The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

a HOME IMPROVEMENT Bathroom carpet can make the difference Remember when the perfect * bathroom had the clinical sparkle of a hospital? Well, sparkle is still important, but now it's turning up in baths designed with a little self- indulgence in mind. If you want to give your bathroom a more luxurious look, but don't want to pull out the fix- tures and start all over, why not add decorative wall-to-wall carpeting or area bathrugs? Taking their cue from the fashion world, bathrug manufacturers are showing how to make a bathroom beautiful without sacrificing comfort and practicality. Bathrugs serve two. purposes. The first is purely functional - they prevent slipping and sliding on wet Classy windows floors or having to step out of the tub onto a cold, hard surface. The second purpose is aesthetic. Bathrugs can soften the look of the room and add a bit of "'pizzazz." They allow you to change the en- tire look of your bathroom without a large investment. As consumers have begun to ask for more elegance in their bathrooms, the rules about decorating them have started to change. Patterns, both in bathrugs and towels, are gaining on traditional solid colours. As a result, the old rule that bathrugs and towels must be the same colour is being disregarded, and co-ordinating col- ours of patterned fabrics are being Complete fashions Blair Window Fashions in the Huronia Mall, Midland, opened for business in July. While the store may be new, owner Cindy Blair has over 12 years of experience work- ing with textiles and colours. Blair graduated from Georgian College with a degree in textiles and is a certified colour analyst. This allows her to work as a con- sultant for choosing colours that suit the room or decor and for mat- ching colours suited to different people by means of psychology. This is important when taking in- to consideration the decorating taste of a husband and wife. While one may be winter and the other summer with regards to colours, Blair will advise a compromise to compliment the tastes of both. Blair also notes that men today are becoming more interested in decorating. They wish to feel com- fortable in their surroundings and are accomplishing this by helping to choose the right colours and tex- tures that suit them. Blair Window Fashions handles all custom work. This includes ver- ticals, venetians, woven woods, pleated shades and roller blinds. Draperies include swags and balloons as well as bed coverings and duvets. Blair Window Fashions will come to your home and measure and will help you to decide what looks best in your home. Samples are sh own to you in your own home where you can visualize better as to how it will look. Taken into account will be what is presently in the room and any future plans you may have. The result will be expert ad- vice to tie in what you with a decorating look that can adapt to any changes you may later make. This store does not offer bargain basement prices and sells only top quality lines. Blair Window Fashions offers monthly discounts. This allows the everyday consumer to purchase top quality at prices they can afford. For anyone wishing to have their whole home decorated or redecorated Blair of- fers a packaged deal to cut down on the cost. Blair finds that the current trend is verticals but feels that this look won't last. While popular in the big cities this look is starting to be replaced with a combination of micro blinds and drapery for a much softer look. This area tends to be about five years behind the major big cities but for now ver- ticals are still popular closer to home. Blair Window Fashions is always bringing in up-to-date decorating items and this year's colours that are the most popular are rose, gray, plum, shades and blues. Blair finds that most people are really afraid of using colour when decorating. With her expert help, your home can be transformed from possibly a very neutral beige to warm and inviting with the use of colour. This makes your home more comforable and gives it an expression of yourself. How to repair tiles Q. All the tiles are coming off our bathroom wall. Can you give us some do-it-yourself ideas or tips for repairing these? A. The tiles are probably coming off the wall because the plaster or plaster board behind them has become wet and remained wet. What happends is that the plaster softens up and then the tiles just let go. First, remove the loose tiles with a broad, stiff putty knife. Then repair the plaster wall by replacing the damaged area with a new piece of water resistant plaster board or %-inch plywood. Before replacing the old tile, you'll have to remove the cement from the back of the tile. Sanding or scraping will do the job. Tips on caulking inside your bath The one area inside a house most commonly in need of caulking is around the bathtub or wash basin. Everytime the tub or basin is filled with water, it settles a little. This causes a minor separation of the tub or basin from the wall. Splashed water can then work bet- ween the tub or basin and the wall, starting the process of rot. For bathroom projects, a small hand held tube of tub and tile caulking is usually sufficient. To replace caulking, clean out the old caulking with a screwdriver or putty knife, being careful not to scratch the tub, basin or surroun- ding wall tile. Cut the tip of the 'nozzle for a moderate-size bead (or remove the cap, if so equipped) and, when the area is completely dry, push the sealant around the edge in one continuous line. Once the caulk is in place, you can wet your finger to smooth out the caulk. It is very important that all areas to be caulked be free of any soap and grease deposits or dirt. If not, the caulk won't adhere. When caulking a tub, it's a good idea to fill it with water so the caulk can penetrate the gap bet- ween the tub and wall. used to brighten up the room. Solid colours are also changing. The bathrug best-sellers are ap- pearing in many different, new and exciting shades. Textures are also coming into vogue, with manufacturers mixing different fibres and multi-coloured bathrugs is to take them out of the yarns to create a strong textured bathroom and into the rest of the house. A few already on the The most popular bathroom rugs market can be used in the are the high-pile saxonies, which bedroom as well as the bath. look like a lot of the pile carpets Bathrugs are also used to alter made for the rest of the home. the appearance of the size of the One of the current trends in room. If you have a small powder Cont'd on pg. 12 Canadian Harvest Large harvest table and bannister backside and arm chair "circa 1790" Sale Price $2,100 = ~xzessons Reg $2,573 533-2491 We build to your specifications: furniture, kitchen cabinets, etc. We're only 20 min. west of Midland. Open 6 days a week. on HURONIA MALL FREE SHOP (HUGEL & HWY. 93) AT HOME (705) 526-0500 SERVICE Shop Now While Quantities Last te y). a" Ae ¥ we Uli SAVE 20 Yo 4 5" Bed Venetians Verticals Woven Woods Pleated Shades Draperies ¢ Duvets Bedspreads Store Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9:00-5:30 Sat. 9:00-4:00 Home Improvements, September 1987, Page 11a at PP IF PPD OP FS DP aa