Experts in the hardwood flooring industry are seeing a major shift in the way consumers are now choosing their floors as color is no longer king. Texture has emerged as the new “color” when it comes to the main driving force behind wood flooring selections.

According to design experts, the prominent trend in home decor today is to bring warmth and timelessness of a bygone era to contemporary living spaces through rustic wire-brushed hardwood floors. As the heart and soul of the decor, these floors are used to convey a sense of comfort and well-being associated with a cozy home environment.

No other flooring option delivers splendour, warmth and value of natural wood. Today there are countless colours available to choose from as well as different species, each with their unique characteristics. No matter the decor style of your home - modern, contemporary, zen, rustic or urban – today's hardwood flooring manufacturers have something for every style and taste.

In the wide open spaces we find in today's contemporary homes, every centimeter counts and the floor's role is more important than ever—it is the room's focal point and the element that sets the tone. The timeless natural beauty of wood gives decors one-of-a-kind personality immersed with warmth and a signature style.

Recent improvements in the design and engineering of gas grills have transformed the art grilling. From searing and rotisserie cooking, to planking and smoking, gas grills now provide chefs with several different grilling techniques to develop flavors, textures and aromas. With a quality gas grill, the right set of features and these grilling methods, the culinary possibilities for a backyard chef are endless.

The weather is heating up and no matter whether you grill year-round, or put the grill away for the winter, it's always a good idea to clean it thoroughly once or twice a year. The grilling experts at Broil King offer some helpful advice to get your grill ready for the season:

When purchasing a new gas grill, informed shoppers usually put 'delivering fabulous flavor' at the top of their expectations list. The experts at Broil King agree with this priority and offer these quick tips to make sure you get authentic barbecue flavor every time:

Experts in the hardwood flooring industry are seeing a major shift in the way consumers are now choosing their floors as color is no longer king. Texture has emerged as the new “color” when it comes to the main driving force behind wood flooring selections.

According to design experts, the prominent trend in home decor today is to bring warmth and timelessness of a bygone era to contemporary living spaces through rustic wire-brushed hardwood floors. As the heart and soul of the decor, these floors are used to convey a sense of comfort and well-being associated with a cozy home environment.

No other flooring option delivers splendour, warmth and value of natural wood. Today there are countless colours available to choose from as well as different species, each with their unique characteristics. No matter the decor style of your home - modern, contemporary, zen, rustic or urban – today's hardwood flooring manufacturers have something for every style and taste.

In the wide open spaces we find in today's contemporary homes, every centimeter counts and the floor's role is more important than ever—it is the room's focal point and the element that sets the tone. The timeless natural beauty of wood gives decors one-of-a-kind personality immersed with warmth and a signature style.

Ingredients

Canadians and Americans love their gas grills, but some feel that grilling over gas loses some of flavor associated with charcoal and smoke. Well worry no more. There are numerous grilling planks and wood chips available (GrillPro for example has a full line of flavors), combined with the cooking power of a Broil King gas grill, backyard chefs can taste the smoky flavor of wood and cook with the convenience of gas. Tender, smoky ribs, roasts and seafood can be achieved with ease.

Choosing your grill should start with thinking about how you want to cook for family and friends. Having been in the business almost 30 years and cooked 1000's of meals, the grilling family at Broil King recommend that you ask yourself these questions before you venture to your local grill store:

(NC)—Hair dryers and styling irons are the key to creating holiday-worthy hairstyles at home, but don't forget that they are electrical appliances that should be used with caution to prevent accidents.

One thing that should be on your holiday shopping list this year is a reminder to watch for and avoid imitation products. Fake electronics and toys can be untested, uncertified, and unsafe.

As temperatures drop and the annual hibernation routine begins, we start using heating appliances such as the furnace, fireplace, and space heaters for the first time in months. To avoid potential hazards, check every autumn that these are in still in good condition and follow precautions for proper use.

Taking holiday decorating to extremes is fun. But accidents can happen, especially when using a lot of electronic decorations on the outside of the house.

Beauty, spaciousness, interior design – and every other eye-pleasing esthetic – are important when building a personal dream home. Today, however, with the reality of energy and environmental concerns, homeowners also insist that the place where they will be living for years on end must be as eco-responsible as possible.

All across North America, home builders tend to agree that the better real estate investments – for both the occupant and for future re-sale value – may be best served by a whole new approach to construction. One major change addressing energy consumption and rising fuel costs, is the optional use of an air-tight, solid concrete system to replace inefficient wood framing. Insulated concrete forms (ICFs) erect a building with an interlocking system, similar to Lego.

Did you know that energy-efficiency and environmental responsibility top the list of demands from home buyers today? Building 'green' from the ground up is a pretty tall order however, but a reliable guideline for the highest standards is available from LEED, the non-profit, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Its division, LEED for Homes, is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance houses using energy efficient construction materials. For example, some of the highest LEED rated homes and buildings use a concrete system for building walls (not wood) and it's a North American company, Nudura, leading this field. The system uses pre-assembled ICFs (insulated concrete forms), which at the construction site, lock together to erect the building like Lego. Concrete has shown to deliver a stronger, safer, healthier, and a more cost efficient house, according to Nudura at nudura.com. Furthermore, LEED reminds us that a green home will: use less energy, water and natural resources; create less waste; and be healthier and more comfortable for the occupants. The ICF method – attained on a homeowner request – has the capability of delivering up to 70 per cent energy savings as compared to traditional wood framing.

As building codes enforce tightened minimum standards for eco-responsibility, the more progressive builders are illustrating their own accountability by using and producing materials that are even more efficient than mandated.

Interior renovation projects give us the perfect chance to upgrade all aspects, including your home insulation. Wall insulation may not be as exciting as visible upgrades, but the latest products can single-handedly give you lower fuel costs with far improved air quality, comfort, and energy efficiency. In demand right now, for example, is a user-friendly method called Nudura RetroFit Insulation Technology, a system for filling foundation walls, inner and outer walls, as well as flat, or cathedral ceilings. This do-it-yourself product is a shiplap system of expanded polystyrene (EPS), which allows large 4 X 8 foot sheets of foam to be installed without any gaps for air leakage. Take a look in the home owner section of www.nudura.com. Made from recyclable material, it is easy to cut, easy to install, and the performance value is up to R-14. Drywall can then be attached directly to the embedded fastening strip allowing the electrical wiring to be easily run.

If you like the taste of whisky when socializing but don't want to risk impairment, take a look at the world's first alcohol-free, whisky-flavored drink. Called ArKay, it has the appearance, taste, and aroma of traditional whisky – but with zero alcohol and zero calories – and just like any shot, it is popular for drinking straight-up, on the rocks, with your favourite mixers, or blended in a cocktail. At www.arkaybeverages.com, recipes in the Cocktail section include ingredients like various sodas, juices, coffee, cream, and spices. For example, if you would like to make an alcohol-free punch, try the Arkay Wild West recipe. Stir together: 1 cup brown sugar, 1 ½ tsp whole cloves, 4 cinnamon sticks, 2 qts cranberry juice, 46 oz pineapple juice, 2 cups whisky-flavored ArKay, plus 4 ½ cups water. It's just one of many taste-treats posted on the site.

Alcohol has its place in society but not behind the wheel – and not at all if you're the designated driver, responsible adults agree. For university students and baby boomers alike, just one drink of alcohol can impair the senses to a degree, and just one seems to lead too easily to another.

If you like the taste of whisky when socializing but don't want the alcohol, or the calories, take a look at the world's first, alcohol-free whisky-flavored drink.

Outside is below freezing and the heater is working overtime, but throughout the house there are cold, drafty areas. Does this sound familiar?

If you are in the midst of renovating or building your home, it is likely you have heard the term R-Value being thrown around. Understanding what it means and its importance is the real test.

Homeowners continue to seek creative ways to reduce monthly expenses while being more environmentally conscious. Knowing where your money is being spent gives you a better understanding of how and where to make efficiencies.

Specialists in the industry suggest that any homeowner planning to renovate, should not be too hasty in applying the 'cosmetics' of a renovation without investigating the home's insides first.

Moisture build up can increase the probability of mold growth. For homeowners, mold growth can lead to poor indoor air quality and worse.

January and February are typically considered the coldest months in the Northwest, Northeast and Midwest United States. It can be tough for homeowners trying to bear the cold without running up heating costs. Yet with some planning and investment, we can avoid the winter chills.

Color has the power to transform any room in the home. Experimenting with color can be one of the most fun aspects of decorating and design, although it can sometimes lead to second thoughts. When that happens, Valspar Paint experts tell us to first allow a couple of days to go from varying degrees of doubt, to falling in love with it.

When designing a home, color is one of the most powerful tools to add life to a space, says Genevieve Gorder, one of television's best known interior designers.

Are you courageous when it comes to decorating your home? Many of us would like to be as creative as possible but need guidance to venture out from the neutrals – and into something more powerfully beautiful.

Recipe gives a tantalizing taste to Grilled Vegetable Napoleons

Slow smoked chicken, ribs, and brisket are staples of the traditional American barbecue. The deep smoky flavors and fall-off-the-bone tenderness is a hallmark of the low-and-slow – a low temperature, cooked over a long time – cooking technique.

Every seasoned backyard griller has a favorite tool. It could be an oversized turner, a pair of tongs that fits their hand just right, or even just a trusty grill brush. With summer celebrations just around the corner, the grilling experts at Broil King have some original gift ideas for the barbecue enthusiast:

Housing and energy experts call the goal 'net zero'. It represents a building that has been constructed in such an energy-efficient way—with methods and materials—it is able to produce, on site, as much energy as it uses over the course of a year.

It's Open House at Richardsville Elementary School in Bowling Green, Kentucky, but this is not your usual parent-teacher event. On the faces of beaming students, it is immediately obvious that today it will be the parents that learn a thing or two.

At Richardsville Elementary school all the electricity is produced self-sufficiently. This is the result of a groundbreaking collaboration between the architects, builder, and suppliers to produce the first net-zero achievable school in the United States. This building in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is so energy efficient it is able to produce, on site, as much energy as it uses over the course of a year.

Energy-efficient construction is celebrating one more milestone. It is now possible to build a facility—perhaps even a home—that is able to produce, on site, as much energy as it uses over the course of a year.