Choosing A Countertop That Is Right For YouWritten by Lee Dobbins
Choosing a kitchen counter material can be an overwhelming task in midst of a huge kitchen makeover. Before you select a material, try to decide what look you are going for. Scour magazines and take a trip to your local home improvement center to get an idea how each type of material will effect overall style of kitchen. Some materials for kitchen counter tops include: Laminate - The least expensive and comes in a huge range of colors. You have to be careful not to cut or put anything hot on surface, but it is easy to clean. It is not as durable as stone or Corian and doesn’t look as nice either! Tiles - Tiles can range in price from very inexpensive to very expensive depending on your choice. In my opinion they make terrible counter tops because food and such tends to get caught in grout lines. Even worse, if you use light colored grout it gets dirty very quickly and must be scrubbed all time. Tiles can crack and chip easily. Corian - A very durable counter that is seamless and has look of granite. It comes in a myriad of colors and can scratch, but these can be sanded and repaired. Unlike stone, it will melt so no hot pots on counter top. More expensive than laminate but a bit less than stone. Granite - This material is a long time favorite and one of most expensive. It is extremely durable and virtually scratch free and heat proof. It is porous, though so you will have to wipe up any spills quickly and be careful about what chemicals you put on it. These days, granite comes in a range shades in gray - black - green and even dark blue colors. Granite must be sealed every year, but otherwise is quite easy to clean and care for.
| | Fourth of July SafetyWritten by Jill Nelson
Of all holidays throughout year, Fourth of July typically presents greatest risk of fire danger and injuries for adults and children. Unsafe use of fireworks, sparklers and glow sticks are a serious concern. These products can be potentially harmful to individuals of all ages. So, before you swirl around a sparkler, light a firework or sport a glow stick around your neck or wrist, keep in mind these precautions to ensure safety of you and everyone around you. As usual, Fourth of July celebrations show many types of fireworks and other explosives. Fireworks can be very exciting and fun to watch; however they have potential to become very dangerous to people lighting them as well as bystanders. When lighting fireworks, make sure you follow instructions and warnings on labels. If a firework does not burn when you light it, do not try and light it again, this can pose huge injury risks. Did you know that most firework accidents are a result of people going back to light a firework which did not light first time? The safest choice, if you want to see fireworks on Fourth of July, is to attend a local event, where you can watch a fireworks display created by professionals. This will be much safer for you, your family and your friends. Sparklers are a great way to light up night on Fourth of July. As exciting as these items may seem to small children, it is important that they be used only by children 5 years of age or older. Children younger than 5 years old are too young to understand how to use them properly. When using sparklers make sure your child’s clothes are tight-fitting, so sparkler does not catch fire on clothes. If you have children with longer hair, make sure their hair is tied back since it is very easy for long hair to catch fire. Keep Sparklers away from other people and when sparkler is finished, place it (hot end down) into a bucket of water. Do not put sparkler on ground – it can end up piercing a foot or starting a fire!
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