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Kevin Szabo Jr Plumbing Blog



Filtering by Tag: Plumber in Franfort

Decorating with Rugs: the Essentials

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Decorating with Rugs: the Essentials

When a room starts to appear dull and boring, replacing a rug might solve the problem. Even though most people see it just as an accessory, the right rug can change the entire feel of the room and set the foundation of the entire design. By playing with its colour, pattern, shape and size, you can add more interest and vibrancy to your space and use the rug to visually tie together various elements, give it a stronger definition and add more warmth and style. Here are several different ways to decorate a room with rugs.

Make Sure to Get the Right Size

It might be tricky to determine the right rug size for your room since in this case, bigger isn’t necessarily better. A rug that is too big can swallow the room and take away from the beauty of your hardwood flooring, and a tiny rug can chop up a room and make it seem disconnected.

The general tip is to pick a rug that is 3 feet smaller in length and width than your room. These bare edges will make the room seem bigger. Dining room rugs should be at least 24 inches wider than the edge of your dining table so the back legs of chairs can stay on the rug even when pulled out to allow your guest to sit. As for runners, they should be about 4 inches narrower and 18 to 24 inches shorter than your hallway, but large enough to have both of your feet on the rug as you pass through.

Use Rugs to Define Areas

Rugs can be a very effective tool in defining spaces, both small studio apartments and large rooms equally well. In smaller spaces, leave a narrow strip of the floor visible to make the room appear bigger and brighter, and in larger rooms, experts’ advice is to have the front legs of your furniture on the rug and the back legs off. It unifies the area without cutting it off form the rest of the room.

You can also use the rug as a focal point and make a strong impact. The trick is to create a contrast by painting your walls in one of the rug accent colours. And, don't think that a rug has to be a rectangle. Sometimes a square, round or oval shape can complement your furniture arrangement better than a classic rectangular one.

Set up a colour scheme

Your rug of choice can be used to set the basis of your colour scheme, or if you introduce it later, it can emphasise and tie in your existing colour scheme. You can use a rug can visually soften the room or add more accent. Bear in mind that achieving balance is the point of good design, so don’t overdo it. If your walls are soft and neutral, go with a bold coloured rug, and vice versa.

Choosing among so many different colours and patterns can be overwhelming, so you might decide to buy your rugs onlinesince there you will usually have a much bigger choice of rugs and more affordable prices. 

Achieve harmony and variety

Rugs add a touch of playfulness and variety to a room, but you need to be careful how you size and position them. If you’re planning on using two rugs, variety will be achieved with different sized rugs. Otherwise, the room will be visually cutin two.

Make sure the two rugs complement each other in style or the final result will be awkward and unpleasant. Too many different styles and patterns will disrupt the harmony. 

Use rugs as decorative tools

Rugs can be great decorative tools if used correctly. For instance, by changing both your pillows and rugs with the changing of seasons, you'll easily transform the room and make it appear trendy and fresh. And if you hang your rug on the wall, you'll have an original focal point.

The bottom line is that anything can work, it all depends on what you find most appealing and what can create the best effect in your home.

Guest Contributor, Lillian Connors

Is It Dangerous To Take A Shower During A Storm?

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Not During Storms

When I was a young kid I always heard it was dangerous to take a shower during a storm. I always thought it was a joke. How could someone get electrocuted taking a shower? As I got older I realized it's true. We have several pipes running to our homes under ground and we have live wires attached to our homes. Here is what happened when Myth Busters tested the myth:

Explanation: Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to ... shower in? The National Weather Service urges the public to avoid hopping in the shower during a lightning storm in the event that a bolt strikes one of your home's water pipes and electrifies your bathroom.
MythBusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage took that weather alert to task and constructed a makeshift house, complete with grounded plumbing. Then, they doused it with simulated lightning in an electricity testing facility to find out whether the voltage really could leap from the sky to the shower.
Since the MythBusters were shy about showering on camera, they hired a stand-in: a ballistics gel dummy that had roughly the same electrical conductivity as the human body. To screen for a fatal lightning strike, the dummy wore a heart monitor. The 700,000 volts of fake lightning indeed arced onto the water pipes and jumped to the shower, causing a fire.


Lightning Safety Tips


Valentine's Day Present Ideas From a Plumber

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Beautiful Feminine Bathroom

It's that time of year when everyone who has a love interest is scrambling, trying to figure out how to say "I Love You" with a present. I for one, am horrible at it. For a change, let's try to shop around for ideas. 

If you have several thousand dollars to spend, remodel your wife's bathroom. Nothing says "I Love You" like a brand new feminine bathroom. Contact your local bathroom remodeler. Go over what you have in mind and budget. Surprise your love one with a one of a kind custom Valentine's Day Bathroom. This way you'll remind your wife that everyday is Valentine's day.

On a more realistic note: you don't have to spend a lot of money to show your love how much you love and care about him or her.

Most people shower everyday. How about a waterfall and massager? This state of the art Shower Panel Rain Style System will run you $277 with free shipping on Amazon. It has really good reviews, with just one very unhappy customer. 

Next on my list that your love would appreciate is, heated toilet seat with night light. Brondell L60-EW LumaWarm Heated Nightlight Elongated Toilet Seat for $119 with free shipping. When you live in Chicago and our weather is inconsistent, you need heated toilet seats. The night light is a perk. I did try to find it cheaper, but it seems nobody wants to let go of their heated toilet seat and night light. 

Some people like relaxing in their tubs or jacuzzi. I personally, just want to sleep in it. For those of you who actually like drinking, reading, or using your phone while laying in the tub, this is the perfect gift. Bamboo Bathtub Caddy Tray for $79.99

A hunter usually doesn't care about decorating their bathroom, they are too busy enjoying the outdoors. If you were to present him or her with this toilet seat decal, they'd know that you finally understand them. This beautiful Elk Bull toilet seat decal for $18.99, shipping is not included. It brings a little enjoyment to a boring setting. The only thing that worries me is, they will want to redecorate the entire bathroom into something like this. Which I love!

Rustic Bathroom

Ladies, if you have a extra bathroom in your home, let your man decorate it to his liking. This way, he will always keep your main bathroom clean and it's his responsibility to clean "his" bathroom. While you are at it, buy him a Motion Activated Toilet Night Light on sale on Amazon for $19.99 with free shipping. 

I'm going to let you in on a secret, most people love a warm towel when they step out of the shower. My wife, use to warm my towel up all the time. She doesn't anymore, since she is too busy running around after our son. For only $105.99 with free shipping, I could get my own personal towel warmer. This is an amazing gift. On the card, you could sign it "Wishing You Warm Thoughts". Yes it's cheesy but at least you will be warm when you step out of the shower. 

I love reading in the bathroom. If you have a partner who loves golf, you need to purchase a Golf Potty Putting Game. It's on sale for $14.97 with free shipping, regularly $29.95. You could practice while taking care of business. 

Lastly, if you really like your wife, just buy her diamonds or give her your wallet. She deserves it. We forget how much our women do for us. Work, take care of the kids, take care of us, the house, cooking, everything else that is needed in our lives and still have time to love us. Make sure to come home with flowers on Valentine's Day. Who cares how you feel about Valentine's Day, just show your partner that you care and love them. 

Gorgeous bouquet of flowers