You’ve done everything possible to make your Man Cave the envy of your buddies, yet you still long for something more. Something that will give your dedicated sports room an extra touch of awesomeness that nobody else has thought of. Perhaps all you need now is an enlarged, hand painted logo of your favorite sports team adorning the wall. You might have heard of other Man Cave owners having to use expensive hi-tech projectors and other equipment to accomplish this, but there is another ages old method of enlarging images that the masters used centuries ago. Even better, the method I’m going to cover in this article doesn’t require any special equipment other than a tape measure and a level.

What you’ll need

The first thing you’ll need to kick-start this project is a copy of the logo you want to enlarge and reproduce. Luckily, finding a good copy of your team’s logo is as easy as searching for your “team’s name” + logo in your favorite search engine’s image search feature. One huge pitfall of getting images from the web is that most web graphics are pixelated and grainy. Try to find an image that is relatively large (measuring about 700 to 800 pixels in either width or height) so it will print out clearly. Additionally, you want to make sure that the image you use does not have a busy background. Gradients, patterns and other distracting background elements might make it more difficult when it comes time to reproduce it on the wall. Thankfully, the internet is full of places where you can find hi-res versions of your team’s logo.

As for your painting supplies, consider using paintbrushes of different sizes; larger ones for covering larger areas of color and smaller ones for details and black outlines. Be sure to pick up some paint that matches the colors in the logo, too.

Lastly, you’ll want to have a measuring tape, a level and a yard stick for constructing a grid on the wall.

Using the Grid Method

The Grid Method has been used by artists for centuries for the purpose of enlarging and transferring images onto other drawing surfaces. Don’t worry if you’re not artistically inclined, though; this method is really simple.

1. First, you’ll need to print your logo out onto a regular sheet of paper. Make sure that there is a little white space all around the edges of the image on your printout.

2. Now, using a ruler in the white space surrounding the image, you want to draw a box around the logo. To make the next steps as easy as possible, you should round the height and width of the box to the nearest inch.

3. Next, create a grid filled with one inch by one inch squares within the box.

4. Now, using your pencil, level, yardstick and measuring tape, draw a larger corresponding grid on the wall where you want the logo to go. Try out different scales on paper before you commit to one. Calculate what the dimensions of your logo would be if you made your grid out of 6 by 6 inch boxes (or 8 by 8 inch boxes) in stead and see if that fits into your allotted space on the wall.

5. Once you have your grid on the wall, grab your pencil and start transferring the logo, box by box, from your small grid to the larger grid. If you’re finding it difficult to get the lines and curves just right in a particular area, simply draw extra lines onto your small grid and on the wall grid to give you more reference points.

6. All that’s left now is to paint over your pencil lines and to fill in the colors of your logo. Be sure to step back and compare your work to the logo on your small grid to make sure things are still lining up and looking great.

Hand painting a huge team logo on your wall like this is an extremely fun and rewarding project to undertake and will make your Man Cave even more personalized than before. The greatest thing about doing this kind of project yourself is that not only will your result will be truly unique, but your pals will be scratching their heads trying to figure out how you did it.

There are different types of wall art that you can use to decorate various parts of your house. There are artworks painted on canvas and some that are printed on paper or fabric. Some are framed while others are not. Depending on your home design some may be more suitable than others.

Metal Art – Metal art can consist of antique pieces or new artworks made of metal. This kind of art can be suitable for various types of homes, from traditional houses to modern minimalist urban condos. Metal art can look like a typical squarish piece of art work on canvas or look more like wrought iron designs. These are a bit heavy and will need more sturdy support to hold them up on a wall. They can have a southern Texan flair or look ultra modern depending on the design.

Wall Decals – Kids will like colorful wall decals made of stickers in their bedroom or playroom. These are practical if your kids are young since you can easily remove the stickers and replace them with other designs. Some wall decals look sophisticated enough for the living room or master’s bedroom. If you rent an apartment, these sticker art are ideal because you won’t have to bore holes on the wall and can easily remove them when it’s time to move out.

Paintings – Paintings are classic art pieces. They can be abstract in form or look traditional. There are many different types of paintings you can choose from to find an ideal subject, size and medium that will go with your home design and furniture style. Some canvas wall art can be framed or hung unframed if mounted on gallery wrapped canvas.

Tapestries – Tapestries are painted or printed on fabric from Africa or Asia. Tapestries add an old world flair to a home. This type of wall decoration is often forgotten as an art form but seems to be benefiting from a comeback. There are reproductions or commercial types of tapestries and original hand painted tapestries made by indigenous people from various countries. They can also be made by modern abstract artists to go with modern home designs.

Mirrors – Mirrors don’t just make a room look much larger but can also be considered artistic if mounted on a decorative frame. The frames can be made of elaborate wooden carvings or modern metals. Some frames are made of wood and made to look like metal like silver, gold or bronze. These kinds of wall art look good in living rooms, dining rooms and at the end of a hallway. Use this type of wall decor if you want to make your rooms look larger.

Art Prints – Art prints are photographs printed on canvas. Large-scales pieces are very attractive and contemporary looking. You can get these ready-made from art stores in any size you want. The photos are taken by professional photographers who take pictures from various locations around the world. The images can show landscapes, seascapes, or portray culture and food. Some photos depict animals and city skylines.

No matter what kind of wall art you choose to hang in your home. Be sure to get one that you enjoy looking at. Before purchasing wall decor, make sure that that the size is ideal for your wall space. Take note of colors around the room and get artwork that contains some of those colors. Avoid hanging artwork with the same color as your wall to make the artwork stand out.

How to Decorate your Space with Wall Pictures

If a room in your house lacks character, by simply placing some fine art prints on the walls can actually make quite an impact. Wall pictures are a necessary accessory in your home and are great to tie in with the room’s style and color accent. Before you go off to buy some new pictures for your walls there are a few things you need to plan and decide upon. Here is a home interior design guide on how to decorate your space with wall art.

Shop for Wall Art by Room

The kind of home you have and the mood, ambience and style of decor you create, should be perfectly designed to suit your lifestyle. Deciding on a style for your room should be determined by the lifestyle you choose and not by what’s the latest home interior design trend.

Whichever room you are wanting to decorate, whether it be your bedroom, living area, kitchen or office space, you need to decide what you want to get out of that space. For example:

• do you want to hold dinner parties or entertain?
• do you want a quiet retreat to get away from the hustle and bustle?
• Is this an area for the kids to play in?
• Is this a room for your hobby?

Once you have decided what you want to use the room for, you can now choose a color theme to suit the function of the room. For example, mellow greens and neutrals for your ‘quiet retreat room’, lively yellow for the kids room, or pale tranquil blue for your office space.

So far we have established the function and color of the room in question, this then gives us the basis on choosing the right art prints for the area.

For example:

• bright colorful cartoon pictures for the kids room
• mellow pastel floral pictures for your quiet retreat area, or
• tranquil landscape and scenic pictures for your office space

Choose your Style

Like paint color, artwork can immediately establish or change a room’s mood. Not only can it pull the room together, but you can use it to create a style uniquely your own.

• traditional & classic
• modern
• contemporary
• fun & entertaining
• casual
• romantic

The style of the room is totally dependent on your own personal taste and this is the time when you can inject your own personality into the room through artwork and textured accessories.

Suggested art picture styles:

Fun & Entertaining: Pictures can include bright colors both in the print and on the frame. Fun and entertaining pictures can include kittens and puppies, or comedian actors such as the Three Stooges or Laurel & Hardy.

Modern: With the strong black accents in the framed iron-work and the tapestries, striking black and white photos are a natural choice for a modern and sophisticated look.

Calm Retreat: To reinforce the mood of a nestled, cozy retreat, use artwork with neutral, earthy colors and a horizontal landscape subject.

You can even mix and match different styles to create a unique style of your own. For example, frame traditional black and white photo prints in a modern black iron frame.

Arranging and Hanging your Pictures

In order to get the maximum effect of your wall pictures in terms of adding character and a focal point to the room, you need to decide where and how you want to hang them.

Here are some suggestions to help you decide how to get the best effects from your pictures:-

Modern Gallery Look: To create a modern art gallery feel, particularly nice in hallways, lobbies and stairwells, give each piece ample breathing room. Stand at the center of the first piece and take one swift, or two small steps along the wall. This is a good center for the next piece.

Above a Sofa: When placing art above furniture such as a sofa, you need to hang the picture about six to nine inches above the sofa, or at eye level.

Cluster Arrangements: Tightly group an even number of pictures together to give a statement or a focal point. This works on either large or small wall spaces, depending on the look you want.

In a row: By placing an odd number of pictures in a horizontal line to each other gives balance and the sense of space. This works well in hallways or stairwells.

By deciding where and how to hang your pictures, whether it be a tight cluster or a single print above a sofa, you can then determine the size and shape of the pictures you need to buy.

When you have decided on the room’s function, color and style, you are in a much better position to go shopping for wall pictures that fit in with the overall theme.

Summary

Wall pictures are an underestimated home interior design accessory. This is probably because most people do not know what to do with their pictures in order to get the maximum effect in a room. Before you go hanging up your pictures make sure you plan ahead what you want to get out of that room. Decide on the function, style and color of the room first before you buy your artwork. By doing this you are in a much better position to buy the right type of art picture to fit in with the theme and color accent of your room.

There are several techniques that you can choose from if you decide to cut through your walls. Wall sawing is the most used method for concrete cutting. The method is mainly used for creating cuts for new doors, windows and other openings.

The advantages of using concrete wall sawing are numerous. The proven experts in this field emphasize the efficiency of the technique in the construction process. The ability to cut heavily-reinforced concrete and the precision in the cutting is considered as the main advantages of wall sawing technique. Also, the noise and dust are reduced too.

Also known as concrete track sawing technique – the wall sawing technique uses track mounted saw for cutting vertical and horizontal cuts. If you need to cut through a wall on any angle, diamond wall sawing is what you are looking for. All diamond sawing equipment has to be operated by a highly trained and experienced operator. To ensure safe working environment, the complete process has to be supervised by an operational engineer.

Make sure the diamond blades are in proper condition before you start the concrete cutting process. Don’t use them if they are damaged or have missing blade segments. It’s important to select the right tool for the material to be cut. We already know that diamond saw blade has to be operated in wet conditions. Don’t use it for dry concrete cutting.

The need for cutting exact openings in the concrete requires using the powerful cutting equipment. Usually, tools used for concrete sawing are powered by electrical or hydraulic power sources. A wall saw is a heavy tool that should be used carefully and safely. When cutting, you should pay attention to the size of the blade. Experienced operators know that they need to move the saw slowly if the blade is larger. The first move should not be deep. Nowadays, the blades come in different types and sizes. Obviously, the size of a diamond blade will depend on the depth and size of the cuts that have to be done. They have a cutting depth of up to 90mm. Diamond saws are used for removing concrete structures in demolition projects.

Searching for a professional concrete contractor has to be considered as a careful process. Wall sawing itself is a delicate job and you will need someone who is highly skilled to complete the job correctly and efficiently. Research the Internet for online reviews or ask your friends for recommendations.

In house construction there are only two design styles available, the Traditional Solid wall and the more modern Cavity wall construction.

The traditional solid wall was popular up until the 1920s where it was superseded by the cavity wall. The cavity wall was in its turn used in unchanged form until the 1970s when it underwent a significant design change when insulation was added to the construction.

In the older traditional method the walls would be constructed in one single solid wall usually 500mm in thickness. This single wall would perform all the necessary duties of supporting the roof and upper floors, preventing water ingress into the living areas and keeping the inside of the property warm.

All too often while the traditional method had no difficulty in performing the first of these three tasks, the job of keeping moisture out and heat in was outside of the solid wall design parameter especially in the cheaper, smaller properties, where the workmanship was and remains very shoddy.

Older properties (with the exception of the larger more expensive properties that were normally very well constructed) often suffer from ground water penetration problems that result in damp walls or rotted timbers in floors or roof spaces and while in the summer the thick walls offered a cool and inviting interior, in the winter months the lack of insulation in the exterior walls resulted in a drafty and very cold living space, which was costly to keep heated.

As a direct result of these problems the cavity wall was born. The advantages of using cavity wall construction are many. Firstly the cavity prevents water from passing across into the interior of the property, which immediately solves the problem of damp walls. Secondly the addition of damp proofing methods ensures that there are no more issues with water ingress from the ground or roof.

The cavity design also offered another benefit in that insulation could be added to the cavity, (although this did not come into effect until the 1970s) helping to retain the heat in the interior living spaces. In today’s energy conscious society there is now an even greater requirement to super insulate our homes.

One point to note is that while cavity construction has secured a lasting place in our home construction there is not and never has been any legislation that enforces this common design.

The use of solid walls has a few benefits that should not be ignored. The first of these is mass. The greater depth of wall offers its own natural insulation and has the natural property of keeping the property cool in warm weather. The wider spread of the wall loading also makes the property stronger and it less likely that the foundations will fail.

The higher cost of construction and the additional design considerations of foundations, dpc and other waterproofing elements are the main reason that this form of construction is no longer used in everyday house construction.

The solid wall construction can also be combined with timber frame construction or as in the case of straw bale building be built completely in straw. The options are endless.

The biggest advantage of a brick/steel stud system is that since it is not supporting or carrying the load of the building, the interior structure of a building can be constructed prior to laying brick veneer work without any delay. This allows the building to be closed in independently of the brick work and placed under roof more quickly. Thus, the time consuming interior work that the other building trades have to perform can go ahead on schedule, instead of having to wait on the brick masonry. This also enables the masons to take advantage of the best weather and temperature to lay up the brick in mortar without worrying about the possibility of freezing. This makes the general contractor, subcontractors, and the owners of the building happy!

Another big advantage of this type of wall is that it is highly resistant to moisture because the cavity between the brick and steel studs can be drained efficiently by the use of properly placed flashing and weep holes in the brick work. The cavity between the two walls can also greatly reduce the heat gain or loss through the overall wall. The air space provides a thermal separations between the brick and the steel studs. Brickwork has a high thermal mass, giving it ability to store and slowly release heat over time. This effect, according to current energy codes, provides a higher r-value for a wall of this type. Rigid board closed-cell type insulation can also be placed inside the cavity area to prevent additional thermal loss.

FOUNDATION FOR A BRICK VENEER/STEEL STUD WALL

Although some building codes permit the support of brick veneer on wood foundations, it is highly recommended that the wall be supported by concrete or masonry foundations. The brick work may extend below finished grade if it is built properly to minimize water penetration. Specially designed metal ties should be used to anchor or tie the brick veneer to the steel studs. Regular corrugated metal ties are not permitted when brick veneer is tied to metal studs. They should be spaced vertically every 16 inches in height and be 32 inches apart horizontally. They should also be well-embedded in the mortar bed joints. It is very important that the back assembly of the tie that holds it be securely attached to the steel stud itself and not just the sheathing, so that they do not pull out! Well filled mortar joints and good workmanship are of particular importance.

If you want to protect the wall behind your dartboard but don’t know how to make a solution yourself, you are on the right page. An easy solution is to go to your nearby office store and buy a corkboard. Typically, they are used by businessmen to pin documents and notes on their walls. However, it can also be used as a backboard.

The cost of these units is 10 to 50 bucks. However, if you want something fancy, expect to pay up to $200 per unit. If you are on a budget, you can choose to make your own dartboard. Let’s find out how you can do it. Also, we will also take a look at the advantages of backboard wall protectors.

Make Your Own Dartboard Backboard

Making your own backboard is a piece of cake. First, you need to collect the right materials. Usually, wooden slats or cork foam sheets are used as the base materials. Get a miter box and saw to cut the sheets or slats. Alternatively, you can use a framed base for placing the sheets or slats into. Aside from this, other materials that you should get include a glue gun, drywall screws, leveler, electric drill, adhesive material, screwdriver, and a measuring tape.

The Benefits of a Dartboard Wall Protector

Now, let’s take a look at some salient benefits of a dart board wall protector. This is not a complete list of the benefits, though.

Wall Protection

The primary benefit of having a backboard is that it protects your wall. As said earlier, sharp-tipped darts may damage your walls. Patching the holes is not a good idea. Eventually, your wall integrity will be compromised.

Therefore, using a dartboard is a great idea if you want to be on the safe side and maintain the value of your property.

Straightening the Dartboard

At times, your wall surface can be a bit uneven or bumpy, which means hanging the dartboard properly won’t be possible. Ideally, your dartboard must be vertically straight with no slants at all. So, if you want to make this happen, having a backboard is a great idea. It can align the board vertically on wall even if the wall is not even.

Protecting the Darts

If your dart tips keep hitting the wall, the tips will wear down with the passage of time. On the other hand, if you install a dartboard, the dart will hit against the wood or cork. So, it’s much better to have steel surface or drywall.

Aesthetically Appealing

If you install a backboard, it can be customized as per your needs. Plus, it will allow you to decorate it and add a lot of interesting designs and pictures to the board for a better visual appeal. If you love playing darts with your friends and family members, it is a great idea.

In short, this was an introduction to how you can make and install a dartboard to protect your wall. Plus, we discussed some main benefits of going for this option. Hope this helps.

There are many shades of life and it can be beautifully depicted by the numerous emoticons connected with every felling. The colors and brightness all around demonstrates the vibrant shades of life. The beautiful canvas of life could be easily painted on the different walls of your surroundings. If we flashback the decorative wall ideas down to the past 10 years, we will find that there were no or less contribution of wall decors during that stage of time. Moving ahead with time and advancement, we are now many steps closer of filling the walls with different decorative ideas.

Wall décor is one of the coolest decorative ideas that are ruling the world of interior designing and people are becoming curious to add them in their homes also. Wall décor is a broad umbrella term and it involves the fixation of innovative, colorful pictures or wallpaper on the smooth surface of the walls.

These decorative ideas of wall are becoming the style statement that can give an ultra- modern look to your boring painted walls. Apart from adding decorative stickers to your wall, you can also change the outlook of walls by hanging beautiful antique or modern classy pieces on them. There are many offline as well as online shopping areas from where you can always order a huge variety with wider options, depending upon your need and requirements.

There are many advantages of wall décor. A few of them are summarized as:

1. Adds positivity: The wall décor brings positivity in the ambience. Places that have good wall décor are blessed with bouts of positivity.

2. Add visual treat: The visual outlook of the place is also magnified with the introduction of wall décor. Depending upon the mood and specific interest, one can easily select the appropriate well décor for their place.

3. Gives a premium look: Addition of art work on your wall will give you a fine decorative worth to your place. You can have a premium look of your place with the presence f various wall décor.

4. Makes you unique from others: Wall décor can add spice to your boring walls. You can keep your place outlook different and unique from others with the help of combination of different wall decors.

Types of Wall Décor used commonly:

1. Wall paintings: You can add a different look to your home by making it look more beautiful and unique with the adding of various types of paintings to your wall. You can pick any of the paintings that compliment your wall color or theme.

2. Wall clock: The wall clock is one of the safest ways to add decorative outlook to your place. It always works. You can go for either antique models or contemporary styles, in accordance to your need and preference.

3. Wall Shelves: Wall shelves are the decorative storage places for walls that can help you to add a great outlook to your place. You can utilize these wall shelves for keeping your belongings in a smarter and organized way.

4. Picture frames: Memories captured could be very easily portrayed through pictures. With the help of picture frames, you can easily give your wall décor a perfect look.

SO, if you are planning to renovate and re theme your house walls, get connected to professionals to make it look more vivid and beautiful!

When you are working in expansive soil such as clay and other soils that expand with moisture content, you need to take special precautions to keep from having structural damage to the foundation and basement walls. One of these precautions is floating walls. A floating wall is not attached at top and bottom like most walls. Floating a wall is able to move with the house and keeps you from having cracks open up in your floor, foundation and walls as the moisture content in the soil changes.

Floating basement walls are usually attached to the floor joists for the first floor and then spiked to the floor allowing a space below the wall. This space is covered by the baseboards and isn’t seen.

A reverse floating wall is attached to the floor. You place the floor on the base plate on the floor and you spike it at the top so that the wall is stable but only attached at the bottom. This is done on wet walls to keep the plumbing stable. The open space is at the top of the walls and is covered by moulding. You can cover the whole wall with sheetrock but you need to take care to leave the top open for movement. This means you cannot attach drywall to the wall all of the way to the top or it will crack as the wall moves with moisture changes in the soil.

For reverse floating walls follow the basic instructions for floating a wall but instead of hanging the wall from the floor joist, you will attach the floor to the base plate and spike to the top plate. Make sure your wall is plumb. If you do not have the wall exactly square it will cause problems. A space of 4 ½ inches is needed at the top of the wall. The wall needs to be spiked in the same way as a normal floating wall too, just at the top instead of the bottom. See instructions for floating wall for more information.

To cover the open area at the top of the wall you can use moulding. Many people do not like the look of moulding around their ceiling. If you want alternatives you can look into having a drop ceiling that can move with the walls and floor. You would need to attach the framing for the ceiling to the frames for the walls. When the house breathes your whole room will move and you will not notice it.

Many new commercial construction projects are designed with large, glass curtain walls that are attached to the outside structure of buildings. These glass walls allow filtered natural light to enter the building interior as well as create a beautiful outside appearance. Another benefit of these wall systems is to increase fire spread between floors and to keep out air and water. Typically, a curtain wall spans more than one story and is composed of metal framing with infill units of glass. Unfortunately, these glass walls are often damaged during construction activity at considerable cost.

Curtain walls can be damaged during shipment to the job site, during installation and after installation while the remaining construction work takes place. There are several methods that manufacturers’ can use to protect the aluminum windows and mullions from damage for shipment. Protecta-foam strips can quickly be adhered to the metal surface and act as a protective barrier between stacked wall units. Reinforced cardboard edge protectors from 2.5 to 4.0 inches can be taped to all edges of the units for shipment. Lastly, rolled cardboard can be used in some cases if the weight of the units is not enough to crush the cardboard. Wall glass can be protected from scratches during shipment by using adhesive window film.

Once curtain walls have been delivered to the job site, unpacked and properly installed, they are at the highest risk of damage. Various construction trades will work both outside and inside the construction project for months or years. Not only can the aluminum be dented or scratched, the glass is at high risk for scratching and breakage as well. Some glass may be very expensive if it provides seismic- or hurricane-impact resistance or ballistic proof glass specified on courthouse projects. Protecting both the glass and metal once the curtain wall has been installed is a smart move by any contractor.

Most damage to curtain walls occurs at the lowest 5 feet of the walls on each floor of the building. This is where the workers and equipment will be in the closest contact to the walls. The best protection provides a “wall” in front of the glass wall itself. This protection wall can be constructed of wood or plastic. While wood is the strongest wall protection available, it is also expensive and time-consuming to erect. Corrugated plastic sheets in 4 ft by 8 ft sections can be taped together in front of the curtain wall providing a light weight and easily constructed wall. Unlike wood, plastic can be cleaned to remove dust and dirt as needed. Since there is no electricity for lights during early construction, protection walls constructed of white or clear plastic allow natural light to enter the building.

As the demand for curtain walls continues to increase, the need to protect these walls during construction will prove a challenge. Forward-thinking architects and building owners are taking the next step with wall systems by moving from energy conservation to energy generation. These newer walls with photovoltaic modules will be even more expensive and harder to repair or replace. With proper foresight and the use of temporary curtain wall protection, the smart contractor will not have to worry about damage to his or her curtain wall systems getting damaged.