Q&A / 

Decks don't have to be made of wood only. You can find many types of alternative decking material. Virgin vinyl, recycled plastic, plastic resin mixed with wood fibers and aluminum. Sealing many of these materials is not necessary. Read this column to see the pros and cons.

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Painted floors are economical, DIY friendly, and beautiful. Cleaning, surface prep, sanding, primer and protective urethane will do it! If you can't afford new flooring, you can create your own with a couple cans of paint and one can of clear urethane.

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Inlaid wood flooring dramatically changes the look of a wood floor. These floors are usually expensive. You can opt to stain a pattern or border on your existing wood floor to achieve a similar look.

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There are four primary deicing salts for ice and snow removal. Sodium chloride (rock salt), calcium chloride, potassium chloride and magnesium chloride. Each has certain temperatures that it can work with. Magnesium chloride is less damaging to concrete, plants and trees.

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Determining a budget for building a new home can be done with a little math and a system. Money to build a new home lies in your home equity, the amount you are eligible to borrow, and any other savings you might have. A realistic budget to build your new home can be developed with a home breakdown checklist of the separate parts of a house.

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