<h2 style="margin: 10pt 0in 0pt"><font size="3" color="#990000">Create ‘curb appeal’ with easy home projects</font></h2><p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt">(ARA) – Whether you’re selling your home and want the best price, or you just want to be the envy of the neighborhood, creating "curb appeal" can be very rewarding. And you’re confident you know what constitutes great curb appeal – siding, windows, doors and a lawn that are all in good shape. But is that all you have to think about when it comes to curb appeal?</span></p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Not so, says Gordon Blickle of Gardner-Gibson, a manufacturer of driveway, brick and patio sealers. "Driveways and sidewalks are the entryways to the home," he notes. "If they’re in great shape, you’ve got a strong first impression. If not — you’ve said a lot about the quality of the home."</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/17a.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/17a.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">Unfortunately, driveways are often overlooked, spoiling an otherwise manicured landscape. Unless the drive is severely cracked, crumbling or poses a safety hazard, there’s no need to spend thousands on removing and replacing it. There are easier ways to makeover a tired driveway and boost the curb appeal of a home.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Beautify your blacktop</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Don’t let problems go unaddressed until it’s too late. Old pavement left untreated will crack and crumble, becoming an expensive replacement. But a new coat of driveway sealer can restore it to like-new beauty. Refresh old, worn blacktop driveways and fill small cracks with fast-drying Black Jack Ultra-Maxx 1000, a flexible, long-lasting filler and sealer with a 10-year guarantee.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Showcase your home at night</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Low-voltage or solar landscape lighting can create a softly lit path to border the driveway. In addition to creating a pretty landscaping effect, the lighting can improve visibility and decrease the chances someone will accidentally drive onto the lawn.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Make walkways more welcome</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Stains on sidewalks and entries from dirt, mold, tree sap, and other outdoor invaders create an unattractive first impression. Clean the walk with an outdoor cleaner like Driveway Kleen, a garden-safe spray solution that attaches to a garden hose. To protect stains from coming back, coat the sidewalk and adjacent pavers or edgers with Krystal Brilliance, a waterbased clear acrylic sealer.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Add greenery to your scenery</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Instead of having to keep the edge of the lawn trimmed against the driveway, create a "buffer" strip with a decorative rock garden or plant flowers along the path to create an inviting drive up to the home. If the driveway is shared with a neighbor, plant shrubs and flowers between them to create a small privacy wall.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Border on amazing</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Edge the driveway with pavers in colors complementary to the home and pavement. Use pavers in different shapes and sizes to create an interesting focal point and frame the driveway.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">"Consider your front yard the ‘arms’ that welcome visitors into a home," says Blickle. "Without a warm welcome, guests and potential buyers may just keep walking."</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">For more information and ideas on how to protect driveways from the elements, visit <a href="http://www.gardner-gibson.com/">www.gardner-gibson.com</a> .</p>  <p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt">Courtesy of ARAcontent</span></p></span>