There are hundreds of types of tile available for use in your home.  It’s often hard to determine what type is best for the floor, wall, pool, shower, etc.  When considering wall tile, the options are almost limitless as they normally are not coming into contact with foot traffic, foods/liquids, or acidic substances.  Let’s talk about a few types of tile which can make great applications for wall usage in almost any area of your home.

1.    Natural stone – natural stones which can be used on the walls can consist of marble, granite, travertine, limestone, etc.  You can use smaller formats such as 4” x 4” or larger formats such as 12” x 24” to suit your needs.  You can even use small square mosaic patterns of natural stone to accent any application.

2.    Ceramic – glazed, unglazed, crackled finish, the options are limitless and ceramic is a great choice for wet applications such as shower walls.

3.    Glass – hundreds of colors and designs.  You can even buy pre-made glass murals to fit your design scheme.

4.    Stainless Steel – stainless is a great choice for walls and even kitchen backsplashes.  There are many finishes available such as polished, brushed, honed, etc.

There are other choices available for wall tile but those listed above tend to be among the most popular choices.  If you are looking to spruce up an area of your home, consider some of the many choices available in different types of tile appropriate for walls.  It’s a great option to wallpaper or semi-gloss paint.

Whatever your choice, when you’re ready to remodel and add a new look to your home, think DirectBuy for the savings of a wholesale club, the selection of America’s top retailers, and the service of a high-end boutique.

Before the advent of factory finished flooring, solid wood flooring was the popular choice for good flooring. Solid wood comes in the form of strips, planks or parquets. Remodeling with the addition of hardwood flooring - whatever type you choose - will add instant value to your home.

Engineered wood flooring is usually used in places where there are many changes in climatic conditions as engineered wood flooring is well suited to climatic changes and highly immune to variations in humidity and extreme temperatures.

Engineered wood is usually recommended for the flooring of basements where water is likely to trickle down. Another advantage of having engineered wood flooring is that since it has numerous layers of veneer, the topmost layer can be made of any wood that is strong yet is beautiful to look at and matches the décor of the room. You can use strong wood like oak in the layers beneath to make it sturdy and durable. Engineered wood flooring is available in strips and planks.

Acrylic impregnated wood floors are almost like  prefinished floors, and the only difference is that they are manufactured to be more durable due to the filling up of the pores in the planks with coloring agents and acrylic. The flooring is anti scratch and is a good flooring to be used in places where there is a lot of activity and movement especially of furniture. Acrylic impregnated wood floors are also highly resistant to climatic changes.

Whatever your choice in flooring, DirectBuy has a great selection of many of the most popular choices available today - all at prices up to 50% less than retail. Hardwood floors add value to your home and bring a sense of style to your decor like nothing else.

Today, with the large variety of flooring options available, it has become exceedingly difficult to select a flooring material when building a house. But majority of the people vote for the hardwood flooring options mainly because these are affordable and easy to maintain.

One of the most important reasons for the popularity of hardwood flooring is that hardwood flooring enhances the value of your home and you end up getting a good resale value when you’re ready to sell. There is a large variety of choices; so selecting a flooring type to suit your home is easy.

Though there are many types of hardwood flooring options, there are mainly five types that are usually used for the flooring. The five basic types of flooring are unfinished, pre-finished, engineered wood, solid wood and acrylic impregnated wood. Find out more about each type of hardwood flooring in upcoming articles.

DirectBuy carries a beautiful selection of brand-name hardwood flooring to make your home all that you want it to be. With prices up to 50% off retail, you can choose the quality you want in hardwood flooring.

Categories of carpets available today include the Cut Pile variety, Cut and Loop Pile, Level Loop Pile and Multi-Level Loop Pile. Proper knowledge about the texture of the carpet helps in selection of an appropriate carpet for a particular location in your home.

The cut pile carpets are extremely popular and have the loops cut thereby resulting in tufts of fiber left loose.  The cut pile variety is strong and durable and includes three kinds of carpet fibers.

Frieze:  This cut pile carpet type is just right for placing in any informal location that is widely used at home.  The Frieze cut pile carpet is made up of highly twisted fibers that end up looking short. Frieze cut pile carpets camouflage marks on the track by curling up in many directions.

Saxony:  This is another type of cut pile variety wherein the yarn produced has two or more fibers twisted. The Saxony variety may be used in casual as well as formal areas of your home. The durability of Saxony is not as good as Frieze.

Plush:  This is another cut pile variety that has a velvety soft, smooth surface.  These are to be used in the classy areas of your home to give it a rich and stylish look. The Plush variety is the ideal choice for living rooms, bedrooms etc.

When cut pile and loop pile are combined together, it is known as cut and loop pile carpets.  These come in attractive designs and color combinations. The level loop pile is by far the most popular type for its long life, and anti-marks resistance. Loops of yarn are weaved from both sides in the level loop pile carpet. Maintenance is easy with this type of carpet.

The Berber variety has wool or nylon fibers woven into yarn making it thick.  The Berber variety is quite durable and is a great choice for casual areas of the home.

Multi-level loop pile carpet has loops in various levels of height thereby providing an eye-catching design. Durability of the Multi-level loops is quite good.

Whatever type of carpet you prefer for your home, DirectBuy has a fantastic selection for you to choose from. You’ll find brand-name, top-quality carpet at prices up to 50% off retail.

From ancient times, intricately designed handmade carpets used to be woven in the Sub-Continent and the Middle East. Machine-made carpets from the Western countries later gained popularity. Carpets are available today in a wide array of textures, sizes, colors and designs.

Selection of different carpets based on shapes and sizes can be quite mind-boggling. The wall-to-wall variety of carpets encompasses the complete area of a room floor. This helps to cover up any marks or stains on the floor and also helps in room insulation.

Then there are other types of smaller carpets such as carpet runners, area rugs, carpet squares, scatter rugs, etc.  Each one of these has its own utility.  Carpet runners are commonly found in long corridors or hallways. Area rugs are easily movable and come in attractive designs. Scatter rugs are mostly used either at the entrance of the door, washroom door or beneath the kitchen sink.

The decision to purchase carpet should be made after a lot of thought on its utility. Maintenance and cleaning factors should also be considered before buying. The type of fiber used whether it is wool or synthetic fiber ought to be checked.  Other factors such as budget, design, color and texture should also be taken into account.

DirectBuy carries a wide range of beautiful carpet for your home at prices up to 50% off retail. Discover the service, selection and style at your local DirectBuy Showroom for top-quality, brand name carpets.

Subway tile provides a great option for creating a vintage look in any area of your home.  As its name suggests, the rectangular tile got its name from being the primary format used in the construction of subway systems.

Subway tiles work well with many style formats such as classic, retro, modern, etc.  The original ceramic subway tile had a flat glazed surface with square edges and normally measured 3” x 6”.  Today, the subway tile is produced with other materials such as glass, wood, and bamboo and is available in hundreds of colors.  The surface can be now be domed and the edges more round.

Many homeowners used subway tile predominately in the bathrooms.  With the popularity of these types of tiles ever on the increase, they can now be found in many other areas of the home such as kitchen backsplashes and pool waterlines.  Bring a bit of timeless design into your home by considering subway tile for your project.

DirectBuy offers a wide selection of tile in many styles, types and sizes so you can create the look and efficiency you want in your home without spending a fortune. Save up to 50% on top quality products for your home remodeling project.

Basically an old English type of architecture, Queen Anne architecture echoes the ancient style of the Tudor era. Highly popularized in the late 19th century, the   Queen Anne style of architecture, along with the furnishings and decorations found itself in great demand in different countries around the world.

Queen Anne architecture was always used for homes that belonged to the elite and affluent people and these homes and mansions were made with the latest technologies available then.

Though the style was basically   olden and ancient, the Queen Anne architecture did not harp on the ancient but made many innovations to modernize the buildings. This brought a new school of architecture into the limelight, with plenty of modernizations yet keeping the original style intact.

Key Elements of Queen Anne Architecture

Basically all the Queen Anne homes have a very different kind of roofing on them. Highly pitched and irregular, the roofs also have a chimney that has a bold brick paneling. They usually have an embedded tower in the corner with a conical roof and spindle on the blank wall with paneling done on it. The Queen Anne homes are known for their decorative balconies as well.

Another important element in the Queen Anne architecture is that an array of different materials are used for the exterior. Materials like timber, decorative stones and pebbles, and masonry work, are extensively used. Windows are not built in a uniform style and so multiple styles of windows are found in Queen Anne architectural homes.

The Queen Anne architecture gives much importance to interior decoration and so a large variety of ornamental architectural elements are used, which include turrets shaped either square or round, bays overhanging and  colonnades.

Queen Anne homes have their main entrance that may be offset from the main frontal area or may be found in the center of the building. The Queen Anne homes were a sheer exhibition of wealth as people were then motivated by the extravagance of the neo rich industrialists. Queen Anne homes generally had furniture that was typically categorized as Queen Anne furniture.

The Queen Anne homes were considered as having an extremely romantic and feminine style, even though their flamboyance was typically masculine. These homes were popularized in the machine age when England was in the process of becoming industrialized.

Queen Anne architecture has been carried down the ages and the various innovations have made them look rather different to what they started out as. Another reason for this difference is that there have been influences as years passed by with variations and deviations from the original British style and various styles like the American Queen Anne Style and the Australian Queen Anne Style have since then emerged.

Though Queen Anne homes were extremely popular in America, Australia and the UK, these proved to be quite expensive to maintain and this led to their downfall. Some of the Queen Anne architectural buildings now are being converted to commercial spaces like hotels, offices and the like. Nevertheless, there are many Queen Anne architectural buildings still in America that pose as some of the most important heritage landmarks in the country.

Whatever your style in architectural design and furniture for the interior of your home, DirectBuy offers a wide range of styles. You can find Queen Anne furniture and other styles to decorate your home in the fashion you prefer, regardless of the exterior architecture of your home.

Since most storage chests are named according to the items they store, tableware storage chests too are so called because of the fact that they are compatible for storing tableware such as plates, cutlery, crockery, trays dessert bowls, silverware and flatware.

Most tableware storage chests come with compartmentalized drawers that can easily store cutlery of various sizes, dessert spoons, soup spoons, fruit forks, tablespoons and teaspoons. Tableware storage chests often have brass handles to add to the richness of the wood. Oak and cherry are two popular woods used for many storage chests.

Storage chests for your dining room lend a sophisticated air to your home while providing a great storage solution that protects your fine silver, every day flatware and other important items for your table.

Depending on your storage needs, there are many different type, styles and sized of storage chests to house whatever items you need. Some of these flatware storage chests also provide compartments for storing linen and dining towels, table mats and napkins to make it more convenient to store as well as keep them handy when you have guests.

Whatever you need to make your home more livable, stylish and efficient, you’ll find top quality products at DirectBuy and prices up to 50% off retail.

One piece of furniture that gives every dining room or kitchen a chic look is a wine rack. The wine rack helps to keep your collection of wines handy and accessible whenever needed.

Having a display of the wine collection enhances the sophistication and adds practicality to the dining room, or wherever you choose to place yours. A wine rack may also come with storage space for glasses, napkins, and linens.

Most wine racks are made of strong wood, though some of the latest varieties come in a number of man-made materials like fiber. Wrought iron, stainless steel and other metals are also quite popular today.

You’ll find a wide variety of designs that will fit into any type of décor you prefer. Though wine racks are very trendy right now, they’ve been around for many years. With the convenience and style wine racks add to your home, they’ll be around for many more years to come.

DirectBuy offers a wide selection of furniture and accent furniture for your dining room, living room, bedrooms and more – all at prices up to 50% off retail.

Giving the home a complete makeover adds to the beauty and decreases any maintenance work that might arise. After years of use, it’s something you can’t avoid if you want to protect the value of your home. Remodeling your home has a price tag; nevertheless, getting your home remodeled is a long-term investment that adds immediate value to your property.

A large number of companies offer consultant services to remodel your home. Some of these companies also offer the materials and the expertise in the form of their workforce, apart from consulting services. Home remodeling companies are experienced in the processes and can guide you in making choices that will be right for your budget and the final outcome.

Most of these companies offer the services of designers, architects, builders and contractors who are experienced and knowledgeable in their areas of expertise. Though hiring these professionals may seem expensive up front, the money they can save you in the long run will be well worth the expense. Without proper guidance, you can run into money guzzling situations that could have been avoided with expert advice.

When you’re ready to take on the remodeling process, do plenty of research to find a home remodeling company that has a good reputation for delivering the services they promise. Ask for references and check them out. Get your estimates in writing. Although certain unavoidable obstacles and delays may arise, be sure you have a good idea of the time frame for completing the project.

Remodeling your home is a big undertaking, but the outcome will be well worth it – especially if you plan ahead and get the professional help you need for a job well done.

DirectBuy has everything you need to remodel and refurnish your home and help you save up to 50% on top-quality products from leading manufacturers and their authorized suppliers.

A house once built needs maintenance and care to keep it looking new and beautiful. Though building a house is an expensive affair, maintaining it and remodeling it from time to time can also be expensive. But whatever expenses are incurred in remodeling and maintenance, it will prove to be beneficial in the long run.

Remodeling a home often becomes necessary when children grow and need independence and privacy. Sometimes remodeling is necessitated by the arrival of a new member in the family. Whatever the reason, remodeling the home is definitely a good idea after years of use.

Home remodeling not only helps to identify any malfunctions in the electrical and plumbing processes, it also enhances the beauty and quality of the home. Remodeling your home gives you a new feeling of ownership and pride when you get those worn out appliances replaced with new energy-efficient models, fresh coats of paint on the walls, worn out flooring replaced and a kitchen and bathroom update. After years of service, there comes a time when things simply need to be updated.

DirectBuy is your number one source for all your home remodeling needs. Not only will you find great hardwood, carpet or tile, you’ll find furniture for every room in your home, window treatments, outdoor accessories and more – all at prices up to 50% off retail. So remodeling can be less expensive than you may realize when you shop with DirectBuy.

Natural Stone comes in a variety of finishes so you can get the look you want for various areas of your home. Or you can choose one type and use it throughout your home. Natural stone works well for many applications such as walls, showers, pool surrounds and more.

When choosing your finish for natural stone, look for these types in making your selection:

Honed Natural Stone
This type of natural stone flooring is the first choice for any kind of flooring. It is not very glossy to look at, which is its most important characteristic. In areas with high traffic, this kind of natural stone flooring is more likely to hold up well against wear and tear. Its rough surface provides traction even though it is porous in nature. Unlike the polished type of natural stone flooring, the honed natural stone flooring has a dull and flat exterior.

Polished Natural Stone
Extremely glossy and highly durable, the polished natural stone flooring enhances the bright ambience of the room. The highlight of the polished natural stone flooring is its radiant color, making the room look bright and luminous.  Being highly resistant to moisture, the surface can be rather slippery when wet.  Used primarily on countertops and on the walls, the polished stone surface has a heavy sheen but you need to manipulate the stone floor to bring out the sheen.

Flamed Natural Stone
Manufactured under extremely hot conditions, the flamed natural stone tile is quite popular among homeowners. A surface with a distinctive texture is formed when the natural crystals are exposed to very high temperatures. Even though it is porous, the flamed natural stone tile offers a firm grip making it slip resistant.

Tumbled Natural Stone
The tumbled natural stone is widely used to get a classic and weathered appearance. Various types of natural stones are tumbled to create a rough texture and a worn out look on the surface. Marble, limestone and granite are the typical examples of natural stones used to generate a tumbled finish.

Sand Blasted Natural Stone
Sandblasted natural stone tiles are characterized by a somewhat glossy finish and an extremely textured surface. A sandblasted natural stone is also generally used to engrave images and create designs on the natural stone tiles.

Sawn Natural Stone
The Sawn tiles can be used in combination with techniques like sandblasting or honing   to manufacture natural stone tiles. The unique surface of the Sawn natural stone tile is formed by the use of a gang saw. It has an advantage over other type of tiles as it   has a natural and more common look and is mostly considered the vintage style tile.

When you’re ready for natural stone and other types of tile for your home building or home remodeling project, check out the great savings at DirectBuy at prices up to 50% off retail.

Stone tiles make for extremely reliable and durable home flooring. Whenever it comes to choosing flooring for a room or a bathroom, most proud homeowners opt for stone flooring, considering the fact that it requires less maintenance and is more practical to use. There are at least six types of natural stone flooring that are extremely popular, though each of them might have their own pros and cons.

Though all types of natural stone tiles are extremely popular and are in great demand, manufacturers have now created various types of natural stone tiles by combining two or more of the different techniques.

Most homeowners prefer different tiles for their different rooms and also prefer to use different types for their interiors and exteriors. Specifications like color, size, design, and materials also differ nowadays. You can also get custom made natural stone tiles to match your decor and your personal needs.

Look for more information on types of natural stone flooring in Part II.

For beautiful tile flooring of all types, including natural stone, see what DirectBuy has to offer at prices up to 50% off retail.

The selection of a chandelier that will work well in your home primarily depends on where and how you plan to use the light in your room. Nevertheless, it is good to consider some of the facts before you actually buy and install a chandelier.

Basically, the first thing you need to consider is the size of the chandelier and the size of the room. It should be just right for the room it is to be installed in. The chandelier should be of a size that is in proportion to that of the room.  A small chandelier in a big room would look lost and a big chandelier in a small room would make the room look suffocating.

When selecting a chandelier for the dining room, you must always ensure that the chandelier not only suits the room but also that the size suits the diameter of the dining room. It should be at least 12 inches less than the width of the dining table.

Crystal chandeliers require you to keep in mind more specifications for their installations and maintaining a crystal chandelier in perfect condition is extremely important.

Proper lighting is very important to get the right ambiance for any room. Installing dimmer switches so you can control the brightness at various times of the day will ensure that you can set the right mood for any occasion.

DirectBuy offers many beauitful lighting solutions for your home, including chandeliers and most any other type you can think of. At manufacturer-direct wholesale prices, you can afford the lighting you want for your home.

Chandeliers come in various types and shapes. The commonly used type of chandelier is the one made of glass or crystal. The Murano glass chandeliers are especially popular the world over. Contemporary in style, the Murano glass chandeliers usually come in vibrant colors adding radiance and elegance to the room. But with ethnic décor gaining in popularity, a large number of materials are used to bring in the feel of ethnicity into the room and home.

For a rustic feel, the antler chandeliers are a great choice. Antler chandeliers provide a natural color and rustic shapes to the chandelier. Stained glass chandeliers provide a touch of Moroccan culture. Some of the latest varieties of chandeliers are made of materials like fiber and plastic. Fiber optic chandeliers are very contemporary in style and come in designs that help to enhance the ambience of the interior and exterior of your home.

Beautiful chandeliers have adorned homes of the rich and famous for centuries, but today’s options in chandelier lighting are much more varied and affordable than ever before. If you want a touch of romance or a touch of casual elegance. Consider adding a chandelier to your lighting plan.

DirectBuy carries a great variety of lighting for your home. Both indoor lighting solutions and outdoor lighting are availabe in many different styles to keep your world a little brighter.

When you are considering new living room furniture, you may want something a little different from the usual sofas and sectionals.  While a standard sofa has its positive points, you may have decided that you want something unique, something very special.

If unique and special is what you want, it is what you will have with a chaise lounge.  This piece of furniture, which was standard in most homes many generations ago, will come to life again in your modern-day home.  The chaise lounge, reminiscent of royalty in decades past, can belong to you.

There are few types of living room furniture that will give your room such a luxurious feel as a chaise lounge.  There are many different materials, as well as different styles, so you can take your own preferences and room décor into account when selecting the lounge that is the most appropriate.  What you will know for sure is that regardless of the style you choose, it will give your entire living room a sense of elegance which plain furniture simply could not provide. 

When you recline on a chaise lounge, you will also see that it is the most comfortable piece of furniture you own.  It is the ideal place to relax, take a much-deserved nap, or read a book, all in the most luxurious comfort.  You can wind down after a long day or spend a weekend afternoon with a cup of tea in total comfort.

You do not need to choose between aesthetic appeal and practical use when you decide that a chaise lounge is the one piece of living room furniture you truly need.  You will have the best of both.  It will be like having a wonderful bit of days-gone-by in your home today.

DirectBuy has a beautiful selection of various types of furniture for every room in your home - you can save up to 50% off retail prices. For all your home remodeling and home furnishing needs, discover DirectBuy’s quality and savings.

Accent furniture can be produced from many types of materials – wood, metal, plastic, laminate and other. Wood furniture is among the popular choices with the look and feel of richness in the texture and colors of different types of wood.

The most common types of wood used are Birch, Mahogany, Maple, Oak, Hickory, Pine, and Walnut.  You can choose a dark, light or medium finish regardless of what type of wood you choose to use.

There is no particular style for accent furniture. In fact, any furniture that appeals to the eye and highlights the décor of a room can be termed as Accent furniture. The choice of what you select to accent your home décor with is based entirely on your personal taste and preference. That’s what makes a room look like yours and no one elses – the way you put it all together to suit your own personal style.

Many people love the traditional styles - especially the exotic and oriental traditional designs. Ceramic is also used in small décor items like vases and wall hanging platters, which increase the oriental look of the room.

DirectBuy has a beautiful selection of furniture to make your home exactly what you want it to be in any style that suits your taste – all at great savings below retail prices.

Accent furniture ranging from handmade sofa cushions to elaborately designed wooden and metal lampshades are available today. Using your imagination and creativity, you can employ innovative ideas to give your home a stylishly unique ambiance. Traditional or modern in style, accent furniture adds style to any room.

Whether it is curio cabinets or multi-functional tables, accent furniture adds character throughout your home. Accent furniture includes sofas and couches, cupboards, bedroom furniture, different types of tables, dressers, wardrobes, showcases and more. Accent chairs also come in a wide variety of styles for indoors and outdoors.

Accent pieces and decorative items like vases, curios, and clocks complement your décor and add a layer of sophistication to your design. Grandfather clocks make an exceptional addition to your home. Some models of these floor clocks have storage space in the lower area which can be used to store little items like DVDs, magazines, books, keys, etc. 

Depending on your personal preferences, there are many pieces of accent furniture to give your décor the finishing touch that provides a welcoming element and, most of all, expresses your own personality.

DirectBuy can help you design and furnish your home in whatever fashion suits your taste and lifestyle. Discover accent furniture items as well as bedroom furniture, living room furniture, dining room furniture, kitchen furniture and more – all at great savings of up to 50% off retail.

There are several ways to keep the electrically operated kitchen equipment and small appliances in good working condition.  It calls for a little bit of time and attention that will pay off in the long run.

Electrically operated blenders, mixers, toasters and other small appliances should be cleaned after each use. This will prevent the buildup of food particles which can clog motors and cause fires in toasters.

Refrigerators and deep freezers should be set at recommended temperatures to avoid food spoilage if set too low or freezing if set too high. Besides, there’s no reason to waste precious energy. With the right settings, your refrigerator and freezer will last longer too.

Another area which requires more attention is the sink and waste water drainage tube.  The sink should always be cleaned using a good sink cleaner.  Moist areas around the sink are the breeding ground of germs and bacteria.  Imagine your kitchen to be a breeding ground of these dangerous uninvited guests right under your nose!  It might even affect the general health of your family, especially of tiny toddlers.

Often overlooked, these simple tasks can make a big difference in the cleanliness and overall atmosphere of your kitchen.

DirectBuy carries a wide range of small appliances as well as refrigerators, freezers, stoves and more - everything you need to make your kitchen a convenient place to prepare and serve great meals.

Kitchen maintenance and repair are two processes that are inseparable and need to be considered seriously. A well-equipped kitchen with ample storage and floor space is anybody’s dream.

We spend large amounts of money on kitchen remodeling according to our concept and taste. But proper and timely maintenance of the kitchen is required to keep it in tact and beautiful as well.

Cleanliness is the first and most important thing to be observed and put into practice in a kitchen.  Promise yourself to wash the dishes and put them away dried in their proper places before leaving the kitchen.

Spilled over juice, wine or drinks must be cleaned at once before they make ugly stains on your beautiful countertop.  Kitchen towels and wipes should be kept handy for doing so.

Remember to clean and wipe your stove after each meal has been cooked.  This will leave your gas burners or electric eyes shining like new. Once food or spills are baked on, they are much harder to remove.

Care should be taken to clean the inside of your refrigerator regularly.  Don’t hesitate to discard leftovers and items for which the expiration date has passed.

It may take a few extra minutes to take care of various kitchen tasks during and after cooking in the kitchen, but the extra time you take will save time and effort in the future.

DirectBuy offers a wide variety of products for your kitchen to keep it looking like new. If you’re in the mood to remodel your kitchen, you’ll find top-quality products at manufacturer-direct prices to help you create the kitchen of your dreams.