Compiled by: Natalie Boruvka. Article from the June 2013 issue of Garden and Home Magazine.
Refurbishing your home? Here’s a round-up of 12 of the most innovative products and finishes on offer, including some great green options
Go with the faux
Love the look of a natural cement screed floor, but don’t like the idea that this type of finish could crack, flake or have colour variations?
Available in a variety of sizes, Italtile’s Uptown range of glazed porcelain tiles is an aesthetically worthy and affordable substitute.
Visit italtile.co.za
Taking the Shine
Once almost impossible to finish, concrete can now be buffed to a gorgeous, glossy gleam thanks to AfriSam’s Polishable Concrete.
Hard-wearing, eco-friendly, low maintenance and easy to clean, it’s a great option for floors.
What’s more, you can customise the colour using Concreate Colour Juice, a range of water-based floor stains.
Visit afrisam.co.za
Luck of the Drawer
Keen on the idea of recycling, but don’t have space for several sorting bins in your kitchen?
Ninka’s One2four multi-bin range includes bins in various volumes and sizes so they can be stored in deep drawers and cupboards.
Visit eclipsegroup.co.za or call 0861 325 4773.
One for all
There’s nothing more appealing to a renovator than the term ‘all in one’.
Not only is Duram’s Direct To Metal paint a primer, undercoat, anti-rust coating and topcoat conveniently packaged in a single can, it can also be directly applied onto an array of new and rusty metal surfaces.
Visit duram.co.za or call 0800 500 222.
In a puzzle
Designed to form a pattern when they’re pieced together, WallArt 3D panels are brilliant for livening up drab walls, including those that are uneven or have imperfections like cracks. Lightweight and easy for DIY enthusiasts to install, they’re made from the fibrous residue of sugarcane and can be painted any colour. Pick from 20 different designs and use them as a striking alternative to a headboard or simply to create a unique feature wall.
Visit whatworksdesign.co.za or call 076 823 8873.
Water Works
Solar-heated, water-based underfloor heating is becoming increasingly popular. By circulating water through sunlight collectors and then storing it in a water tank, Home Comfort’s Danfoss hydronic heating system ensures a consistent supply of heated water to keep you cosy underfoot.
To eliminate the possibility of freezing, an automatic thermostat is able to deactivate the pump and drain all the water into a drain-tank. It’s an eco-friendly solution that reaps long-term cost savings.
Visit homecomfort.co.za or call 0861 114169.
Hot Savings
With electricity prices skyrocketing, a Calore pellet fireplace offers an economical alternative and could lower your electricity consumption by as much as 53 percent.
Clean burning and carbon neutral, it’s fuelled by wood pellets manufactured from sawdust and other wood wastage, has a high heat output and a low running cost.
Visit calore.co.za
An open and shut case
The clean-lined, seamless look of American Shutters’ ‘Secret Tilt’ range is right at home in contemporary interiors. Best of all as these shutters have a unique gear system hidden in the stile, there’s no tilt rod interrupting your view.
To adjust them all you have to do is tilt any one of the louvres within a set.
Visit americanshutters.co.za or call 0860 SHUTTER (748 8837).
Big Benefits
At an impressive 3 650mm x 1 250mm, it’s the dimensions of Neolith’s large porcelain slabs that make it such a versatile product.
Easily cut to size, it’s great for generous kitchen countertops and at 5mm thick, can also be applied as a mod, lightweight and almost seamless floor and wall finish. Extremely hard-wearing, stain- and temperature-resistant, it’s available in a wide range of colourfast shades.
Visit neolith.co.za
Painting the town
One of the drawbacks of painting has always been that paint smell – until now.
Plascon’s newly-formulated ‘Reduced Odour’ Velvaglo makes sure you don’t deal with those overwhelming paint smells both during and after application on interior and exterior walls.
Visit plascon.co.za
You’ve been framed
Energy efficient and eco-friendly, Swartland’s Ready-2-Fit range of wooden windows and doors come pre-glazed and pre-sealed with water-based sealant, Maxicare, to ensure minimum maintenance for long-lasting beauty and durability.
The products are supplied wrapped in protective packaging which means trouble-free on-site installation that saves time, labour and money.
Visit swartland.co.za or call 0861 102 425.
Heating Up
Although heating water with gas incurs a running cost, it’s much less than electricity and unlike solar power isn’t weather dependant. Another bonus is that the hot water flow is immediate.
Experts recommend an electronically-controlled unit which adjusts the gas flow to keep the water at a set temperature, helping to save fuel. These units can also work with a solar-heating system; the gas will kick in as soon as the temperature drops.
Visit gaswaterheater.co.za or call 011 791 3622.
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