in the different layers is the fundamental aspect of the image that the artist should focus on. The mythical feature of the centaur glimpsed poised on in the setting evokes a haunting sense of mystery and the yearning towards getting acquainted with that sort of preternatural beauty.

Image via Tumblr

Conclusion

So that was what we think are some of the most stunning ideas for a mysterious forest art concept. We did try to decode the techniques for you to learn up on them more. We hope you liked our efforts.

Till next time!

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It is common knowledge that art is subjective, and people have varying preferences regarding it.

While some prefer traditional oil paintings, others might find modern art more appealing. And digital art is one of the newest types of art that are quickly becoming popular. Originally known as new media art or computer art, digital art includes all types of art produced using computers, software, and other electronic devices.

There are several reasons why digital art is so popular, the main one being that it is more economically viable than traditional art. Also, unlike traditional art, it is possible to correct mistakes easily in digital art.

But digital art itself can be divided into several types of art, and if you’re interested in this field, learning about the various types can be highly beneficial. That’s why we’ve decided to put together this guide on the different types of digital art.

So, check it out now!

Different Types Of Digital Art

Digital art can be classified into two broad categories, regular digital art created using art software and a graphics tablet and art created using Artificial Intelligence. Both styles of digital art include several techniques, so let’s look at the regular types of digital art before moving on to the methods that use AI.

1. 3D Digital Painting And 3D Sculpting

One of the most popular types of digital art is 3D painting, an extension of 2D printing and closely related to sculpting. In this art form, artists apply various textures, paints, and shading to 3D models to create realistic and lifelike representations of people and objects. Leading animation studios such as Pixar generally use this art technique, and even Japanese studios like Studio Ghibli have shifted from 2D to 3D painting.

3D digital painting can be used to create realistic or stylized characters, while 3D sculpting allows artists to manipulate the created object, unlike traditional sculpting. This makes this art form especially suited for animation, as such objects and characters can be easily created before placing them in a scene.

2. 3D Modeling

While many people are confused between 3D sculpting and 3D modeling, both are distinct from each other. 3D modeling involves creating points in a digital 3D canvas similar to vector art, between which various planes and lines are created using a software.

These planes are grouped together to form a mesh, and it is this mesh that the artist manipulates to create objects. Also, this mesh can be animated, which is how 3D characters are animated.

3D modeling is used to create graphics for all modern games and to create special effects in TV shows, movies, and architectural mockups. The most popular 3D modeling software includes Blender, Maya, and 3DS Max.

3. Matte Painting

Matte painting is similar to standard digital painting but also incorporates the use of 3D modeling and photography for creating photorealistic environments and landscapes. This type of digital art is commonly used for movies where a realistic background is needed but may be unavailable in real life or may be too expensive.

It involves creating backgrounds that blend seamlessly with the scene through the use of photographs, 3D modeling, and digital painting. Matte painting allows movies to have breathtaking scenes that look fantastic while still retaining an element of realism.

This technique is also closely related to photo manipulation, as both forms utilize similar techniques and serve a similar purpose. Both involve the use of photographs, 3D modeling, and digital painting, but photomanipulation is more commonly used for character design.

4. Structured Drawing

Structured drawing is a digital art style that involves creating art pieces using mathematically described strokes and shapes. This means that it results in the creation of vector art instead of raster art that can be scaled easily without any loss of detail.

While traditionally structured drawing can be done using just a mouse and keyboard, modern software developed for the purpose can easily mimic various line drawing tools. This means that hardware like pressure-sensitive drawing tablets can be used for the purpose effectively.

Structured drawing generally results in an art style that leans closely towards graphic design instead of traditional painting. Also, there are software especially suited for structured drawings, such as Inkscape, Adobe Illustrator, Gravit Designer, and Affinity Draw.

5. Pixel Art

Pixel art makes use of tiny basic shapes to create highly intricate images and, in modern times, is associated closely with the gaming industry.

But it did not originate as a form of digital art, as the famous Spanish artist Salvador Dali often used pixel art in his traditional art pieces. And after that, it was first used in the creation of assets and sprites for early computer games since it did not require a lot of memory.

That is also the reason why this art form is often referred to as 8-bit art. Pixel art can be used to create simplified and highly realistic pieces and is fairly easy to animate. Almost all mobile video games use pixel art at some level. Due to these reasons, it was one of the first types of digital art used for both private and commercial purposes.

Pixel art may be classified into isometric and non-isometric and is usually created using dedicated software like Krita or Pixen.

6. Voxel Art

While many people have heard of pixel art, voxel art is not that well-known, even though both techniques are quite similar. Instead of relying on square pixels, voxel art involves transforming the pixels into cubes which are used to create images in a 3D space. The process most closely resembles building objects using Lego bricks.

Due to its nature, the software available for voxel art is quite limited when compared to those available for pixel art. While pixel art can be created using almost any image editing software, voxel art requires specialized software like Blender. Other dedicated software available for this art style include MagicaVoxel, and there are even some free-to-use options available.

7. Isometric Art

Isometric art is quite similar to voxel art, but the major difference is that the viewing angle is restricted to 30 degrees. This means you can view three sides of the object or character created using this art style. Isometric art first appeared when architects and engineers used it for technical illustrations.

However, it has become popular for many other purposes and is often used on various websites and smartphone applications. Isometric art is also known as isometric projection and is used by artists to create the illusion of three-dimensionality in a two-dimensional space.

While it is possible to replicate this process using 3D applications, it is generally done using an isometric grid through structured drawing programs like Affinity Designer and Adobe Illustrator.

8. Digital Photography

Digital photography is among the most revolutionary changes in the world of photography and is an important form of digital art. Unlike traditional cameras, digital ones do not require the use of film, which effectively removes the limits on how many images and videos can be captured. Additionally, a digital camera can filter, zoom, and manipulate images in multiple ways.

But digital photography is more than just taking photos of objects; the real work comes after the photos have been taken. Photos taken using digital cameras can be easily transferred to your computer and can then be edited. And software like Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop play an important role in digital photography for editing images to make them more appealing.

Such software is also used to enhance images by adding and removing elements as required.

9. Vector Painting

Besides being a common image format, vector is a term used to describe a form of digital art. It involves using geometrical formulas to capture the various shapes and lines that make up an image. Vector art usually uses features like grouping, embossing, flipping, adding or removing transparency, and others through different vector art software.

The biggest reason for the popularity of vector art is that vector art pieces can be resized as needed without affecting their sharpness. This means that an image can be made infinitely larger, and there won’t be any pixelation issues to worry about. That is also why artwork like logos is generally created using this digital art.

Apart from being resizable, vector art can be generated multiple times without any loss in resolution and can even be edited by conveniently adding and removing elements like color. Due to this reason, many digital artists convert their artwork into vector images, which is why vector art is a popular element of graphic design.

10. 2D Animation

Traditional 2D animation is an important form of digital art that creates the illusion of movement in two-dimensional art pieces and is used in almost all cartoons and games. 2D animation can be categorized into skeletal-based and frame-based animation.

Frame-based 2D animation involves drawing objects or characters multiple times, and each drawing is known as a frame. Each frame is slightly different from the previous one, and the illusion of movement is created when all the frames are played continuously sequence-wise. Generally, one second of animation requires 24 frames, which makes it a very tedious process.

To overcome this problem, skeletal-based animation was developed, in which the object to be animated is divided into different parts. The various parts are assigned bones, which can be moved individually as required, making the animation process easier. However, this makes the animation appear more artificial.

11. Raster Painting

In simplest terms, raster painting can be said to be the complete opposite of vector painting, and raster is also a commonly used image format. This art form is known as grid painting or bitmap and comes the closest to traditional art done on a canvas. Similar to traditional canvas art, lines and colors are registered individually, pixel by pixel, on the computer screen.

Since it is a digital form of traditional painting, art pieces created using this art form cannot be resized. This is because when they are enlarged, it can cause pixelation issues which is the biggest downside of this art form. Raster painting may also involve painting on top of a rasterized image, just like in photo painting.

And it can incorporate many other types of digital painting, making it suitable for 3D and 2D graphics that make use of pixels. This technique allows the creation of more organic shapes and textures, and high-resolution raster images have a larger number of pixels.

12. Photo Painting

In this type of digital art, the artist utilizes an existing photograph and paints over the various objects and characters to create a painting. Generally, larger objects are blocked using color, and details such as the features of a face are left out to create a minimalist painting. But photo painting can even be used to create highly realistic paintings and portraits.

This technique is similar to photobashing, which is another type of digital art since it can be used to add more details to existing photos or art pieces. Also, this is another art form in which both traditional and digital techniques can be used. However, photo painting is distinct from photoshopping, which involves making changes to images using art software.

In photo painting, image editing software and painting tools enhance paintings using photographs as their starting point. And it is similar to photo realism because it involves reproducing photographs on canvases in the most realistic manner possible.

13. Digital Collage

Digital Collage is a digital art style that has become popular through techniques like scrapbooking and the use of mood boards. Such boards are being increasingly used on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. In this digital painting style, artists compile multiple images together while employing software that allows photo editing and image splicing.

This method goes back to the period when the camera was first invented, and there can be wide variation in the style and appearance of digital collages. They can include painting techniques, 3D assets, and even photography. One of the most popular ways artists use digital collages is to create illusions through pieces attempting to distort reality.

Digital collages can be created using almost any image editing or painting software since all it does is combine images from different sources together. Before being discontinued in 2016, the Picasa software by Google was among the most popular software for creating a digital collage.

14. Integrated Art

Integrated Art is quickly becoming one of the most popular styles of digital art and involves using multiple software for completing the same painting. Alternatively, a single art program can be used to create hybrid paintings. Generally, integrated art incorporates using raster and vector painting techniques together or combining manual and computer-generated vectors.

In some cases, it can even involve using raster or vector painting methods along with photography.

Digital art software like ArtRage is popular for integrated art since it allows combining different art techniques, which is impossible with traditional mediums like a canvas. And this art form is becoming even more popular because there is no limit to the number and type of forms that can be integrated into a single piece of artwork.

In recent years, integrated art has expanded to include virtual reality elements by combining real environments with artificially generated assets. Also, other forms of art, such as music, writing, video games, films, and theater, can be considered examples of integrated art.

15. Mixed Media

Often treated as one of the extensions of integrated art, mixed media also involves combining and blending multiple art mediums. These can include pottery, painting, ceramics, photography, and glassworking. However, as far as digital art is concerned, mixed media involves combining painting and 3D modeling.

Mixed media involves applying paint to 3D models, helping provide them with a more realistic, lifelike feel, and special brushes have been developed specifically for this purpose. These brushes can help add textures, shadows, and lighting to the 3D models. Mixed media provides a sense of realism to digital art while combining both traditional and digital assets most effectively.

16. 2D Digital Painting

2D digital painting is the most well-known type of digital art and involves using a tablet, stylus, and digital art software to create digital art. This art form aims to provide digital artists with an experience close to traditional painting, along with the advantages of the digital medium. Because of this, it can often be difficult to distinguish a digitally created piece from a hand-painted one.

Just like traditional painting, 2D digital painting involves the use of several types of brushes, mediums, and paints. Oil paint, watercolor, and pastels are some of the most common mediums for creating 2D digital images, and the digital artist can work in layers and edit the artwork easily. Also, most tools offer multiple settings that can help provide a highly customized painting process and help enhance the overall experience.

17. VR Painting

Virtual Reality has gained a lot of traction over the past few years and has become immensely popular in the digital art world as well. And the main reason for that is the Tilt Brush developed by Google.

This tool allows digital artists to use a 3D space for painting purposes, and they can utilize multiple angles to create the artwork. The completed artwork can be viewed in the form of a 3D image or in VR.

Also, what makes the Tilt Brush so revolutionary in the digital art industry is the fact that it allows artists to paint around them easily. It also utilizes highly realistic physics and mechanics, allowing hyper-realistic images to be created. And this tool is available on almost all the popular VR platforms, which include PlayStation, Oculus, Windows Mixed Reality, and Vive.

18. 2D Computer Graphics

Computer graphics can be categorized into 2D and 3D, and the former includes images created exclusively by the computer. 2D graphics include logos, text, shapes, graphs, and more. They may either be in the form of a .gif or a .png and may even be vector images instead of raster ones.

2D computer graphics form the largest part of the digital art industry and includes all 2D art, even animations, and cartoons. This type of art led to the development of clipart and the popularity of web advertisements and logos.

Also, this digital art form may appear in 3D, such as in the case of video games, but is created using 2D shapes only. This is why it remains one of the easiest forms of digital art today.

19. Photobashing

Another one of the most popular digital art forms is photobashing, which involves combining 2D, 3D, and real-life images. In this technique, the artist paints certain portions of the artwork while including 3D textures and models in other areas. This helps create a surrealistic image that can be highly engaging and may often include a science-fiction element.

One of the more popular elements that photobashing artists utilize is cyberpunk since it can be blended easily with the more realistic aspects of the artwork. Photobashing can also be used to speed up the digital painting process or help correct certain elements in a piece, which is why it is popular among concept artists.

AI Art

The above were the traditional types of digital art that have been present since this art form became popular. However, with the advent of technologies like Artificial Intelligence, newer types of digital art have become popular. And two of the most well-known names in this field are Midjourney and Dall-E.

Both Midjourney and Dall-E are AI-powered tools that can generate various types of images, including paintings, photorealistic images, emojis, and more. They allow creating artwork from scratch using AI technology, simplifying the digital art process. Let’s look at them in detail now.

Dall-E

Image via openai.com

What Is Dall-E?

Dall-E is a machine learning model developed by the AI laboratory OpenAI to generate images using natural languages. This is possible since this model can understand the relationships between text and images, and it uses two processes called clip and diffusion to generate the images.

Generally, Dall-E creates photorealistic images if there are references for the concept linked to the text. But in the absence of such references, it can even create stylized images similar to digital paintings. Dall-E 2 has succeeded Dall-E and can generate even higher quality, more realistic images and combine different art styles and concepts.

How Does Dall-E Work?

The process that matches the images to the text is called clip and can be used to train the computer to understand the concepts linking the text to the images. This allows Dall-E to come up with new images of the same concepts for the text pieces, making it a truly revolutionary technology.

The tool starts generating images with the creation of random dots, which are altered into the pattern of an image.

However, in its current form, clip cannot generate high-quality images of the concepts, which is where diffusion comes into the picture. Diffusion involves adding Gaussian Noise to an image to corrupt it, allowing Dall-E to learn how to reverse the process and enhance images by removing noise.

The diffusion technique can even be used to alter an already generated image further to bring it closer to what is required. But the biggest advantage of Dall-E is that it can generate multiple variations of an image in a very short period, which even the best artists cannot.

Limitations Of Dall-E

Due to the various concerns and possibilities associated with Dall-E and Dall-E 2, these are not publicly available for general use. These powerful tools are available to only a few selected individuals, and the tool also has a few intentional and unintentional limitations.

The first among these is that while the images are highly detailed, a closer inspection can reveal that the photorealism is not perfect. It is possible to identify whether the images are real objects or generated completely using AI, and can be done by zooming in close to the images.

Another intended limitation of this tool is that you cannot generate images that have violence, illegal activities, or adult content. Similarly, it cannot be used to create images of specific people, as it can pose several risks.

Apart from that, Dall-E does not do very well in understanding the relative position of multiple objects and has trouble generating images of written words. Despite those limitations, however, this tool has enormous potential.

Dall-E and Dall-E 2 are not consumer products but research projects that aim to help create a safe and reliable AI for general purposes. In its current form, Dall-E is best suited for brainstorming concepts and ideas, which can be great for digital artists.

Midjourney

Image via creativeshrimp.com

What Is Midjourney?

Midjourney is another AI tool that can be used to generate images using text prompts similar to Dall-E. The tool is used through Discord bot commands and is currently in its beta state. It can also create images in several styles ranging from stylized artistic ones to hyper-realistic ones.

Artists can use the tool to showcase prototypes to clients while creating the artwork themselves. It can even be used to create customized advertisements, special effects, and more. Midjourney can also create highly detailed images in high resolution, and the quality of the generated images can be further enhanced.

Also, with this tool, it is possible to generate more variations from an already generated image and even upscale them.

How Does Midjourney Work?

Midjourney uses AI and machine learning to create images through text prompts provided by the user. Users need to sign in through their Discord account using a web browser or use the Discord app available on various platforms, including Windows, Android, Linux, Mac, and iPhone.

The digital tool has a free trial that provides users with 25 prompts for generating images, and for more prompts, there is a paid membership option. And the images can be downloaded to your device and shared directly with others. The Midjourney server can even be used to communicate with other people and share ideas and art pieces.

Midjourney also allows editing of the generated images by altering their colors and lighting and other aspects like aspect ratio.

Limitations Of Midjourney

The biggest limitation of Midjourney is its dependence on a bot. All queries entered by users are hosted on a single server, which makes them easily visible to everyone. This goes against the concept of the uniqueness of the idea and also makes it impossible for users to enjoy any privacy.

The only way to overcome this problem is to purchase a private subscription, which will provide you with a private chat, and the prompts will become confidential. But even in that case, the artwork created will be shown on the community feed page.

Apart from that, the images generated by this tool may not be of the same quality and resolution as those created by Dall-E. But they can be upscaled, which can help enhance them to a certain extent.

Now, let’s look at some of the different types of AI art.

Types Of AI Art

1. Fractal Art

$A fractal art with trippy patterns and cool dark colors$

This type of digital art originated in Middle Eastern and Asian cultures, where traditional artists created highly detailed patterns and mosaics to decorate important places like temples. However, with modern technologies, it became possible to create similarly detailed designs digitally, which eventually led to its popularity.

Patterns can be created in both 2D and 3D, and popular mathematical elements such as the Fibonacci Sequence are often used for the purpose. Fractal art utilizes mathematical equations and algorithms to create detailed patterns, and artists use fractal-generating software to do so. Also, fractal art is among the earliest examples of Artificial Intelligence, as it involves teaching computers how to create art.

A fractal means an infinite pattern, and fractal art uses the calculation of fractal objects to create an image, animation, or other artwork. Several types of fractal art exist, and the Mandelbrot set is among the most famous. Software is available for creating fractal artwork, both free and paid, and the fractal created is generally further processed using different software.

Other types of fractal art include Polynomial fractals, Iterated Function Systems (IFS), Quaternionic fractals, and Newton fractals.

The unique aspect of fractals is that the patterns are completely identical, irrespective of the zoom level. That is why creating fractals can be quite challenging since even a small change can lead to similar changes in all the recurring patterns because of the butterfly effect.

2. Algorithmic Art

Algorithmic art is closely related to fractal art and involves using certain equations or codes to create artwork. What sets algorithmic art apart from other forms of digital art is that it generally does not require any input from the artist. This means that algorithmic art can be used to create both digital and traditional art pieces that include abstract as well as hyper-realistic pieces.

The designs are generally created by the computer and can be used to create vector art as well, which does not suffer from pixelation problems. Since the artwork can easily be resized without losing graphical fidelity, algorithmic art is often used for logos, word art, and computer-generated assets and backgrounds.

Digital artists that use algorithms to create art are known as algorists, and they are responsible for creating the algorithm that creates the artwork. Algorithms can include functions, expressions, computer code, or other input in mathematical or computational forms. Also, they may be deterministic or may include random elements.

Deterministic algorithms will result in identical art every time, but elements like a random number generator or external data stream can bring some variety. While the first instances of algorithmic art date back to the 1960s, that art was created using a plotter instead of a computer.

3. Datamoshing

Image-via datamoshing.com

Also known as glitch art, datamoshing forms a small yet popular niche of digital art and involves using programmed glitches and layering videos and bringing them together. The finished video is a modernist example of digital art and can be visually engaging. This technique can also be applied to still and 2D images and requires the right software and programming for splicing and layering videos.

One of the developments in this field was the creation of the Deep Dream tool by Google to allow artists to datamosh images. And software like Avidemux has been specially developed for this purpose.

Datamoshing generally involves manipulating the various types of frames, such as I-frames, P-frames, and B-frames. Each of these frames serves a different purpose. For instance, I-frames can store the complete picture without needing more information, while B-frames and P-frames do not. These require some additional information from the previous or next frame, as they only contain the information required to display the change between frames.

There are mainly two methods of datamoshing. The first involves replacing, removing, or corrupting an I-frame that helps create a glitch. Alternatively, one can duplicate P-frames multiple times for the bloom effect.

4. Still Imagery

Still imagery is another form of computer-generated art and can utilize both 2D and 3D images. 2D computer graphics are created by combining 2D geometric models, text pieces, raster images, and other elements. Tools like Flash, Adobe Illustrator and other software are generally used to create still images.

3D still images are generally used for video game graphics and computer animation. And they are created using 3D representations of geometric data that can be used for calculations and rendering images. This process depends on various algorithms for both vector and raster and involves modeling, animation, layout, and rendering.

5. CGI Or 3D Computer Graphics

CGI or computer-generated imagery utilizes digital technology effectively to create high-quality artwork easily. It makes use of both dynamic and static images but is most commonly used with 3D computer graphics instead of 2D graphics. This technique allows greater control over computer-generated animations compared to traditional animation methods.

CGI or 3D animation involves modeling objects, providing structure and skeleton to 3D figures, and rendering the final animation. In contrast, animation that makes use of 2D computer graphics requires the use of computers but is not computer generated.

3D graphics can be used with real-life physics to create ultra-realistic objects and characters. 3D computer graphics do not use any real-life assets and can easily be reshaped, resized, rotated, or manipulated in other ways. That is why such graphics are often known as digital clay and can be used in various applications such as architectural or engineering programs.

6. Dynamic Painting

Dynamic painting involves using human data and artificial intelligence to create vivid art pieces that cannot be distinguished from traditional artwork. However, since this depends entirely upon AI, the chances of errors are high in the case of dynamic painting. That is why while some dynamic paintings may be highly impressive, others may be slightly off.

In dynamic art, machines are trained in a variety of different art styles that were originally created by the masters. While landscape paintings are generally impeccable when created using dynamic painting techniques, portraits may not be as impressive. That said, dynamic paintings provide a unique take on the digital art forms available today.

7. Computer-Generated Digital Painting

Artists use digital art software to create environments and backgrounds which can be used as assets for other purposes. Computer-generated digital paintings are highly common these days and are often used to create backgrounds, landscapes, and concept art. This technique is also used to repair photographs and even traditional art pieces.

Similarly, computer-generated digital paintings can be used to create smaller assets, such as weather effects, hair, textures, and surfaces. This digital art form is perfect for creating painted versions of technology and machinery. Generally, such objects are quite difficult to paint using traditional painting methods, which is where this style can come in quite handy.

8. Projection-Mapping

Projection mapping is a digital art style closely related to spatial augmented reality and video mapping. It is a computer-based projection technique used to transform irregularly shaped objects into a surface for video projection.

This art technique can be used on a small or a large scale and is used in a variety of situations. It is commonly used in corporate workshops, fashion shows, or even pop-up exhibitions along with permanent installations.

Also, projection mapping is used for mapping buildings and can be used as the focus itself or as a medium for other digital art pieces. This is because it can transform the appearance of an object in real-time by combining computer graphics with videos and still images.

Types Of Digital Art Final Thoughts

Art has been an important part of human history since the very beginning and has evolved considerably over the centuries. And with the changes brought in by technology, the next phase in this evolutionary process has become possible with the development of digital art.

Digital art is a vast field encompassing several art types, and here we’ve mentioned the most common types. The best thing about these art styles is that they can be combined and used together to create visually pleasing and highly impressive pieces.

And the advent of Artificial Intelligence is opening up more opportunities in this field than ever before. But it may be a few years before tools like Dall-E and Midjourney become more widely available.

So until then, regular practice and proper training are the most effective ways of becoming a great digital artist.

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You can run a portable air conditioner continuously for as long as you need but is recommended to keep some limitations in mind so that you can avoid issues with the unit.

Let’s face it - using an air conditioner has become a necessity these days, given the prevailing weather conditions.

However, setting up a conventional AC unit can be a cumbersome task. Because of that, people are switching to portable air conditioners nowadays, which offer great cooling minus the hassle of traditional ACs.

That said, these machines are not as heavy-duty as normal ACs, which is a trade-off for their portability. So, that automatically brings the question - how long can you run your portable AC continuously without encountering any issues? Well, let’s find out!

Understanding A Portable Air Conditioner

In case you are not very well-versed in air conditioning systems, allow me to give you a brief idea about what a portable AC unit is. Here, I will also discuss what makes it different from a regular mini-split or window unit. Thus, I would strongly suggest reading through this section, for it will help you understand the subsequent discussions better.

Portable AC units are functionally similar to conventional mini-split or window ACs. They are used to improve indoor air quality by regulating room temperature and humidity levels. But as the name suggests, these air conditioning units are portable, meaning that they can be easily moved around the house. You can’t do the same with conventional mini-split or window units since they are fixed to one place.

Most portable units have a compact design, and they are placed on the floor. This is unlike window or mini-split ACs, which are typically mounted on windows or walls, respectively. On that note, most of these models are battery-powered, which further contributes to their portability. However, you can find plug-in models as well, which need to be connected to a wall outlet.

How Long Can You Keep Your Portable Air Conditioner Running Continuously?

To answer this question simply - there is no fixed time limit for continuously running your portable AC. You can keep your portable AC running for as long as you wish without any serious consequences. So, this information should come as a huge relief for those who prefer to use their ACs throughout the day.

This is mainly possible because modern portable ACs come with certain design elements that allow continuous operations for extended durations. One of these elements is the automatic cut-off system that is built into many portable ACs today.

Such a mechanism turns off the heat pumps and condensers automatically when the desired temperature and humidity level have been achieved. Therefore, there is no risk of any immediate technical issues like overheating or fire if the unit is used continuously. Apart from that, the components are made from durable and high-quality materials that can withstand the strains of continuous usage.

However, this does not mean that you should always use your portable AC in such a manner. There are some limitations to continuous usage that need to be considered here. Because of them, it is a good idea to give your AC a break from time to time. I have discussed these limitations briefly below, so read on if you want to know what they are.

1. Wear And Tear

Regardless of how well-built it is, your portable AC is a machine, after all. And just like any other machine, it is subject to regular wear and tear. If you use it continuously for extended periods, the power inverter, compressor, and other similar internal components will inevitably wear out. That, in turn, will reduce the lifespan of your machine.

2. Energy Usage

Just like any other electrical home appliance, your portable AC requires electricity to function. So, the more you use it, the higher your energy consumption will be. As a result, your monthly energy bills will shoot up drastically.

Here, it doesn’t matter if you have a battery-powered unit or a plug-in model. A battery-powered unit (like the Zero Breeze Mark II) needs to be recharged once it runs out of juice. If you use it continuously, you’ll need to recharge it more often, which will indirectly consume more electricity. And as for a plug-in model, it uses energy directly from your main supply.

3. Maintenance

This is another reason why you should not use your portable air conditioner continuously. A portable AC unit consists of several parts that need to be regularly maintained. These include the air filter, drainage hose, and the unit’s condensate tank, among others.

The air filters remove the dust particles so that you can get clean air. If you use your AC continuously, the dust will keep accumulating on the filters, eventually blocking it.

Likewise, air conditioners produce water via the process of condensation, which cools and dehumidifies the air inside a room. This water is temporarily stored in the condensate tank, which is located below the unit in most cases. The drain hose is attached to this tank, and it helps to clear out the condensate water.

Warning

If you use your AC continuously, the inner walls of these components will always remain dank and cold, which will promote the growth of mold and mildew. These growths will eventually clog the system, which will lead to operational issues.

Tips For Using Your Portable Air Conditioner

Based on the above discussion, I would recommend that you give your portable AC a break of at least a few hours every day. Of course, that might not always be possible, especially if you live in an area with an unfavorable climate. In that situation, you will have no other choice than to use it continuously for long durations.

That is why I have mentioned some tips for using portable AC units. If you follow them, you can ensure that the unit performs optimally, even after extensive use.

1. Use Energy-Efficient Models

This is the most important tip that will help you reduce your energy bills. There are many energy-efficient portable ACs available today that have excellent SEER ratings. If you purchase these models, your energy usage will remain in check, even if you run the unit continuously.

With that being said, the initial cost of purchasing these models will naturally be higher. But considering the energy you will save every month, I’d say that this extra cost is quite justified. In any case, you will be able to make up for this higher purchase cost with the money saved on your monthly energy bills.

2. Set A Periodic Maintenance Schedule

If you want your AC unit to last for a long time, you cannot ignore its maintenance and upkeep routine. With that in mind, I suggest that you perform full maintenance of your AC at least once a month.

During the maintenance, make sure to scrub the hose and water tank and clean the dust off your air filter. In this regard, if you have a self-draining unit, you will have an easier time with its maintenance. Apart from that, I suggest keeping a duster handy, which will allow you to wipe the surface of your unit even when it’s running.

3. Keep The Windows And Doors Closed

When your portable AC is running, make sure to keep all the doors and windows of the room tightly shut. That way, you can prevent the outside air from entering your room and interfering with the AC’s cooling or heating process.

4. Place The AC Unit Strategically

If you place the AC strategically in your room, you will be able to improve its cooling or heating efficiency drastically. For instance, placing your AC near the door or window will help with ventilation. This is applicable even when they are closed since there are small gaps present in them that help to ventilate the air.

Besides, placing your AC near a window or door will make drainage easier. Also, I advise keeping your AC unit away from sunlight since that can cause it to overheat.

5. Turn Off The AC When You Leave The House

This is a pretty basic tip that you should follow for all electrical appliances. There is no point in keeping the unit running in an empty house since all it will do is increase your energy bills. So, if you are planning to go out for a few hours, you should turn your AC off before leaving.

Final Words

HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems like portable ACs can greatly improve the air quality of your living space, regardless of the outside conditions.

If you live in hot and humid areas, it pumps cool air into the room and keeps the air dry. Conversely, for those living in colder areas, a portable AC can raise the room temperature by circulating warm air.

That is why many people prefer to run their portable AC units continuously. But as you can see from the above discussion, I do not advise doing that until absolutely necessary. And even if you have to do that, you should keep my tips in mind to avoid issues.

Anyway, that brings me to the end of this guide. I will be back with more guides in the future, so keep an eye on this space.

Until then, goodbye!

As a painter, you have a huge plethora of mediums to paint on for all your artistic endeavors. Many artists have even used unconventional methods like sand and plastic to show off their craft.

But that’s not what we are going to talk about in this article. Today, we are going to talk about the good ol’ art medium that has been used by thousands of professional artists around the globe and throughout the history of mankind - oil paint.

From Da Vinci to Magritte and from professional studio artists to outdoor street artists, many creators have chosen this medium as the vessel to portray their creativity.

And in this article, we are going to discuss why. So, go ahead and give it a read!

How is Oil Painting Different From Other Mediums

Objective Reasons

The following are some features of oil paint that set it apart from other conventional mediums like watercolor and acrylics.

These features give immense control, freedom, and versatility that stay unrivaled to this day.

Gorgeous appearance

Oil paints have a higher pigment count than most other mediums. Because of that, oil paint produces rich and luminous colors that produce amazingly vibrant paintings.

The artworks made with oil paint have unparalleled beauty, elegance, and life-like resemblance only because the medium gives immense freedom when it comes to saturation and contrast.

Gradual drying process

Oil paints dry up significantly slower than any other medium. Many artists consider this as a serious downside even though you can cut down a substantial part of the process if you take some simple measures.

Anyhow, there are some notable advantages of the slow drying.

For one, it gives you incredible control over the process. Since you paint in layers with oil colors, you can choose when to apply the next layer depending upon the kind of mix you want.

Another benefit shows when you commit an error. Because of the time the paint takes to dry up, you can easily scrape off the paint from the area of mistake and redo it again.

Blending

The kind of amazing blends you can get with oil paint is simply not possible with any other conventional medium.

The brush strokes come out perfect with the least amount of effort and the colors mix evenly and seamlessly.

Because of the excellent blends, oil paint can achieve life-like lighting and texture that is simply not possible with anything else.

Great flexibility with Medium

Oil paint can be mixed with many kinds of solvents and mediums which help it to achieve unparalleled versatility.

You can control every feature of oil paint using some sort of a medium. Crucial factors like texture, saturation, drying-time, flow, blending, etc. can all be manipulated using mediums.

Even other painting mediums like acrylic can be used alongside oil paint seamlessly to get some interesting results.

No other medium like watercolors and acrylic can achieve this level of control like oil paints.

No need for framing

Oil paint artworks are good to go right after finishing. If you use a stretched canvas with a wooden frame, you wouldn’t even need a frame to hang it up.

Oil paint by nature is very durable and corrosion-resistant after drying up. Dust, light, and water can’t put any kind of blemish on paintings done with oil paints.

The durability that oil paint has is astounding and that is why most of the classical paintings which seem to immortal have been made using oil paints.

What benefits do you get from oil painting?

Till this point, we have discussed that oil paint is better than other mediums of painting. But now, we are going to talk about how Oil Painting can help you grow as a person and can make you happy.

Creative outlet

Painting has always been an amazing vessel to store your creativity in. Almost everyone agrees that painting is one of the most, if not the most, incredible ways to give structure to your creative mind.

But when it comes to oil painting, things are a little different. On average, the artist has to wait for significantly more time to finish the painting. This causes the artist to practice something that we could refer to as “structured creativity”, i.e., creative splurges in a controlled and thoughtful manner.

This is an important exercise, especially, if you plan on to use your creative side more for professional purposes.

Concentration

As we have already mentioned before, oil painting is a time-taking process. And in that kind of an intense creative process, you’ll have to be focused.

Hence, oil painting is an amazing way of improving your concentration. Even if you are not a professional, you should try oil painting just because of how good it is at improving concentration, while still being an overall enjoyable activity.

Problem-solving

When you try to design some artwork of oil paint, you’ll not only have to decide what you want to paint but also decide how to paint it.

Oil painting is required to be done in layers and these layers have to be planned very carefully to make a compelling piece of art.

Hence, there’s a hint of problem-solving in this art form that is unique and needs thoughtfulness and patience. Painting with oil colors is, therefore, an interesting problem-solving practice to say the least.

Not only that, when you make any mistake, you’ll also have to carefully plan how to correct it. How’s that for problem-solving?

Self-Confidence

Painting is a work of patience, skill, and wit. Every stroke of the brush, when done correctly, ushers a small wave of confidence in your heart.

And after hundreds and thousands of such methodical brushstrokes, when you finally finish a work of art, you get a sense of accomplishment that can barely be matched by any other similar hobby.

Painting with oil colors demands you to spend time with your artwork. Even if you want to rush through it, you can’t. You have to live with it for hours, days, months and even years if you are dedicated to it.

So, it skyrockets your confidence when you finally make something beautiful with your perseverance.

Conclusion

So that’ll be all for this article.

In this article, we briefly discussed all the various things that make oil painting amazing, as both an artistic medium and as a hobby.

We hope that this piece was meaningful to you and helped answer your concerns.

With that, we wish you well and thank you for reading!

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A character is a tool that helps you tell your story. Character designers work hard to make great characters memorable. A well-designed character makes a lasting impression on the audience, whether it’s a character from television, video game, or a movie.

The protagonist should have a unique personality that should also be visually stimulating, which makes the audience connect. Character design is a complex process, with ample room for growth. Each piece of art focuses on being prepared with unique technicalities kept in mind, starting from the shape to the character, then emotion, back story, colors, and attitude.

Illustration Courtesy of Nikita Solovyov

Every artist has their own style, but being able to make and break different molds of designs reflects the work of a good character designer. It is essential to be adaptable by blending into different styles of work, which helps an artist grow. The essence of the art of character designing is to hone an individual's sense of style, which relies on intrinsic motivation and practice.

What is Character Design & Creation Process

Here is a list of 14 tips for creating a character design:

1. Focus on your subject idea

You might think that you know enough about your subject, by just reading the description. But that is not correct because serious research is the only way to present your ideas in the original light. If you try and neglect the research aspect of creating the character then it will be reflected in your work.

The focus should be on learning every aspect of your character, and not just the anatomy. The quality of your design will improve with a higher amount of time that you invest in learning about the subject. Avoid rushing and instead persevere, because as you keep practicing the design, it will get better eventually.

2. Character

When we say character, it is not just about the description of the physical aspects such as their age, occupation, gender, and body structure. But the primary focus needs to be on the psychological aspects of your characters such as their mood, personality, and motivation traits. To get the design perfect, you cannot afford to focus only on the physical aspects but instead, look at the situation from the characters point of view.

Once you have completed your design get someone to give you feedback, and don’t tell them the plot. Instead, you should be asking them to say what are the emotions that the character is reflecting. In this way, you will understand whether you have met the character descriptions of the assignment given to you or not.

You need to consciously, understand the emotion and the character of each piece that you are trying to create. Instead of just doodling around, you need to focus on the persona of the character. Otherwise, you will be wasting a lot of time, and the character design will not turn out to be perfect.

Keep challenging yourself to get the emotions right in your character; it helps to conquer your limitations and makes you advanced in your field instead. Focus on the back story to understand how the subject has come to existence, rather than the generic emotion at present.

When you give priority to understanding where your character has come from, and whether they have faced any life-changing events, it helps to solidify the ground that you’re trying to present. All these factors will help you understand what the attire, the emotions, and the body language should be for the character.

3. A good silhouette

A silhouette is a black shape, which is the outline of your character. It is vital to ensure that your silhouette is readable, irrespective of whether it’s a simple and basic design or a highly complex illustration.

When you’re trying to create a silhouette you need first to understand how their posture can help you emphasize the emotion of the character. Ensure that the limbs are not overlapping, and they are separate. If there is a time when you are not happy with the posture of the character, then your first approach should be to look into your silhouette.

You should create the design in such a way that it allows you to reflect the characters actions, attire, gender, and age. You need to convey these things in the absence of any color, lighting, details of an individual's features, or a shadow. It might be impossible sometimes to create entirely distinct shapes, but your goal should be to develop key poses that will tell your story.

By the end, you need to create a design that does not require any explanation as it will get conveyed through your image. You need to be able to feel the pose and accordingly push your creativity to make a design which can tell the story in an effective manner.

4. Posture

Getting an attitude in the right place will make the character design stand out. The pose of your character and their expressions play a huge role. Getting active poses is essential to understand how the body is balanced.

The essence of the character will be clear from their poses, which showcases their personality. To get the poses right, you need to know the nature of the character well. For example, hyperactive characters will have wild, expressive, and bold poses; they might be kicking their legs out and running around with excitement.

Even when a character is standing still, they have a form of expressing themselves, creating the right posture reflects their personality. While drawing the pose, you need to try out different angles before finalizing on one. Choose the pose, which any person can draw and appears the same from all the different angles.

5. Line of action

This aspect helps to understand the direction and force of movement. It is an invisible line, which shows the audience the motion of the body. You can create dynamic and expressive imagery when there is a motion line showing a powerful action.

When you create an active line of action, then it also complements the character's posture. Even if a character is sitting down, there will be a particular arc which helps to understand their present situation and behavior. Movements should be the primary focus when you start making the design, following which the other details (emotions, color, and attire) will eventually be drawn into place.

Try practicing different facial expressions in front of the mirror, and watch how each part of the face changes as you evoke mixed emotions. It will help you to a great extent to draw the lines on the face correctly. You need to understand the situation and the plot in detail to be able to present your character distinctly.

6. Role of color

Choosing the right color is essential to showcase the personality of the character. For instance, a subject who is adventurous and a risk taker is shown in red, while a character who is calm, empathetic, and caring can be shown in blue. In the movie, Finding Dory the portrayal of colors with their primary characters has been shown correctly, this helps to connect with the audience.

While selecting a palette, you need to ensure that there is a contrast between the chosen colors. As you start creating a palette, start with the primary colors (blue, yellow, and red), then focus on the secondary and tertiary colors. It is also essential for you to understand the relationship that exists between different colors as it helps to maintain the balance.

Do not put in too much of color, as it distracts the viewers. Some of the famous characters like Winnie the Pooh, Scooby Doo, Dexter and Donald Duck have very few colors used on them. Each color has a different connotation in character design. In general, dark colors portray the evil characters, while good fellows are associated with light colors.

7. Attitude and accessories

It is important to portray the character in the correct frame of attitude. There should always be an element of personal truth to the character so that the audience can relate to the situation.

The importance of accessories also helps the artist to bring out the attitude of the character. The balance should be done very carefully, as they can complement each other. There should also be a proper focus on the background of the character. If a character belongs to an impoverished environment, then the artist will probably make the character wear shabby clothes. On the other hand, if a character is from a wealthy background, they might be wearing the right amount of jewelry.

Getting to portray the correct attitude of the character is crucial. The attitude should be shown in such a way that it can convey the character's personality in an expressive and relatable manner. The attire also helps to show their personality and mood, while the characters have also been remembered for their accessories. For instance, the square pants of Spongebob then the long cape of Elsa from Frozen.

8. Shapes

The characters should be recognizable, even from the shapes, so it is important to keep them exciting. You can experiment with shapes; artists usually use smooth and round shapes for the friendly characters while sharp angles can be used for the edgy character. The focus should also be in creating simple shapes, and they should be recognizable.

9. Audience

As you create a character, you need to think about your audience. If your audience is children, then your designs should focus around primary colors and basic shapes. You need to break down the core features of the characters and their personality, which will further help you make the designs. If your character is big and muscular then highlight their big muscles, it helps the persona of the character to stand out.

You need to understand how to make your characters unique, to attract your audience to the storyline. If you can relate to your audience than you will be able to create the ideal personality that they will be excited to watch.

10. Keep it simple

Even if the entire character design is intricate, but you need to ensure that each you can break down each part of the work efficiently. It is evident that when you are creating this piece of art, there is a ton of trial and error, but once you present it, the design should appear simple for the audience.

While making the design, you need to keep practicing the same characters several times. If the design is too complicated for you to create than it is a clear rejection, it can appear intricate altogether, but the character needs to be readable and easy to develop for even a toddler. Make sure that you avoid patterns that are too elaborate because it will be difficult to duplicate.

11. Exaggerate Defining Features

No matter what the character might portray, but you have to exaggerate the features that define them. The use of this technique in animation does not tend to look absurd, and you have the liberty to push things by showing exaggerated emotions. For instance, the role of Johnny Bravo is shown as a cool and energetic character; hence, he was given those oversized muscles and sunglasses.

12. Keep the character Unique!

You need to focus on creating a unique character. With that said, focus on the size of the character's eyes, the shape of their nose, the neck, posture, height, their limbs, and their ears to make a design that is relatable and unique for the audience.

We do not advise you to focus on their accessories, hair or attire as such a trend can change with time. But it is the main traits of the character that you should focus on, as this will help you to personalize their body shape.

13. Research

It is important for you to research on your subject, to understand the elements of the character's anatomy that needs to be played down and the ones that need exaggeration. Research also helps you to learn about the different ways to give your character more depth. The focus should be on creating a design through which the characters entire personality is reflected.

If there is any particular design that you are not able to get right, then the internet is your dictionary. Look up online to see the different images that were made before, to find your inspiration. Research not only helps to get your creative thinking fuelled up, but it also shows you how to get designs done correctly.

Every character has been previously inspired by a single idea, no matter which character we keep in focus. For instance, E.C. Segar, who is the creator of Popeye, has based his character in real life local sailor man from his hometown known as a bruising fighter. Who had once fought with five men and he came out victorious even without a can of spinach. The character resemblance is evident with their bald heads and their strong fondness for the cigar.

To mold each version of your character, you need to do a significant amount of research. It helps to create a completely authentic design. For instance, if a character belongs from Japan, then an appropriate amount of study needs to be done to understand the environment, and the local culture to be able to portray the character in the right setting.

14. Feedback

Get feedback for the design that you are creating; this is not for learning whether the other person likes your designs or not. But this gives you the ability to emphasize the gaps that are present and to understand if the audience can relate to it or not. In the process of creating a great piece, you have to follow the worth of feedback while every criticism should be acted on to make the character evolve.

Getting constructive feedback helps to remove the guesswork out of your design. However, you also need to analyze your work critically; take a break, and then get back to see the same piece. It is an exhilarating experience as you will be a better judge for the character you are trying to design, and the gaps will be filled in correctly with a fresh mind. It works to your benefit by training you to develop a right eye for design.

Final Words

In the end, every story is complete only when its characters are strong and continues to move towards a specific goal. Use this guide to create your exciting new character design. Always remember that great artists are born only when they borrow ideas from different places, but twist it to make it their creation!

Himalayan Salt Blocks have been making rounds of the news already. They are efficient cooking machines carved out of pure salt which add to the flavors of whatever you cook. There's also this small point of them being very healthy, and doubling as beautiful serving plates for your dinner guests.

However, like every cooking machinery ever created, Himalayan Salt Blocks come with their problems. The only difference being that if you misuse this, they might explode and cause damage to your oven.

It's better to know your product before you buy it. So, here are seven things you need to know about Himalayan Salt Blocks.

Image via heb.com

They need to be heated slowly

These are solid slabs of salts with cracks and fissures. Now, while, the companies you buy from will ensure that they are not exactly that susceptible to heat that they explode in your face as soon as you put it in the oven, you still need to careful.

Space out your heating. Most of these blocks cannot take a rapid rise of heat. Anything faster than 100 degrees n 15 minutes is a no-no.

So, you need to set your oven at a small temperature and gradually increase it over time.

This is the best way to ensure that your slab will not explode while inside your oven and leave with a mass of pink salt that is very expensive.

Not for greasy food

Oil and moisture can quickly get into the fissures and cause problems. Especially if some water gets stuck in between your salt block, it could also explode. Remember, water heats up much faster than your salt block ever will, and it can cause accidents.

This does not mean that you cannot use oil, however. Get yourself a brush and brush your food with oil and cook. This would also mean you will be eating healthy.

The cracks and fissures are normal

Himalayan Salt Blocks will have a lot of cracks and fissures naturally. This is not a defect. As with anything natural, the cracks and fissures will remain in this block too.

However, this does not cause the block to explode, unless, as told above, you somehow manage to get water inside the crack. Your cooking would not be disrupted because of the natural cracks that the block has.

You might also hear a crack or two once you place the block in the oven. This is normal too. Do not open your oven door every two minutes to check on whether the cracks are damaging the salt block. The company you will be buying from will ensure that the salt blocks can be cooked on, so, if you follow the instructions, there's very little chance of damage to the block or yourself.

It won't salt your food heavily

These blocks are some of the least porous, and they also retain very little moisture. So, when you are cooking, your food would not immediately become salty. In fact, people have reported that their food has got a new taste after cooking over a salt block.

Given that the salt black contains over 80 trace minerals, it is not surprising that the taste differs a lot from simple table salt. You can expect to have your food taste different and be healthier at the same time.

Do not wash

One of the only difficult things you will experience with Himalayan Salt Blocks is the process of cleaning. If you put it under running water, or in the dishwasher, you would be dissolving the salt in water. So, carefully take a small fabric, and wipe the dirty parts.

The easy tip is to remember that water is the enemy of salt and work around the entire thing by that. So, don't soak the fabric you are going to use for cleaning entirely with water, and definitely, avoid greasing the surface of the salt block.

After cleaning, to get rid of the residual moisture, keep it in an airy space for an hour or two before using it again.

Image via m.surlatable.com

Don't touch it immediately after cooking

Salt blocks retain heat for a long time. This means that if you feel the block immediately after you have finished cooking, you are likely to sustain a nasty burn.

Pro Tip: Always put a plate under the salt block before putting in the oven. This way you can ensure that you can at least remove the plate from the oven and use it for serving purposes.

Another critical thing to remember is that salt blocks will keep the heat within for a long time, and this could mean your meat gets overcooked. So, one, your meat is cooked, ensure that you remove it immediately to avoid making the mistake of a "well-done" steak.

It wouldn't always be attractive

One of the downsides of using the Himalayan Salt Block is that it would lose its natural pink-ness over time. The more you cook on the block, the more you are guaranteed to lose the natural shimmer of the block.

There would also be an accumulation of black spots in the area where you are cooking your food. These spots can be cleaned easily if you remember to wipe it with a rag after every process of cooking.

However, you can also see it as a natural property of the salt block that it gains character over time. A bloc without the new shimmer simply means that you have used it enough times to make it yours.

A Himalayan Salt Block is one of the healthiest alternatives to using the normal grill or cooking pan. It maintains the pH of your body, gives you a lot of minerals and also manages to become the most stylish serving plate you will ever have. Remember the tips above before you go for it, and you will be fine.

If Himalayan Salt Block seem interesting, you might also cast a glance over the best salt lamps out there, all Himalayan salt lamps ofcourse!

Did you know that cat litter, also called kitty litter, is an excellent moisture absorbent and can be used as a dehumidifier for bathroom?

Honestly, you can use it as a dehumidifier anywhere inside and outside your home. You can even put it in your car to remove extra moisture and deal with odor (if there’s any). So people who is still thinking if you should install dehumidifier for your bedrooms; they can consider cat litter. But as easy as it might sound, turning your cat litter into a dehumidifier requires you to take note of certain things.

You will have to find the right containers to store the cat litter so that it can absorb unwanted moisture and keep the air dry. Also, you will need to replace it often so that its absorbing capacity is always top-notch.

If you want to know more about the steps to follow, read on!

Can Cat Litter Be Used To Absorb Moisture?

For absorbing excess moisture in a room, you will need desiccants or a dehumidifier. These involve materials having properties that allow them to absorb moisture present in the air.

Keeping your room free of moisture is essential as it helps prevent condensation on windows and increases the longevity of electronics. There are many materials that can be used for dehumidifying. And you would be surprised to know that your kitty litter works as a great desiccant as well.

Kitty litter is mostly made of clay and comes with a high surface area, which gives it drying properties. You can even consider adding silica gel to the litter to enhance its moisture-absorbent capacities. Once added, you can rest assured that the air in your room will feel dry and devoid of excess moisture.

How To Make Silica Gel Kitty Litter?

There are plenty of ways in which you can make silica gel cat litter. You can get an apparently cheap kitty litter from the market and add potassium permanganate and silica gel to it. The silica gel in the mix will absorb all the moisture in the room, while the potassium permanganate will prevent mold and mildew from forming.

In order to make this dehumidifier, you will first need to get your hands on an airtight container. Then mix equal parts of the two elements into your cat litter, and you are good to go.

When it is not in use, it is best to store it in a dry and cool place. And if the cat urine turns too smelly, you can add a few drops of essential oil for odor control.

How To Make A Regular Cat Litter Dehumidifier?

To make a cat litter dehumidifier, you will first need to find shallow open containers. How big the container should be, depends on the space that you have. A small container will do that job if you want to keep it in a closet. However, if you are going to place it in a medium-sized room, it is best that you use at least a 2-gallon container.

Pro tip: Try to find containers that go under the bed to avoid storage hassles.

After finding the right container, place it right in the middle of the space where you plan to keep it and fill it with cat litter. You can even add silica cat litter to it.

After a while, you will notice that the litter box will start to smell, and the crystals will appear damp. That’s when you should replace the content; otherwise, it will no longer be able to absorb moisture.

If you are planning to make a dehumidifier for small spaces like your drawers or closet, get a pantyhose or cotton sock and put the cat litter in it. Just make sure that you tie it well so that the content does not come out. This is great for absorbing moisture in tents and sleeping bags too!

Now, in case you are wondering- "does a dehumidifier help dry towels in the bathroom?" Let us tell you that it cannot entirely at once. If you want to make sure that dehumidifiers absorb excess moisture in the bathroom, you will have to install a bathroom fan as well.

Confused about where to place dehumidifier in bathroom? We suggest placing it close to the source of moisture. Honestly, placing it near the shower is the best idea.

Can Cat Litter Help Stop Condensation?

You have most definitely noticed water droplets forming on the inner side of the windows. This is called condensation, and it happens when hot air hits the cold surface of your window. While it might not seem to be a big problem apart from reducing visibility, it can cause severe damage to your home over time.

If left untreated, it can lead to mold and mildew growth. And we have one unusual tip to help you deal with this problem. No points for guessing, but you can use kitty litter as it absorbs water. You can consider putting a layer of clay litter around your window sill to help prevent condensation and keep the glass surface dry.

This is a great and inexpensive method to keep your rooms, especially the windows, moisture-free.

How To Use Cat Litter For Outdoor Moisture Control?

You would be surprised to know that you can use a cat litter box for moisture control outside the home. What we are saying is that it can save you from garage spills or moisture issues in RVs, boats, and so on. You can simply put cat litter in an open container and place it strategically.

Because these are open spaces, it is best that you use a few open containers and not just one. The cat litter will reduce humidity and damp issues in your RV while making sure it does not smell bad.

However, in case your area is receiving heavy rain, cat litter will not be able to absorb excess moisture if it has been there for a while. To avoid this issue, it is best that you replace the litter from time to time to ensure that it is effective.

How To Use Cat Litter For Indoor Moisture Control?

As we have mentioned earlier, you can use cat litter to remove high levels of moisture inside your home.

Sometimes, you might notice that the bottom of your trash cans is getting moist. Consider putting a layer of cat litter at the bottom of the cans in that case to see immediate results.

When humidity is excessive, like in your basement, it is best that you use open containers and store cat litter in them to trap moisture. You can also consider putting a small container of cat litter in your refrigerator to remove odor and excess moisture.

How To Use Cat Litter As A Dehumidifier Final Words

That's all we have for you today!

We have listed down all the ways you can use cat litter to deal with moisture issues inside and outside your home. And we hope the suggestions are of help to you. But before we bid you goodbye, we would like to tell you that cat litter can be used in other interesting ways too.

For example, you can put it in your shoes to trap odor and moisture. And you will never have to worry about smelly feet. You can also use cat litter to absorb fresh spills in driveways. This is a handy and inexpensive option that will keep moisture troubles at bay.

Until next time!

Oil paint is a versatile art medium that offers you endless opportunities. But, before you get started, it's better to get acquainted with the paint.

As a slow-drying paint, it's easier to mix and use old paints for your portraits as you get more time to play around with the colors. Plus, you don't have to worry about the paint changing tones once it's completely dry. But, what about the expiration date of the paints? How long do oil paints last? How to know if the oil paint is good enough to use or is it too old?

If you buy containers of the best oil paints, you'll notice that it doesn't come with a clear expiration date like acrylic paints. Does that mean oil paints don't expire? Or, Can you paint oil over acrylic?

We have a pretty interesting story here that we plan to unravel in this article. Without wasting any more time, let's get our paints out!

Some Basic Info About Oil Paints

As the name suggests, oil paints are oil-based, where color pigments remain suspended in natural or vegetable oils. The most commonly used oil for preparing oil paints is linseed oil. Compared to acrylic paint or watercolor paint, oil paint has a thicker consistency that feels like butter and takes more time to dry.

The oil binding the pigment particles lead to the slow-drying of this paint in a tube and on canvas. Since the drying time is more, it's an excellent choice for developing elaborate artworks without worrying about blending fresh colors every time you're painting. Furthermore, the colors don't lose their intensity or depth once they are completely dry.

While water-based paints, such as watercolors and acrylic paints, dry through evaporation, oil paints react with air through oxidation that hardens and locks the colors on your canvas. While the colors don't lose their luster or intensity, they can grow hard and brittle with time, creating cracks in the painting.

It's essential to properly store and maintain oil paints so that they can stand the test of time.

Do Oil Paints Come With A Shelf Life?

Oil paint tubes don't come with any fixed expiration date, and if they are kept sealed properly, you can use them for a long time. If the tubes are left unsealed, oil paints tend to harden inside them.

Linseed oil can expire quickly or oil paints can develop mold with time on canvas if the painting lacks maintenance. But, generally speaking, oil paints have the longest shelf life compared to other paints. If you store the paints under the right conditions, they can easily last up to 30 or 40 years without going bad.

In contrast, watercolor paints only have a shelf life of about three years, and acrylic paint can last up to five years. Even though oil paints may expire, their long shelf life makes them more convenient to use than other paints.

What Causes Oil Paints To Degrade Over Time?

Isn't it heartbreaking to see your favorite oil painting turning yellow or its oil cracking and breaking over the years. The chemical bondings inside oil paints make them dry out and become hard and brittle.

If you are an art enthusiast, it's only natural to wonder what happens to oil paints as they grow old. So, in this section, we will highlight three primary reasons that can cause oil paints to degrade with time.

1. The Quality Of Oil

Linseed oil is usually the main oil ingredient used in these paints, but it has poor adhesion quality, causing separation of the color pigments from the oil. When the pigments separate from the oil, the chemical alteration damages the color.

Some pigments, such as titanium oxide, can prevent the polymeric binder inside these paints from working properly. Hence, many artists prefer using alumina to lengthen the lifespan of their oil paints to avoid fading and cracking.

Also, high amounts of color pigments can make oil paintings stiff, leading to premature shrinking and cracking. So, check the oil and pigment ratio while determining whether your oil paint has degraded.

2. Chemical Reactions

The chemicals inside your oil paints continue to react constantly with the surroundings. This ongoing chemical process causes minute changes to the chemical bondings of the paint, making it brittle and delicate with time.

The quality of each paint layer applied on canvas eventually degrades. Furthermore, vegetable oils usually act as the binding agent in oil paints, so when the oil starts to dry out with time, the paint shrinks on the canvas. This causes the oil painting to crack and you can notice visible raggedy lines sprawled like spider webs all over the canvas if the oil painting is quite old.

3. Humidity And Direct Sunlight

If you use oil paints of archival quality, they will last on the shelf for years. But the moment your oil painting is exposed to high humidity, the paint will start to peel off the canvas.

Strong sunlight and ultraviolet rays will ruin the color of oil paintings. Also, temperature and humidity can make your oil paints lose their texture and consistency if you are not careful about storing the paints.

How To Store Oil Paints?

All art materials require proper storage if you want to keep them in top condition and use them for a long time. When oil-based paints are stored correctly, they can easily last over a decade without any damage.

The first thing you need to know about storing oil paint tubes is to keep them properly sealed at all times except when you're using them. Air is the enemy of oil paints, and if they are exposed to air for a long time, the paints become hard and brittle. It's best to store oil paint tubes in an airtight container by tightly screwing the tube caps.

If you have loose paints, you can also store them in leakproof containers. Furthermore, keep the paints in a dark place where they won't be subjected to direct sunlight. In that way, you can prevent the ultraviolet light from the sun from ruining the color and luster of the paints.

And store the oil paints under cold temperatures to maintain their texture and consistency. Some artists prefer to store their oil paints in freezers so that they don't dry out. You can even cover the paint on your palette with aluminum foil or some plastic wrap to prevent them from going bad.

Moreover, the oil will start to separate from the pigment over time as your paint becomes old. As the color pigments are denser than the oil, they will settle at the bottom when the oil starts to separate from them. If you are using oil paint tubes, you can lengthen the lifespan of the paint by storing them upside down.

How Can You Know Whether The Oil Paint Has Gone Bad?

Usually, you can tell whether the oil paint has expired just by looking at it. As mentioned, when the oil separates from the pigment particles the quality of your paint degrades. And if the oil gets completely separated from the pigments, the paint will harden and dry due to lack of oil.

You can't use this dried paint for coloring anymore. There are also some other signs that indicate that your oil paint has expired and gone bad, so let's take a look!

1. Mold Growth

While you can't detect mold growth if the oil paint is inside a tube, it's quite easy to identify when you store the paint in a container. When you have a big paint container, you need to check it for mold growth to determine whether the paint has gone bad.

Mold growth will appear in district black patches over the paint inside the container. If you don't store the oil paint in a dry place, it's exposed to moisture, resulting in the growth of mold and mildew. When you notice such black patches of mold on your paint, it's time to throw it out and buy a new batch of oil paints.

2. Foul Smell

Even though mold growth usually causes your paint to smell weird, you can also get a foul smell from the paint container without mold growth. So, if you get a foul smell every time you open the paint container, toss it out irrespective of whether there's any mold growth.

In good condition, oil paints have a strong chemical smell because the oil and other chemicals act as a polymeric binder to bind the oil to the color pigments. The chemical smell of your oil paint indicates that the chemicals inside the paint are working properly.

However, if you get a foul smell coming from the paint container, it means that the chemicals have expired.

3. Puffed Container

If your paint container has puffed up, your oil paint has expired. The container will puff up due to the release of gasses by the actions of microorganisms as they consume and degrade the oil paint.

So, if you notice that your paint container has swollen or puffed up, don't bother opening it and throw it out straight away.

4. Discoloration

When your oil paint attains a different color than it's supposed to, your paint has probably gone bad. Old paints that are kept in poor storage conditions turn yellow or might appear different because of heat, moisture, or other foreign chemicals.

Say if you mix the oil paint with a paint thinner or other chemicals while painting but don't clean the paint properly before storing, it will discolor. Hence, if you notice that the color of the old oil paint has changed, you need to replace it.

But before tossing out the paint, test it first to check whether you can revive it. In some cases, you might find that the paint is blending properly and its glaze is intact, following which you can use certain tricks to revive the old paint.

Can You Revive Old Oil Paints?

Even though it might seem that you need to toss out the oil paint if it goes hard, there's still a way to revive the old paint. You might be able to reactivate and reuse oil paints by making them softer.

It'll require some mixing and blending of the paints using a paint thinner while you stir it into a paint mixer to restore its thick, buttery consistency and uniform color. You'll also need some tools and equipment to revive your old paint, such as:

Work gloves
Face mask
Paint thinner, like turpentine
Large plastic container
Paint mixer

Once you've gathered all the necessary items, it's time to get down to business. So, let's roll!

Step 1: Put On Your Safety Gear

While working with oil paints, you'll be exposed to several chemicals, including turpentine, acting as the paint thinner. Hence, always remember to gear up to avoid any health hazards.

As you quite well know, it is not safe to use your bare hands when dealing with turpentine, so put on protective rubber gloves when working with it. Moreover, you'll be exposed to toxic fumes from different chemicals present in the oil paint and it's best to always wear a face mask to avoid breathing troubles.

Step 2: Pour The Oil Paint

Once you are all geared up, grab your old oil paint and pour it out into a large plastic container. If you use a large container, you won't need a separate container for mixing the turpentine with the paint.

Be careful while pouring out the paint to avoid splashing it. Also, it's best to use an old plastic container because you won't be able to use it again to eat or cook once you mix the turpentine in the container.

Step 3: Apply Turpentine

Now, it's time to add turpentine to your old oil paint to thin it. While turpentine is the best option, you can always go for any other oil-based paint thinners, but you might ask - what is turpentine?

It is a solvent that thins and dissolves your old oil paint so that it can become soft again. Turpentine dilutes the oil paint to make it easier to blend and mix during revival. You can also use turpentine to clean your paintbrushes while oil painting.

Furthermore, turpentine is quite effective in art restoration and maintenance of old oil paintings. You can simply pour some turpentine into an old rug to dab gently on the canvas to prevent the paint from hardening and cracking. And it becomes easier to fix errors by softening the dried paint on the oil painting using turpentine.

But turpentine is known to be mildly toxic and can pass through your skin, causing allergies. It can also lead to headaches, vomiting, and dizziness if you inhale the fumes. That’s why always wear your rubber gloves and face mask while using turpentine, and make sure you're working in a space with good ventilation.

Step 4: Stir The Paint

After you've added the paint thinner to the container, it's time to stir in the old oil paint and mix it well. You can mix in the paint manually, but if the paint is too hard, using a paint mixer can make the process a lot easier.

Start by adding a bit of the turpentine solvent to your hardened oil paint and stir it for a few minutes. If the paint remains hard even after stirring, add some more turpentine and continue the stirring process.

The paint thinner will slowly act on the paint to dilute it and make it thinner. You can repeat the process as many times as you need because the turpentine will eventually evaporate without affecting the quality of the paint.

Step 5: Test Your Paint

After stirring the paint in the turpentine for a while, it's time to test the paint. Apply the paint using a brush and check whether it's blending smoothly and glazes over the canvas. If the paint has that smooth and buttery consistency and maintains a uniformity in its color, you've successfully reactivated the oil paint, and it's perfectly usable.

But when there are small lumps while blending and applying the paint to the canvas, add more turpentine and stir it for a few more minutes. Keep stirring the paint till it has the right consistency and color.

Is It Okay To Use Old Oil Paint?

You don't need to buy new oil paints every time you take on a new painting project. In fact, the long shelf life of the paints makes it quite easy to use old paints for new paintings. You can even use oil paints that are more than a decade old if they are in good condition or can be successfully revived.

However, it's always a good idea to check the paint before you use it for your painting project. The first thing you need to check is whether the paint is properly sealed when you come across an old can or tube of leftover oil paint on the shelf.

Nothing ruins oil paints more than air, so if you see that the paint wasn't properly sealed, don't use it. But, if the sealing is perfectly intact, it should be fine even if the paint is 30 years old.

The second thing that you must consider while using old oil paints is whether they contain lead. Many old varieties of oil paints have lead as their base, especially white oil paints.

As you know, lead is a toxic heavy metal that you must not inhale or ingest. Usually, paints containing lead are available in a tin can with clean warning instructions. So, if you are using old oil paints, make sure it doesn't contain any lead by carefully reading the instructions on the paint can.

In addition to this, check the texture and consistency of the old oil paints before using them. If you notice that the oil has separated from the pigments, the paint is expired, and you need to toss it out. Thus, when you are determined to use your old paints, be sure to look out for the factors we just mentioned.

How To Use Oil Paints Directly From The Tube?

Using oil paints directly from the tube is a great idea to avoid mixing and blending paints on the palette. But, you need to know about some painting techniques to apply oil paints on the canvas directly from paint tubes.

If you are a newbie, you can work on mastering the thin brushing technique, which is an easy technique to use oil paints straight from their tubes. You need to have better control over your paintbrush to master this technique.

There's another technique called Alla prima that includes layering wet paint on top of another wet paint layer without letting the bottom layer dry out. However, if you want to apply this method by using oil paints directly from the tube, make sure to complete the painting in one session.

You can also use a palette knife to apply oil paints straight from the tube to the canvas. A palette knife is excellent for creating thick layers and visual texture while oil painting. Hence, you can quite conveniently use oil paints directly from their tubes by mastering any of these painting techniques.

Tips To Make Your Oil Paint Last Longer On Canvas

Now that you know how to lengthen the shelf life of your oil paints, it's time to talk about making the oil paints last for a long time on a canvas. Here are some tips and tricks that can help you do just that. Let's check them out!

1. Mix The Paints Carefully

The more you dilute your oil paint, the more it peels off from the substrate. By making the canvas wet, it becomes less sticky, so it's more difficult for the paints to adhere to it. Thus, make sure that your canvas is dry before applying the first layer of oil paint.

Iron blacks and carbon oxides are great pigments to improve the wearability of your oil paints as they act as UV screens on your painting. You can use these pigments for mixing oil paints to ensure that your oil painting doesn't shrink or crack.

2. Select Stretched Canvas

Oil paints tend to flake off more easily under alkaline conditions, so it's best to steer clear of using oil paints on surfaces with high levels of alkalinity.

The best substrate for using oil paints is a linen or cotton canvas but art restoration can be a bit difficult if you are using a cotton canvas. Instead, go for artist-grade stretched canvases that are made from jute or hemp to prevent the oil paints from peeling off any time soon.

3. Proper Layering Of Pigments

You can prevent premature cracking of the oil paints on canvas by layering slow-drying pigments over the fast-drying ones. In that way, you can play and experiment with more shades and create an oil painting that lasts longer.

Basically, each layer of paint needs to have more oil than the previous layers so that the paints don't shrink. Furthermore, you can use some varnish and white spirits to spray over the paints in gradual intervals to ensure that the painting doesn't dry out and crack over time.

Spraying an additional layer of linseed oil over the paints can also prevent them from cracking.

4. Avoid Oil Paints Having Bad Lightfast Rating

As mentioned earlier, oil paints and sunlight don’t go well together. The lightfast rating highlights the ability of oils to withstand long-term exposure to light.

For instance, fluorescent colors have a lower lightfast rating and fade more quickly when exposed to sunlight compared to vibrant colors. Hence, avoid oil paints having a low lightfast rating for your oil painting.

How Long Do Oil Paints Last Final Thoughts

Oil painting is one of the most exquisite forms of artwork due to the richness and depth of oil paint. However, if you don't know how to start oil painting and properly store or maintain oil paints, the story won't be so beautiful.

After going through our informative guide, we hope you understand that even though oil paints have a long shelf life, they can expire and go bad quite easily. You need to use the tips and tricks we've mentioned above to make the paints last longer on your oil painting to prevent them from drying up or cracking.

And with that, we wish you all the best as you embark on an artistic journey in the world of oil painting. Stay creative, and see you next time!

Concrete crack fillers come in handy when you notice cracks on your concrete surfaces. But ever wondered why does cement crack over time?

Well, the primary reason is poor application techniques or improper mixing of the concrete in the initial stages. And if there are cracks on the road, they can be attributed to improper mixing of asphalt and concrete. In that case, you’ll need the best asphalt crack filler instead.

But this is only applicable when the damage is minimal. In other cases, you might have to get your concrete surface replaced completely. Or you can ask us a different question - can old concrete be resurfaced instead? Well, yes it can!

In any case, we need to first understand the reasons behind concrete cracking in greater detail, which is what this article is all about. We have also briefly discussed a few ways you can avoid the hassle of replacement and resurfacing in the long-run.

Why Does Concrete Crack?

If you want to know why concrete cracks, then you should first have some idea about its composition and mode of action. Cement is a mixture of different materials, such as limestone, chalk, clay, and traces of iron.

This mixture constitutes the powdery material, which is then combined with sand, aggregate stone, and water. The final product you get after all the mixing is known as concrete.

Consequently, the ratio of these materials can be altered slightly to change the properties of concrete. In any case, once you add water, a chemical reaction is triggered, which is known as curing. This curing process eventually hardens it if you leave it undisturbed for a while.

Once the concrete hardens, it adheres together firmly which provides stability to the structure. Furthermore, it becomes resistant to water, dirt, corrosion, or any other kind of damage.

Therefore, if it develops cracks, it is because the method of application was wrong or the mixing was done improperly. To expand on this aspect further, here are some of the most common reasons why concrete cracks.

1. Using Too Much Water In The Concrete Mixture

It is crucial to maintain the ratio of water in the concrete blend. You can alter this proportion slightly to vary its properties, as we have said before. However, if you use too much water in the mix, it can develop cracks in the concrete.

Adding excess water leads to a phenomenon known as shrinkage. This is when the extra water starts to evaporate from the mix. As it dries, the concrete “shrinks” or reduces in volume, and the more it shrinks, the bigger cracks it produces.

Typically, concrete does not require a lot of water to cure. Construction workers may use it in excess quantities as it makes the mix easier to apply. If there is more water in the mix than is necessary, the concrete becomes unstable.

Such cracks are often observed shortly after the application of the concrete mix. To be more precise, it depends on the length of the curing process. The cracks often appear within a short time after the concrete has been cured.

To resolve this, you need to follow well-established guidelines regarding the ratio of water and cement that can be used. Avoid mixing excess water to ensure a proper concrete mix. It might require a little more effort to apply it that way. But, it is better to do it this way so that any accidents or cracks can be avoided later on.

2. Rapid Drying Of The Concrete Slab

The curing process usually takes quite a while to complete. During this time, you need to keep the concrete surface sufficiently hydrated. That not only allows it to harden appropriately but also develops its tensile strength, which makes it resistant to internal stress.

If the concrete slab is not kept hydrated after application, it will dry up rapidly. This, in turn, makes it vulnerable to developing cracks. When it dries quickly, the surface shrinks in volume due to a loss of water.

Meanwhile, the interior of the concrete remains the same, as it does not lose water at the same rate. So, a difference in stress develops between the surface and the interior, which eventually leads to cracks.

Most of the time, the cracks that develop due to rapid drying are cosmetic in nature. But, if the ambient temperature is pretty dry and hot, the cracks may even become deep. In that case, you will need to repair them to avoid any structural damage.

To do that, proper curing of the concrete is essential. Make sure to keep the concrete’s surface moist by pouring water over it regularly. You need to follow this moisture curing procedure for some time after application. This will provide enough moisture for the concrete to be cured from the inside.

3. Improper Concrete Strength

Concrete is available in different strengths based on the type of structure that is being built. For building heavy load-bearing structures, such as multi-storeyed buildings, you need concrete that has sufficiently high tensile and compressive strength. Conversely, if you are building smaller structures, then you need to use concrete that has a lower compressive and tensile strength.

So, if you use concrete having improper strength, then it will obviously crack. For instance, if you use low-strength concrete for a higher load-bearing structure, it will start to crack under extreme pressure and stress. Not only that, it might compromise the entire structural integrity, which will pose a serious risk.

Therefore, to prevent such cracks, make sure to use the correct concrete mix. You can consult with your local concrete contractors if you need help with this. They will first inspect the job site and based on that they will advise you on what concrete will be best for the task.

4. Lack Of Control Joints In A Concrete Slab

Using control joints is a mechanism that helps in preventing any unwanted cracks and damages to the concrete. A control joint is a crack that is deliberately left in the concrete slab during application. Its primary function is to allow sufficient room for the concrete slab to contract or expand under different temperature conditions.

Thus, if you use a control joint, you can eliminate the risk of excess stress or compression in the concrete. If you don’t use a concrete joint, then the slab will not have any room to expand or contract when the ambient temperature changes. So, it will result in excess tensile buildup or compressive stress, which will ultimately crack the concrete.

Ideally, control joints should cover the depth of the slab. The distance between successive joints should be around two to three times the thickness of the concrete measured in feet. For instance, the control joints in a 5-inch thick slab should be placed every 10 to 15 feet.

5. Unsuitable Environmental Conditions

Applying and curing concrete needs to be done under the correct environmental conditions, or else it will develop cracks and damages on the surface. Pouring cement in hot weather can dry it up too quickly.

On the other hand, if you undertake the process during the cold winter months, the concrete will become difficult to cure, as the water may freeze and crack the surface. The ground may remain frozen in such weather, which will further prevent the concrete from setting properly. Also, if the ambient conditions are dry or windy, that will evaporate all the moisture from the concrete surface, resulting in cracks.

Therefore, you should try not to pour concrete in hot and dry weather. If you don’t have a choice, keep the surface hydrated enough to facilitate the curing process. The best time to pour concrete is when the weather is slightly warm and humid.

Types Of Cracks In Concrete

Based on the causes, cracks in concrete can be of different types. Some of these cracks are not as serious as the others and can be easily resolved. The other types of cracks can be quite severe and can cause serious structural damage. Regardless of their type, it is best if you fix any crack as soon as possible to maintain the aesthetics and safety of the concrete structure.

The different types of concrete cracks have been discussed below.

1. Hairline Cracks

Hairline cracks, also known as surface cracks, are relatively small cracks that develop on concrete. These cracks are only found on the surface and are usually not very deep or wide. They are very fine, like a strand of hair, and are almost indecipherable when viewed from a distance, hence the name.

Even if they are surface-level cracks and they don’t cause a lot of structural problems, you should get them fixed. This is to ensure that the cracks do not expand or become a serious concern over time.

2. Structural Cracks

Structural cracks are wide cracks that usually run throughout the length of a concrete wall. They are caused due to structural faults or if there is too much stress in the concrete.

When these cracks appear, you should get them fixed as soon as possible. If you don’t do anything, the entire structural integrity of your building will be compromised, which can cause a serious accident. In extreme cases, it may cause the whole structure to collapse, which can lead to severe consequences, including loss of life.

3. Plastic Shrinkage Cracks

Plastic shrinkage cracks generally appear when the concrete is in a liquid or plastic state. This implies that these cracks appear soon after application when the concrete hasn’t fully hardened yet.

When the concrete is in a plastic state, it contains a lot of water. The crack is initially small when it appears, but once the water keeps evaporating, the concrete starts to shrink, and eventually, the crack starts to widen.

Such a crack occurs if you use too much water in the concrete mix, as we have discussed previously. While it does not pose a serious risk initially, if it keeps expanding, it can weaken the internal structure of concrete and make it vulnerable to damage.

4. Settlement Cracks

This type of crack usually occurs when the ground beneath the concrete structure has been compromised. If the soil is too soft or has not been compacted properly, a part of the concrete slab may sink into it abruptly. That can cause sudden stress in the concrete, which ultimately cracks it.

Such cracks are usually narrower at the bottom, and the width increases as you go upwards. They need to be addressed as soon as possible because they indicate weakness in the ground that holds the concrete slabs in place. Ignoring it will only increase the chances of a major accident.

Why Does Cement Crack Final Words

So, now you know the reasons why cement develops cracks. Cracked concrete is dangerous, especially if it appears in residential buildings, as it poses a great risk to life. Not only that, but it can also increase the costs of construction or repairs considerably.

That is why you should address any cracks in concrete immediately. And take measures to prevent them from appearing in the future. For that, you can follow the solutions we have discussed above.

Use steel rebar, wire mesh, and other supporting components to make the concrete even more resistant to cracking. You can also use specialized crack-resistant concrete that can withstand heavy loads and stress without any issues.

That brings us to the end of this guide. We hope you found this to be an interesting read.

Goodbye and take care!

Any space, irrespective of its design and lighting, remains incomplete without suitable furniture - it just revamps the entire decor.

A house turns into a picture-perfect home with the right decor that suits your vibe. We don't even notice how our furniture is extremely influential in creating some memorable moments in our lives. However, the love for mid-century modern furniture has been a statement for around 50 years. You'll find the impact of this iconic design era as an epitome of style in modern homes.

And, while we search for modern designs, it's all about finding the pieces that will complement your natural surroundings.

We can't help but marvel at the resilience of the mid-century designs, which is ingrained in our aesthetic ideals. Modern furniture is like a piece of art - clean lines, minimalism, simplicity, and profuse with elegance.

But, what gives this design its longevity? What are the different mid-century furniture styles? In the following guide, we'll be diving into these questions and so much more. Let's get started, shall we?

Types of Mid-Century Modern Furniture

When you start looking for mid-century modern furniture, you'll find an endless variety. The buzz for this design is not going to die, but instead, it keeps getting louder with more people opting for these products each day. Few of these pieces have gained immense popularity and have continued to rule the mid-century modern furniture market. So, without further ado, let's cast a glance over the legendary pieces that have contributed immense to the style!

Most Iconic Mid-Century Furniture Pieces

Wassily Chair Designed by Marcel Breuer

The Wassily chair was created in the year 1925, by Breuer, an apprentice at the Staatliches Bauhaus. He was indeed the first furniture designer to use tubular steel to make the Wassily chair. Breuer found the inspiration for designing this chair from a bent form of a bicycle frame (handle). It was way ahead of its time to use steel for making a product.

However, it's due to the development of technology in the mid-century era that made this innovation possible. Mannesmann, a German steel manufacturer, had developed a process by which you could produce seamless steel tubing. And, this same tubing was featured in Breuer's bicycle, which inspired him to use this material in the Wassily chair.

This chair has arms and backrests, along with fabric seats. With the re-launch of Wassily chair in 1960, there were black, brown, and white leather options available.

Ottoman and Eames Lounge Ray and Charles Eames

The Ottoman and Eames Lounge chair was molded to be used by the U.S. Navy during World War II. The same product has been continuously manufactured since 1956. It sounds unbelievable? Well! The hype about its comfortable design is quite relevant when we consider the functionality of this piece. It comes with an aluminum base, and it's upholstered in leather.

This design did stand out when compared to other chairs that were created during this period. It has a modern design that still blends in perfectly with every style of home decor. The chair was initially made with two existing models of furniture; a used baseman's mitt, and a country club chair. The simple design and high comfort factor makes it a statement piece in every home.

Barcelona Chair Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

The legendary Barcelona chair was built in 1929 and was initially used at the German Pavilion by the Spanish royalty in Barcelona, Spain. It's a well-designed piece of modern furniture made with some of the finest quality materials. This elegant and versatile product can be accommodated in any formal setting or even the living room.

The furniture made by Ludwig is known for its fine craftsmanship, with a clear separation between the supporting surface and its supporting structure. The Barcelona chair also has a combination of luxurious fabrics like chrome frames with leather.

Tulip Armchair designed by Eero Saarinen

The Tulip Armchair not only resembles a flower, but it's also shaped like a stemmed wine glass. Saarinen had created this design to avoid any clutter in a living space. He wanted to make a chair with a clear and simple design without using the undercarriage of four legs.

This piece is a part of the last furniture series by Saarinen, which features a single pedestal leg that creates a unified environment of stools, chairs, and tables. The tulip chair has an aluminum stem that is fused with a plastic finish which supports the sculptural fiberglass shell seat. But, the chair looks as though its made of just one material.

Noguchi Coffee Table Designed by Isamu Noguchi

The sculptor Isamu Noguchi is a well known Japanese American furniture designer and landscape architect. He created this extremely delicate coffee table by joining a freeform glass top with curved, solid wood base. It was introduced to the public in 1948, and ever since then, it has gained a constant appreciation for its minimalist design.

This simple design, with clean edges, is a stunning creation, that will stand out in every space that you choose for keeping this furniture.

Ball Chair Designed by Sori Yanagi

This ball chair is a perfect piece of contemporary modern furniture which adds a futuristic and casual element to any environment. It is made of fiberglass, and it has been upholstered with quality fabrics. You can place this chair in any informal or formal setting which makes this chair perfect for all-day ergonomic support.

Florence Knoll Sofa Designed by Florence Knoll

This Florence Knoll sofa dates back to 1954, and it has a perfect blend of minimalism, beauty, and elegance. It is still one of the most famous pieces of mid-century modern furniture. With an ideal combination of functionality and aesthetics, this piece has a reasonable price tag. It's perfect for any style of living room, and it provides a sophisticated design with superior levels of comfort.

Egg Chair Designed by Arnie Jacobsen

The sculptor Arnie Jacobsen had first molded the shape of an egg by using clay to get the perfect shape. After getting the form right, he made the egg chair with a durable foam inner shell that is placed under the upholstery. It is perfect for public space or even the living room; it covers the entire back of the person seated.This unique, stylish design was created in 1958, which is not going out of trend any time soon.

A Brief History of Mid-Century Modern Design

As the name suggests, this design was pioneered in the 1940s-1960s. The mid-century movement came about during the era of modernism. This style has gained immense popularity in the last few decades; however, it wasn't widely recognized in the past. The designs are rooted in the concept of functionality, simplicity, and elegance.

This form of modern style had initially grown in the suburban areas of America, and it's ideologies are based on the principles of the Le Corbusier and Bauhaus. It originated in Germany, but after the horrors of World War II, several Bauhaus architects and designers migrated to America. With the advent of technology along with economic changes, there was a rapid shift in lifestyle.

Many modern homes were built, along with it came the demand for modern furniture. However, the advances in the field of technology did allow the production of a wide range of materials. This modern style furniture played with new materials like vinyl, glass, metal, and plywood. It's quite rare for a design movement to stand the test of time that keeps evolving with a new generation.

But, the concept of engineering functional yet aspirational furniture gave rise to pieces of architectural beauty. The mid-century design comes with geometric silhouettes, clean, simple lines, and multi-purpose usage that can easily blend with the surroundings. No wonder, this old charismatic style of furniture has such high demand even after decades for its immaculate design.

Mid-Century Modern Style Characteristics

Here are a few key features which distinguish the mid-century modern style from all others:

In the mid-century designs, functionality is essential in every type of furniture.
Superb craftsmanship. The designers take pride in creating pieces that can withstand the test of time.
Minimalism. The uncluttered look with sleek lines come in both geometric and organic forms. It lacks any fussy ornamentation or design.
It uses man made as well as natural materials. You'll find a mix of traditional materials solid wood or stone, with synthetic fibers like plywood, rayon, or nylon.
It comes in modern prints. Even though the focus was on simplicity but it didn't come at the expense of an overall appeal. You'll get designs ranging from geometric prints to boomerang designs.
"Floating" furniture. The mid-century pieces come with short and extremely tapered legs, which gives it a" floating" appearance.
It uses bold colors. You'll find a broad spectrum of colors in use from neutral to bright, and for the graphic designs, there is also a splash of black and white.

Different Types of Mid-Century Modern Furniture

Every piece of furniture that is crafted by the mid-century modern designers is timeless and blends easily with the contemporary style of decor. You can design your kitchen, bedroom, living area to the patio with mid-century modern furniture.

Even though it has a sleek and minimalist style, but it should be placed carefully according to the design layout. This helps to avoid making the design appear dated as it can easily monopolize a room. These pieces can either make or break the entire space.

The whole house can be redone, as you find the furniture that matches your requirements. We've curated some fantastic ideas that can be incorporated while you redecorate your home with mid-century modern furniture.

Living Room Mid-Century Modern Furniture

The living room is one of the most commonly used spaces in the home. And there are a lot of different ideas which you can implement for crafting a well-designed living room. This is a primary spot that helps to set the tone for the rest of your home decor. It's one of the best places in the house where you can showcase your design aesthetics. Let's look into the best mid-century modern furniture for your living room.

Accent Chairs

You must have seen a few accent chairs in the living room of many homes. It is not just used for extra seating arrangements, but it's a brilliant way to add a new style reference, color, or silhouette to any room. This has become one of the most common pieces of furniture in the entire stack of mid-century modern designs. They look simple yet stylish in every living room.

The size is perfect for you to incorporate it in any living space, be it your bedroom, living room, or even the office. It adds a sense of personality to any space.

Coffee Table

A coffee table is a living room essential. To replace a coffee table is quite challenging when you consider all the benefits of having this piece. This long, low table is designed in a way that you can place it next to your upholstered chairs or sofas. It helps to support magazines, books, beverages, and other small decorative items.

Placing the mid-century coffee table in the living room helps to make it the center of attention. And its multipurpose form helps to add visual interest. You will love the entire effect of this classy design in your home.

Egg Chairs

Many of us must have seen the design of an egg chair, but the name might not have been clear. For those of you who haven't seen an egg chair, we're here to help you understand the complete form of this modern furniture design. It is a very stylish and cute chair that acts like a showstopper among the other decor items.

This design can have a significant impact on the overall outlook of the living room.. It has a super stylish and sophisticated design that complements both contemporary and traditional style of the living room.

The egg chair helps to carve out your personal space with its structural integrity. This statement piece comes in different colors, and a wide range of textures so you can find the one which will suit the other furniture in the room.

Sofa

Having a sofa set in the living room is one of the first pieces that we tend to focus on while redecorating our home. You should not compromise on your level of comfort and design when it comes to selecting a sofa. The mid-century sofa sets are an ideal option for the people who appreciate bold to neutral hues in the living room. These sofas are the epitome of elegance, comfort, and style.

It has a significant amount of sitting space, and it provides you with unmatched comfort. This simple design adds the perfect spark of beauty that your living room needs. The slanted, low-set design of these sofa sets have a sleek, retro look which adds an undeniable charm to the room. Each piece comes with raw, exposed material finishes with an inherently stylish low-angled design.

TV Console

It can get a little challenging to transform the entire home into a complete mid-century modern design. But, we can insert a few pieces of such furniture into our already existing modern homes. These TV consoles exhibit great minimalism. The stands deliver a classic look, which is indeed a distinguishing feature of mid-century modern design.

It exhibits expert craftsmanship (appearance), and it will be a safe place to keep the flat-screen TV with sufficient storage space (functionality).

The natural wood designs can easily blend perfectly with any style of decor. The color gives a sense of serenity, and it influences the surrounding atmosphere. As we focus on the functionality, most TV console features four storage spaces in the middle which you can fill with decoration, DVD's or with some books.

It generally has two open shelves that have been designed without doors, which makes it easier for you to access. The superior design, color, and quality of this mid-century modern furniture make it suitable for the living area.

Mid-Century Modern Bedroom Furniture

The bedroom is one of the most privy and intimate spaces of our homes. With a mid-century modern design, you can integrate plenty of personal touches by integrating some classic bedroom features. These design ideas are every bit as elegant as they are visually appealing. Let's take a look at some of the most famous mid-century bedroom furniture designs!

Nightstands

How do you complete your bed without a nightstand? It's with these stands that our beds and our rooms start to look complete. We use nightstands for many different purposes like- placing the books that we read every night, to keep our spectacle, regular supplements, eye masks, our cell phone, watch, etc.

It might appear like a small piece of furniture, but it's a simple, elegant, and super functional product. With this mid-century modern nightstand, you can avoid the clutter by storing different tiny items. It usually comes with spacious drawers, which makes it handy to store your essential things. The simple drawer and the hairpin-style legs come together in this design to create a visually-appealing nightstand.

Bed

A bed is like a safe haven which allows you to unwind after a long day. With a bold bedroom set, our space can start to look congested and small, but with the mid-century modern design, the bedroom will not look overdone. Geometric patterns and tapered legs are some of the essential features that are highlighted in this classic design.

Lightweight material, lively colors, and streamlined shapes give these mid-century modern beds a sense of timeless appeal.

The sleek lines of this mid-century modern bed help to create a unique sense of flair and add to its elegance. These beds come with a low headboard that you can use for keeping different decorative items or even your night lamp. Having this stylish bedroom set will be a great way to update the existing decor.

Chaise Lounge

This belongs to the list of comfortable furniture where you can sprawl and read, listen to some music, or even take a nap. If you have a spacious bedroom, you should try to accommodate this mid-century modern chaise lounge. Having a chaise lounge in the bedroom or even your living room makes it the perfect relaxation zone.

It's an elongated chair that resembles a couch except for a few features such as- it comes with and without armrests while the backrest of the lounge allows you to sit in a reclined position. This piece of furniture has been growing in popularity, and in the new designs, there is enough space for two people to be seated. It complements the decor of the home, and it's known for its durability, beauty, and versatility.

Dresser

When a bedroom doesn't have a dresser, you're missing out on an essential piece of furniture in your bedroom. It comes with excellent storage space where you can accommodate your linens, undergarments, clothes, towel sets, and many other items. You can use the dresser top to keep family portraits, beauty products, or plant decorations that can enhance the look of the entire room.

What makes the mid-century modern dresser stand out from the other styles, is it's simple, uncluttered design. It comes with clean lines, smooth finish, straight edges, and raised legs, which can make the bedroom look welcoming, warm, and extremely tidy. These pieces are usually made of natural wood, or plywood, you can also find other models that are made of other non-traditional materials.

Lamp

Having the right light in your bedroom can transform the entire atmosphere. The mid-century modern lamps are a design-savvy lighting trend. You'll appreciate the chic look of these lamps which come in artful silhouettes, metal details, fine linens mixed with earthy textures. You might also find models that don't require wiring to be done; therefore, it requires no effort to set up the lamps.

This trend is not going out of style, so get these beautiful, sleek designs to set the right mood at home. It will not just brighten up the surroundings with an ambient glow, but it will be one of the statement pieces in your bedroom. You can find a ton of mid-century modern lamps with unique, innovative designs and a touch of minimalism which adds the perfect finishing touch.

Mid-Century Modern Kitchen Furniture

When you incorporate mid-century modern furniture in the kitchen, it gives an elegant and quirky spin with its retro accessories. This design and theme elude a sense style, organization, and personality in your kitchen. You should focus on creating a high-quality kitchen without having to sacrifice on the space.

Try removing all the visual clutter such as- bookshelves, excessive furniture, and other forms of visual obstructions. We've found some of the best mid-century modern furniture ideas for the kitchen that will create a massive impact to help you enjoy your cooking time.

Kitchen Table

Getting mid-century modern kitchen furniture is like investing while enduring style. If you don't prefer having a separate dining space, you can quickly get a table for the kitchen. Just like the other pieces of mid-century modern furniture, even this table has wooden legs, clean lines, and simplistic design. The right table set can transform the entire outlook of the kitchen.

These beautifully crafted tables will elevate your casual dining nook set to an elegant space filled with warmth and personality. Get this mid-century modern table to create a fun cooking vibe in your kitchen.

Kitchen Chairs

Most of the modern kitchens come with an open counter that makes it easier to place the cooking items, which acts more like a bar. You can sit around the open counter to have a meal when you don't want to move over to the table. The best furniture to get for this area is mid-century modern kitchen chairs.

The clean, sleek lines and simple design can never make your kitchen design look overwhelming, congested or overdone. You'll find a variety of sizes which are perfect for small to large kitchen space. With these kitchen chairs, you'll be adding a sense of personality that creates the perfect balance while giving you a welcoming, stylish, and classy environment.

Kitchen Cabinets

It is one of the essential components in our kitchen. It helps to keep the kitchen space organized and clean. The design of the mid-century modern kitchen cabinets is built by focusing on the functionality of this piece. You'll find a ton of colors, material, and a variety of sizes that will give you the perfect dream cabinet.

It will complement your kitchen space by making it appear more lively with its bold hues. Finally, you'll also find mid-century modern designs with front flat cabinetry, retro knobs, and a sturdy counter-top with an aluminum edge to prevent scratching and chipping. These kitchen cabinets are superior-functional pieces with stunning design and craftsmanship.

Mid-Century Modern Furniture for the Dining Room

The dining room is just as important as your living room when you consider the ample amount of family time spent while eating together. It's the place where you can catch up with your family and share food at the end of the day. If you love to host social gatherings, you'll enjoy these design ideas to help you decorate this place with love and affection.

It's often said that the dining rooms decor can affect your appetite. So, select the pieces which will suit your style and vibe. When you get to enjoy a great meal, it does have a specific relation with the environment. Keep in mind, to select pleasant yet elegant pieces of mid-century modern dining room furniture.

Dining Chairs

Every dining room requires a set of dining chairs. We're sometimes so caught up in finding the perfect dining table that we forget how the dining chair style has an impact on the overall design. You'll find a wide variety of mid-century modern dining chairs which are, of course, attractive, well-made, and comfortable. This style of dining chairs will not make even the small spaces, to appear overdone or congested.

These mid-century marvels will impress your guests with the modern, yet sober look of dining chairs. You can get different materials of dining chairs as per your preference; the textures can range from sleek leather to traditional wood.

Dining Table

With a dining table, you can transform any space in your home into a dining room. Even if the room has no furniture, placing a dining table there will make that room functional. When choosing a mid-century modern dining table, you should go for a design that will make the dining room more welcoming, spacious, and warm.

But, if you pick a large table for a small space, your room will start to appear overcrowded and unwelcoming. These statement pieces have a simple and elegant style. The clean and sophisticated design of mid-century modern furniture is the reason behind its increasing demand.

Most of the homes, at present times, come in contemporary or modern design which blends in perfectly with these modern furniture styles. The mid-century modern dining table will perfectly complement your same style of dining chairs.

These dining tables don't have any carvings or ornamentation, which gives it a casual and minimalist look. Its classy appearance helps to enhance the overall aesthetics of the dining room.

Buffet Sideboard

In every dining room, there is some space allocated for keeping the dinnerware, table linen, for placing decorative accents, and food that you're going to serve. Having a buffet sideboard is one of the best pieces that you can put in your dining room, which has an aesthetic and functional purpose. When you plan to have a mid-century modern dining room, it's quite impossible to overlook the buffet sideboard.

With the entire set of mid-century modern- dining table, dining chairs, and buffet sideboard, there will be everything that you possibly need in a dining room. You'll be flooded with compliments when your friends start to appreciate the sleek, retro look of this piece. The streamlined, minimalist design of this buffet sideboard comes in strong looking shapes which avoids any types of curves.

But, when you select your buffet sideboard to ensure that its height should be a bit higher than your mid-century modern dining table. It also features solid doors, so you can place the items as you feel like and shut the doors. Overall, you should consider the size of the dining room and the dining table as you pick the perfect buffet sideboard for your home.

Chandeliers

The dining room serves many purposes that are way beyond just serving a meal. You may often use the mid-century modern dining room to host informal gatherings, as a recreation room, or even a temporary home office. It highlights the importance of having the perfect mid-century modern chandeliers which are flexible, and designed to suit your needs.

Dramatic, attention-getting, a mid-century modern chandelier adds a visual flair that sets the overall mood and ambiance of the dining room. These chandeliers come in a host of designs, but each piece is created to be the focal point when you install it above your dining table. The sleek and refined chandeliers have been crafted to perfection and its made for dining room, both small and large.

Your guests will marvel at the beauty of this dazzling masterpiece that adds much-needed flair to the entire dining space. And, having good lighting is one of the best ways to create an engaging atmosphere. Having a mid-century modern chandelier will benefit your dining room both aesthetically and practically.

Mid-Century Modern Furniture for the Patio

The first thing that you see before entering a home is its well-designed patio. The patio speaks a great deal about your sense of style. It is imperative to design the patio in a way that helps you enjoy outdoor living. It's the best place to relax while reading a book, to spend quality time with family or even for hosting your summer BBQ party!

With a patio, you can lure your family outside to enjoy the beautiful weather that summer and spring have to offer. But, when you choose furniture for the patio, be careful about its durability and resistance of the material to outdoor weather conditions. To make it simple, we've compiled a few mid-century modern furniture for your patio!

Coffee Table

Having a coffee table in the courtyard may seem obvious when you're shopping for new furniture. It can get challenging to keep your books, or a mug of coffee when you don't have a small table in the patio. You can use it to place your refreshments, floral arrangements, and other knick-knacks. During the winters you can use the coffee table to keep the tabletop fireplaces.

It has a multi-purpose usage and functions equally as a decorative accent. You can find mid-century modern coffee tables which are made of glass, wood, or even marble. The simple design with sleek lines makes it perfect for blending with the natural surroundings effortlessly.

Patio Chairs

The range of mid-century modern patio chairs is ideally suited to transform your outdoor space in modern style. Each set has been created to optimize your area and to adapt to the other design elements. The chairs with cushions are made of the best outdoor fabrics, and it comes in different weaves and colors. It is made of the most durable material which ensures pleasurable outdoor living.

With these chairs, you'll not be compromising on your comfort level while you're relaxing on the patio. These mid-century modern patio chairs will not just look stylish and comfortable, but it will enhance the overall look of your patio. You can get the dynamic duo of patio chairs along with the mid-century modern tables, to create a fun and relaxing environment.

Renowned Designers of Mid-Century Modern Furniture

Let's go back a few years! The mid-century modern style did run out of trend during the '70s and '80s; the design was considered to be camp. But, in the late 90's the interest in this design started to rise steeply.

Talking about homes, a desire for more living space, simplicity and comfort led to homes being designed with post and beam structures, lots of windows, and open plan living to connect the house with the natural environment. Then came the minimalist and elegant design of furniture which became accessible to all. And it became a popular trend among the younger generation who embraced this new lifestyle, with abstract textile, functional design, bold colors, lack of ornamentation, and simple living.

As the mid-century modern design keeps getting popular, you'll find a rise in the number of designers in this field. The first piece of mid-century modern furniture was a park bench made in 1946, by George Nelson. Later, Charles and Ray James created the Eames Lounge Chair; it's one of the most memorable designs in the mid-century modern genre.

Few other notable designers from this era include Eero Saarinen, Herman Miller, Marcel Breuer, and Florence Knoll Bassett. The simple Californian aesthetic followed by these designers, and their motto to create simple yet powerful pieces at an affordable price made these designs forever modern.

What Makes the Mid-Century Modern Furniture a Popular Choice in Modern Homes?

The mid-century was the last era of general improvement in the manufacturing world in terms of technology, design, and leadership. These designs were in demand during the mid-century, but things went downhill from the 60s to early 70s. However, within a short period of time, things got better, and ever since then the mid-century modern furniture has been on an upward spiral.

First, with smaller homes after World War II and with shrinking families, the mid-century modern furniture was the perfect combination. The open and simple designs make the house appear spacious instead of dull or congested. Secondly, the designers had an aim to create pieces that will serve people from all levels of society. The affordable price range for every furniture made it easily accessible without having to break the bank.

It's quite rare that a design trend holds a firm ground for so many decades. And the growing focus on furniture with traits of functionality and simplicity over luxury is the prime reason for its sustained popularity.

What Makes Mid-Century Modern Furniture Different from the Other Contemporary Furniture?

The contemporary design comes with a lot of variations, that are often inspired by the European-style designs. The nature of such furniture depends on what is being currently used by people. Therefore, contemporary design is a subject of change, which makes it challenging to describe it in terms of a particular set of aesthetics.

It's true that contemporary design also has features of modernism, minimalism, and other common design styles, but it's prone to change. Whereas, mid-century modern design refers to a style that was an offspring of the mid 20th century. Most of the furniture from this era are open and spacious, with tapered legs, which gives it an airy vibe.

Some of the materials that are used in mid-century modern decor include molded plywood, polished metal, glossy plastics, linens, and woods. In a mid-century modern home, it's common to find neutral-colored area rug on bare floors and carefully arranged furniture. Few designs come with fun geometrical prints with small hints of color.

These modern furniture lacks any form of ornamentation and has a reflection of a classy personality that is simple yet stylish. It's made with strict design rules by sticking to its key characteristics that include- clean lines, tapered legs, bold colors, and simplicity. This style trend has been existing for years on end, with massive influence in the way we live now.

Both contemporary and mid-century modern designs tend to favor minimalist, open, and uncluttered spaces with plenty of natural lighting. But, we need to understand that the differences are quite trivial. The demand for the mid-century design is to help our homes appear larger, welcoming, and stylish within an affordable price range!

Conclusion

As you plan to re-decorate your home, select some of these best mid-century modern design furniture that you have just read about. It's one of those styles which is always reconceptualized to create some unique and minimalist pieces of furniture.

The timeless appeal of these legendary models will never lose its relevance. So, investing in these uncluttered and sophisticated designs of mid-century modern furniture will give you the perfect home interior you have always dreamt of.

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It goes without saying that DeWalt is one of the best tool manufacturers in the world. But how do you choose between two of their most outstanding table saws?

DeWalt has been a favorite of professional woodworkers and enthusiasts alike. Plus, when you are looking for an option that is fast and portable, you are most likely to end up with either DW745 or the DWE7480.

Honestly, both these products are incredibly well-built and robust. And if you acquire the correct expertise, you can easily get the sharpest and the most refined cuts with these two devices. But if given a choice, which one do you pick?

Today, in this guide, we take you through the features, what’s good and what’s bad, and also help you compare the two products. Our goal is to help you make an informed choice, one without any biases.

So, without any more delay, let’s check them out!

EDITOR NOTE | Both of these products are now discontinued and the latest model is the Dewalt DWE7485 which greatly outperforms the previous models.

DW745 vs. DWE7480

Before diving right into comparing the two products, it is essential that we give you a brief overview of the features of these two items. Some of you may be using table saws for the first time. So, to make this choice simpler for you, we will discuss their basic features before moving on to the comparison.

Let’s take a quick look at the products!

A Glance At DeWalt DW745

The DeWalt DW745 has been a favorite of many users for the last few years and has been a go-to option for many who prefer robust and sturdy table saws. It has been in the market before DWE7480 and has won the trust of many woodworkers with its sharp performance.

Now, let’s move on to why we called it powerful. This machine runs on a 15-amp motor and can easily generate speed as high as 3,850 RPM. Now that’s not the highest that you get on the market; however, it is more than sufficient for the typical cutting and chopping required of a table saw.

Moreover, it comes with a high-tech railing system that enhances the portability of your everyday woodworking tasks. So, it allows easy attachment of any application of your choice to increase the accuracy and efficiency of work. The lightweight design further adds to its convenience.

Also, many DIYers are pretty impressed with how it enables you to perform a 0 to 45-degrees bevel cut with much ease. The adjustable rear feet make it super simple to keep the machine well-balanced on any surface.

A Glance At DeWalt DWE7480

DeWalt has tried and improved the shortcomings of DeWalt DW745 in their upgraded model, DWE7480. This item comes with a brilliant metal construction that makes it one of the best heavy-duty table saws currently available on the market.

The 15-amp motor is highly efficient and delivers a speed of up to 4,800 RPM. This is what allows you to experiment with unique cuts that are often not possible with standard machines.

With our research, we found out that the professional woodworkers are pretty impressed by the large rip capacity of this item. All these features combined make it possible for the cuts to be on point. It also makes the process much smoother and faster. All thanks to the telescopic fence rail system, you can efficiently perform 0 to 45-degree bevel cuts.

The overall design of the device allows high portability and ease of movement according to your tasks and requirement.

DW745 vs. DWE7480 Compared

Now that you have a slight idea about the design and basic features of these products, we guess you are prepared to delve right into the comparison.

Both these DeWalt products are excellent choices, but you need to know what really sets them apart if you have to select one. And in this section, we will discuss the crucial factors you should watch out for when picking between the two.

Power

At first glance, the power difference between the two does not seem to be too big.

For instance, both the devices use the same kind of motor that produces a power of 15 A. But after testing both, we can say that due to its sturdier inner construction, DWE7480 gets an edge over DW745. It can easily spin the 10-inch carbide blade better and at a speed of 4,800 RPM.

Now, this is relatively faster as compared to the 3850 RPM speed that DW745 manages to produce. So, if your requirement is for a high-powered table saw that offers excellent speed, DWE7480 is any day a better option. We cannot overlook the difference of almost 1,000 RPM speed.

You might be wondering what a higher speed implies. Let us break it down for you! It means that DWE7489 is better equipped to produce much cleaner cuts when working on the hardwood. It also makes it easier for you to cut through thicker pieces of wood with much ease and comfort.

Other than earning high scores for its ease of use, it is significantly faster too! Unfortunately, this implies that this power-packed device is quite noisy. But we excused this issue since you are most likely to be using this in a workshop or a garage, where noise is not too much of a problem.

Machine’s Weight And Size

When it comes to the size, we have to say that both the devices are again pretty much similar. However, DWE7480 is a little larger than DW745 and is also comparatively slightly heavier. So, if portability is your major concern, it is pretty evident that DW745 is a better bet any day.

Some professionals need to shift from one workshop to another quite often, and unless their table saws are portable, it becomes a huge fuss. DW745 comes with a compact design and weighs about 45 lbs, making it quite convenient to move and store.

DWE7480 is around 48 lbs., which is not too heavy either. But its construction is a little cumbersome, which is a major deterrent when it comes to storage. Unless you have a big workshop where you can easily keep your appliances, it might become difficult to store this item.

Accuracy And Simplicity Of Use

In this category, DWE7480 outshines its competitors because of its much larger rip capacity of 24.5 inches. For those who are not familiar with rip capacity, it is basically the space available on the table saw’s surface that can be used to cut different types of wood.

So, a larger capacity simply means that you can fit bigger wood pieces on the surface to work on them. This allows you to become experimental and offers enormous versatility when you engage in woodworking and sawing tasks.

However, both the devices come with a telescopic and high-quality rail system that makes them very easy to move around. So, when it comes to the issue of portability, both the products get a good score.

Moreover, both have a significantly large measurement indicator placed on their surfaces that allows you to make the cuts more accurately. It helps you adjust the fence guard properly, quickly and efficiently as and when required.

But what gives DWE7480 an edge is that it comes with a specially coated surface. When you’re using this device, you can rest assured that it will not get scratches on the surface. This also ensures that the wooden pieces do not get stuck to the surface and glide smoothly.

This factor, combined with the high RPM offered by its motor, makes it a stellar choice when it comes to accuracy and the ease of operating DWE7480.

Arbor Size

After testing both the items, we realized that we should shed some light on how similar these two are on certain grounds. Both of these come with the same arbor size of 5/8-inches.

It is true that not a lot of woodworkers actually put much emphasis on the arbor size. But if you are a professional in the field, knowing about this factor can be crucial. In case you are likely to make an adjustment to your table saw, it is essential to know the capacity. Since the arbor size is the same, you can understand that the blade used in both devices are of the same size.

So, if you plan on upgrading from a DW745 to DWE7480, instead of buying a new blade, you can transfer the old blade. However, we suggest that you do this only when the old blade is in good shape.

Size Of The Blade

If you have worked with table saws before, you would know how vital the blade size is in determining your work quality. What kind of wood a saw can cut is highly dependent on the size of the blade that the device comes with.

Small 8-inch blades are not very suitable to cut large wood pieces. However, if you would like to opt for a larger than a 12-inch blade, you must keep in mind that the device should also have a powerful enough motor to support it.

DeWalt, as you know, is an old player in the market and they take good note of this aspect. Both these options are equipped with a 10-inch blade which is suitable for professionals and DIYers alike. The size is especially perfect because it can handle thicker wood logs without having the need for an extremely strong motor.

And it is not just the size but also the build, which makes the blades incredible. They are both constructed of carbide, and that is one strong material! The durability is significantly high and keeps the blade sharp for a long time. Additionally, the blades are equipped with 24 teeth, which further adds to their versatility of their performance.

Maximum Depth Cut

With the same motor strength and the same blade size, it is pretty evident that the max cut depth will also be the same. Or, at least, something close.

When kept in a vertical position, the blades on these two devices offer a cut depth of 3 ⅛ inches. However, when it is placed at a 45-degree angle, the maximum cut depth that you can expect is 2 ¼ inches.

While it is true that these are not the deepest cuts that you can make with table saws, for compact devices like these, the capacity is pretty decent. Plus, after our research and understanding of the woodwork DIYers indulge in, it is highly unlikely that you will require deeper cuts than this.

Bevel Angle

If you manage to get your hands on either of these two devices, there will be no need to ever buy a separate machine for making bevel cuts. Both the devices are equipped with bevel capacity.

For those who are not familiar with what bevel capacity is, we’ll explain it to you. This feature enables you to adjust the blade between 0 to 45 degrees, depending on the cut that you want. And as we have mentioned before, both come with high-quality blades, which makes the bevel cuts much more manageable and smoother.

Maximum Rip Capacity

This is one area where the devices end up differing from each other. DW745 offers you a maximum rip capacity of 20 inches on the right side of the blade and that of 12 inches on the left. On the other hand, DWE7480 comes with a rip capacity of 12 inches on the right side of the blade. It has an edge over DW745 on the blade’s left side, where the rip capacity is 24 inches.

Honestly, their performance is incredible as compared to other products in their class. We recommend that if rip capacity is of major concern to you, it’s better to go for DWE7480, even if it costs you a few extra bucks.

Accessories

Coming to accessories, both DE745 and DWE7480 pretty much come with the same sets of tools and accessories. In the package, you will find a miter gauge, a blade guard, and a push stick.

If you are new to using table saws, let us explain how using these tools will make your woodworking task a lot easier. You can use the miter gauge to fix the blade at a certain angle and lock it down. This will enable you to cut the wood in any manner you like and give it a precise edge.

The push stick lets you maneuver the wood parts that you are working with. You can consider this more of a safety device as it keeps your hands away from the blade. Additionally, the blade guard is what protects you from accidentally hurting yourself when the blade is not in use. It also makes sure that the blade stays sharp even when you do not use it for a long time.

Dust Port

If you have engaged in woodworking before, you know the amount of cleaning that is needed after the work is completed. And this seems to be a headache for many. So, in order to save time, DeWalt has included a dust port in both DW745 and DWE7480. This helps you save a lot of effort and time that you otherwise have to spend on cleaning the wood curls.

As we mentioned, both the items come with a 2.5 inches dust port that stores all the dust generated as you work on the table saw. The size is quite sufficient to capture all the dust. On top of that, the size is ideal for getting adjusted on all types of shop vacs. So, most likely, you would not be required to use an adapter or any other kind of modification.

After testing, we have to say that both the products are pretty efficient when it comes to managing dust.

Warranty and Price

When buying a decent table saw, price should be the last consideration unless you are on a very modest budget. Instead, things like product performance and durability should determine your decision.

Coming to price and warranty, DW745 clearly wins on both grounds. Irrespective of where you look, DW745 is slightly cheaper as compared to DW7480. However, it is a little smaller, and the motor is not as powerful.

So, it is pretty justified that the price is relatively affordable. However, we have to say that for a compact product, DW745 provides excellent versatility and power capacity at an affordable price.

But the real and significant difference gets visible when we consider the warranty. In this case, the difference becomes quite evident. DW745 offers a 3-year extended limited warranty covering issues of replacements and repairs and basic manufacturer's defects.

Moreover, it provides you with an additional year of service and a 90-day money-back guarantee. From the customer's viewpoint, that's an incredible amount of protection for an affordable product like this one.

On the other hand, DWE7480 only offers a 3-year limited warranty to the customers. We are not complaining here, but we have to agree that it is simply not as good as the protection provided by DW745. To conclude, we can say that in order to get the best of the manufacturer's support, DW745 is an impressive and inexpensive choice.

Why Did We Like DW745?

When it comes to DW745, the first thing to catch our attention was the durable construction. It offers a powerful internal structure that allows you to easily engage in heavy-duty woodwork. Every component of this item reeks of sturdiness that helps it last for a long time, and makes it suitable for a variety of projects.

Moreover, its compact build and lightweight design makes the device not only portable but also very easy to store. So, you can travel with it without worrying about its bulk and space.

Additionally, the motor capacity is also quite remarkable. To compliment that, the in-built miter gauge and bevel adjustment help you carry out a range of unique cuts on wood. Because of the accessories and tools included in the package, you can achieve a high level of accuracy and precision.

To be honest, with fencing and guards as excellent as what is offered by this item, we can safely say that it is excellent for professionals and enthusiasts alike. You can safely practice your skills without any major worries.

What Could Have Been Better With DW745?

After using this item on a variety of wood, it is safe to say that the rip capacity calls for improvement. The 20-inch capacity is not much to fit in large chunks of hardwood and can restrict your options of experimenting with a variety of wood.

Moreover, the blade comes with 24 teeth, which is not the most suitable number to make precise and refined cuts. However, you can always add a new blade to your system in order to combat this drawback.

Why Did We Like DWE7480?

We agree that the construction of DWE7480 is slightly bigger and heavier than DW745. However, as compared to other standard options available on the market, this item is relatively lightweight and portable. Also, considering the incredible motor function that it offers, secondary factors like size and weight shouldn’t define the worth of this product.

What needs a special mention is the enhanced RPM. The 4800 RPM is extremely powerful and increases the smoothness of your woodcutting activity. It also helps you achieve more delicate and refined cuts.

What Could Have Been Better With DWE7480?

We have noticed that the more traditional woodworkers complain how the portable version like this one is often restrictive when it comes to project-specific work. Another minor drawback is the fact that this device is costlier than many of its contemporaries.

DW745 vs. DWE7480 Frequently Asked Questions

We understand that you might still have some doubts and queries regarding the two products that we are discussing today. Here, in this section, we are talking about a few of the most commonly asked questions. Let's take a look!

How To Replace The Blades?

As we have mentioned before, the package comes with all the essential tools that you might need while changing a blade on either of these table saws. All you need to do is to adjust the wrench fitted on the side of the saws and loosen or tighten them as required.

It might sound easy, but we always recommend that you use proper gear while adjusting the blades. Also, make sure that you switch off the machine before you start replacing the blades. For more details on how to replace the blade, go through the user manual carefully.

Are The Machines High-Maintenance?

Working with wood is one messy affair, but with the built-in dust collecting mechanism, you won’t have to spend too much time on maintenance. Post-work cleaning is minimal, and all you need to do is clear out the dust collection tray.

Similarly, both the items require little to no maintenance. Thanks to their durable construction, wear and tear will be at an all time low.

Are Stands Included in the package?

DW745 doesn't come with a stand included in the package. However, if you are going for the DWE7480, you can add a stand while purchasing the unit. It helps to achieve better stability and also makes it quite convenient to store the item.

How Can The Fence Be Adjusted?

The unit comes with a built-in gauge in the front portion of the machine and knobs that make it convenient to adjust the fence. You can modify the knob settings to make sure that the fence is exactly how you want it. Again, we would suggest that for more detailed instruction, you should refer to the user manual included in the package.

Final Words

When it comes to table saws, the most important thing is quality and performance, and DeWalt is a pro on both grounds. We hope that after reading this comprehensive informational guide, you will be able to decide which option to pick.

While it is true that DW745 is more compact and portable than DWE7480, not everyone actually looks for lightweight designs. For some, a powerful motor like the one offered by the latter might be more crucial.

Honestly, we have to say it is a tie! DeWalt has put immense effort into making both the items incredible in their own ways. However, it goes without saying that both come with their own set of demerits too. The quest is to figure out your needs first and select an item that would best suit your requirements.

That's all for today, folks! Keep a watch on this space for more such interesting reads. And we’ll see you next time.

Until then, take care!

EDITOR NOTE | Both of these products are now discontinued and the latest model is the Dewalt DWE7485 which greatly outperforms the previous models.

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Maintaining an art portfolio is often a very personal hobby than a professional formatting for many. It so happens that even for the most gifted artists, it sometimes becomes an immense challenge to create an art portfolio that they could present easily and quickly when required.

This is mainly because most of us aren’t really aware of all the brilliant ways technology could help us create a marvelous format for all our artwork in order to showcase them.

On these lines, we could also say that it becomes increasingly difficult to create a definite portfolio, especially if we’re dealing with concept art. This is because it can take you quite a while to sequence your concept art when it comes to categorizing them.

A portfolio is something that is so much more than just a physical or digital folder of your artwork. It is a reflection of your dedication to your work, your potential, and a true indicator of your professionalism.

And this is why we’re going to give you some pretty useful tips and tricks that will transform the entire facade of your portfolio! So, sit back and go through what we have to say about it!

Featured Artwork Courtesy of Lois van Baarle

Tips & Tricks for Concept Art Portfolios

Artwork Courtesy of Andreas Rocha

Focus on your best work

One of the most foolproof ways to manage a portfolio is to focus on that area which you know best and are completely adept at. In other words, what we mean is, the first and primary section that you display should be your strongest point.

This is quite a significant factor that we often miss out on. This is because we often think of impressing the viewer first with what we think they’ll like the most, instead of proudly showing off our best works.

So, what you could do is start emphasizing a very personal and individual statement right from the beginning. So even while selecting a theme or designing your own, emphasize your work on the homepage. This way, visitors could browse through your folio quickly and understand what you are best at.

Make a small gallery of your best works on the homepage for all to look through. This saves everyone’s time, which is obviously what your recruiter would expect you to follow.

Use a clean, straightforward pattern

A pattern or design that is uncomplicated to study and analyze holds a definite charm to itself. Also, when you’re an artist, you should ditch out on too many words and let your art do all the talking for themselves.

Try keeping a very clean, uncluttered, and simple approach to your portfolio. Concentrate on making your artworks the focal point in your folio (as they obviously should be), and cut back on all the extra bit that may hamper navigation.

If you think about it, you’ll see that there are only 3 main things that would serve the entire purpose of introducing your artwork to the world:

Your contact page
About the artist
The entire portfolio gallery

For example, James Paick’s portfolio is created in such a way that you’d be able to find every page in the top navigation with high contrast links. The content could be skimmed through quickly, and it’s pretty easy to locate all the important works and details on the layout. Some of the links even come with dropdown menus for other sub-pages, and the gallery page is divided into categories of different works.

However, by this, we don’t mean that you should have a bland and boring folio design, as that could be a different kind of problem altogether and people might think you’re not serious about your portfolio at all. A balance between functionality and aesthetic appeal is what you should aim for.

A simple navigation is a winning point

A basic portfolio site might consist of 2-5 pages. You could place these links near the top and leave them there without any hassle.

However, some portfolios might require dropdown menus for sub-pages, categories, and links so that one could navigate further and get to know the artist and his ways better.

Many artists also run their own blogs, which may consist of links for tags and categories. It is absolutely okay to add a lot of pages or links to your site, as long as you keep top navigation uncluttered and simple to move around.

Also, if you have many pages, for example, 10-12 pages, it probably won’t be possible for you to link each one of those right from the top. In such cases, creating dropdown menus could work really well.

Again, to give you an example: Jake Parker’s website is amazingly done with a brilliant layout for web copy, basic links, and clean dropdown menus. You get an idea of how beautifully simple it is made to be even if you just skim through the layout real quick.

And this is exactly what you should aim for while creating the pathways around your website. Always remember that it’s meant for the convenience of all the viewers of your profile. If you aren’t designing all that much, then take your time deciding on what kind of theme would be ideal for your website.

Adding a personal touch

The key to making a good impression through your portfolio is to put a good bit of yourself out there with ease and confidence. This establishes a personal and friendly connection between you and all of your viewers, providing them with a place where they could confidently and freely communicate with the artist and get to know them better.

Be willing to add a bit about yourself, your inspiration(s) behind your art, your story or education, or whatever it is that you’re comfortable sharing with your viewers. This will also give them a scope to understand that you’re an authentic and honest artist.

The portfolio site of Scott Brooks stands to be a good example of how one should put in a personal touch to their website. You could see that the tone, color, and layout are coordinated and balanced perfectly with the adorable nature of the content. This provides a single unified, coherent structure that’s charming and attractive for all who want to look around a bit.

Treat your portfolio site as your sweet little online residence where on feels invited and gets to know a little more about you, your tastes, what you’re good at, and all of your best works. This way, they could potentially find ways to approach you for job inquiries.

Launching a custom domain

This is a significant point to keep in mind while creating an online portfolio site. Owning a domain name could transform the entire appeal of your website. The website domain could be whatever you choose, the .com or other TLD.

When you buy a domain, then that requires to be hosted by a web server hosting company such as HostGator or Bluehost. The total expense that you incur for the domain plus for the hosting site could amount up to around $150 per year for a simple and basic portfolio.

One thing that you should avoid doing is building your portfolio on free services such as Tumblr or Blogger. These are way more difficult to customize and, in all honesty, their URLs don’t really look all that professional.

Launching your site under your own domain could be a pretty challenging feat to achieve, no matter how easy it looks initially. You can get numerous free WordPress setup guides that teach you how to install the platform on any server environment correctly. And, once you purchase the domain and hosting you’ll come across several how-to guides on the FAQ page of the web host.

Also, many theme markets such as ThemeForest offer a ton of portfolio themes which you could buy for around $20-$50. These can be installed easily and without much hassle.

You could set up a portfolio website in a day if you follow some basic tutorials that are easily available online. And once you get it done right then, you could just let it be there to do all the further work for you. You could remove or add any old piece or change any text from it easily by using WordPress.

The benefits of owning and using a domain are immense. And fortunately enough as WordPress is free, it helps you to edit easily and with a cleaner layout than what is offered by most other free services.

Spell-checking, formatting, and briefing

This is one of the fundamental things that you’re required to keep in mind at all times. No matter what design, pattern, layout, approach or text you go for, you will have to make sure it is laid out in the correct format and is absolutely free of spelling or grammatical errors.

We know that this might sound like the most obvious thing ever. But, you’d be amazed to know how many people royally mess this part up unknowingly and then face scathing criticism at interviews.

A correct format and error-free layout that contains all your works, info, contact number and every other vital thing not only makes it easier for others to reach you, but it also reflects a sincere, clean and professional approach towards your work that is admirable for anyone.

It is always advisable for you to do a thorough proofread and check for spelling and/or grammatical errors before you get your portfolio out there for the world to see.

Beyond that, even after all the checks have been made, the clarity and conceptual values of the words chosen must be check, re-checked and checked once more, imagine you have to use just three words to describe somehow the work of an art project that took three months, or even better three years, we cannot use words randomly right?

The legendary work of Lois Van Baarle is presented in just a couple of words, more often than not, in one word, on her portfolio website. Cast a glance over this legendary talent, what do you think?

Although, it is not really difficult to rectify a mistake even if you have already set your website up, but it is always commendable to make a sincere effort of rectifying your mistakes before someone else has to point it out to you. This makes for a good impression and image.

You could use many proofreader websites to get the job done, or you could simply ask someone else to do it for you, an extra site of eyes is priceless, especially if they have the same background as you do!

Finally, make your approach a short and sweet one while communicating about your work to others through your online portfolio. It should not take much time to go through your work. Make it crisp, short, and to the point. A witty or humorous take could work wonders. But DO NOT go overboard with it. Also, avoid using vulgar or profane language at all costs even if you mean it in a light-hearted tone.

Your portfolio should fit the kind of work you’re looking for

When you’re applying for a certain opening, do make sure that your work is relevant to it to and fits the criteria. For instance, if you want to work on a specific team, say: a story team, you’d be required to present your storyboards in your portfolio. Portfolios should, in fact, consist majorly of storyboards as these prove your authenticity, prowess, and caliber in the field.

Your portfolio should, by all means, contain those works you’re most confident of and not anything that is irrelevant to the subject. So if you are looking to apply as a character designer, do not clutter your portfolio with tons of logo designs or doodles. You should have sufficient specimens of character art that you have created in your portfolio.

Cast a glance over Julia's portfolio here and you will notice from in a glance, just from the slideshow what sort of illustrations fuel her, her art is out of this world, insanely beautiful whilst maintaining the artistic signature of the extraordinary mind behind it.

Never submit work that does not pertain to the subject, in the hope of getting lucky with an opportunity. This sort of mindset is not only insincere but also deceitful to an extent.

Be patient with creating a good portfolio, customize it well, and go for that opening with confidence. This will save everyone’s time as well as make a good first impression for you, always.

Editing | Cutting out on all the extras

As we have already mentioned, a simple, organized, and uncomplicated layout will fetch you greater points than a messy one. Knowing what to chop out is an important factor when it comes to making a concept art portfolio. It can be really tough to decide and select amongst your best and favorite works, but that’s a tough call you’d eventually have to make anyway.

A minimal layout that consists of only the very best of your works would stand out in a crowd that is trying too hard to impress and get noticed.

Editing and customizing your website will take time and sound knowledge of how to develop a professional approach if you’re applying for a job.

Avoid crowding and cramming the pages with art and images. And, do not use too much page, to begin with. If you think you do not have enough work to showcase, then go for a smaller portfolio.

The point over here is to project more, describe elaborately, and make a strong impression with less. More often than not, it makes for a very confident approach that speaks of your knowledge and grasp over your field of work.

Jon Foster's portfolio showcases this brilliantly, no clutter, no hesitation, in the homepage you have absolutely everything that one might need in an extraordinarily neat format, naturally populated with jaw-dropping artwork!

Always remain very professional in your approach

Well, it might sound that we’re messing with your natural flow of creating or customizing your own profile and portfolio, but maintaining a formal, crisp approach to a certain degree might just help you get through to a desirable job prospect easily.

A professional approach and layout will help you get easily noticed by recruiters who might wanna stop by your website and have a look around if any of your works catches their eye.

And if you’re gearing up for a job interview which will require for you to showcase your work, then it will save you a lot of time if you already have a formal portfolio ready at hand.

Also, if you want to create something that could be used for both formal and informal purposes alike, then you could make separate categories and divisions within the same layout which you could display according to the requirement. This could work quite well for those who want to keep all of their favorite works on a single portfolio , again, do not crowd all your artworks in one.

Maintaining a formal attitude and approach in your portfolio, especially if you want to land a professional project, could get you a step closer in that very direction.

However, if you’re not keen on settling for anything professional as such, then you can go right ahead and create your portfolio however you like and stun the world with your talent!

Be very straightforward with your intent

At times, it so happens that some may lose sight of what they’re actually looking for, out of sheer desperation or urgent need of anything to hold on to. Wow! That was way too intense for life in general. Wasn’t it? But the same applies for even your portfolios as well.

At times you might feel like adding or writing too much information about yourself for grabbing attention or impressing the recruiter. However, this might do just the opposite of what you expect.

Always have a very sharp, straightforward, and honest approach in communicating your requirements and intent. Confidence is key in this regard.

Always remember that an lack of confidence or a desperate attitude is easily discernible by interviewers and recruiters, and that is far from being attractive or impressive or even trustworthy.

Keep your portfolios easy and simple. Explain well and confidently and leave the rest up to the artwork in your portfolio, just like Raphael Lacoste's portfolio above, the artwork and the two simple titles he proudly displays white on black are sufficient. Who can contest the phenomenal conceptual art of this Senior Art Director and Illustrator?

Conclusion

So this was it for all that you should know and remember about making concept art portfolios. It could be challenging initially to understand how to go about it, but with patience and a bit of online research on the topic, you’d end up with fantastic results!

We hope you liked our effort as much as we loved making it for you!

Thanks for giving it a read!

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Let's face it; if you are a meat lover, you cannot resist smoked sausages! They are as good as it sounds.

But however much we love to fry and serve it as it is, there are several dishes that it can add flavors to. This is indeed one of the most versatile meats that go well with numerous vegetables, milk, and cheese. You can create appetizers and main courses with some amount of seasoning and a number of veggies.

If you love to experiment with food, let us help you out. We have curated this list of the top 34 smoked sausage recipes where the sausages have been used in completely different ways.

You can try them out and bring more innovation into making lunch and dinner. Our friends wait for us to host barbeques because of the amazing range of different recipes that we have in store.

So, without further ado, let's get started.

Best Smoked Sausage Recipes

There are different types of smoked sausages to experiment with, beginning from kielbasa, andouille, gourmet poultry, chorizo, and pork sausages. You can go for turkey meat, too, and all of this will add a smoky flavor to your meal.

Here are our personal favorites among the recipes that we have created to date. After surfing through hundreds of recipes and ending up with some failed attempts, we are only sharing the best ones with you. Read on to know all about them.

Andouille Sausage In Yorkshire Pudding

Who would have thought that such a fun combination would also taste so good! This recipe involves andouille sausages and traditional Yorkshire pudding batter. The batter is smooth and has a subtle flavor, while the spiced smoked sausages add the necessary flavors to it. However, you’ve got to bake the sausages first in order to get rid of the excess fat.

Once the sausages are well-baked, they need to be added to the batter and cooked for 45 minutes. This ensures that a crisp layer forms on the top, and the pudding is fluffy in between, providing you with the perfect balance.

We found that it goes very well with raw beet salad. If beets are not easily available in your area, then replace it with a fruit salad. An extra dollop of cream will complete the dish.

Sausage And Potatoes

If you are looking for a dish to relax with on a Sunday afternoon, this recipe of sausage and potatoes will be an excellent option. It is very easy to make, and you will need to slice up some potatoes and sausages and brown them. A good cast-iron will simplify the process, and you can use less fat.

All you need are sliced potatoes and smoked sausages, 2 diced onions, olive oil, garlic, and a little sage. You could also add cayenne or hot sauce to enhance the flavors and some spice to it. Toss the potatoes in the oil and let it brown.

Once it is almost done, add in sliced sausages, onions, sage, garlic, and cook for 5 minutes. After they are browned well, take it off the stove and serve. You would want to maintain a 60/40 ratio when cooking potatoes with sausage. Add the sauce at the end only if you want a spicy dish.

Cheesy Sausage And Pasta

This may sound like a complicated dish, but it only needs a single pan and is easy to make. You will get a hot bowl of cheesy pasta along with the flavors of smoked sausages. All you need is olive oil, diced onions, sausage, minced garlic, tomatoes, chicken broth, milk, and 2 cups of cheddar cheese. Also, take pasta of your favorite kind and keep some red pepper flakes and chopped scallions for garnishing.

First, heat the olive oil and fry the sausage and onions for 5 minutes. You can add the garlic and other seasonings to the mix and fry for another 2 minutes on low heat. Once this is done, add the chicken broth, milk, pasta, and tomatoes. Cover it with a lid and let it simmer on low heat for the next 15 minutes.

When this is done, add the cheese and garnishing. You will have a flavorful bowl of creamy pasta and sausages to serve.

Smoked Sausage And Creamy Rice

Up next, we have another recipe that fits the busy schedules of the millennials. This bowl of creamy rice and sausages is another comfort food with some essential veggies in it.

You will need 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a little butter, smoked sausages, chopped onions, chopped red bell pepper, broccoli florets, and 1.5 cups of cooked rice. For seasoning, you will require garlic powder, onion salt, pepper, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Let the olive oil and butter sizzle in a pan, and then add sausages and onions to it. Cook for 5 minutes till the onion is soft and the sausage turns brown. The red bell pepper and broccoli need to be added next and cooked for another 5 minutes.

Now add the cooked rice and your seasoning and toss the rice well. Lastly, it needs the cheese to be added, and you have a hot bowl of goodness ready on your table.

Cajun Palate Skillet

If you are looking for a simple and tasty dish that will easily become the favorite, this is the one to try out. It is a different take on alfredo pasta and will be perfect for family gatherings.

The necessary ingredients include smoked turkey sausages sliced, pasta, cajun seasoning, heavy cream along with salt and pepper.

Coming to the cooking process, first, cook your pasta according to the back of its pack. In another pan, sautee the sausages in oil for 5 minutes. Once it is browned well, add Cajun seasoning and cream. Mix well and let it cook for 3-4 minutes or until it thickens. Make sure that it still remains creamy, and add the cheese to it. Remove it from heat and mix well with the pasta.

If you want an extra kick, put in some fried shrimp or pork on top. You could also add bell peppers for those who want veggies.

Color Pan Pop

Up next is an easy 15-minute recipe that will provide a very colorful palate for you to enjoy. If you want your kids to eat bell peppers, this is a great way to enjoy the meal.

You will need a packet of diced turkey sausages, green, red, orange, and yellow bell peppers, along with an onion. Slice the onion and dice some potatoes too.

Once you have all the ingredients, put some olive oil in a skillet, and let it heat up. First, add potatoes and cook it for 8-10 minutes till they become brown and crispy. In another skillet, brown the kielbasa or sausages and keep aside.

Use the same oil to fry the onions and bell pepper with salt and pepper. Once they soften, add the potatoes and sausages and toss them all together. You kids will be taking a picture of this dish before eating as it looks very vibrant and tantalizing!

Seasonal Sausage Bonanza

This is a dish that does not take a lot of effort but will need ample time to cook. You will love the soft melt-in-the-mouth potatoes along with spicy smoked sausage and a subtle hint of thyme and rosemary.

For this dish, you would require smoked sausages, green beans, red skin potatoes cut into chunks, sliced onions, and Italian dressing. Keep kosher salt, rosemary, thyme, and pepper for seasoning.

We mentioned that it is easy to make because it is a one-pan dish that needs to be baked. You got to put all the ingredients together and stir it well. Then you can transfer it to a baking dish and cover it. Use a foil for this purpose. Bake for 30 minutes, and then remove the foil.

Give it a stir and put it back in the oven. Remember to keep it uncovered this time. Increase the temperature to 400 degrees and bake it for 40-45 minutes. Check in the middle to see if it is getting browned and is being roasted evenly.

You can then add some parmesan cheese on top, and it is ready to serve. This can be paired up with some freshly baked bread.

Southern Saute

If you are a fan of Southwestern fajitas, then this dish will be your next favorite. This southern saute is served with honey oat bread or cornbread along with black-eyed peas. The recipe also contains a number of vegetables, making it healthy too.

You will need a bag of coleslaw, minced garlic, green and red bell pepper, chicken broth, white onion, cooked rice, and sliced sausages. For the seasoning bit, keep aside creole, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

So, in the beginning, you will have to fry the sausages in olive oil or butter till they are brown. Then add onions and bell pepper to it. Mix with all the spices and cook for another 5 minutes. Once it is done, add the garlic and cabbage in the end. Pour in the broth now and let it simmer for 8 minutes. This can be served with hot rice or fried rice.

Cajun Casserole With Seasoning

Do you want to add an extra touch to change your boring casserole into something exciting? You can throw in some Jamaican lime or ranch bacon cheddar to the dish to spice it up.

You will need cooked pasta, minced garlic, butter, flour, chicken broth, and smoked sausages, which are already cooked. For seasoning, you should keep salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, mozzarella, parmesan cheese, and chopped parsley.

Once everything is ready, heat butter in a skillet and fry the garlic in it for a minute. Next, add the flour and pour in the broth while whisking continuously. It will then turn into a smooth mixture, which needs seasoning.

Let the sauce thicken while you add mozzarella and parmesan to it. It needs to be melted completely before you add the sausages and pasta. The last step will involve boiling the pasta in a broiler for 2-3 minutes. Once the cheese starts bubbling, you will know that you are done.

Sausage And Baked Beans

We have all grown up with baked beans on toast as a staple breakfast choice. Now it is time to give it a twist with smoky sausages. Take some bacon strips and fry it well. Once it is crispy, use the oil to fry onions and garlic.

Add the sausages and cook till they are browned. Now pour the baked beans into a pan along with the mustard sauce, some apple cider vinegar, and light brown sugar. You can also add some ketchup and hot sauce if you like.

This can be put on bread and topped with a little cheddar. You could also serve it with cornbread and top it with crackers.

Red Rice And Sausage

Red rice is part of the staple diet in the Southern states. It is made with tomato paste and works as a nutritious and delicious side to meat. Pair it up with smoked sausages and bell peppers to create an excellent combination that your guests will love.

The ingredients that you will need are smoked beef sausage, sliced onions, and green, red, and yellow bell pepper. You will also require garlic cloves, tomato paste, chicken stock, paprika, chopped cilantro, flat-leaf parsley, salt, and pepper.

Fry the sausages and keep them aside in the beginning. Now add onion, and bell pepper, and cook it for 4-5 minutes. The garlic needs to be added next and allowed to cook for a minute. Once this is done, add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Let it cook for some time till the raw flavor leaves. You can add cooked rice to it and stir well. Season it with your ingredients, and you are done.

Summer Veggies And Sausage

Summer calls for fresh veggies, and you can now pair it up with sausages to create a delightful meal. This can be an excellent brunch idea. Pair it with a glass of wine, and you can have an indoor date.

Now when you think of a palate of veggies, it needs to be colorful to look attractive. The sausage can add a dose of protein, while tomatoes, zucchini, beans, and sweet pepper will give you the nutrition you need.

To make it, cook sausages and add all your veggies to it. You need to add salt, cayenne, thyme, bay leaves, garlic cloves, and parsley to the mix. Stir this for 5 minutes, and then add chicken broth with minced garlic.

Cook for the next 1 and a half hours, and you can garnish with sliced green onions. This dish can also be had in the backyard under a shade on a spring afternoon.

Black-eyed New Year

Does your household also believe in beginning the year with a black-eyed peas dish? Then this is going to be something that you would want to try out. Here, you will have to slow cook black-eyed peas with smoked sausage and seasonings to get the hearty meal that you deserve.

You can first brown the sausages and then add some veggies to it. We added onion and garlic and then cooked it for some more time till the onions softened. Once that is done, you will have to add the chicken stock and the black-eyed peas with some garlic. Cook it for the next 1 to 1.5 hours till the peas become tender. Add in green onions before serving.

This is a perfect fit for those with a big appetite. Beans with meat turn out into a heavy meal, and you can enjoy a nice afternoon walk after that.

Sausage And Spinach

Spinach and cheese is a combination that we love, and we believe it does have a separate fan base. You can cook with fresh spinach to get the best flavors from the dish. You will need smoked sausage, onion, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, pasta, fresh spinach, and green onion.

Coming to the cooking process, smoke the sausages beforehand, and keep it aside. Dice the onions and fry them in a skillet. Wait till it softens, and then pour in the chicken broth with tomatoes and chiles. Mix it well, and then add the pasta to the mix too. Let it cook till the pasta is done.

Now add the spinach and stir well. Once the liquid thickens, add cheese and sprinkle green onions. This will give you a wholesome meal and will cover all your meal needs. Have a glass of fruit juice on the side, and you are ready with a scrumptious spread.

Garlic Herb Florets

Up next is a dish which is made with bacon, sausages, and broccoli. It is very uncomplicated, and you will love the flavor explosion that happens in the mouth. If your kids do not like broccoli, give them this dish, and you will see it getting over in a jiffy.

While making it, you will need Saute Express square along with the meat and broccoli. First, fry the bacon and keep it aside. Use the grease with the Saute Express square and allow it to melt completely. Toss the broccoli in it, and then add the sausages.

Yes, it is this simple! We would suggest sprinkling some soft cheese on top to complete the dish. In case you do not have access to Saute Express square, you can also use chicken stock with garlic and herbs.

Jalapenos Poppers With A Pop

The key ingredients in this dish are jalapenos, cheese, bacon, and sausages! You can only go right with this recipe. Get a pound of pork smoked sausages along with cream cheese and parmesan, to begin with.

Partially cook the bacon slices from before and have your jalapenos seeded and cut lengthwise. You will need brown sugar for garnishing and for getting that tinge of sweetness with the spicy jalapenos.

This can be cooked in an oven itself and will save you a lot of effort. But you will need to cook the sausages till they are brown in a skillet first. Mix them with both the cheese and spoon them into the jalapenos.

Once they are stuffed, place them in a greased baking dish and sprinkle brown sugar on it. Place it in an oven for 20 minutes, and you will have delicious poppers to begin your meal with.

Shrimp And Skewered Sausage

If you are looking for a fun way to make a dish topper or an appetizer, this could be it. The shrimp and sausage recipe is easy to make and can be an alternative to the green salad too. You will need some jumbo shrimps, sausages, and skewers. For the dressing, you will need olive oil, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and Cajun dressing.

Pat the shrimps dry and then toss them with a cajun dressing and oil in a large bowl. Slice the sausages and put the shrimp and sausages one after another on skewers. Pour in some mayonnaise, cajun dressing, and lemon juice and keep it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

Now put it inside a preheated oven and grill it for 1-2 minutes per side until the shrimp is done. Serve on skewers or add it over rice or noodles.

Smoked Sausage Triple Grilled Cheese

Cheese has become a favorite for a lot of people today, and many see it as comfort food. While cheese has a light flavor, pairing it up with sausages will give it a smoky and spicy touch.

This brings out the flavors of cheese further, and you will love the spread for sure. Stuff it between 2 slices of multigrain bread or milk bread, and you have a picnic lunch to take with you.

For this, you will need to spread cream cheese and shredded cheese on both sides of the bread. Add your cooked sausages after slicing them. 3-4 slices per sandwich should work well. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on it and fold them together.

The sandwich can then be placed on the same skillet and turned over till they are golden brown. Keep it for 2-3 minutes per side, and you are done. This will make for a great picnic lunch or a brunch at home. You can also pack this in your kid's tiffin box on their special days.

Lentil Soup

Have you ever tried cooking lentils with sausage and parmesan? This will create another comfort dish that your kids, as well as adults, will love. You could keep it as a starter in the next barbeque party that you plan.

Here, you need to cook the diced sausages and set aside. Next, fry sliced onions, celery, carrots together in a pan. Season it with oregano, red pepper flakes, and basil. Let it cook for a minute, and then put in the garlic.

Next, you need to add the lentils, mashed tomatoes, chicken stock, and a bay leaf. Stir and let it cook an hour till lentils are soft. Let it cook further for another hour, and you can serve it. Top it with parmesan and sausages with a squeeze of lemon on top.

Kale White Bean And Sausage Soup

Sausage in a soup may not sound very familiar, but white beans and sausage go very well and create a very nutritious dish. It will provide a bit of fat to the soup and help in seasoning it too. This betters the flavor, texture, and color of the concoction.

For making this recipe, you will need sausages, thick ribs, chopped carrots, cannellini beans, yellow onion, celery, garlic parmesan cheese, and chicken broth. To season it well, you will require rosemary, oregano, parsley, and pepper.

Cook the vegetables and sausages and then mix it with chicken broth and the seasonings. Add the beans and kale, too, and stir it well. You will get a bowl of warm soup. Pour some parmesan cheese on top, and you are done.

Sweet Sausage

Do you appreciate smoky sausages slow-cooked to perfection? This could be the perfect recipe for an evening get-together or an appetizer on a movie night. Your guests will love the dish, and it is pocket-friendly too. All you will need is a pack of sausages and maple syrup.

Pour 1 and a half cup of maple syrup into the pan and let it simmer. Add the sausages to it and simmer for the next 20 minutes. You will find them perfectly glazed with the syrup. This has to be served piping hot.

Another alternative to cooking this dish is to let it simmer on a slow cooker for 2 hours. Use a crockpot, and you could add a little water to the mix before letting it cook.

Andouille Mac and Cheese

If you are a cheese lover and would not mind oodles of cheese on your macaroni, this is the recipe that fits best. It is the perfect comfort food on a cold winter's day. And what's more! It is super easy to cook and is irresistible. Cook the sausages with some pepper on top. Next, boil the pasta and keep it aside.

To make the sauce, use cheddar cheese, milk, and spices. You can bake the pasta with the sauce and sausages for 25 minutes to get a crispy top. This will taste slightly spicier when compared to the normal mac and cheese, and you will love it.

If you are going to make lunch out of it, it is best to serve it with cucumber salad. You can also pair it up with fruit juice to balance all the cheese.

Spicy Penne With Sausage

If you are a fan of spices, this is a great recipe to try out. It uses andouille sausages, which are already spicy. You can add cayenne to spice it up further. To balance it well, pair it up with a creamy white sauce. Make a basic white sauce and then add cheddar cheese to it.

While mac and cheese see a lot of cheese, this one is supposed to be more on the spicier side. Hence you need to add more cayenne and less cheese to get the right flair. Sparkly some salt and pepper on top, and you have a wonderful dish.

Spicy Sausage And Potato Soup

This is an innovative take on potato soup, and you are going to love the balance of creamy and spicy flavors together. If you are not in the mood or the Monday blues become too much to take, this could be a great option to cheer you up.

Start with making a simple potato soup but add a lot of heavy cream to make it thick and creamy. It should be ultra-thick with a rich texture. Fry some sliced sausages and add to it before you serve.

We found that this goes well with fennel and avocado salad. You could also have it with cornbread or focaccia bread. The creamy texture with the crispness of bread will create an excellent combination to relish.

Andouille Cornbread Dressing

This is another Thanksgiving dish option that your family will love. If you live in the Southern States, cornbread is the preferred form of bread. This is inspired from there, and the smoked sausage is your secret ingredient. Fry the sausages and add some spices to it.

Then let it cook with the cornbread for the next 1 hour and 25 minutes. This will add the necessary crispiness to the dish and have it stand out. Pair it up with a potato soup and a pie, and you will have a complete dinner spread, which is slightly unconventional but very delicious.

Chicken And Sausage Gumbo

This is very much like other Louisiana gumbos, which have a whole lot of vegetables added to it along with the meat. Here you take chicken breasts, chicken thighs, and sausages together to cook a fantastic meal. You will also need all-purpose flour, onions, red and green bell pepper, diced tomatoes, and garlic. For seasoning, you will need a bay leaf, dried thyme leaves, parsley, and celery.

First, coat the chicken with flour, salt, and pepper and fry it. Fry the sausages, too, and keep them aside. In a separate skillet, add the oil and some flour while you keep stirring. Once it is thick, you can add the vegetables and stir it again. Add the minced garlic and stir. Now, it is time to add the chicken broth with roux along with the seasoning and tomatoes.

Top it with the chicken and sausages in the end and cook for 1 and ½ hours. Add the green onions to the end and cook for 5-10 minutes. You will have a steaming bowl of goodness along with bread and butter on the side.

Smoked Sausage And Pineapple

If you want to add some tanginess to your traditional crockpot recipe, you can use pineapple. This is a great option to avoid using sugar, and the dish stays healthy too.

To begin with, you will have to take canned beans and cook them with sausages and seasoning. You can use barbeque sauce, tomato sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, and mustard. Use a slow cooker for this process. Once it is halfway done, add pineapples and then let it cook for 1 hour on high or 3-5 hours on low.

Before serving, add a dash of cilantro, and you are good to go. We found that it goes well with tortilla chips and avocado. If you cannot get hold of it, you can also go for plain chips or nachos.

Crockpot Sausage With Potatoes and Cabbage

What about a nice mix of flavors on a Sunday evening? This recipe is a conglomeration of potatoes and cabbage along with smoked sausages, vinegar, and apple juice, and you are going to love it.

So, moving to the recipe, this one uses a lot of potatoes and preferably the red-skinned ones. You will also need some dried thyme and a little butter. Chop cabbage and get some smoked sausage long with apple cider and apple juice. If you do not want the tanginess of vinegar, it can be replaced by chicken broth too.

Adding on, the process of cooking this is very easy but time-consuming. You got to fry the potatoes in butter and then add the seasonings to it. Mix it well and add your sausages too. Pour the vinegar or broth on it and cook for 6-8 hours on low. You can quicken up the process by cooking for 3-4 hours on high. And that is all!

Sausage Beef Chili Recipe

Next up is a recipe that needs beef, black beans, spices, and veggies and is a Mexican favorite. It is a lovely option for a brunch spread or a dinner with the family on a winter's day. The grill seasoning and chili powder, along with cumin, will heat you up, and the sausages will provide you enough protein.

You will need some ground beef along with sausages, onions, bell peppers, garlic, tomatoes, and black beans. For seasoning, we used black pepper, chili powder, tomato sauce, jalapeno peppers, green chili, and fresh cilantro. But you have the liberty to change and use alternatives if you wish.

While cooking, ensure that you cook the beef first and then add the other vegetables and sausage. Stir it for a while, and then add your seasonings. Let it cook in a slow cooker on low heat for 8 hours, and you have a tantalizing dish.

Creole Chicken And Sausage

Are you looking for a heart-warming stew that will cure your midweek blues? The Creole chicken and sausage is a dish with a base made out of tomato sauce. It is slow-cooked for 7 hours on low mode, and we used chicken thighs, vegetables, and sausages for it.

You can use your favorite vegetables and seasonings to make it taste great. We only used tomatoes and onions and added some cayenne pepper to it. The secret to its creaminess is the chicken broth and some heavy cream that will make it taste yummier. This can be served with pasta or white rice, and you will have a delicious meal for yourself.

Louisiana Beans And Rice

If you want a classic combination of rice along with beans, this is a meal that you will love. It has enough protein from the meat as well as the beans and can be had with rice, which will provide nutritious carbs.

Cook the beans for 2 and a half hours, and you will have a very aromatic broth. Use a ham hock and some onion, garlic, and a bay leaf to flavor your beans. Add sausages to it and then cook for another 30 minutes.

Once it is done, serve it hot with some cooked rice on the side. A tip for this recipe is that the beans have to be cooked slowly so that the skin does not break. This will keep the aesthetic appeal of the meal intact.

Chicken, Shrimp, And Sausage Jambalaya

This dish has originated in Louisiana and is part of a traditional meal that has been around for decades. It uses meat and vegetables to provide enough nutrition that will make you full and leave you satisfied. So, jambalaya consists of a mix of rice, chicken, shrimp, and andouille sausages. It also has flavoring derived from peppers, onions, and celery.

We would suggest using canned tomatoes and chicken broth for added flavoring. You can top it up with Tabasco sauce and thyme for the spice. And our suggestion is while cooking, add the shrimp in the end because it cooks very fast. Add it just 3-5 minutes before you serve and let the shrimp turn pink.

Purple Hull Peas And Sausage

This is another favorite among the Southern states, where a variety of cowpeas are available. The purple hull peas are one of them, and both the seed and pod are edible. It is deep purple in color and is long in shape. You will be surprised to see how flavorful it can be if you have not tried it before.

To make this, you will need a large onion, garlic, 4 cups of purple hull peas, chicken stock, sausages, and pepper. You will have to toss the onion and garlic in oil and then add the peas and chicken broth. Let it simmer for 30 minutes before you add browned smoked sausages to it. Cover and cook for the next 20 minutes, and pour in the seasonings.

This recipe goes very well with cornbread and freshly baked white bread too. Some people love having it with a portion of rice.

Smoked Sausage And Onions

If you are looking for a basic meal with rice or noodles, the smoked sausage and onions will make your day. This can be a brilliant starter, and people can eat it with napkins and toothpicks. If you are planning a BBQ party, this qualifies to be an amazing option to pass around.

Coming to the sausage, here you can choose to use a variety of smoked sausages. Andouille ones go very well, but you can opt for chorizo or turkey smoked alternatives too. Add a medium-sized onion along with balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and Creole mustard.

This is a one-pot meal, and you will only need a slow cooker for it. Spread sliced onions in the bottom and put the sausages on top of it. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 4-6 hours.

This could also be served with some rice if you want to create a meal out of it.

Final Words

And finally, we are at the end of our list, and we will give you a few minutes to take it all in. Be it pasta, veggies, soup, rice, lentils or baked beans; smoked sausage will indeed throw a party in your mouth with the delectable flavors that it provides.

We would personally suggest that you try out as many of the recipes as you can to figure out your favorite one. We believe these dishes have the potential of becoming staples in your household.

On this note, we will take our leave. Let us know if you have a recipe to add to this list. We would be happy to experiment with it too.

Until next time.

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Acrylic paints are the most versatile media that could achieve brilliant effects on almost everything you put it to. Fabric, wood, cloth, stone, even metal?

You name it!

Not only can acrylic look beautiful on objects placed indoors, but they could also be used on things that could be kept outside as premium quality acrylics could also be resistant to weather fluctuations.

Acrylics are thick and bright in texture and color-essence. While they might stick to a lot of surfaces when wet, these could actually get washed off with water before they dry out completely.

And this could be that one thing which can completely ruin your artwork in a matter of seconds, leaving out patches in its wake.

Now the good news is you could actually make your acrylic painting waterproof right away! Want to know how? Simply continue reading to know more!

How To Make An Acrylic Painting Waterproof

What Exactly is Acrylic Paint?

Acrylic paint is created by mixing pigment with acrylic polymer emulsion.

For those who are not acquainted with the what acrylic polymer emulsion is, it’s just a serious word for “water-based paint.”

Acrylic polymer emulsion also makes the acrylic paint to dry out quickly. This is because as it is a water-based paint, the water evaporates away quickly leaving the paint to dry and harden on the surface of the medium.

Why Should You Waterproof Your Painting?

Although acrylic paints can be quite resilient and tough in nature providing great adherence to any surface while they’re wet, it could get washed off, ruining whatever medium it’s used on.

If you accidentally spill water on your painting or if it gets ruined by raindrops or any water-source for that matter, the water will rapidly dilute the paint, separating the pigment from the emulsion and forming tiny bubbles all over the surface.

Artworks ruined this way cannot be recovered, restored or repainted on to reverse the damage.

Although dried acrylics can seldom get ruined by water, it is always a good idea to waterproof it nevertheless.

You could do it with either a varnish that is a unique acrylic gloss or any other sort of protective top coat finish designed for acrylic paintwork.

How can varnishing work?

Varnish puts a sealing layer on your artwork protecting it from external solvents and contaminants.

Varnishing also makes your painting waterproof to a considerable degree. This means you could keep your painting near a water source if you want to without worrying too much about getting it all messed up.

One other benefit of varnishing is that it protects the paint from fading away with time as it’s exposed to bright light over a prolonged duration.

What makes varnish waterproof?

Varnish is made using oil, resin, solvent, and or driers. Whereas oil and resin are known as water-repellents, solvents and driers make the finishing tough and resistant to the onslaught of water.

All of these ingredients combine to make the varnish a perfectly water-resistant paint protector.

You could also get different types of varnishes with varying amounts of these substances meant to be used on different kinds of paints such oil paintings etc.

How can you efficiently varnish your painting?

Fortunately, varnishing is not at all a difficult feat to achieve! However, it should be done correctly and patiently to get the desired results, ensuring to cover all areas evenly. Do not sit to varnish if you are in a hurry. Make sure to have enough time on hand to do it just right way.

Since, the procedure to varnish will depend on the kind of material and surface you are putting it on, the steps to do it will vary for different media.

That is why we have discussed the steps to the procedure of varnishing with respect to the different kinds of materials in the following slots. Have a look!

Varnishing acrylic on canvas

Canvas is the most popular media for any and every kind of paintwork.

You could prime the surface of your canvas with Gesso. Although it’s not a mandatory step to follow as such, this helps to bind the paints on your canvas surface strongly.

You could get a variety of online varnishes for canvas.

All you have to do is apply the varnish (such as polymer) coats with a clean brush evenly on the canvas once the paint is absolutely dry and free of any dried paint particle or dirt.

Once you’ve applied the final coat to the surface, leave it aside overnight to bind the layers of paint, fabric, and varnish together. This will provide you with the kind of results you want.

Waterproofing acrylic on metal

Acrylic paints can stick to metals really well. This is why acrylics are often deemed as the best, non-reactive colors for putting on metals.

Everyday objects and fixtures found at home such as lamp-bases, picture-frames, handles, and doorknobs are often and can ideally be painted with acrylic pigments.

You could use Poly Varnish or other kinds of metal varnishes easily for these purposes.

Unlike canvas or other fabrics that usually require multiple coats of varnish, you could get all of the varnish job done for metals at just one go, giving it a single coat.

Varnishing wood

Woods can be very efficiently varnished. One of the most exciting facts about varnishing wood that it can transform the sheer look of the wooden object as soon as put varnish on it, providing a darker, absolutely stunning color tone to it, along with glossy, polished texture.

After you’re done painting on wood, you could use a polymer varnish to put a protective sealing layer on top of the painting.

For this purpose, you’d have to put two coats over the wooden surface. You can either use a polymer varnish or any other wood varnish for that matter.

But no matter whatever you use, you should wait at least a day in between before applying the second coat after the first one.

This way, the sealing agent will bind well to the entire surface making it resistant to accidental spillage or other any other damaging consequence involving liquids.

Varnishing Acrylic on Masonite

Masonite is a kind of wood that is formed of wood fibers compressed incredibly thin. To varnish, masonite is as easy as varnishing your normal wood as it involves almost the same steps. Use polymer varnish to seal your acrylic work on the masonite surface.

In the case of masonites, try going with a single layer of varnish as the material could be a tad bit more delicate than your regular wood.

Due to the same reason, avoid being too rough with the surface while painting or varnishing. Use a softer brush and ensure the paint is entirely dried out before putting varnish on it.

Waterproofing Acrylic On MDF

MDF or Medium-Density Fiber is another kind of wood. It is similar to the texture and almost in density to Masonite. However, the only difference between MDF and Masonite is that MDF has a harder surface, where's Masonite is more delicate.

MDF is more often considered a better medium for crafts and especially for working with liquid pigments than Masonite, owing to its more concrete and harder composition.

It is also used for various other decorative elements as it can be easily cut and designed according to preferences.

However, we would advise you to first prime the surface of your MDF canvas with anything such as Gesso or some other primer so that the paints can stick well to the surface. Priming the MDF surface will also help the varnish to apply well and last long on this material.

You can use Poly Varnish to waterproof your acrylic work on the MDF surface. You would just require one coat or so to varnish your MDF canvas.

Water Protecting Acrylic on Plastic

And did we also mention that you can efficiently paint plastic with acrylics? Because, yes you can! Although not many kinds of paints will stay put on materials like plastic, acrylics do last on such surfaces for a substantial period of time.

However, while painting on plastic, do know that you will have to put quite a few coats to get the job done correctly; otherwise, the paints might peel or scrub off easily and quickly.

And once you have got the paint job done on plastic, you can proceed on to varnishing the surface with a quick coat or two. This will seal in the paints for good and make it resistant to spillage.

How to Waterproof Acrylic on Glass?

Glass is an exclusive and novel surface for art and craft projects, to begin with, and so can be the ways of working with it as well! Do take proper measures of application of paints on glass surface and dry it over the span of a day or two before you proceed with the waterproofing or varnishing procedures.

A particular way of varnishing glass is to simply leave it aside for 3 weeks after you put the first coat on it.

A second way of sealing the acrylic paint on the glass surface is to put it in the oven. You can proceed on to “bake” the glass for approximately 30-45 minutes with the oven cranked up to about 350 degrees.

But very careful during this procedure as this time will depend on the type and quality of the paints you apply. Because although it can be a quicker method, it might also cause nasty fumes.

Baking a glass that has as a coat of varnish will create fumes that can fill and coat your oven. If you use this method, make sure to thoroughly cleanse and air out the oven after baking the glass.

As both of these methods could take a lot of time, you can either decide to go the long route to ensure proper waterproofing for your glass and acrylic project or can get the job done up in other quicker ways that might involve meticulous cleaning afterward.

Special tools for varnishing

Even though there aren’t any “special” tools as such for applying varnish, you could go for a soft foam poly brush for the purpose. This is considered to be an appropriate application tool as the foam can absorb the varnish to help apply it evenly on to the surface.

Be careful to paint even strokes and avoid keeping the brush for long on a specific area as this will be visible through the varnish.

Also, avoid putting your hand on your fingers on the surface during the process as it can damage the varnish. Make sure to keep the surface steady at all times.

So, although you needn’t have any special tool for varnishing, make sure to have something underneath the surface during the application process to secure it from damage.

Can the varnish ruin your brush?

Acrylic paints and varnish are pretty sticky and dry out rather quickly. And if you do not wash your brushes thoroughly right after use, these can damage the bristles.

However, contrary to what you might think, it only requires for you to clean your brushes thoroughly with water and to dry them off properly after each use to ensure their longevity.

Another amazing thing is that varnishes also come as sprays and could be used in place of a brush any day. Yet, you do have to spray quite a few layers to get a proper coat if you opt for one.

Types of Varnishes for Acrylics

A wide range of varnishes is available for acrylics. Although the gloss-finish varnish is often used for a number of arts and craft projects, you could also avail these in matte and satin finishes.

While a matte varnish will impart a bit of shine to the overall finish, satin varnishes can protect the pigments from sun damage apart from giving it a gleaming finish.

Pro tip

Although it’s not necessary for you to prime the surface of your canvas before painting or varnishing, doing so can actually get you better effects, especially if you’re going to varnish it.

Priming can not only help the pigments remain neatly composed on the surface, but it can also impart an additional shine to the varnished finish.

Conclusion

This is was all on how you could effectively waterproof your acrylic painting right away!

If you follow the steps mentioned above and procedures correctly not only will you be able to save your precious artwork from water damage but it will also provide a lasting finish to your creation!

And we’ll be back with more on such subjects!

Till next time!

How to Make Acrylic Paint

The first thing you need to know is the list of supplies that are needed to mix up your own acrylic paint. The list is not exhaustive, but these items are enough to get you started:

Glass surface to mix your pigments and base on
Pigments for your paints
Alcohol or water as the base
A steel spatula or glass muller to mix these
A binder or a medium to join the different liquids and give it the finish of your choice

Now that this list is out there, it’s time to go get these supplies. The rest of the discussion assumes you now have the above materials ready to go.

Step 1| Add some of the pigment to the liquid base on the glass surface

This step begins your process of creating the perfect color for your art. You should ideally have a half-to-half mixture of the pigment of your choice, as well as the base you are using. Alcohol is generally preferred, but you may use water as well. This is because pigments disburse in a better way in alcohol, due to the lower density of alcohol with respect to water.

Step 2| Grinding the Pigment

The grinding process takes place by taking the now-disbursed half to half mixture of base and pigment and using the spatula or the muller to mix these components thoroughly. The objective here is to remove any traces of lumpiness or inconsistency which are present in the mixture. During the mixing process, you may desire adding more pigment to thicken the mixture.

You may also require the base if you feel you’ve taken too much pigment in solid form. You may stop once you’ve gotten a thick-ish consistent mixture.

At this juncture, we would like to point out that you can choose to skip the above steps with pre-dispersed mixtures of pigments and bases available on the market.

The problem is that this is basically the same as buying paints from the store, because the real change between store bought paint and your own paint is derived from all the steps you’ll be performing. This is why we’ll advise you to not skip the above two steps unless you’re running out of time or cannot get your hands on raw alcohol and pigments.

Step 3| Mixing the mixture with a medium

This step is done when you’ve gotten a consistency which you can work with. This particular step is the one where you can introduce a medium of your choice, in terms of your desired finish - chrome/matte/metallic or any other finish you may desire. Hence, you must first choose your finish of choice, and then go in for mixing the medium with the aqua-dispersion from above.

Step 4| Store the fruits of your labor

You are now required to store all the paint(s) you’ve just created from the pigments direct. You may choose tubes, small bottles or glass containers for this purpose. Always use sealed caps or coverings because these paints are known to dry up faster than other kinds of paint.

That wraps up the process of creating Acrylic Paint right in your studio! We now move on to a number of tips and reminders which will serve you well while creating your own paint. Making sure to keep these in mind can go a long way in increasing the longevity and hence reducing input costs for your craft.

Ventilation

Ventilation is extremely necessary while working with paints, binders and other chemicals. You may expose yourself to often foul-smelling materials, and it’s best to get rid of that smell as soon as possible. Also advisable is to keep animals, and other people out of the place you’re making your paints in. It’s a wonderful end result, but the process isn’t the most flattering.

Always use breathing masks

In line with the point above, dealing with chemicals can have adverse consequences on your health if you’re not careful. Hence, always use a breathing mask while dealing with chemicals.

The pigments also have fine dust, which can have potentially catastrophic consequences for your health if taken for granted. Therefore it’s best to stay protected.

Be careful with the toxicity of the chemicals

You may not be aware of any allergies you may be having against the chemicals you might be experimenting or working with. Hence, be extra careful with the chemicals you’re dealing with.

Now that you’re done with making acrylic paint and aware of the things you need to take care of, it’s time to make your paint even better. We achieve this by adding either a glazer or a retarder which have different benefits with respect to the paint you’ve just created.

What are Glazers and Retarders?

Glazers

Glazers are great for giving the artist more time, and getting a more luxurious finish in fine art painting. It dries slowly, allowing the artist extended periods of working time. The acrylic medium improves brushability and is useful for wet-in-wet blending. You don’t need to mess around with too much quantity of paint - small droplets are enough.

Glazers have the double benefit of giving a glazed and shiny finish to your artwork, as well as giving you more time to you while you’re painting. Acrylic paint is notorious for getting dry all the time, but the addition of a glazer certainly goes a long way.

Retarders

Retarders, on the other hand, are not at all concerned with the finish of the acrylic paint. What they are concerned about, however, is the delaying of the drying process that the paint goes through. In essence, retarders have the capability of letting the paint dry at a much slower rate than you’d normally get.

The decision between going for glazers and retarders depends entirely on the finish you are trying to give to the artwork. If a glazed or a photo-realistic effect is what you’re gunning for, glazers should be the de facto choice. However, for other effects, you’re likely to get a better finish with the retarders.

Conclusion

This wraps up today’s discussion on how to create the best acrylic paints right at the comfort of your studio. The raw materials, the process, and certain tips to take care of were discussed. Further, a comparison between glazers and retarders was also made, with the strong and weak points of each being highlighted. We hope you enjoyed our discussion - happy painting!

Types Of Lighting

The Three Main Lighting Categories

Firstly, know that when you’re looking to set up lights in any space, you must be aware of the three basic types of lights — task, accent, and ambient light. Let’s take a look at their differences.

1. Task Lighting

As the name suggests, such light sources provide illumination directed toward a particular area to brighten up certain objects or a workspace and provide safe passage. Thus, task lighting is generally more localized compared to other lighting categories.

Notably, our vision deteriorates with age, and that’s where task lighting can help immensely — it can reduce light glare and prevent eye strain. Such lighting sources are centered around workspaces meant for reading, cooking, studying, crafting, and other stationary hobbies.

2. Accent Lighting

Such a light source is more decorative and design-oriented than the other types. That said, design is a crucial factor while you’re selecting general or accent light fixtures.

This type of lighting primarily aims to build a focal point in a room to highlight a statement piece, such as an architectural design feature. Also, if a portion of the wall has some interesting photographs or artworks, it works to bring out their beauty. And that’s not all; accent lighting can even be used to enhance the color or texture of the walls or show off the lighting fixture itself.

3. Ambient Lighting

Also referred to as general lighting, it’s the primary light source for any room and provides broad lighting for the whole space. Interestingly, it even influences the mood and ambiance of the space — hence, the name “ambient lighting”.

Note that general lighting fixtures can vary from magnificent chandeliers to recessed lights, which we’ll discuss later in our guide. In fact, if the room is abundant in natural lighting, it serves as the general lighting source during the daytime.

Now that you know about the basic types of lighting, it’s time to look at some of the most popular lighting fixtures available on the market. And to make things simpler for you, we’ve divided our list into three categories, viz. indoor lighting fixtures, outdoor lighting fixtures, and light bulbs.

Indoor Lighting Fixtures Types

1. Pendant Lighting

First off, let’s talk about these interesting lights that are designed primarily to enhance the aesthetic appeal of a room. Note that glass pendant lights, or pendant lights in general are made to hang low from a ceiling, which might have been the inspiration behind the intriguing name.

Available in different sizes, lengths, and styles, these lights can blend seamlessly into any room décor. Plus, you can choose to install a single piece or a group of pendant lights based on your needs.

Setting them up is pretty simple — just attach a few sturdy hooks to the ceiling, run the wire of the pendant through them, and then along floors and walls to keep it out of view. And that’s it — let there be light.

2. Architectural Lighting

The beauty of such lighting fixtures is that they are integrated into the structure of a building. Notably, you can get these fixtures in different styles, like a valance, soffit, and cove lighting. Most architectural lights are placed on shelves or ledges, with the light typically bouncing off the upper parts of a wall or the ceiling.

Apart from that, valance-styled lights come enclosed in a structure made of glass, metal, or wood, which are mounted high above walls or windows. And as for the soffit-styled lights, they have to be placed near a ceiling so that the light can radiate downward to create a softly-illuminated ambiance.

3. Recessed Lighting

Up next is this widely used lighting type that’s installed in various preset ceiling fixtures to illuminate a room using narrow bands of light. Many such lights can be installed together to provide an excellent general room lighting source.

Recessed lights require at least six-inch clearance for proper installation, plus the area around the fixture must be insulated properly. Interestingly, you can also use these lights in a few spots around the room as a form of accent or task lighting.

These ceiling lights take up less visual space and can beautifully complement any room decor.

4. Chandeliers

Firstly, chandeliers have to be suspended from a ceiling just like pendant lights — the difference between the two lies in the direction of the light. While chandeliers emit light that points upwards, reflecting off the ceiling, most pendants are directed downwards.

Furthermore, chandeliers lend a more decorative look to the overall decor and are available in a multitude of captivating designs. These luxurious status symbols are a great example of ambient or general lighting and are popular choices for modern dining and living rooms.

5. Under-Cabinet Lighting

As the name suggests, such lighting is often installed underneath a kitchen cabinet to facilitate better visibility therein. After all, the area underneath a cabinet tends to be quite dark, making it difficult to find several kitchen essentials. And you would never want to end up slicing your fingers on a sharp tool!

It is worth noting that this prevalent version of task lighting for kitchens is easy to set up.

6. Track Lighting

While recessed lighting uses pre-installed fixtures to direct light from the ceiling, track lights make for a more convenient alternative for the same purpose. They are mounted to the ceiling with a supporting base and may comprise multiple light heads attached to a continuous track device.

Notably, track lighting is mainly used as a task lighting or accent lighting source. However, it can work as an efficient general lighting source based on the bulb strength.

7. Wall Sconces

This style shines in stark contrast to most lighting types we’ve dealt with till now, as it consists of lights extending from the walls instead of ceilings. As such, these lights can illuminate side tables and hallways efficiently.

At this point, you might assume that installing such lights will require setting up wiring behind the walls. But hang on— that might not always be the case.

You can eliminate the mess using plug-in wall sconces: just hide the wire properly, plug the lights in the scones, and mount them. And nobody has to know that you actually opted for a plug-in instead of a more permanent fixture.

8. Portable Lamps

The best part about these lamps is that there is no installation involved; you need only plug them into a power outlet. That’s why you can move them around easily in case you feel they would look better in a different part of the house. Furthermore, the sizes and styles available will leave you spoiled for choice. So, go ahead and find a suitable option for your decor style.

The easy accessibility and versatility of these lights make them a universal favorite worldwide, and they can even act as a perfect task lighting source. That said, larger floor lamps might emanate enough light to make for an efficient source of general lighting.

9. Laser Lighting

If you want to incorporate a distinct lighting element in the room that can transform the ambiance altogether, laser lighting will be an ideal pick. Lasers are, in effect, electrical filaments utilized for generating light created by a variety of fixtures.

They travel along a thin beam and don’t diffract in different directions, ensuring the brightness and focus of the light aren’t lost over a distance. Note that such lights come in the form of lamps, so you can easily use them in different areas around the home.

Plus, the narrow path of lasers makes it very easy to diffract a beam into thousands of smaller ones, helping to create the much sought-after, captivating starry effect. And in case you’re looking to create a more happening ambiance for a house party, you can even use two to three laser lights of different colors.

10. LED Lighting

LED Lights are one of the most popular lighting options today since they offer a much more energy-efficient performance than traditional lights. Moreover, LEDs diffract in different directions and fill the room with a soft glow that most homeowners prefer over the extra-bright light emanating from traditional lighting sources.

They are also quite long-lasting and won’t need replacements for a long time. Not to mention how some variants have color-changing abilities as well. Another significant advantage is that LED lights can be found in several forms, ranging from accent fixtures such as string and strip lights to standard light bulbs.

11. Portable Lighting

Portable lighting is another great pick for those who prioritize convenience over design and other factors. Such lights can be plugged into a regular power outlet or a USB port. What’s more, they come in compact and lightweight designs, so you can take them along to create a thrilling ambiance anywhere you go.

Light Bulbs

Light bulbs can very well be regarded as a separate division when it comes to listing the different types of lighting options on the market. They can even be incorporated in both indoor and outdoor spaces to create different lighting effects as per your needs and preferences.

Here are the types of light bulbs that are most common on the market today:

1. Fluorescent Light Bulbs

In case you’re searching for flat light bulbs that offer cold illumination, fluorescent bulbs will fit the bill perfectly. Just like halogen bulbs, these try to imitate natural lighting but work to provide excellent ambient lighting.

That said, since the light might be too harsh sometimes, it isn’t ideal for many rooms apart from attics and basements. Fluorescent lights are also utilized as commercial lighting due to their powerful ability to light up large spaces.

Adding to its commendable lighting efficiency is the availability of different variants on the market, including warmer colors. Also, they are much more long-lasting than incandescent light bulbs.

2. Incandescent Bulbs

Coming with an inviting and warm glow, these inexpensive bulbs are among the most widely used lighting options nowadays. Moreover, they complement the majority of skin tones and are hence quite flattering light choices. That’s also why they are an apt choice for dimming light bulbs in a bathroom.

However, a downside is that they aren’t very energy efficient and generally last for just about 700 hours of continuous use.

3. LED Light Bulbs

These light bulbs use the energy-efficient LED technology to offer quality and long-lasting lighting for most spaces. In fact, they have shown great promise as economical choices worldwide, with more and more commercial establishments using such lighting solutions on a large scale.

A noteworthy feature of such lights is their ability to provide directional lighting, due to which they can serve as excellent task lighting sources.

At the same time, there are differently styled variants offering colored lighting, providing users the opportunity to accentuate different spaces to enhance their visual appeal. And that’s not all; You can even find other innovative models coming with clusters of LED bulbs that can provide broader illumination.

However, if you’re looking for options that offer diffused light, these might not be the ideal choice to go for. Another point of caution is that the more decorative versions of LED bulbs tend to be much costlier than the standard units.

4. Halogen Bulbs

First and foremost, you’ll love these lights for the way they can replicate natural light, which is actually why they are fairly popular lighting choices worldwide. Halogen light bulbs are, in effect, a variant of incandescent lights, with the colors popping and appearing to be sharper. That’s why they can serve as perfect lighting sources for vibrantly colored rooms.

Furthermore, these lights are more energy saving than most incandescent bulbs. But keep in mind that this property makes them costlier than the latter. Also, these lights burn at higher temperatures compared to other bulbs, so be careful while you’re handling them.

Outdoor Lights

Just like indoor lighting options, there’s a pretty huge number of choices when it comes to outdoor lighting. That said, we’ve picked the ones which offer truly effective lighting for outdoor spaces and are popular among a large section of people.

1. Outdoor Wall Lighting

Lighting on the exterior walls are quite popular, with lots of variants available to suit different outdoor lighting needs. For example, you can opt for wall lanterns if you prefer to set up traditional-style solitary accent lights on different parts of the boundary and exterior walls. They come in the form of semi-flush mount sconces and are fairly popular choices for wall-mounted lighting.

On the other hand, cottage and rustic-style lights provide a more casual feel to any outdoor space that ultimately exudes the much-loved beachy vibe. But if you’re looking to install wall-mounted lighting for security or functional purposes, it’s better to go for bulkhead lights or spotlights. These offer the optimum lighting essential for such purposes.

2. Hanging Lights

These lighting fixtures lend an attractive, welcoming feel to the outdoor space while illuminating the surrounding area just the way you want. Plus, they can beautifully highlight any significant architectural or landscaping feature in the outdoor space. At the same time, you can use them to make areas such as backyards more usable by illuminating them as per your needs.

Like indoor lighting solutions, hanging lights come in a variety of styles such as pendants, chandeliers, lanterns, rustic lights, industrial lights, and many more.

3. Garden And Landscape Lighting

Adding some lights to your landscape can help elevate the overall appearance and design of your outdoor space considerably. But as numerous lighting options are available for the purpose, you’ll have to research a bit on the style that will be ideal for your home.

For instance, you may choose to incorporate path lighting to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere in and around the walkway leading to your home. Note that such lights will also serve to illuminate the path adequately.

Alternatively, you can go for post mount lights for the gate, fence, or entryway. These actually consist of outdoor lanterns fixed on tall posts and are also referred to as pier mount lights. Remember that they are just as useful for lighting up the space as for accentuating its look, which makes them ideal for patios, decks, and poolsides.

4. Floodlights

This immensely popular type of outdoor lighting offers a beam with an adjustable angle that can be rotated to focus on a particular area. You can get these lights fixed in the ground, or they can even be mounted on walls, poles, or structures. Notably, these last much longer than most other forms of outdoor lighting and are also more energy-efficient.

By using floodlights in dark areas, you can improve the safety of your outdoor space as people will find it easier to spot potential hazards. Moreover, these can discourage crime, vandalism, and property damage.

5. Barn Lights

If you’re looking for a casual outdoor fixture other than lantern-style lights, this option will be a fairly suitable choice to go for. It tends to cast the light in a circle downwards, rather than a host of outdoor lights that can shed light in many directions.

Notably, a large section of people are under the impression that barn lights are suited for traditional styles. But contrary to this popular belief, they suit modern and contemporary decor styles equally well. Furthermore, you can purchase them in a range of finishes.

6. Motion Sensor Lights

Before we end our list, here’s another modern form of outdoor task lighting that has gained much popularity of late. A motion sensor light comes with an internal photocontrol or motion sensor that helps regulate lighting consistently.

To elaborate further, motion sensors light up just when an object passes by their infrared beam, and the light remains on for a particular time. Note that such lights are excellent options to enable safety and security in any outdoor space.

On the other hand, photocells or photocontrols are similar to timers and are generally found in lights used in parking lots. These lights turn on during dusk and then turn off during sunrise. Photocells are also applied for several outdoor lighting purposes.

Here, it’s worth noting that you can adjust built-in timers based on the duration for which you want the lights to remain on.

Things To Consider While Choosing Lighting

To determine the most suitable type of lighting for your home, being aware about the various types available is only half the battle won.

After all, your choice will ultimately depend upon your requirements and preferences. And apart from that, you’ll need to consider certain crucial factors that influence the applicability of a lighting in a particular ambience and its overall performance.

1. Coverage

First off, you’ll need to consider the size of the space you’re looking to light up, as that will, in turn, determine the amount of light required to keep it lit. And after you have estimated the area to be covered, you must figure out the ideal brightness for that area accordingly. Note here that the brightness is nowadays measured in lumen (LM) instead of the older unit of wattage (W).

As a rule of thumb, interior spaces such as bedrooms or sitting rooms require a brightness of around 10 to 20 lu/ sq ft (lumen per square ft). But spaces like kitchens and bathrooms that must have greater visibility need a stronger brightness level of around 70 to 80 lu/sq ft. So, to figure out the lumens you require, you’ll simply have to multiply the area of the room by these figures.

Speaking of outdoor spaces, you’ll require lighting of at least 50 lumens if you plan to use low background lights. On the other hand, security and driveway lights must come with high brightness levels of around 2400 lumens.

That’s why it’s a must to check the brightness of the option you’re considering purchasing.

2. Application

It’s also worth noting that the ideal lighting choice for any space will depend on how you wish to apply the lighting therein. And when it comes to application, the color temperature will play a crucial role.

Though this term might not be familiar to many, it’s actually a crucial factor affecting the overall performance of any type of lighting. After all, the color temperature helps you understand the appearance of the light and how well it will blend with the surroundings.

Long story short, the suitable color temperature will be different depending upon whether you want to incorporate accent, task, or ambient lighting.

Note that color temperature ranges from warm-white to true daylight, with the former being on the lower end of the scale and the latter on the higher end.

While warm light gives the room a cozy and inviting tone, true daylight is pure white light and projects a crisp and stark tone akin to natural light. And in between these two levels of the temperature scale is a cool-white light that provides the right balance of vibrance and brightness.

3. Quantity Vs Quality

The quantity and quality of the lighting are, of course, two of the most essential considerations when it comes to choosing lights for any space. But more importantly, you must strike the right balance between both while making a choice.

For example, homeowners generally tend to design bedrooms using an overhead lamp, supplemental task lighting such as glass pendant lights, and some bedside lamps.

True enough, that could provide a well-lit bedroom, but when you’re looking to unwind after a tiring day you will certainly not want a brightly lit surrounding. That’s why an efficient bedside lamp and overhead light are enough to provide the required lighting along with a calming atmosphere in the bedroom.

Hence, you must make sure the quantity of lights you’re getting for a space never overpowers their quality.

Final Thoughts

On that note, it’s almost time for us to wrap up the guide. We hope you enjoyed reading about the different varieties of lighting, just as we enjoyed exploring and analyzing them.

So, don’t delay decking up your favorite space in the home with the lighting of your choice. But make sure you also consider your lighting needs with regard to the space apart from the design-related aspects.

Plus, for those planning to set up interior lighting, we’d strongly recommend using lighter reflections and colors to create the desired atmosphere. You can add reflective surfaces and mirrors for a brighter and shinier appearance.

With that, we’ll bring down the curtains for now. But we’ll return soon with more guides on home designing and décor. Till then, take care!

For some pioneers out there, painting on the most clichéd, regular surfaces just don’t cut it.

They try to explore beyond the ordinary - in this case, using an unlikely combination of paint and surface to create truly dazzling surfaces.

Oil paints and glass aren’t the most ideal combination, but there are ways to make this relationship work - just like any other, this one requires effort. If you are looking for the best paints for glass, you can find them here.

Today, we’ll talk about exactly which points need to be clear when it comes to painting on glass with oil paints.

Painting techniques, materials, and much more will be touched upon today. So without wasting more time, let’s get down to brass tacks.

Things You Should Know Before Painting Oil Paint on Glass

Image via Etsy

The glass surface must be pristine before oil paint is put on it

Simple soap and water is a great first step to achieve a clean glass surface, but you should know that this is necessary - but not sufficient. You have to go in for stronger additional solutions such as acetone or isopropyl alcohol before working on the glass surface with oil paints.

This is all done in order to prevent any breakage, cracking or peeling after application of paint on the glass surface. Any grime, dust or dirt left on the glass surface can cause much larger problems later on. In any case, you should make sure you wipe the glass surface thoroughly so none of the cleaning agent(s) is left behind on the surface before painting.

Glass and oil paint is not an ideal combination, at all

Oil paint belongs to surfaces such as canvas, wood, hardboard, fiber etc. This is because they are porous and they provide texture which glass simply cannot. On the other hand, glass is best suited to be painted upon by acrylic paints which stick. Do not be disheartened, however - there are some methods which can help this combination work beautifully.

In other words, we would still recommend you to go for acrylic paints in case you’re willing to explore new territories and paint on glass. If you can’t help it, this article will go a long way in helping you find out how to make oil on glass sing.

A texture will go a long way when you’re painting with oil on glass

To make sure your work lasts at least a few decades, you should create some kind of texture on the surface in order for the paint to remain adhered to the glass surface properly. There are a number of ways in which this can be achieved, but most artists end up using the two below:

Sandpaper

Sandpaper is an ideal material to use for texturing because you get the best of both worlds: the glass surface remains largely translucent, but the oil paint sticks rather strongly on the glass material. Do make sure you do this process in the open if you can help it.

The process for applying sandpaper on the glass is easy: simply sand the surface keeping it flat (on a table, perhaps) and maintaining a circular motion while sanding it with a firm hand. A respirator mask and goggles for safety are must to prevent any side effects.

Gesso

Any artist worth their salt knows how critical gesso is to their tool-set. Canvas artists with some experience in painting are already well aware of how to use gesso properly.

For those of you starting out, gesso is basically an acrylic based solution which can latch on to nearly any surface very well. This includes glass, thankfully. Generally, you hear of white gesso - which you can’t use in this case, sadly. After all, you’re using glass.

There’s a way out. And our savior, in this case, is clear gesso. A few maverick chemists figured out a way to solve your quandary - and this is it. A few layers of this acrylic gesso and you’re all set for painting your masterpiece on glass!

Remember the traditional fat-on-lean principle

The fat-on-leam painting principle is very simple in its statement, and it’s not too hard to apply. Chances are, someone in the art class told you about this someday and you keep doing it subconsciously. Anyway, for those of you who might’ve forgotten, the principle simply says that - you should always have a thicker layer of paint over thinner layers at the outset.

Hence, for underpainting, use the smallest possible amount of paint, and slowly scale up until you finish - wherein you have to apply as much paint as possible. The reason behind this technique is that the natural oxidation of oil paints is such that a thinner top layer is very liable to get damaged by chipping/cracking and this has a drastic effect on the painting.

Once you get a hang of this method (though it will take a few paintings before you get it just right), you won’t ever look back, and you’ll notice the drastic differences in longevity yourself.

Image renaissancestainedglass.website

Varnishing is the cherry on top

Varnishing is a step most people associate with hardboard, hardwood and fiberboard finishes. However, you must take this newfound opportunity to paint on glass, and go for varnishing the painted glass surface. This helps immensely when you’re planning to put the painting up for sale or display at an art gallery.

Final words

There are a number of other small things we wanted to cover, but seeing that most first-timers will be more interested in this, we end our discussion here. This wraps up our list of the five best things to know before you start painting with oil paints on the glass surface. Before heading out there and painting, take care of these!

Have fun painting with oil paints and glass surfaces - an unlikely but beautiful (and rare) combination.

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A variety of factors can damage concrete surfaces, the most common cause being regular wear and tear. Other factors include fire, seawater damage, stress, etc.

Naturally, there are several different routes that you can take when going for concrete repair. The use of various techniques and methods also depends upon multiple factors.

Some of such factors that you need to consider before selecting the repair method include how deep the crack is, the size of the area to be repaired, time available, etc.

There are several ways to set about the process of concrete repair. Epoxy injection, Routing and Sealing of cracks, Drilling and Plugging, Gravity Filling Method, etc., are some of the methods of repairing concrete.

Here, we mention the various ways through which concrete surfaces can be repaired using epoxy, while also noting down the advantages and disadvantages of different techniques.

So, let’s get down to business.

Epoxy Cement Guide 101

Understanding Epoxy Cement Repairs

Using epoxy to repair damage in concrete is one of the popular techniques that you can use. The standard epoxy that is generally used for a wide variety of applications is a thermoset plastic. It includes a resin and a hardener.

The epoxy cement, on the other hand, also includes coarse aggregate with sand. These components ensure that the epoxy cement creates a waterproof coating that prevents further damage to the surface.

There are multiple ways in which you can use epoxy cement to repair any damage in concrete. In some instances, the procedure is simple. You can apply the epoxy injection directly to the crack to fill it up.

However, depending upon the location of the crack, the process may differ. You may require additional steps to ensure a complete repair. Alternatively, other techniques and methods might be more appropriate for fixing the damage.

Benefits Of Using Epoxy Cement For Concrete Repairs

Using Epoxy mortar or cement offers several advantages for repairing concrete surfaces. Some of these advantages include:

Provides High Durability

Repairing concrete surfaces such as floors using epoxy ensures that these surfaces become tough and very durable. Epoxy hardens as it dries while retaining its flexible nature. As such, it can easily absorb shocks and vibrations that hit the surface.

Reasonably Simple Application

In comparison with other concrete repair methods, the application of epoxy cement is a less cumbersome process. In many cases, you do not even require the assistance of a contractor and can complete the process yourself efficiently.

Time-Saving

Using epoxy cement to repair cracks in concrete is less time-consuming than other methods. The straightforward application process requires you to use the epoxy after cleaning the surface to be repaired.

Cost-effective Solution

Funding concrete repairs are generally too expensive for many people. Using epoxy cement is an ideal method that gets the job done without needing to break the bank. Additionally, undertaking the repair process without hiring a contractor also helps in saving money.

Suitable For Interior And Exterior Surfaces

You can easily use the epoxy repair method on all concrete surfaces, both indoor and outdoor. The cement works just as well in both conditions without being affected by the elements. Multipurpose or All-Purpose Epoxies are also available for use on a wide range of surfaces.

Prevents Further Damage

The timely application of epoxy cement to repair minor cracks in concrete can help you save a significant amount of money. This adhesive holds tightly to the surface, preventing further deterioration while also acting as a waterproof barrier.

Suitability of Epoxy Cement For Different Types Of Repairs

Before deciding which epoxy material is ideal for repairing your concrete, you should first check the compatibility of the glue with the surface. Not all types of epoxies work well with concrete.

Additionally, the type of damage that needs to be repaired also determines which material and technique for repairing would be most effective.

For surfaces that have cracks passing entirely through, epoxy injections are an easy way to repair them. The epoxy resin in such a case should be very fluid to reach the interior of the material.

However, this method of repairing concrete is only applicable if further movement is not possible. If there is a possibility of further shifting within the concrete, other techniques are more suitable.

Keep in mind that epoxy injection for concrete repairs is not suitable for extensive cracks. Similarly, structural cracks should also not be repaired using this method. In case of cracks that have water inside, use water-resistant epoxy cement for best results.

Using epoxy for repairs is not a practical solution in scenarios where cracks appear in concrete due to corroded steel. This is because the epoxy will not stop further decay of the material, and more cracks will continue to appear. For fixing large cracks, separate repair kits are available on the market.

Epoxy Cement Compared To Other Repair Materials

Epoxy cement is one of the several popular materials available for repairing cracks in concrete surfaces. Alternatives include Epoxy Mortar, Urethane Cement, etc. There are subtle differences between these repair materials, and they serve different purposes.

Similar to craft resin, epoxy cement also includes a resin and hardener. The mixture is easy to apply and provides durability as well as water resistance. It is available in different shades, making it suitable for different types of concrete. It also works well with other materials such as urethane cement.

In the case of epoxy mortar, it also contains epoxy, just like epoxy cement. This property makes both materials water-resistant and highly durable. They also have similar results, such as preventing corrosion, repairing tiles, etc.

The difference between the two materials lies in their composition. While epoxy cement contains a significant portion of a powder-like substance that acts as a filler, epoxy mortar contains sand-like material for the same purpose.

You can also get an epoxy putty, which contains the filler substance but offers a thicker consistency. It is suitable for use as a putty-like adhesive to fill space. However, epoxy putty serves a different purpose than epoxy cement and epoxy mortar.

Another option for repairing cracks in concrete is Urethane Cement, which is also called polymer concrete. Polymer concrete comprises urethane mixed with an aggregate and standard cement that is ideal for creating waterproof surfaces.

Unlike epoxy mortar, it is possible to use urethane cement along with epoxy cement. The mixture not only creates a strong bond but also offers scratch resistance and durability.

Deciding which material to use to repair concrete surfaces depends on your particular requirements. Factors that need to be considered include material compatibility, type of damage, cost, water resistance, etc.

The Repair Process

Despite being an overall simple process, the process for repairing cracks in concrete requires excellent care. Several steps need to be followed in the correct order to get the best results. Here, we explain the entire process of how to go about repairing concrete surfaces using epoxy.

Before starting the epoxy crack repair process, ensure that this process is suitable for the scenario. One of the ways to determine this is to use a sounding hammer which will help make a correct assessment of the concrete.

Understanding the width and depth of the crack is vital before deciding on the method of repair. Portable crack scopes or plastic crack cards will help you determine the quantity of epoxy required. Generally, more minor repairs lead to more waste as more material is needed for flushing the gun than for filling the cracks.

Another thing to remember is that weather plays a significant role in how effective and quick the crack repair process is. In cold weather, cracks may contain frozen water, which increases the effort required to fix it.

Cold weather also increases the time that the epoxy requires to get cured. In such circumstances, the injection process must be slow, and the seal should be left on for longer. Ensure that the coating has the correct dew point to prevent any dew from getting trapped underneath the epoxy.

If the temperature falls below 35°F-40° F, the epoxy will go into a dormant state. This issue is not something to be worried about, as it will start to cure again once the temperature increases. To speed up the curing process, use an external source of heat.

Required Tools

It is necessary to have the right tools and supplies at hand when starting a crack repair process. Some of the tools required include a disposable surface for mixing the epoxy, a utility knife, and a putty knife for mixing purposes.

Safety gloves, goggles, and face masks are also recommended to prevent the material from getting into your eyes or hands. If possible, work in a properly ventilated area that has good airflow.

Preparing The Concrete Surface And The Epoxy

The damaged concrete surface that needs to be repaired should be appropriately prepared before starting the process. This process requires cleaning the surface using either wire brushes or a high-pressure water cleaner. When using a pressure water cleaner, make sure it has at least 5000 PSI for best results.

A clean concrete surface will ensure that the filler bonds properly to the damaged surface.

Let the surface dry completely before starting the process. If there is a time constraint, tools such as air dryers can speed up the drying process. Also, avoid using mechanical devices for the cleaning process as it can lead to further debris falling inside the crack.

The standard procedure for repairing cracks in concrete involves widening the gap into a “V” shape. This V shape provides a more resistant finishing after the application of the epoxy.

In case the epoxy to be used for application is too thick, it requires thinning before use. Preheating the epoxy before mixing is an effective way to thin it out. Other methods include storing it in heated rooms or adding a lightbulb to the injection pump.

Keep in mind that the temperature changes will also affect the curing time of the epoxy after it has been mixed.

Installation Of Ports

Ports are used to inject epoxy into the concrete, which helps eliminate the need for drilling. There should be at least two ports that need to be spaced out properly for the correct application of the epoxy.

The ports should be 8 inches apart and installed along the crack in the concrete. After installing the ports, the top of the crack needs to be sealed. Use an epoxy paste along the length of the crack to cover it with the help of a putty knife.

Leave the paste to dry for about 30 minutes, as it needs to be stable enough during the epoxy injection. Keep in mind that the temperature of the concrete determines the adhesion and seal of the epoxy.

The Epoxy Injection Process

Mix the two-part epoxy properly until onto the disposable mixing surface there are no visible streaks in the mixture. In the case of a readymade epoxy, there is no need for mixing, and you can directly get down to the injection process.

Start the injection process by first injecting the crack repair epoxy into the lower port in the concrete. Continue to inject the epoxy until either it flows out of the next port or stops flowing. While working on horizontal cracks, start at the broadest part of the crack.

During the injection process, closing the second port might be beneficial for filling up the gaps below the concrete surface. Once the epoxy stops flowing, remove the port and proceed to the next port.

Repeat the process with all the ports until the entire crack is filled. In case the epoxy has hardened at a port, proceed to the next one. Just keep applying a steady constant pressure during the injection process to prevent uneven filling or voids.

Once the entire crack has been filled, remove the ports and use epoxy to seal up the top of the crack. The temperature determines the curing time of the epoxy. To speed up the curing process, use a moderate heat supply in cases where there is a time constraint.

There are various tools and methods to increase the temperature for a faster curing process. Use a heat gun, preheat the epoxy before application, use baseboard heaters or warming blankets to achieve the desired results. Thicker areas will get cured faster as epoxy also emits heat by itself during the curing process.

Keep in mind not to exceed 300° F while heating as epoxy tends to start deforming at that temperature. High temperatures in summer can also affect the durability of epoxy.

Cleaning Up And Storage

Once the job is complete, it is essential to clean up the epoxy from the workspace and tools. MEK or acetone is an excellent product for this process. For cleaning up tools or small areas, dishwashing soap and water also provides great results.

Liquid detergents or concentrated soaps are better alternatives to solvents for removing epoxy from the skin.

After the repair process, there may be some unused epoxy leftover. Only unmixed epoxy is considered leftovers as it will not cure and can be stored for future use. Store excess epoxy in airtight containers until it is needed again.

Unfortunately, water-sensitive substances such as polyurethane do not allow for such long storage periods. Either use such materials quickly or dispose of them.

Finishing And Finalizing

In many cases, simply fixing the cracks and getting the concrete repaired is not enough. The surface needs to be adequately maintained to provide the proper appearance. Sacking is a process that will help you restore the original smooth surface of the concrete.

Sacking involves wetting the surface of the concrete and hitting it with a sack that contains a satisfactory amount of the color of the concrete. Another alternative is to paint over a fine cement-based slurry using a brush.

Epoxy Cement Repairs For Different Surfaces

Epoxy cement is a highly versatile substance that can be used to repair all types of concrete surfaces. These may include concrete floors, sidewalks, driveways, and more.

Here we will tell you how to make the best use of epoxy cement to repair such different surfaces. So let us get straight to it.

Repairing A Sidewalk With Epoxy Cement

The process of repairing any damage to the sidewalk depends upon the size and depth of the crack. If the crack is extensive, it needs to be enlarged first using a hammer and a cold chisel.

The process requires undercutting, which involves making the crack wider at the bottom and thinner at the top. Following this, any residue remaining in the area should be removed using a wire brush and a pressure hose. Before proceeding to the next step, ensure that the surface is completely clean.

The next thing to do would be to apply an acrylic resin glue to the surface, which should be left to dry. A pre-mixed concrete patch has to be applied to the undercut area. Use a trowel to ensure that the mixture is completely smooth before use.

Once this process is complete, cover up the cement while it is still wet until it dries up. A plastic sheet should be left over the area for at least five days for best results.

Repairing A Driveway Using Epoxy Cement

To repair a driveway with epoxy cement, you should start by following the same process as sidewalk repair. Remember that, unlike a sidewalk, a driveway has to bear a considerable amount of weight. Therefore, it requires more strength.

To ensure that the driveway has enough strength, use a gravel composition using sand, cement, and gravel. First, undercut the damaged area and then apply the epoxy cement for repair.

After completing this process, repeat the steps for repairing the sidewalk. The driveway should also be left for a minimum of 5 days before using it. To get an even stronger surface, add epoxy to the mixture.

Repairing Hairline Concrete Cracks with Epoxy

Unlike larger and broader cracks, hairline cracks often go unnoticed, which leads to further damage if not dealt with timely.

The process to repair hairline cracks starts with the creation of a paste by combining cement and water. Moisten the crack that needs to be fixed for at least 4 hours before beginning the repair process.

This process makes it easier to apply the paste once the surface has become completely dry. Use a pointed trowel to apply the paste to the crack.

The concrete crack repair epoxy is also suitable for this purpose. It is a Two-Part Epoxy Adhesive Paste that provides excellent results for repairing hairline cracks in concrete.

During the application process, put in a bit of weight and ensure that the paste enters the crack. After this, flatten the surface to make it smooth before leaving it to dry for about 2 hours.

Similar to the above procedures, cover the area with a plastic sheet for five days. Remember to lift the sheet and sprinkle a little water on the surface every day. The surface becomes perfectly ready for use after five days.

Valuable Tips for Repairing Concrete Cracks

There are several different concrete cracks, and one single repair solution does not apply to all. During the repair process, some issues tend to come up and require your attention. Some of the most common issues and the methods to deal with them are listed below:

- First and foremost, verify that the crack can be fixed using the epoxy injection method.
- For larger cracks, there are other methods of repairing cracks that work better.
- Always start the injection process with the lowest-pressure setting and increase the pressure as required.
- Use more epoxy injection pressure to fill up larger cracks.
- For wider cracks, it is best to fill them slowly without rushing.
- A slow filling process ensures that the epoxy is filling the crack correctly.
- Be prepared for epoxy backflow, which may result from blockage by debris, or the crack may not be continuous.
- Epoxy polymers always tend to contract and expand more than concrete.
- The property of rapid expansion and contraction should be kept in mind when working on a large crack.
- The top seal can be removed using a chisel, scraper, while a heat gun helps remove the epoxy paste.
- Ensure that you only remove the ports after the epoxy has fully set.
- The process of setting requires at least 48 hours to complete.
- In case there is a leak in the top seal, insert a crayon to stop the leakage.
- The technique of using a crayon works well only for areas with small leaks.
- If the cracks are narrow, applying a bit of caulk on the side of the crack reduces epoxy waste.
- Using caulk also helps improve the adhesion and filling of the epoxy.

Recommended Products

There are several epoxy products for repairing cracks in concrete available on the market. However, selecting the one that fits your purpose is not an easy task. There are several factors to consider, such as ease of use, curing time, flexibility, etc.

Here, we would like to mention some of the best crack repair epoxy products worth considering. The purpose of this section is to help you save time and effort while discovering products that ensure the best results. So, let us get down to it.

PC Products PC Concrete Epoxy Adhesive

The first product we would like to mention comes from PC Products, one of the biggest names in the epoxy industry. The PC Concrete Epoxy Adhesive is one of the brand’s excellent products for repairing cracks in concrete.

It is easy to use, moisture-resistant, and also suitable for vertical applications. This epoxy can also be used to anchor rods, bolts, and dowels into concrete and is the perfect solution for interior and exterior usage. The product has a PSI rating of 6790 which also ensures a very high level of durability.

Quikrete Epoxy Concrete Repair

Another product that offers excellent value for money is the Quikrete Epoxy Concrete Repair. This two-part epoxy forms a highly durable bond and is a very reliable product for concrete repair.

It also works well on vertical surfaces and is suitable for interior as well as exterior use. Also, it is a fast-drying epoxy that does not shrink and can be used on concrete, brick, stone, and similar surfaces.

Several other products are available on the market that also offer excellent results for repairing cracks in concrete. It is ideal to select the one which perfectly meets your particular requirements. Keep in mind the various factors before making the final decision.

Conclusion

As mentioned before, repairing cracks in cement using epoxy is one of the most convenient techniques available. It is also cost-effective, especially when compared to hiring a contractor to do the job.

Several products are available on the market for use in repairing cracks in concrete. Each product has its advantages and disadvantages, and selecting the right one depends upon your particular requirements.

The most important thing to keep in mind while undertaking repairs yourself is to ensure all safety measures are followed. And, in case you feel that all this is too tough to tackle by yourself, feel free to contact a professional and get the job done.

With that, we finally take our leave.

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