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Show .11 ii Pae.Un tfne ii ' MagaancTHE DAILY HERA LA Friday; ianuary 22, IW rooms a new look, add subtle, inexpensive touches To give Stucco adds fashion to many old houses By POPULAR MECHANICS For AP Special Features By GARY KRINO The Orange County Register . i It's my favorite time of the year. January, and February March. The weather is crisp. There's snow on the mountains. (That's close enough, thanks.) Lots of college hoops on the tube. Time to put a fire in the fireplace, relax and let whatever happens happen. This is also the time of year I take a long look at what's going on with decorating in my house. The holiday decorations are out of the way, which gives feel the rooms a stripped-dowall the better to see what's right and, more importantly, to see what could use a bit of fluffing up. I don't go crazy spending money. With the credit-carbills rolling in from the holidays, this, as far as I'm concerned, is not the fiscally responsible thing to do. But there are subtle ways to give rooms a new look that don't cost all that much and make an impact. Picture frames. There are lots of picture frames that can stand on their own as works of art. They don't need to frame anything at all to work as a design statement. The best places to find picture frames for this sort of project are garage sales and thrift stores. Ignore the "art." Zero in on the frames. Pick frames that are visually interesting, maybe a little quirky, something that complements the style of the room you're going to treat. If the finishes on the frames are what you want, go with them. If not, give them a spray of paint, maybe some sort of faux finish. Then hang them on the wall as an arrangement; prop them against a wall or prop them, one overlapping the other, on the fireplace mantel. It's a different look, it's not permanent and it is not going to put you in debtor's prison. n d selections, and they're easy to install. In most cases, it's simply a matter of tucking until you get just the right look. Plants. Not a whole bunch of plants stuck all over the place. That makes for confusion. In this case, it's not fun to fool the eye. Look for a large, 5- - or statement plant; Ficus and palm come to mind. Strategically placed in a room, they add lots of drama and can be used as a focal point, especially in a sleek, clean contemporary setting. Expect to spend at least $100. Not exactly cheap, but you'll get good design bounce for the money. If you have a black thumb, look for faux plants. They've come a long way. All you have to do is dust them, and they don't drop leaves. Towels. Bathrooms sometimes come in for the short end of the stick when we're thinking of smaller decorating proluxujects. Buy new towels . Treat rious, soft, well. yourself If the bath has wallpaper, draw a color from it for the towels. If the walls are white, better yet. Let your new towels do the cuing and paint a single wall a color from the towels the bolder the better. A rich color can work well in small deep-pile- pre-mad- port-lan- lime-base- Stucco is commonly applied in three coats, although occasionally you'll see walls that are only wearing two. The first coat, called the scratch coat, is generally thick to and is applied to metal lath, dampened wood lath or masonry. As its name implies, d d lime-base- d Gary Krino covers design for the Orange County Register. He can be reached at The Orange County Register, P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, Calif. 92711. one-quart- it's scratched or roughened so the second coat adheres. usualAs soon as it's dry the hours ly within second or brown coat, which is usually the same thickness as the first, is applied. In a t application, plain, this will be the final coat. More often, a third, or finish coat of stucco tops it. If that's the case, the brown coat, too, is lightly crosshatched to facilitate the final coat's adhesion. It's in often this thin top coat thick only that any texture or design is added. It's applied after the brown coat sets. 24-7- 2 two-coa- Maintenance-Fre- X 4l 0 Jf $30,000 vl n ' HPPSH B0 1 --492-921 0 Ask about our owner builder consultation services XG ,,. ... The Renaissance at Indian Springs offers home buyers an incredible of floor plans,, standard features and options-a- ll designed to excite the senses and stir the imagination. So, come visit our decorated "menu" r- BUILD IT YOURSELF Living 198'S iL SAVE UP TO e 1 e slipcovers. They are considerably less expensive than going the or custom route, come in all sizes for various styles of sofas and chairs, cover a wide range of fabric d Whether it's smooth and scored to look like stone, textured or pebble dashed, stucco is a decorative finish that adds an element of fashion to many old houses. As such, it should be maintained and restored in the best manner possible. Many stucco with a of the ingredients of early soft cement-baseharder portland stucco either aren't available vice stucco (or versa). today, or, if they are, have aren't compatible. The changed over the years. They rates of Because of this, it's nearly materials' differing contraction and impossible to get an exact expansion will generally cause your conduplication of an original struction work to crack. stucco. It is, however, possible most In cases, the spots to come close enough to stucco has failed on where restore minor patches of will be pretwalls house your is The here stucco. trick failed But obvious. are situthere to try and match the original ty lath where the ations may stucco mixture as close as from the have away pulled in possible strength, composiwall, causing bulges or bubtion color and texture. Homes built around the bles in the outer surface. turn of the century usually After a thorough visual have original stucco that is inspection, walking around cement-baseA simple way the house and lightly tapping to determine whether your with a rubber or wooden mallet, any spots where you susstucco is cement or is to put a piece of the pect underlying failure may stucco in a glass of water. If it reveal hidden spots of damdoesn't stay firm and most of age that should be repaired. it dissolves and becomes Start small mushy, it's safe to assume Don't try to tackle too large you're working with a soft of a spot at once. Make sure limesand stucco. There are many different the underlying surface is spaces giving them a distinctive, striking personality. Slipcovers. Reupholstering a piece of furniture can be almost as expensive as buying new. Having custom slipcovers made can also be an expensive deal. Instead, hustle yourself to a department or super store and look at clean and sound, and tesrl your mixture in an inconspic uous spot. You might have to alter your mix a bit to get the best match. Make sure, too. that your patches match any existing control joints, which are breaks in the stucco that allow for shrinkage and expansion. recipes for this soft stucco. An early one calls for two parts sand and one part lime. Today, you'd add a little cement to this mix for workability,- - along with animal hair if the original had it. For those patching the harder cement stuccos, a mix with a high content of portland cement should be used. Don't be tempted to patch a model today & experience for yourself at the newest sensation-Renaissance Indian Springs! " ihiiiiii)iimiiHi.iW,,iWIII, East of the LOS ML Ttmpanogos Temple in Pleasant Grove at 1491 W. Renaissance Dr. PfcCJ 723-71-11 CT22K5E3 |
