Wallpaper Is Back … But Why?
PREPARING YOUR A/C
UNIT FOR SUMMER
For many people around the country, April is the first month when they might turn on their air conditioning unit. Even if it’s still chilly where you are, summer is right around the corner, so you need to make sure your A/C unit is ready to tackle the summer heat. A central air conditioner has an indoor air handler and an outdoor compressor. The compressor is where you want to spend your time cleaning and maintaining. More than likely, you didn’t use your air conditioner during the cooler winter months, so you’ll need to do a few things to ensure your unit is in peak condition before turning it on. Before doing any work on your unit, make sure you turn off the circuit breaker. You’ll need to turn off the power to the condenser at the service panel, but most condensers also have a weatherproof disconnect box that you need to power down. Once your unit is powered down, you can begin cleaning and replacing your furnace or air-handler filters. Ideally, you should do this twice a year. If you fail to change or clean these filters, restricted air flow will reduce the efficiency of your unit. In addition to cleaning your filter, you also need to clean the condenser coils. If your unit was uncovered during the winter, leaves and other debris likely found their way inside the coils. Make sure the fan is clear before moving inside the box to check if the coils are clogged. If they are, clean them with a soft brush and use a vacuum to clean the coils from the inside. Once you’ve cleared away all the debris and excess water, check the coolant lines. These lines are usually covered with foam insulation that can fray and crack. If they’re damaged, replace them with new foam insulation sleeves. Your unit should now be ready for a test, and if everything runs well, your air conditioner should be ready to take on the summer heat. Anyone can clean and complete simple maintenance, but if the system still doesn’t work properly, call in a professional to investigate and handle further repairs.
Wallpaper is one style of home decor that you either love or hate. It was extremely popular in the 1930s and grew in popularity throughout the 1950s and ’60s. While wallpaper was still being put in homes during the ’70s, its popularity had peaked, and people began turning toward more minimalistic means to decorate their walls. The 1980s saw paint and paneling become more popular, and paint became the dominating force in wall design during the ’90s. Not only did wallpaper fall out of style due to new ideas in interior design, but it was also a pain to install and remove. For years, it seemed rare to walk into someone’s home and see wallpaper. But over the last few years, it’s become much more common. This has led many people to wonder why wallpaper has returned and if it is here to stay. Over the last decade, DIY and home improvement shows have taken the world by storm. Some of the shows would use minimalistic wallpaper when designing a room, but as time progressed, more and more home improvement shows had their hosts applying wallpaper. The designs they chose were more modern, making viewers envision similar designs in their own homes. Additionally, traditional wallpaper manufacturers heard the feedback regarding the difficulty of installing and removing wallpaper. They addressed the issues by creating wallpapers that were easier to apply and didn’t need excessive amounts of glue. Producers also explained the environmental advantages of wallpaper, which piqued the interest of environmentally conscious individuals. Wallpaper sales have been rising over the past few years and don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. One study estimates that the global market for digitally printed wallpaper will reach $7.5 billion by 2026. It sat at $2 billion in 2017 with most sales taking place in Europe and Asia. Only time will tell if Americans continue to get back behind the wallpaper trend.
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