<h2 style="margin: 10pt 0in 0pt"><font size="3" color="#990000">Winter Wake Up for Your Basement</font></h2><p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt">(ARA) – A few years ago you finished your basement. You put in all the hard work to make it a perfect retreat and lounge. But you haven’t done a thing with it since. So often, people finish their basements and then forget about any upkeep.</span></p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Though the basement is often viewed as a rugged recreational room, it still deserves the same decorative and functional attention as the rest of the home; and the winter months provide the perfect opportunity to tackle some of those projects.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/10b.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/10b.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">These simple tips will help renew and rejuvenate your basement by making it more usable, durable and inviting for your family and friends. Plus, each project is affordable and won’t require excessive work to accomplish. Most can be completed in one weekend, or a few evenings after work.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Paint in the Winter? Yes, You Can</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">One of the best ways to make your basement look brand new is to repaint. A fresh coat of paint will re-energize the room and provide a whole new feel. And, with newer paints having very low VOC (volatile organic compound) content, it’s safe to paint even with the windows closed.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Additionally, many of today’s low-VOC paints, like Pratt & Lambert’s RedSeal Porcelain, are also extremely durable, which is essential in a basement. This green-certified latex interior paint is actually scrubbable. Tiny porcelain beads in the paint don’t allow stains to penetrate the wall surface, making it simple to clean up. So whether your 2-year-old splashes his grape juice on the wall, or a Sunday football game ends in a celebration of flung nacho cheese, wall cleanup will be quick and easy.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Light it Up, or Down</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Basement lighting can be tricky. Trying to balance the volume of light emitted from fixtures ranging from a single pull-chain bulb to fully-integrated recessed canister lights is no easy task. Simple dimmer switches are one of the easiest ways to make sure you can balance a basement lighting scheme at any point in the day.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Dimmer switches allow for a multitude of lighting options, whether you have a windowless basement that is completely lit by artificial lighting, or even if you have a fully finished walk-out basement with large windows and sliding glass doors. Dimmers can be purchased at any hardware store and are quickly and easily installed even by novice electricians and homeowners.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>What’s Under Foot</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Generally, because basement flooring is set on top of concrete slabs, most people opt for heavily padded carpet so they won’t feel the rigidity and hardness of the slab. The problem, however, is basement carpeting can become very dirty, worn and outdated rather quickly. The good news is that even if you already have carpet installed, you can update the flooring to a more modern, sophisticated pattern relatively simply and inexpensively.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Tarkett’s FiberFloor resilient flooring offers what homeowners desire most in their basements: resistance to water and moisture, scratches, scuffs, stains and indentations. And, it’s easy to clean – a basement must. Resilient sheet flooring offers an attractive option for a high-end appearance with the latest styles and patterns in a wide array of colors, designs and textures. Plus, after tearing up the existing carpet, all you need to do is roll out the sub-floor padding and then lay the floor.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>The Good Kind of Mold-ing</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Decorative architectural elements such as baseboards and crown molding can add dramatic effects to a basement, but many homeowners are concerned that using these molding pieces will shrink the appearance of the room.<span>  </span>Though it is true that most basements have lower ceilings than the rest of the home, some simple, thin, crown molding creates a very polished look in a basement.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Accenting the crown molding with color-matched baseboards easily turns the basement from a modest recreational area to a coveted destination area for your family and guests.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/12b.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/12b.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Each of these basement remodeling options is easily accomplished, no matter how cold it might be outside. The basement is most often a multi-use room, and these simple projects will certainly improve the room’s usability, quality and appearance.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">For more information about Pratt & Lambert’s RedSeal Porcelain visit <a href="http://www.prattandlambert.com/">www.prattandlambert.com</a>
.<span>  </span>For more information about Tarkett flooring, visit <a href="http://www.tarkett.com/">www.tarkett.com</a> .</p>  <p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt">Courtesy of ARAcontent</span></p></span>