Americans who want to add a touch of hominess to their decorating styles love to collect pine antique furniture. There is something distinctively All-American and warm about pine: after all, it is affordable, beautiful, and extremely wearable if properly cared for. Here are some tips for how to care for your pine antique furniture.

First of all, it’s important to know that pine is soft, and therefore it is more susceptible to dings and scratches. With the right kind of stain, however, these defects serve to add to the charm of your piece, so don’t worry too much about small scratches.

Tips

Monitor it regularly for insects

Because pine is so soft, it is more susceptible to damage from boring insects. Make sure to check your furniture from time to time and make sure that there is no unaccounted-for sawdust under the legs or in drawers. Keeping your surfaces sealed will prevent further damage.

Beware of temperature extremes

Pine, like most woods, will dry out quickly if it is placed in direct sunlight, near air conditioning and heating vents, or too close to ovens and furnaces. Glue joints may become loosened, causing furniture to fall apart as well.

Humidity control

If you have a lot of antiques, it is best to keep the humidity levels well-regulated in your home. Just as dryness will take a toll on your antique furniture, so will humidity. Rot and mold growth are common if proper precautions are not taken: so don’t forget to use the dehumidifier during the soggiest months of the year.

Slate is an excellent choice when selecting flooring and can be used virtually anywhere, indoors or out. The most popular size is 12″x12″, but it is also available in sizes ranging from a two inch tile mounted on mesh all the way up to 24″. The size ranges offer unlimited design possibilities and can be selected to suit the individual needs of your project.

Like all tile or stone floors, it is essential that the surface (called substrate) the slate is to be installed on is solid, dry, and level. Concrete slab is ideal, of course, but it can also be set on a plywood/backer board substrate or even (with proper preparation) over existing flooring. To estimate the amount you need, simply measure the width and length of the room and multiply them (i.e., a 12′ x 20′ area will require 242 square feet). It’s a good idea to order a little more to accommodate for breakage, etc.

Slate is set with thinset tile and stone adhesive which is commonly available dry in fifty pound bags. This type of thinset requires mixing. Your home improvement retailer will most likely carry pre-mixed thinsets as well. The thinset is applied onto the substrate with a notched tile setter’s trowel which is essential for creating an even, uniform surface for the slate to adhere to. The tiles are set into the thinset using spacers to ensure a uniform space between them. Care must be taken to level them as well.

It will be necessary to cut a number of the tiles to conform to the layout, and a tile wetsaw is far and away the best way to do this. Professional saws can be expensive, but they are also available for rent through commercial rental yards.

After the slate is set and cured, it should be sealed before grouting. A pre-grout sealer is very desirable when using slate, as it is a porous stone. Grout is then applied into the joints between the tiles and the excess wiped off.

A final coat of a quality stone sealer is highly recommended for slate, as it will keep the floor looking new for years to come.

Travertine tile offers subtle yet rich tones to any interior or exterior, as well as a level of long lasting durability which makes it a reliable material as well as a decorative one. Apart from its durability factor, it is one of the most popular materials used today in stone floors, exteriors, bathrooms and walls. These tiles are best described as a cross between marble and limestone. Travertine has been a popular building material for thousands of years because of the ability of masons to shape it to fit just about any purpose.

It comes in a vast variety of colours and it ranges from an ivory shade to beige to deep reddish brown and can even be found in gold shades, depending on the level of naturally occurring iron in the stone. One of the most important reasons which make travertine tiles popular materials for flooring is that they can provide an exquisite look to entire interior. In case of home décor, such kinds of tiles can be used in areas like kitchen and bathroom. Famous structures like the Roman Coliseum stand as a tribute to the long lasting nature of travertine as a building material. So, travertine tile has been used and relied upon as tile for thousands of years holding a place in the developments of civilization from Ancient Greeks, till today’s modern age in equal aspects.

These tiles give an elegant look and are used in both residential and commercial settings and have an equally important role to play in both indoor and outdoor uses. As far as the budget scenario is concerned, these tiles are a hit in terms of it. Travertine tiles are one of the most preferred ones as they are less expensive and make the overall look of the interior into a dream one.

Thus, travertine tiles can be the best referred as Godsend Beauty which has a strong impact on the interior of any surroundings.