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Unlike many DIY projects, concrete staining requires only a very basic set of tools and implements to get professional results.

Safety First!

To begin, you should cover yourself up to keep the stain from damaging your clothing. We recommend that you wear long pants, rubber boots, great shoe for badminton play to protect your skin and have a good pair of plastic or rubber gloves. A plastic rain poncho is a good idea to keep the stain and chemicals from getting on your clothing. Safety goggles are a must and we also advise that you get a mask with a respirator if you will be using chemicals in an enclosed area such as a garage or basement.

Depending on the condition of the concrete you will be staining, you may need a sealer remover in addition to a degreasing cleaner as part of the prep work for your project. A good, stiff brush will work best to really scrub away the sealer or oil and grease that may have accumulated on your concrete surface.

If you are working in a garage or other finished space and the space has baseboard moldings, you can choose to remove the moldings with a hammer and pry bar to keep them from getting stained by accident.

You can also opt to mask off the walls and moldings with plastic sheeting and masking tape (for water-based stain applications) or masking paper (for acid-based stains).

Tools for Concrete Stain

Concrete Staining with the Right Tools

If you will be etching the concrete before staining, the etching solution is best applied with a plastic watering can. This way you can work in a small, manageable area with a long, handled stiff bristle broom. You will also need access to a garden hose and water to rinse off the etching solution.

To apply the stain, begin by cutting in at the corners with a paint brush. If you are using an acid-based stain, make sure the paint brush has no metal parts. For the large areas of your concrete staining project, stain is best applied with a low-pressure pump sprayer with all plastic parts and a nozzle that sprays in a cone-shape. You can also choose to apply stain with a short nap paint roller with a long handle suitable for working on floors.

You will need a clean mop to clean the surface when you are done and a wet-vacuum to suck up any standing water after you have completely cleaned the surface.

Having the right tools on hand before you begin your concrete staining project will insure that your work will move along smoothly and that you will remain safe and protected throughout the process.

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When you are thinking of outdoor living areas, people are relocating their living areas out doors, making wood decks liked more than ever before. Whether your existing deck is an extension of your family room, includes an outdoor kitchen or dining area, or boasts a vine-covered arbor for shade, decks undoubtedly are a reflection of a persons want to be outdoors and connect with mother nature.

And today current deck stains enable you to use more time having fun with your deck and less precious time taking care of it.

Wood Deck Stain

If you happen to be seeking a way to breathe new life into an older wood deck make use of the new wood deck stain technology available on the market. Many modern wood deck stains will literally bond loose wood fibers to provide a sound, smooth surface that creates a much better bond. They penetrate deep into the wood to supply UV and weather protection. Not only will the wood look better, the protective finish you incorporate into your deck will last longer as well.

Wood Deck RefinishingBefore you can apply any protective coatings, remember to remove dirt and mildew using a cleaner manufactured for deck use. Many deck cleaners are easily put on with a brush or roller. Rinse off using a garden hose and stiff broom. A water pressure washer can be used and will drastically speed up the washing process. Caution: Pressure washers can be dangerous to use and could produce damage to the wood if misused. Read the manufacturer’s instructions before using this effective tool. Use a wood brightener to remove stubborn stains.

24 hours later, you can apply the topcoat to have a finish that will look new for a long time. Use a brush and/or stain pad to apply your deck stain same can be done with a wooden chair. This will allow deep penetration and an even appearance. Refrain from pooling of the stain on the wood surface. Pooling stain could flake or peel causing you to refinish your deck much sooner that expected.

New Deck Finishing

In case you have a brand new deck, start with a light sanding for the best penetration of your stain. Sanding will open up the wood pores that have been closed due to milling. Plus sanding will remove mill glaze, the shiny areas on new wood.

Here’s a couple of deck refinishing tips direct from the trade: If you need the wood grain of your deck to display, decide on a semi-transparent stain. Should you wish to have more longevity and don’t need the wood grain to show, select a solid-color stain. The more pigment, color, a stain has the longer it will last!

Formulas manufactured for deck use will beautify and protect your outdoor area for a long time when used properly.

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Exterior home design can be a fun thing for many people to work on. It allows for a great deal of creativity and customization for a space that is yours. The fact that is a personal space can add to the experience. Exterior home design can encompass many things. Some people simply stick to the house itself, while others look at the yard, fencing, and all other aspects of the property as well. Let’s look at some of the aspects of exterior home design now.

Creativity is Important

Many creative people really enjoy working on customizing the appearance of their homes. This is popular for many reasons. One reason is so that you can personalize your home. Many people appreciate having a home that they know I designed like no other one around. This one of a kind personalization is very important to a lot of people. The personalization can be only from a few details to an all encompassing design and style that really stands out from all other homes around.

There are a lot of things that can be taken into account when it comes to exterior home design. The color and material of a few or all aspects of the home can be examined. Some people are happy enough with simply having a custom designed door for the front entrance. The front entrance to a home is a main way that people come in and out of a home and a custom door can leave a lasting impression on someone.

Exterior DesignExterior Design Styles

For a more all inclusive design customization, all exterior facing home parts can be gone through for a complete matching custom style. The materials of the exterior walls can be made from a richly stained wood, or a combination of stonework and a planer paneling. The windows can have shutters on the sides of them while the roof material can be picked from a metal roofing material for a very unique look. Really the design choices for the exterior of your home are limitless.

Don’t forget, some people like to include yard work in exterior home design as well. Will you want a plain lawn or perhaps a mix of lawn and some custom gardening and bushes installed to compliment the choices you have made for you home materials.

Exterior home design is really only limited by your vision and your budget. A custom home appearance can include only a simple custom door choice to a completely unique home appearance.

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From the documentary’s synopsis:

“The neoliberal transformation that swept through the world economy during the 1980’s, and along with it the globalization process that picked up speed, brought with it a deep transformation in cities all over the world. For this new finance-centered economic structure, urban land became a tool for capital accumulation, which had deep effects on major cities of developing countries. In Istanbul, which already lacked a tradition of principled planning, the administrators of the city blindly adopted the neoliberal approach that put financial gain ahead of people’s needs; everyone fought to get a piece of the loot; and the result is a megashantytown of 15 million struggling with mesh of life-threatening problems.

Especially in the past 10 years, as the World Bank foresaw in its reports, Istanbul has been changing from an industrial city to a finance and service-centered city, competing with other world cities for investment. Making Istanbul attractive for investors requires not only the abolishment of legal controls that look out for the public good, but also a parallel transformation of the users of the city. This means that the working class who actually built the city as an industrial center no longer have a place in the new consumption-centered finance and service city. So what is planned for these people?This is where the “urban renewal” projects come into play. Armed with new powers never before imagined, TOKI (State Housing Administration), together with the municipalities and private investors, are trying to reshape the urban landscape in this new vision. With international capital behind them, land plans in their hands, square meters and building coefficients in their minds, they are demolishing neighborhoods, and instead building skyscrapers, highways and shopping malls. But who do these new spaces serve?

The huge gap between the rich and the poor in Istanbul is reflected more and more in the urban landscape, and at the same time feeds on the spatial segregation. While the rich isolate themselves in gated communities, residences and plazas; new poverty cycles born in social housing communities on the prifery of the city designed as human depots continue to push millions to desperation and hopelessness. So who is responsible for this social legacy that we are leaving for future generations?While billions of dollars are wasted on new road tunnels, junctions, and viaducts with a complete disregard for the scientific fact that all new roads eventually create their own traffic, Istanbul in 2010 has to contend with a single-line eight-station metro “system”. Due to insufficient budget allocations for mass public transportation, rail and other alternative transport systems, millions of people are tormented in traffic, and billions of dollars worth of time go out the exhaust pipe. What do our administrators do? You guessed right: more roads!

Everything changes so fast in this city of 15 million that it is impossible to even take a snap-shot for planning. Plans are outdated even as they are being made. A chronic case of planlessness. Meanwhile, the population keeps increasing and the city expands uncontrollably pushing up against Tekirdağ in the east and Kocaeli in the west. But does Istanbul really have a plan?In 1980 the first plan for Istanbul on a metropolitan scale was produced. In that plan report, it is noted that the topography and the geographic nature of the city would only support a maximum population of 5 million. At the time, Istanbul had 3.5 million people living in it. Now we are 15 million, and in 15 years we will be 23 million. Almost 5 times the sustainable size. Today we bring water to Istanbul from as far away as Bolu, and suck-up the entire water in Thrace, destroying the natural environment there. The northern forest areas disappear at a rapid pace, and the project for a 3rd bridge over the Bosphorous is threatening the remaining forests and water reservoirs giving life to Istanbul. The bridges that connect the two continents are segregating our society through the urban land speculation that they trigger. So what are we, the people of Istanbul, doing against this pillage?

If cities are a reflection of the society, what can we say about ourselves by looking at Istanbul? What kind of city are we leaving behind for future generations? Ecological limits have been surpassed. Economic limits have been surpassed. Population limits have been surpassed. Social cohesion has been lost. Here is the picture of neoliberal urbanism: Ecumenopolis.

Ecumenopolis aims for a holistic approach to Istanbul, questioning not only the transformation, but the dynamics behind it as well. From demolished shantytowns to the tops of skyscrapers, from the depths of Marmaray to the alternative routes of the 3rd bridge, from real estate investors to urban opposition, the film will take us on a long journey in this city without limits. We will speak with experts, academics, writers, investors, city-dwellers, and community leaders; and we will take a look at the city on a macro level through animated maps and graphics. Perhaps you will rediscover the city that you live in and we hope that you will not sit back and watch this transformation but question it. In the end this is what democracy requires of us.