Three Climate Considerations When Selecting A Door

Article submitted by: Home Furniture Trends

1. You Live in a Desert. Hot days, cold nights. Lots of direct sunlight. These conditions can create mayhem for wooden doors.  If you insist upon using natural wood (which is entirely understandable), be sure to remember the following things:  (a) seal and finish your door, and restain annually.  It seems excessive, but the natural wood of your door is in a perpetual state of expansion and contraction when you live in a desert climate.  To ensure your door keeps its shape, the seal and finish are integral.  If you’re open to other options, you can look towards fiberglass doors as a beautiful alternative.  Many manufacturers are creating improved versions of the wood grain that will nearly mimic the look and feel of natural wood.  For the most part, you will also be able to stain or paint the door to your liking, making it even easier to create the entryway of your dreams.
2. You live in the PNW (Pacific Northwest).  Ahh, the Pacific Northwest, land of the trees.  And we know why they grow so well, many of the major cities are in technical rainforest conditions.  And if it isn’t rainy, it is often moist enough to feel like it could start raining at any moment.  For exterior doors in cities like Seattle and Portland, coverage is probably the first consideration.  Your awning or roof should cover the door, so as to prevent direct rainfall from the door’s surface.  Like your desert friends above, you’ll be all the better for re-staining or sealing your natural wood door each year.  Since the temperatures remain moderate for most of the year, an aluminum door is a great way to keep up with your cities modern eclectic vibe, without sacrificing an insulation factor.
3. You in the Midwest or East Coast (northern).  You have all four seasons, you lucky people you! But on the other hand, this means your home has to be prepared for four distinct climates, often changing at the drop of a hand.  Not to fear, your homes do well with all types of doors, but the rules as discussed in the other two climates will apply, just in less drastic measure.  For example, you should keep your wood door under a covering, reseal each year, and also consider a fiberglass door if you’re concerned about the ongoing maintenance of a wood door.  Aluminum or steel doors are also incredibly functional in your world, but since your winters are proper snowy ones, make sure your metal doors are manufactured with a thermal break to keep the cold (or heat) outside of your home.

 

How You Can Use Social Media to Grow Your Interior Design Business

Summary: The development of social media has fundamentally changed how people communicate and interact with one another. Getting familiar with social media can help you grow your business.

Building a business is challenging but so is marketing one. How you advertise your business and get the word out there is important, because this is how you can connect with potential investors, customers, sponsors, and so forth. Establishing an online presence can be a helpful way of spreading the word about your company and driving profits. There are strategies you can use to increase how effective your online marketing efforts are.

Do Not Spread Yourself Too Thin

It seems like there are new social media services popping up regularly. There are dozens upon dozens of ways one can get in touch with another. If you want to talk about something you found at The Foam Factory you do not need to make a post on every service you can find. Look for popular services you can join and think about what you would use each one for. Spreading yourself too thin can make it tough to keep up with everyone on every service. It is better to use one well than a dozen poorly.

Regular Interactions

Expanding on the topic of using social media wisely, you should try to stay fairly active on the services you use. If the goal of your social media presence is to increase traffic to your business, then make sure your accounts do not get neglected for too long. If you make a post about a patio cushion and wait over a month to respond to replies, it will be tough to build a loyal community who cares about what you do