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February 2016
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April 2016

5 Tips on Water Damage Repair

infographic presented by ISI Building Products – building materials manufacturers

Water damage can wreak havoc in any home that it decides to hit. This is something that you might not want to deal with, but when the time comes, you have to know what to do. When the water ruins everything that it touches, including the home that you’re living in, then you’re going to have a problem when the time comes. There are many ways to go about removing the water and moisture from the home and the air so you can get back on track to living.

  1. Dehumidifiers are able to provide the home with less moisture. These machines essentially pull the water from the air and collect it inside a reservoir. It will need to be dumped out, but can continue to pull the water around it, inside it.
  2. Using an air mover can also dry out the many items that have been water damaged. This is because the air mover works like a fan, but on a much bigger scale. You’re able to move the air around the area, and with the help of a dehumidifier, the room can feel much more dryer.
  3. Water damage restoration can be done through professionals, though they might charge a bit more than you’d like to pay, depending on your budget.
  4. Removing the soaked and damaged items from the area can help with the cleaning up, and drying out of the area. You want to ensure that everything that has been ruined is properly disposed of so the foundation of the home can be worked on next.
  5. The small cracks, breaks and other areas of the home that became wet should be cleaned out and dried completely to ensure that this water does not seep into any other areas of the foundation, and cause further problems and damage to the home.

For more information about water damage restoration, contact Aer Industries for both residential and wholesale sales.

partnered post • CC-licensed image by Jo Naylor


Symbolic Meaning of Color in Native American Design

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Note: this is a partnered post and consideration was received for its publication. CC-licensed image by Al_HikesAZ.

Since Native American textiles and pattern design are a strong influence on Prairie and American Craftsman design, we thought you might enjoy this:

If you are looking to do a design project in your home, you may be considering doing a Native American theme. For several years this type of décor has been in great demand but oddly, many homeowners aren’t aware of the fact that many of the facets of this particular style are actually mired in symbolism. Whereas other types of décor use color as an aesthetic feature, in Native American culture color means something – it is symbolic of some deeper spiritual meaning. Before finalizing your plans to remodel one or more rooms in your home, you might like to know a little bit about what color meant to these early, and very spiritual people.

Colors Vary by Nation

Sometimes a ‘nation’ is referred to as a ‘tribe’ and this varies from region to region and among tribes as well. One thing to be aware of when designing Native American décor is that colors meant different things to different nations. Therefore, if you are using a design specific to a particular tribe, it would be important to factor in the colors you are going to use. Dream catchers are an example of a craft you might want to undertake yourself, but if parts of the room are done in Cherokee fashion, for example, you would want to pay special attention to colors they found sacred.

To the Hopi tribe, the color blue signified the most sacred of all colors so that might be something you would want to use. If you are thinking of making a dream catcher, you can find an awesome guide on how to make a dream catcher by following this link. Just remember to keep colors in mind if you are looking for an authentic Native American piece of art.

The Meaning behind Some Common Colors

As mentioned, each tribe ascribes meaning to specific colors and if you are going for a particular look within one of the variants of Native American culture, you would want to ascertain that you have colors in keeping with their traditions. Even so, there are some colors that have a universal meaning. Following is a compilation of colors and the most common meanings attached to them.

  • White – death, winter
  • Black – male, night, death, disease or sickness
  • Red – blood, wounds, sunset, thunderstorms, war
  • Blue – female, moon, water, sky, sadness
  • Green – earth, summer, life, rain
  • Yellow – morning, day, sunlight

Although not all tribes (nations) attribute the exact same significance to these colors, these are the most common among the 562 tribes recognized today as genuine Native American nations.

The point in understanding colors as they pertain to specific meanings or concepts is to make sure you are creating a design that is authentic. Many tribes in today’s world believe that their way of life has been distorted because of misuse of their traditions. So that there is no misunderstanding when it comes to having respect for a culture different from our own, it is really important to pay special attention to the significance they have attached to each and every color. In so doing, you will be honoring their culture while designing a new look for your home – the best of both worlds.