Refinishing hardwood floors in Mamaroneck NY - Everything you ever wanted to know about sanding your floors. Refinishing your hardwood floors can have a huge impact on your Mamaroneck home. You will be amazed at how refreshed your home will look...and the floors will look good as new. Many don't realize that when you sand and refinish the floors, you have the option to change the color - you can go from dark to light or light to dark or anywhere in between.     If you have hardwood flooring underneath your carpet, you are in luck. Usually, refinishing and restoring the hardwood will cost LESS than recarpeting. And, most homeowners prefer the look and feel of hardwood. Not only will it improve your home's value, but they are much easier to clean and maintain. How does the hardwood refini... 05/28/2013

If you're looking for a light colored hardwood floor, consider maple  flooring for your home in Mamaroneck NY. Maple flooring is a light blond color with low graining. It’s a light, smooth look that can open up any room and give a modern, contemporary and northern European feel.     Maple flooring is harder than oak. On the Janka hardness scale, Maple is a 1450 vs. red oak which is 1290. Maple is lighter than oak flooring and its grain is smoother.While traditionally a light blond color, the shade of maple flooring can differ depending on its age and the area where it was grown. Maple’s appearance also differs based on how the trees are cultivated. Flame maple, quilted maple and bird’s eye maple are 3 different types grain patterns that will give your room 3 different looks.     Maple f... 05/17/2013

Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Flooring is growing in popularity in Mamaroneck NY.  Its brilliant red color and exquisite graining gives is breathtaking.   As the name implies, Brazilian Cherry hardwood grows in Brazil. Due to the climate and growing cycles, Brazilian Cherry is much harder than the typical oak you traditionally see here in the US. On the Janka hardness scale, Red Oak is a 1290 while Brazilian Cherry is 2350 - almost twice as hard.   But, the main reason customers love Brazilian Cherry is its beauty. The redness and depth of color is unparalleled, along with the richness of its smooth graining. Even if you stain oak to be red, you can't get same effect - it's impossible. Take a look.   Brazilian Cherry typically comes in wider planks which is more stylish and makes the space ... 05/16/2013

 In Mamaroneck NY, dark hardwood floors are very stylish. Many of my customers love the dark look...they even ask for Ebony. Dark hardwood is sleek and stylish, and it gives your Mamaroneck home a sophisticated look. How do you get dark hardwood flooring? Most dark hardwoods are stained to make them darker. There are many species/types of wood that can achieve this look.   1. The most common dark hardwood flooring is oak that is stained with a dark brown stain such as Ebony (the darkest stain) or a slightly lighter with a Jacobean or Dark Walnut stain. Many customers who are seeking a dark stain want "pure" brown with no hints of red. And, these 3 stains seem to achieve that goal well. The above 2 pictures are ebony.   Even if you have red oak flooring, these dark stains will drown out ... 05/04/2013

Everything you ever wanted to know about Carpet runners. In Mamaroneck NY, carpet runners for the steps have become more and more popular. What are carpet runners? A carpet runner goes on top of your hardwood steps. Unlike wall to wall carpet, carpet runners cover most of the step, but still show the hardwood on either side. They are bound on the sides for a finished look. Why are carpet runners so popular in Mamaroneck NY? Carpet runners serve 2 purposes: 1) they make the stairs safer - they help prevent slipping and 2) they add a decorative element. By having a some sort of carpet on the steps, it adds traction and friction so you are less likely to fall, especially if you are wearing socks in your home. Also, it makes it easier on your feet, knees and back when you are walking up and... 04/18/2013

Welcome back to FAQs, the series where quick and specific answers to your most-asked questions about Interior Decorating and Home Staging are the house specialty. Selling your Westchester County house, coop or condo? Questions about renting things to make your property look its best have probably come up. Previously we looked at the IF and WHY of rental furniture, today HOW renting furniture works. . Thanks to HGTV, many homeowners believe Home Staging must include renting furniture. This Westchester County Home Stager always seeks to work what is already owned, but with the caveat that it is the right choice, and puts the property in it's best light. Rental companies pretty much work in the same way: contracts are a minimum number of months, and a minimum monthly dollar amount. Additio... 03/30/2013

  I recently met with a local and well-known architect who lives in the Orienta area of Mamaroneck to ask his thoughts regarding pre-purchase, relatively quick feasibility studies and the importance of same when considering the possibility of home expansion or substantial alterations.   Clark has held positions on every Land Use Board in the Village of Mamaroneck (Member of the Zoning Board of Appeals for two terms – 10 years – Chairman for 5; Chairman of the Board of Architectural Review; served on the Planning Board for two terms; and is a current member of the Harbor and Coastal Zone Management Commission) and so Clark was the logical choice when thinking of a local architect.   Whenever I need to ask someone about a feasibility study for a potential home renovation project of any si... 01/03/2013

Over the last week or so, we've had a bunch of customers calling with water damage to their flooring.  Ironically, none of them are related to Hurricane Sandy.  One was due to an accident by the town causing water to flood the streets, another by a next door neighbor in an attached condo, and another due to a leaky refrigerator.  Water damage can happen for a number of reasons (too many to list) and sometimes it is covered by insurance.     I'm not an expert on whether or not your insurance covers the damages...you will need to speak to the insurance agent about that.  (Many in our area do not have flood insurance so if the water came inside from an outside flood, it is often not covered...unless there was a power outage and the sump pumps did not work).  If it is covered by insurance, ... 11/17/2012

Drenched in Mamaroneck NY 10543 - Hurricane Sandy has left her mark   Did your basement flood from the Hurricane Sandy in Mamaroneck NY? Many low lying areas of Westchester, got hit hard from the Superstorm, including Mamaroneck, Rye, Scarsdale, Bronxville, Larchmont, New Rochelle, Chappaqua and Armonk. We've had a lot of customers calling due to drenched carpets. And, if you don't remove them soon enough, they really start to smell...and if they sit too long they could develop that forbidden word...mold. Yuck!   Sometimes, the water damage is covered by insurance, especially if it was due to an electrical failure. Usually, the insurance will compensate you for replacement value of what you had. We've had many customers in Mamaroneck who were so disgusted by the smell and ordeal associa... 10/31/2012

 And why not? We need all of the help we can get, and as you can see from this storefront in Mamaroneck 10543, the owners have piled sandbags to help keep any potential water at bay. We are all praying that those sandbags will not be required.. The temperature is currently 57% with a coastal flood warnings in effect.       My prayers are with the Larchmont and Mamaroneck residents who might be affected. I just heard that parts of Mamaroneck are already flooding..   Westchester is GREAT!  10/29/2012

I remember when I started Active Rain a little over 2 years ago - lost, confused, isolated and CLUELESS about featured posts.  I thought I would never get one.  I remember reading a post by Margaret Woda entitled Re-discovering my first FEATURED post on Active Rain.  In there, she mentioned that she had 100 Featured posts!   I was blown away.  I couldn't even figure out how to get 1 featured post, and Margaret had 100!.  How the heck did she do that?  And, what the heck was I doing wrong?  Anyway, in this post down memory lane for her, she promised that if people went to find their first featured post, she would reblog it, and I thought that was a nice gesture.  I told myself that if I ever got to her level, I would do the same and help the AR community.   Margaret's thinking was that i... 09/25/2012

SURPRISE! Having a property professionally prepared for sale (a.k.a. "Staging") guarantees nothing. Teamwork is what does it every time. Consider Home Staging to be that proverbial third leg of the stool: Sure, it clears away the obstacles between For Sale, and SOLD. But Home Staging supports a seller who is genuinely ready and willing to sell, and the agent who has diligently priced and marketed the property. This Mamaroneck house was a contemporary colonial in a lovely area, it had a lot going for it. The family had lived there for a number of years, but the Master Bath was firmly wedged in the 1980s, and was bringing the perceived value of the property down. We did a fair amount of work on it, but here is the room I am the proudest of.  An over-the top pink fest, complete with mauve ... 08/29/2012

One of the interesting things about living in Westchester NY is that you are surrounded by water views.  But when I think about vivid sunsets, I tend to think of the River Towns such as Dobbs Ferry, Irvington or Tarrytown for  a spectacular show.  On the eastern Sound Shore side of the county I expect to see mellow display when the sun sets.  The other night I was walking around Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck NY and happened to face south with the water and the east to my left and the sunset in the west to my right.  It was as if the sunset in the west was meeting up to join the  dusk in the east.  It was actually quite a show.  I was lucky to catch it because the colors faded fast, but here it is…. Harbor Island Park – Sunset meets dusk…. © 2012 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://thewestc... 08/08/2012

  The Club Car opened its doors a few months ago in Mamaroneck NY.  The restaurant has received rave reviews.  But for me, it is the restoration of the magnificent 1888 Romanesque building that steals the show.  The building had been boarded up and deteriorating for what seemed like forever.  The condition reminded me of the Tarrytown Music Hall in my youth.  People shook their heads and discussions of tearing down the Music Hall were openly discussed.  The restoration that ensued was well worth the effort and the same is true for the Mamaroneck NY terminal building.   I stopped by today only to get some exterior shots.  The one above, though not of the entire building shows the architectural detail the best.  It shows the arched Romanesque forms, the stained glass and the carved moldin... 08/05/2012

Should I sand my hardwood floors myself or hire a professional? Lately, I have run into a LOT of botched up sanding jobs, most done by do-it-yourselfers (DIY) and some done by handymen passing themselves off as floor refinishers. It's quite sad. In the last couple of months, I have even had 2 customers already had their floors sanded 3 times within 1 month before they called me. One of them had to completely replace the floors and the stair treads - that's how bad the jobs were. (We were able to save the other floor). I have to say I have seen a lot of do-it-yourself jobs, and they are obvious - they have sanding tracks left in the floor, the stain is applied unevenly and so is the polyurethane and it often has bubbles.     While your gender or age should not impact your ability to sand... 07/29/2012

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is: "What types of hardwood flooring are best for dogs? (or pets) Many of my customers have pets, and they would love to have hardwood floors that stand up well to dog claws. Can dogs and hardwood co-exist and live happily ever after?   It's a challenging question to answer because all hardwood will dent and scratch over time - it's just a matter of how much and how much it shows. But, I don't think this is a reason to avoid getting hardwood for your home if you have pets. Usually, this question is less of an issue for with cats and more of a concern with dogs, especially active dogs. And, while there are things you can do w/ your pets (e.g. clip or file nails), I'm going to focus on hardwoods that can take a better beating and will last ... 07/21/2012

One of the nicest things about living in Westchester is that you are never all that far from the water.  I took this shot one night in the early summer (late June) at Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck.  Right on the Long Island Sound, the park has that tranquil appeal that water always creates.  I used an artistic filter in photoshop to achieve the final effect.  The water was almost like glass on an evening where the air was so still, that not so much as a leaf was stirred by the wind. Fotos on the fly - Harbor Island Park - Mamaroneck NY © 2012 - Ruthmarie G. Hicks - http://fotosonthefly.biz - All rights reserved.  07/18/2012

For several years I have been trying to get a good picture of the flag  waving over Mamaroneck Ave in the town of Mamaroneck NY.   And every year, I try to take a picture that never seems to work out.  Sometimes its just too late to take a picture of a flag.  Flags stubbornly refuse to be like fireworks.  They don’t like to be photographed in the dark.  Another problem of course is the wind.  Flags are prone to w blowing in the breeze.  Its just their nature.  If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be very flag-like.   Well, I decided to just let flags be themselves and wait until the time was right.   © 2012 – Ruthmarie G. Hicks – http://FotosOnTheFly.biz 07/12/2012

Let's Get Your House SOLD! Staging For The Average Homeowner Remember the classic cereal commercial -where two older brothers did not want to try this new breakfast cereal-and instead, gave it to their younger brother, wanting him to go first? I get a similar reaction when I speak with sellers about how to prepare their property for sale-they want to see  someone else make the first move. "Thanks" to HGTV, most have some idea of what Home Staging it is, and how it works, but it's still perceived as dicey territory. Sellers will protest, their house is fine, they want to see some buyer interest first. Well, if that was working for you, chances are you wouldn't be reading this post. Agents-who are always being accosted to buy things, or sign up for the newest and latest-are understandably... 06/09/2012

I knew I could put Pinterest to good use.  I've written about Pinterest twice.  First in Pinterest has piqued my interest  (I explain how to get started...from a newbie perspective and some ideas I had on how I could apply to my biz) and then again in Need some kitchen remodel ideas? where I shared an idea to help people with kitchen design ideas.  Yesterday, is when I realized the true power of Pinterest for my business.   So, I've been having fun with Pinterest and collecting pictures...both fun ones, and more importantly, ones that I knew would help me with my business.  Among my many boards, I have a kitchen board, a backsplash board, hardwood flooring, floors that score, patterned carpets, fancy wool carpets, eco-friendly flooring, molding and wainscoting...all with the idea that I... 06/03/2012