Picture the scenario – you have bought your new home, however, the bathroom needs a complete refurbishment. One of the first questions you are likely to think about is what type of bathroom sink, or basin, you would like for your bathroom. In this article we will learn more about the wall hung basin, or wall mounted basin, and consider some of the advantages and disadvantages of choosing a wall hung basin for your bathroom.

Firstly, what is a wall hung basin? It is fairly simply a bathroom sink which essentially hangs or is suspended, in the wall. It is important to realise that it is not supported by a pedestal unit, or fitted over a bathroom unit. So what are some of the advantages of choosing this type of bathroom sink?

One of the biggest drawing points to wall mounted basins is the flexibility in the height of the actual basin. This is especially beneficial in houses with children – as they will hopefully be able to easily access the sink and wash their hands. This is also extremely helpful if you have any disabled or wheelchair users within the house, as they will also benefit from the lowered height of the mounted basin.

The very design of a wall mounted basin is also a significant advantage. As it does not use any type of stand, the basin will take up less space, especially on the floor. This allows these types of basin to be installed in almost any sized bathroom or cloakroom, and will more than likely fit comfortably. The disadvantage of a pedestal basin is that it can sometimes be more clunky and take up some of that crucial space which is needed.

Wall mounted basins are also easier to clean. Again the aesthetics of the design mean that the only real cleaning point is the actual basin. As there is no stand or any other clunky parts to the basin, the process of cleaning a wall hung basin should be relatively quick and simple.

If you are designing, or even redesigning, your bathroom – especially if you are seeking a more minimalistic look, then this type of bathroom sink may be the ideal choice for you. You should, however, be aware that there are also some potential disadvantages to choosing a wall mounted basin.

We mentioned above about the minimalistic look that a mounted basin can provide. However, this is both positive and a negative. The very design of the basin means that there is a lack of storage space associated with the sink. A lot of bathroom sinks will usually come with some type of cupboard space below the sink, where people usually keep other bathroom accessories such as toilet roll, soap or anything else. With the mounted sink, it can mean that you have to find a different place to store your bathroom accessories.

There is also the added financial cost of the installation of a wall mounted sink. As the plumbing cannot be hidden within a bathroom unit, it will need be to properly fitted by a plumber. Although the costs of plumbers can be reasonable, it will still increase your overall costs.

It is clear that wall mounted bathroom sinks do provide a large number of advantages. In the right type of bathroom, this can be a perfect choice and really enhance the look and feel of the bathroom. Whatever decision you make – always consider all of your options and the individual characteristics of your bathroom – and choose the right option for yourself.

Let’s begin with the definition of a retaining wall. A retaining wall can loosely be defined as any outdoor wall that is used to hold the ground in place. One retaining wall may consist of a horizontal layer of brick, stone, or wood used to level earth on a slope to plant veggies or flowers. Another retaining wall might need to retain tons of soil to prevent erosion. When choosing the services of a professional retaining wall builder, there’s a lot you need to know.

Planning Your Retaining Wall

How high does your wall need to be? What would be the best materials to use? Is the wall chiefly decorative or does it have a specific purpose? You won’t know the answers to these questions until you go outside and take a closer look.

It goes without saying that you have selected a place for the wall. Knowing the shape and approximate length of the retaining wall will tell your installer several important things; it will help him with suggestions of the right materials. A professional installer can help by creating a visual image using a stick, a string line or stakes.

The height of your wall for your property is a very important consideration. Enormous forces (i.e., tons of soil) work against retaining walls. Your wall will need to be able to withstand these forces and have proper drainage to ensure the added weight of water does not cause the wall to collapse.

Once your contractor understands your goals about the look, and the height and length of the proposed wall, he’ll know how much material will be needed.

A reputable contractor will have no problem getting the following information to you. If the contractor cannot provide these items, you may need to keep looking.

• Business License
• Bond (if required by city)
• Insurance-a certificate of insurance will be sent directly from the contractor’s agent (general liability, workers comp, etc.)
• Permit for Project (if needed-depending on code for your city/county)
• Engineer Design (if needed-depending on code for your city/county-normally when a wall is over four feet in height)
• Location of Utility Services (to ensure the safety of underground utilities-occurs several days before the project begins)

Choosing Retaining Wall Materials

Some of the most popular retaining wall materials include:

Concrete: Always stylish, ask your contractor about concrete block wall systems. Concrete with stone veneer may be another choice to consider.

Concrete with stone veneer: These have the same pros and cons of concrete. They take a bit longer to build; the concrete must be poured and allowed to set prior to the construction of the stone veneer. When completed, your wall will look as if it is through-and-through stone.

Pre-cast stackable block: Stackable concrete block gives the same elegance as pavers with an even look and symmetry of the equal sized and finished blocks. These walls are relatively easy to build and are excellent when curves are required.

Brick: Brick is a good choice, but for best results, hire an experienced bricklayer who has experience building retaining walls.

Stone: Stone can come in many types, colors and can be natural or cut. They offer the same advantages of brick and must be designed correctly to include proper drainage to avoid cracking.

Boulders: A wonderful addition to a mid-century or colonial yardscape. Multi-ton boulders will require the hiring of heavy equipment.

Natural stone: Stone can come in many types, colors and can be natural or cut. It fits beautifully with the architecture of Bergen County homes.

Timber: Railway ties, treated pine and some hardwoods are suitable for retaining walls. In the right setting a wooden wall can stunning. However, wood may not be your best long-term solution, though, since all timber is subject to decay over time. If you choose timber, make sure the wood is treated to resist rotting.

Construction methods will vary depending on the materials you choose. If you choose timber, for example, your contractor may suggest posts be embedded to resist lateral pressure. Choosing brick? You’ll probably need concrete reinforcement and a well-placed drainage system. Don’t take any chances. Your professional retaining wall installer will recommend the best course of action.

As with any construction project, do your homework and get quotes for your wall. Ask friends and neighbors for referrals and reviews. Select a contractor, knowing you’ve covered everything you need to know. Once you have educated yourself on how retaining wall are constructed and you understand what to look for in a contractor you are ready to increase the value and beauty of your home with a retaining wall built by a trusted professional.

Most martial arts and self defense students are taught how to defend against things like punches, grabs, kicks, and even weapon attacks. But, what about attacks, like a wall pin – where he has you shoved up and pinned against a wall, car, or other obstacle – where your attacker is using your surroundings as an aid for his assault?

While this article cannot teach you everything you need to know to escape from the exact attack you might find yourself in, it does offer some very powerful strategies and tactics that you can use to turn the tables on him during one of these very dangerous attack-types. So, if this is something that you think is important to add to your toolbox of techniques, then read on.

If not, then this article is definitely not for you.

I’ll assume that, if you’re still reading, you want to learn how to deal with this very common type of attack.

And, before I go into describing some of the strategies and tactics that I want to give you for surviving a wall-pin attack, I want to talk about something else that you must never forget. Okay?

That thing is this. You can never forget that a self defense situation is never like class training? What that means is that, many of the “invisible aspects” of your class – things like:

1) Speed

2) Timing

3) Intensity

4) Your partner’s intention to really damage you, and even…

5) The large, open space of the training area

Will usually be EXACTLY OPPOSITE from what you are used to!

You must be very mindful of these realities which exist in the world of self defense, but typically are not an issue in the realm of sport karate and mixed martial arts. Make sure that, if you are serious about really learning to defend yourself, that your training reflects these realities.

What does this have to do with the topic of this article?

Good question.

And the answer is… EVERYTHING!

Your attacker is not an idiot. He will do everything he can to make sure that he has the greatest advantage in the situation. He is there to win, not to see which of you is the better fighter!

And, that’s where the wall pin comes in.

This is where your attacker grabs or shoves you in some way, and shoves you face-first or backwards, against a wall, and then proceeds to lay his body weight into you to make sure that you can’t go anywhere.

In this moment, you must think outside the box if you’re going to escape effectively and turn things around.

That being said, here are a few strategies and tactics that can be used to get out of this dangerous type of situation:

1) Use the wall itself for leverage. Apply leverage against the stability of the wall to increase your own strength and shove your assailant back. This could provide you with a complete escape on one extreme, to just enough space on the other, to be able to get a punch or kick in against him.

2) Move laterally ALONG the wall. Remember that he is pushing you “into” the wall. If you can remember that he doesn’t have you caged on all sides, you can use the openings to your left and right as escape avenues. Then, once free, you can apply your conventional punching, kicking, or grappling skills.

3) Use deception. When you hit the wall, using your best breakfall and receiving skills to minimize damage, act as though the impact was much worse than it really is. Relax as though you have been dazed or knocked unconscious. Then, when he adjusts to your apparent condition, and the fact that he now has to hold up your dead weight, explode into action and take the fight to him!

Remember that effective self defense takes into account that you WILL be the underdog – that your attacker will have the upper hand – and that, it WON’T be “fair.” So, you must get over the sick sense of “fair-play” and flat-out wrong information that is being passed around as self defense by poor instructors with absolutely no real-world experience!

Before I got into the vinyl graphics business, I wasn’t quite sure how die-cut decals were applied. How did they get the phone number so straight on a truck? Or how was that intricate logo die-cut logo applied to a wall allowing the wall color to show through?

Now, having been in the business for over 16 years and understanding the process, I forget that our consumers don’t always comprehend how their custom wall decals are made. I thought I’d try to explain both how, and why, they are so easy to apply.

So, let’s take the Nike logo. It’s mostly letters and a swish, right? Well what if I wanted the wall color to show through where the letters were absent?

Some may think that we would print the decal on clear vinyl. That would make sense right? The color of the wall would show through and it would be easy to apply.

But in all honesty, do you think that would look professional? In some lighting, you know you would be able to see where the clear tape ends and that would look, well… tacky.

So then the only option would be to die cut each letter right?

That wouldn’t be too difficult for our logo, especially if the wall decal were to be very large – for a lobby or conference room.

But what if the lettering were smaller? Or what if we wanted to include the smaller text “Adhere to your style” in the decal? That text is script and much smaller and thinner than the letters in our logo.

That’s where a three layer mask comes in. Here’s how it works.

Production

So the vinyl is either printed and cut, or die cut from a solid color vinyl sheet. It comes off the machine still held together by the backing because the blades are set to only cut the vinyl and not through the paper backing.

Then it’s time to “weed” the vinyl. Weeding is when someone takes a tweezer or a pointed pick tool and pulls off each piece that is not needed. So in our logo example, we would need to weed everything around the logo, including the inside of the “e.”

Then, the only part left on the paper backing would be the logo.

So how do we get that logo from the backing paper to our wall? Here’s where the third layer comes in.

Next, we take clear transfer tape and apply it over the entire decal. (It’s important to know what the decal will be applied to so that the correctly transfer tape is used.)

In our case, we now ship the custom wall decal out to our customer.

Application

And all our customer needs to do to apply the decal to their wall, is simply peel off the paper backing.

Once the backing paper is removed, the adhesive side of the decal is exposed. The logo or decal is held together by the clear transfer tape and can easily be applied in as if it were one decal.

Once the decal has been squeegeed onto the wall, the customer simply grabs one corner of the transfer tape, and slowly pulls it at a 90 degree angle. Like magic, the decal stays on the wall and the clear transfer paper becomes trash.

And there you have it – a three layer mask.

The major dilemma for every owner is to choose an ideal wall decor. Decoration of house is not an easy task it involves creative ideas. With growth and development in the field of house decoration, things have changed a lot and now everyone is avoiding murals. The uneven texture of paints and wallpapers are dying with the use of home wall decor. As an owner you should leave everything to interior designers. You should enhance your capabilities and should come up with your own wall decorating ideas. Read journals or magazines or search over the net and work in tandem with the decorator. Here are some questions which will help you to get a well decorated house.

How to choose a wall art and decor?

This is one of the tedious questions but one should go for the best. A wall art and decor must be best in terms of uniqueness, style, and cost. Then go for the type which you have planned. Decorating ideas is very crucial in terms of selecting a wall art and decor. Therefore make sure you are investing on the best.

Work in tandem with the designer

One should take his responsibility and should work in tandem with the designer. One should make sure that paints and murals should be avoided. And outdoor art and home wall decor must be used to give a classy appeal to the house. Work in tandem doesn’t mean you need to interfere in decorator’s work. You don’t have to do that but you need to see that your decorating ideas are executed or not.

Make the most of the latest trend

Latest trend seizes the usage of sloppy wallpapers which always requires hard work and still has the alignment and texture problem. Now, with the surfacing of new wall decor such as removable decor so one should opt for the latest rather than sticking to the old one after paying the same price for the entire wall art and decor of the house.

Iron wall candle holders have been around for thousands of years. They date back to medieval times where these wall candle holders were used for lighting the hallways of castles. Today these charming pieces of decorative art are used to add a feeling of warmth and tranquility to the room whose walls adorn them.

In order to install these types of candles, you must first know the circumstances of the room in which these will hang. Since this form of indoor wall lighting will use candles for lighting, you must examine the room to make sure that these wall candles will not be placed on the walls near anything that could possibly catch fire while the candles are burning, such as surrounding art, curtains, coat racks and anything else that could catch fire.

Keep in mind that candles melt and melted wax can get on your walls and floors. To avoid this you may want to have some sort of glass cover around your candle. Glass covers are available in clear frosted or colors of your choice.

Another good idea is to determine how high on the walls you wish to place these holders. If children are a part of your household, you may want to place these holders above the reach of children.

After you know whether you want or don’t want a glass covering your candle and exactly how high you want your holders on your walls, the next thing is to measure each wall for placement. Depending on how many you wish to place on each wall, with a tape measure, measure how high on the wall you want to place them. I suggest that you measure from the floor up the wall and mark the wall at the proper height using a pencil. Go about 12 inches over from your first wall mark and repeat this procedure. Now you have 2 pencil marks on the wall at the same height about 12 inches apart.

Next, measure the width of the wall at the same height you placed the 2 previous height pencil marks and write the width measurement on a piece of paper. Depending on how many of these holders you wish to hang, divide the width of the wall by the number of wall candles you wish to hang. Once you know how far apart each holder will be, then using a tape measure, mark the wall with a pencil dot on each place the holder will hang.

If you are placing iron wall candle holders along the sides of wall art or a wall mirror, then what you need to do is measure how far from the left and right side of the artwork you wish to place each holder. With your measuring tape go to the left and right side of the wall art (or wall mirror) and measure from the edge of the art outward on both sides. Make sure your outward measurements on both sides are identical. Repeat this step over again on both sides, only this time go about 8 inches either above or below your first marks on both sides of your wall art (or wall mirror).

Now using the 2 pencil dots you have on both sides of your wall art, line your tape measure from the floor up the wall using the 2 pencil dots as a guide for a straight line and mark a pencil dot on the wall exactly how high you wish to hang your candle holder. Repeat this procedure on the other side of the wall art and you will have identical spacing for your holders on both sides of the wall art (or wall mirror).

Iron wall candle holders are not light in weight. In order to hang these holders securely you must use what is known as a wall anchor. Remember, never try to hang an iron wall candle holder with a screw directly into drywall or plastered walls. It just won’t hold the weight.

Wall anchors are small devices that are placed into the wall at the exact same place a screw would go to hold up these types of wall candles. By using a wall anchor you will be able to hold heavy objects such as heavy metal sconces securely to the wall without having to worry about the fixture becoming loose from the wall and eventually falling off the wall.

Wall anchors come in different styles and sizes to accommodate different size screws that will screw into it after the anchor has been placed into the wall. My favorite wall anchor for hanging wall mounted candle holders looks like a short stubby plastic screw with a screw hole in the center.

This anchor is easy to install. All you have to do is drill a small hole (about half the diameter of the anchor) where you want to place the screw to hold your candle on the wall. After you have drilled the small hole, all you have to do is screw in the anchor into the small hole you just drilled until it is flush to the wall. Repeat this procedure for all the screws needed to mount your iron wall candle holder. When you have inserted all the anchors needed to mount your wall sconce to the wall, then you simply hold the wall sconce in position over the anchors and proceed to screw your holder up to the wall. It is as simple as that and rest assured that your candle sconce is on the wall securely.

Iron wall candle holders are works of art that come in many different shapes and sizes. They add comfort to the overall feeling of any room in which they are placed on the wall. With a small amount of effort you can add these to several rooms of your home and enjoy a simple but pleasing touch of art passed on down through the centuries.

This page will explain to you all kinds of steel side wall repairs, here are just a few: side wall rusted around the skimmer or return jet, rusted to the point of rupture, and actual rupture of wall.

OK, let’s get started, we’ll start with the most common of all side wall problems and that will be rusted around the skimmer and return jet. First thing to do is drain the pool to about six inches below the skimmer or return jet, while the pool is being drained, take off the top rails above and on both sides of the skimmer, you might have to take two sections off on either side of the skimmer or return jet. Once that is done, take off the coping (plastic piece holding the liner in place). By this time the pool should be drained enough to take the skimmer or return jet off the side wall. (All references to the skimmer, return jet and holes in the side wall, will be referred to as skimmer)

Now, that’s all done, gently pull the liner up and over the side wall and expose the rusted or damaged skimmer hole. Next you determine how much you have to cut out to get rid of the rust, example, let’s say you determine that you are going to need to cut a hole 12 X 12 inches then you will need a piece of galvanized metal 24 X 24 inches to cover the 12 X 12 hole. The galvanized metal should be at least the same thickness or the next size up. If your not sure take a piece of the wall you cut out, for sizing.

OK! You got the galvanized metal and your ready to put it in place so all you have to do is cut the hole for the skimmer, you can use the skimmer as a template to cut the hole. Your next step is to position the replacement piece so that your skimmer hole is level, the easiest way to do this is measure from the top of the side wall to the replacement on both sides the measurement should be the same. Then use some duct tape to hold it in place. A little trick to keep all those metal filings from going between the wall and liner is to put an earth magnet on the drill bit while drilling and use a medium speed on your drill and the magnet will not fall off. Once in place you can get your drill and rivets ready, the size of rivets you should use is anything from 3/16 to 1/4 inch, get a big box because you will be spacing them 1 inch apart.

Let’s get on with the drilling layout, with a tape measure make a line 1 inch in from all edges and a second line 3 inches in, now on the one inch line put a hole in each of the corners, next from each corner hole you measure 1 inch both horizontally and vertically. Now from here we measure three inches from each corner hole and drill another hole, but before we drill anymore holes we want to put in a couple rivets to hold the replacement in place solidly. As you noticed the holes are two inches apart continue from each corner until you reach the center.

Now for the three inch line we put a hole in the corner and one hole in each direction two inches from the corner hole if you have done it right it should be in between two rivets on the one inch line so that all the rivets are staggered. Once you have all the rivets in place you can drill the holes for the skimmer. The final step is to duct tape all the metal edges so their is nothing sharp to pierce the liner when put back in place. Now all that is left to do, is to put everything back together the way it came apart.

This concludes the instruction for repairing the rust around the pool skimmer and the return jet and any hole in the side wall, for instruction on how to replace a whole section please read on.

Heaven forbid, you actually have had a blow out, if your liner got ruined then it is an easy task to take it out and repair the section before putting in a new liner, if you were lucky and your liner just got stretched a bit then things get a bit trickier. If you were really lucky you probably noticed a soft spot in the wall and checked it out and realized it was going to need repair soon. If any of these scenarios fits your problem then the remedy is at hand. Read on.

First, you will have to take about half the pools top rails off. Of course if you are replacing the liner than they all have to come off. Next remove the coping and lift the liner over the side wall. Now depending on the size of the hole, you will need an extra two feet of galvanized metal the same size in height as the existing metal. Cut out the rusted piece and put in your new piece. Now from the end of the new sheet of metal measure in three inches and score a line from top to bottom on both ends, and a similar line nine inches in from the ends.

Also, make sure your lines don’t line up with one of your upright supports, if they do slide your panel one way or the other so that they don’t line up, OK, starting from the top measure down one inch on the three inch line and two inches down on the nine inch line and mark a drill hole, and you continue on both lines two inches apart till you reach the bottom. Drill three or four holes, then put in some rivets from the inside out, you want the flat part on the inside of the pool, and then continue drilling. When you have finished with the rivets put some duct tape on them and on the edge of the metal and put your Pool back together again. I hope these instructions helped you get more years of pleasure out of your pool.

If you have any questions please submit them at Above Ground Pools and Decks

We just purchased another home and our objective was to duplicate the wall looks that are found at the popular Italian restaurant Olive Garden. We had searched the internet and checked with out local builder’s supplies all to no avail in an effort to locate pre-made wall panels similar to those in the restaurant. Finally, we decided it was time to make the walls ourselves.

After considerable research we found that we could duplicate the look by using a form of faux painting. We now believe that we have found out the secret to mimicking these beautiful walls although the procedure is relatively simple. The steps we use are as follows:

• Prime the wall or surface with a good quality primer
• Trowel on the joint compound in order to achieve the desired texture
• Prime the wall again to protect the texture you have just created
• Paint the wall twice with whatever base coat you have decided upon
• Apply either “Aqua Bond” or “Aqua Cream” glazes tinted with “Aqua Color” and applied with a ¾ inch nap roller to cover the rough surfaces of your new wall texture. A good choice would be Earth Brown tinted with Brown Aqua Color in the ratio of 3 to 1
• Immediately wipe off the glaze. The glaze will adhere to all the various cracks and crevices.

When applying and removing the glaze it certainly helps to have some additional hands assisting you as this glaze will tend to dry quite rapidly. Make sure to use a good quality glaze as the cheaper versions simply do not give the desired results that you may want.

I prefer the “Aqua Cream” glaze. It is an excellent choice in duplicating the Olive Garden look. The glaze goes on very easily and can be rub out at the edges without problems while coming back into the wall area leaving virtually no added lines. It is a very durable glaze that actually would need no additional top coats. You should remember that if your basecoat is not totally acrylic the glaze will soak into the walls rather quickly.

An interesting note concerning the Oliver Garden walls is that only the top third of the walls are actually glazed. It starts out with the glaze being the darkest at the top and gradually fading to no glaze at the lower portions of the wall. With the walls being heavily textured it creates the illusion of added depth resulting from the shadows. This is a deliberate attempt at making the wall’s maintenance simpler, as it becomes much easier to touch up when necessary.

It isn’t difficult to duplicate this effect which presents such an attractive eye appeal at Olive Garden if you follow these simple instructions and use the best quality products available. That is the secret to success.

Copyright @2010 Joseph Parish

www.survival-training.info

By Joseph Parish

When you move furnishings into an empty room and place them where they look and function well, if you fail to furnish the walls you will find your room does not look complete or finish. Wall decor or hanging decorative art is important in making a room look and feel complete.

Furnishing your walls, with wall decor and wall art, is as important as furnishing your room with the basics and essentials that allows and creates the rooms function and design.

When your walls are not addressed with interest, focal point or good placement of wall decor, you will find that your room looks plain and boring. In order to make a room comfortable and pleasing, or for that matter an outdoor living space, wall decor and wall art is essential.

Wall furnishings or wall decor comes in many forms, including wall sculptures, paintings, drawings, metal wall art, wrought iron art, wall color or other items that bring in points of interest and focal points that are important and present an eye pleasing and finished room.

One of the sculptures or wall decorations that are very popular today is metal wall hanging art.

There are several types of metal products on the market being used in decorative wall art. Some are very inexpensive and reflect it because they will be very thin, lightweight and cheap looking. Quality is important when displaying art on your wall. Keep in mind that when someone walks into the room the eye will be drawn to whatever is on the wall. If what is displayed on your wall is cheap looking it is probably a cheap product.

Wrought Iron has been around for centuries and has proven to be a beautiful way to express the love for art. It will always draw interest to the eye, because it is not flat but rather dimensional. Wrought iron is a great product for art display because it can be finished in many desirable and available finishes. From its natural finish of iron to other exceptional finishes, such as, Bronze, Copper, Nickel and painted finishes like black or even bold colors, like red, you can achieve great results with one iron sculpture. Iron is durable and can be refinished, if you should desire to do so. Wrought Iron Wall Art comes in many forms and sizes. Wrought Iron Wall Hangings are creative and actually very affordable compared to other forms of wall art. Iron is a particular good choice for outdoor display, as yard or garden features, as well as interior display. When the iron has a good finish applied to it you will find that it last beautifully in the outdoor elements from season to season.

When shopping for metal wall hangings a large piece is desirable to make a good impact visually. Heavy Duty Wrought Iron Wall Art will be weighty and have an impressive statement. Wrought Iron can be manipulated into many forms and structures, and shapes and sizes, which creates inspiring appreciation. If you have a particular vision of what you want you can even have it custom made into the form and finish you desire.

Wrought Iron will always be appreciated for its art form and also for the function it has provided down through history.

If you are ready to find that beautiful piece of unique wrought iron sculpture or wall hanging art for your particular project, you will be able to locate several website that offer some great products and even custom work.

The lack of effective communication between men and women in relationships is a leading cause of breakups and divorces. If you’ve ever tried to talk to your man about an important issue in your relationship or tried to express your feelings, you know just how difficult it can be to get through to him.

Usually it ends in an argument and problems never get solved. Eventually, without effective communication, seemingly small problems turn into big problems that can kill the relationship.

The problem is men only know how to communicate as men and women only know how to communicate as women. And the two are very different. This article offers 3 tips for more effective communication with your man. Use these tips to your advantage and you can enjoy happier, more fulfilling relationships while making any man feel like you truly understand him.

3 Tips For More Effective Communication With Men

• Finding The Right Time To Talk

First, it’s important to find the right time to talk to your man. Try to catch him at a time when he’s not busy or focused on other things. Most men can’t multi-task like women can. They have to put their attention on one thing at a time. If you try to interrupt him during his favorite tv show or when he’s watching sports with his buddies, he’ll immediately tune you out and won’t be open to hearing what you have to say.

Also, never start your conversation by telling your man, “We need to talk.” This phrase instantly strikes fear into men and will immediately put your man on the defensive, making him feel like he’s done something wrong.

• Use “We” And “I” Instead Of “You”

When you want to explain your feelings to your man, use the words “we” and “I” instead of “you”. The word “you” will make him defensive because it insinuates blame. For example:

Don’t say: “You’re never home and you never spend time with me and the kids.”

Do say: “The kids and I miss you when you’re not here. We love spending time with you. We were hoping we could all do something fun this weekend.”

• Don’t Generalize With Definitive Words

Try not to use the words “never” and “always”. These are very definitive words and are too generalized to be effective when trying to communicate with your man. They discount the things he does for you and will make him feel like he can’t do anything right…ever.

These types of words will make him put up an emotional barrier that can be extremely difficult to break down. If you’re upset about a particular incident, then be specific so your man knows exactly what you’re talking about. For example:

Don’t say: “You never help me around the house!”

This type of statement nullifies every time he’s taken out the garbage, changed the oil in your car, fixed something that was broken, etc. Instead…

Do say: “I could really use some more help around the house. It makes me feel so amazing when you help me like you did yesterday when you took out the garbage and emptied the dishwasher.”