How to Safely Tackle Home Projects

(Family Features) When contemplating home upgrades or building projects, contractors and DIYers alike focus on factors such as budget, scheduling and materials. Another important consideration before starting work on any project - from renovating a main living area to expanding a bathroom or transforming your outdoor space - is safety.

While having properly functioning tools is crucial to completing projects both big and small, proper handling and transportation of power tools and batteries can sometimes be overlooked. Due to their efficiency, energy storage capabilities, convenience and durability, lithium-ion battery-powered tools are a popular choice for taking care of task lists of all sizes, but must be handled correctly.

With members representing portable and stationary power tool brands, the experts at the Power Tool Institute - the leading organization for power tool safety resources, information and education - recommend these tips for safe use, storage, transportation and disposal of lithium-ion batteries.

Use:

• The higher energy potential and small size of lithium-ion batteries makes them ideal for cordless power tools but also pose additional safety risks when misused.
• Batteries are not interchangeable, so it's important to only use batteries and chargers from the original power tool manufacturer.
• Original manufacturer batteries are engineered to communicate and work with specific tools and chargers. These components go through a rigorous certification and testing process. Third-party batteries are not always held to the same standard, and can pose fire, property damage or personal injury risks.
• Never modify, disassemble or tamper with a battery. The performance of damaged or modified batteries can be unpredictable and dangerous.
• If a lithium-ion battery is damaged, contact the manufacturer before use.
• Never immerse your tool, battery pack or charger in fluid or allow fluid to enter it

Storage and Transportation:

• Inspect batteries regularly for signs of damage, such as crushing, cuts or punctures.
• Store your battery in a cool, dry place, away from combustible and flammable items.
• Avoid contact with metal objects, such as keys, coins, screws and nails.
• Always transport and store lithium-ion batteries as instructed in the owner's manual.

Disposal:

• Throwing a lithium-ion battery in the trash or municipal recycling can be a fire hazard.
• Safely dispose of used or damaged lithium-ion batteries by taking them to a local battery recycling center or placing them in a receptacle specially designed for recycling batteries.

Find more information on safe battery use at TakeChargeOfYourBattery.com, or visit PowerToolInstitute.com for additional power tool safety and operation tips.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Clever Kitchen Upgrades

Fresh colors and textures for a functional kitchen style

(Family Features) For avid cooks, seasoned hosts and busy families, the kitchen is likely the center of daily life and a place where both form and function are of the utmost importance.

This high-traffic space generally influences the design of the rest of the house, especially if the home has more of an open-concept layout. The colors and materials used in the kitchen normally set the tone for the rest of the home.

When it comes to considerations like finish and materials, kitchen cabinetry trends are shifting toward colored cabinetry and a mixture of exposed textures and materials.

Colorful allure
White kitchen cabinets have dominated the market for years; white is constant, safe and classic. While white kitchens are likely to remain a popular option for homeowners, buying trends are showing a shift in painted cabinetry design from classic white to eye-catching colors.

Natural colors, burnt orange, shades of gray, blue hues and green tones are likely to be the leaders in painted cabinetry colors in 2019, and all are offered through an option like Wellborn’s ColorInspire program.

For those with a visionary and creative approach to design, the blue tones for cabinetry reach atmospheric wisps of colors and capture the unique space between technology and spirituality. The unbridled adventurer may use burnt orange to soak in the blue of endless horizon and the subtle earthy colors of the high plains and desert.

For the naturalist, green earthy tones can bring the wonder of the world into your kitchen. For the cozy home-body, dark warm tones of gray on cabinetry add a rich and modern scope that spans space and time.

Trends in texture
From classic to modern and from farmhouse to high-tech modernistic styling, designers work to make surfaces make a statement. With cabinetry, there’s no shortage of options: matte and glossy, dark and light, with and without handles.

Technology has played a major role in the improved quality of laminates in the kitchen; many of today’s laminate options have a more realistic appearance and texture than their ancestors. For a more authentic wood look, an option like Wellborn Cabinet’s Decorative Laminate Veneer Door Collection is filled with color choices in a range of materials spanning embossed and textured melamine, acrylic, laminates, metal and more.

Another option is cabinetry featuring timber with exposed grain for a balance between embracing nature and exuding sophistication. This trend celebrates imperfections and allows you to bring nature into your home. Defined or rustic woods are made from materials such as walnut, oak and cherry. For nature enthusiasts or those seeking the rustic farmhouse style, you can find beautiful organic finishes in Wellborn’s Aspire Full Access Frameless line. The standout feature is heavy graining. Hand sanding, along with hand-rubbed finishes, provide a quality product with varied textures that minimizes the need for a lot of color.

Focus on Function
A beautiful kitchen may please the eye, but when it comes down to it, a kitchen’s function is its greatest value. Integrate these ideas for a kitchen that offers maximum function for one of your home’s most-used spaces.

Declutter the countertops. Consider incorporating pull-out and roll-out trays into your cabinetry to maximize your storage space, as well as dressing your cabinets with appropriate inserts and organizational kits. Eliminate wasted space by adding corner cabinets to utilize all your available space.

In addition, an option like Wellborn Cabinet’s Aspire Full Access Frameless cabinetry makes it simple to create diverse design styles with better storage options than traditional cabinet framing allows. Without a face frame on the front of the cabinet box, this style provides more room for storage and easier accessibility. You can create a modernistic kitchen, a rustic farmhouse kitchen or a nature-styled kitchen.

Determine the island’s function. The island is often the visual centerpiece of the kitchen, but determining its function can maximize its benefit. Fully functional cabinetry around the island can provide added storage space. For example, custom cabinetry appliance panels let you not only conceal bulky appliances, they also give your wall cabinets more space and functionality.

Make recycling easy. Place the recycle and garbage bins in a drawer near the sink to allow for easier accessibility and keep them out of sight.

Explore more trendy looks for your new kitchen at Wellborn.com.