Power Saw Bargains

The free spirited personality of the modern-day loft juxtaposed with antiques and bare brick; highlighted with large windows and tall ceilings, has made this one of the most popular lifestyle trends in the twenty something bunch across America.

Once chosen by artists and other inspired people, loft living has taken on a existence of its own, and is considered to be a pretty prestigious way to live. Many lofts are situated within a rehabilitated warehouse or old renovated factory. However, in some cities, new condo or apartment blocks are going up that are committed to loft spaces or which have the penthouse floor units as desirable lofts. New condo buyers and renters alike covet each of these.

What a first time loft resident doesn’t understand are the various challenges that come with decorating and furnishing a widespread, open loft home. It can be quite a test to turn out areas without crowding or boxing in the inherent flow of space. You want all areas to be visible to the high ceilings and gigantic windows to benefit from the natural light.

Some guidelines for emphasizing your high ceiling space…

1.    Use hefty, jumbo ceiling fans made from rich woods and silky metals, to guide the eye up and circulate the air. At once it is functional and marvelous.

2.    Leave all the substantial custom wood beams, acanthus leaf corbels, stairway newels and pipes exposed. If you are going to obscure the most interesting parts of your loft space, you might as well shuffle on over to a condo.

3.    Think LARGE when you are picking lighting for your ceiling in the primary living space. You fancy the lighting to be effective and exciting. Large drum shades and massive chandeliers can be exceptional choices.

Many lofts have a staircase that rises to the master bedroom area that is not a bedroom – but simply an fashionable sleeping space that has unobstructed views to the living space below. This design concept can also impart challenges but offers the ideal chance to accentuate the high ceilings. For your wood railings, choose either natural solid wood that is stained to play off the relaxing exposed brick, or use custom wrought iron which is in keeping with the heritage of the building. For the balusters, definitely consider custom made wrought iron that come in straight or curved, decorative or simple, extra-large or sleek balustrades.

If you are lucky enough to own a loft, you already know that you have somewhere very distinctive to live. Now be brave in your decor choices and make it the most impressive space it can be. You picked an contemporary home style – why settle for ordinary in interior design?

Whether you have a newly built home and you want to construct a raised deck in the yard or you have a old-fashioned property and would like to repair the main stairway, it is important to understand the many different sections of a stairway. As they say, knowledge is power and if you are experienced with your stair parts, then you understand what to shop for, and it is much easier to order the parts you want at the price you want to pay for it.
Stair Parts
Tread – the horizontal part of the stair that you step onto.
Riser – the back vertical section or “kicker” linking each step.
Tread Nosing - an edge part of the stair tread that extends beyond on top of the staircase riser beneath. If it is present, this means that horizontally, the total “run” length of the stairs is not simply the sum of the tread lengths, the treads actually overlap each other slightly
Bullnose – the first step is called the starting step or bullnose. The first step in a large hallway, for example, would be wider than the others and presents an attachment area for the banister and stair newel post.
Winders – smaller steps, often angular that are used to modify path such as in a circular or spiral stairway.
Stringer, Stringer board or sometimes just String – a structural component that carries the load of the stairway risers and treads
Trim – painted wood baseboard, quarter round or crown floor trip that puts the finial touches on the stairs, and is often done in a way that goes together with the stairways with the rest of the house.
Balustrade Parts
The balustrade is the complete structure of stairway railings that includes balusters and railing.
Railing – Also identified as the banister or handrail. It is the top segment of the system that is designed for hand holding and safety. There are several types of fittings for the railings including easings, goosenecks, turnouts and volutes.
Baluster – the vertical posts that prop up the railing. In America, these are commonly called spindles. This is usually the most complex part of any staircase where the balusters are hand carved, wrought iron, stained wood, ornately turned, or sporting a unique paint finish.
Newel – Usually referred to as a staircase newel, these are the major columns that hold up the handrail.
The two different versions of railing systems are over-the-post (also known as continuous) rails and post-to-post (also called newel-to-newel) rails. Continuous hand rails run “continuosly” over the newels.  The handrail in a post-to-post configuation, on the other hand, terminates at each newel.
Additional expressions that might come in handy while you are refurbishing your grand staircase project:
•    Flight – an nonstop grouping or series of stair steps
•    Staircase – the stair system as a group including the railing or banister, balusters, steps and over the post newels.
•    Stairway – the entire staircase and stairwell in total. This expression is commonly interchanged with stairs and staircase.
•    Runner – the rug that is laid over the step and risers of the staircase.