Though the earth itself has excellent insulating properties, the natural phenomenon of heat transfer causes a lot of heat to vanish from the basement of any home, unless it has been treated to prevent that loss. Technological developments have been incorporated by the manufacturers of basement insulation materials to produce greener and hence healthier insulating materials for basements.

The walls of a finished basement should be separated from the foundation walls by a distance of one to two inches. The vapor barrier should be behind these walls. Different regions of the United States have different laid down specifications as regards to its thickness and other factors. Make yourself aware of these by talking to your building inspector to find the right match. To protect your finished areas from moisture and water seepage, vapor barriers should have a connection to your drainage system. It retards the build-up of humidity during summers, while in winters it will prevent the loss of heat.

There is a choice of vapor barriers and that includes a reflective surface vapor barrier. It sends the heat going down to the foundation walls back thru the insulation in to the basement space.

Any type of insulation on coming in direct contact with moisture and water loses its efficiency. No doubt, the reflective barrier protects the padded rigid insulation for a while but at the same time it reflects heat back through the insulation.

These reflective surface vapor barriers are instrumental in capturing the heat lost from an R-9 or R-13 rated insulation and in passing the same back to the basement. Characteristically, a reflective vapor barrier can at the most improve the R rating by 1-2%. This may not be very inviting, but it is performing the dual function of creating a last line of defense by preventing loss of heat through the foundation walls. Your finished area will be well protected, and insulation is able to use all the available heat which otherwise would get wasted. A cumulative effect of all this is helpful in bringing down your energy bills.

As per the information from the EPA and the Energy Start program, the inclusion of a vapor barrier arrangement to any project involving basement insulation would qualify for the 2009-2010 energy home improvement tax in the U.S. (under the category of “insulation”).

IRS has not yet confirmed if it would allow this addition (over and above the standard insulation as already accepted in the Tax Credit guidelines). But, you may just keep a track of the Tax Credit information to know what would finally matter towards the 2009-2010 Energy Tax Credit.

The homeowners benefit not only by way of reduced energy bills but also in getting reimbursements of the expenses incurred by them in providing a proper insulation to the basemen. Companies specializing in waterproofing of basements have provisions for providing a reflective vapor barrier. An insulating company or even a finishing contractor can help you decide on having a suitable green insulating material or standard fiberglass insulation for your basement.

Should you be contemplating a change of scene for your kitchen within a limited budget, unfinished kitchen cabinets offer the right solution. Besides being an economical solution, they offer you the flexibility of designing and giving that desired classic look you might have been looking for.

Dealers of kitchen cabinets offer unfinished kitchen cabinets as well. There is choice of the variety of wood you would like to have. These are not varnished or stained and are generally not sealed. Here, you have the freedom of choosing a cabinet design for your kitchen. You could have them in a color of your choice and you may choose a particular shade of stain or have a finish and glaze of your choice. You may like to have a light shade by simply finishing it with clear lacquer, or a light maple stain. Should you prefer to give it a darker look, you may treat it with a walnut stain or a dark paint of desired intensity.

Wood being a natural product has some distinct characteristics. Each variety has its own unique grain structure and a natural shade. An area like kitchen looks attractive with stains. One category of wood may absorb stains to a great extent while the other one may be a poor absorbent of stains. Original color and hardness of the variety of wood decides the final color it will attain after staining. It’s important to decide before hand the color that you would like to have finally. It is understandable that a light colored wood may easily be given a darker look but it is nearly impossible to get a lighter shade from a dark colored wood. Do not hesitate to try different stains on a few of the samples of unfinished wood. This will prove helpful in giving you a fairly good idea of the final look that you would desire to have.

Mahogany and hickory are darker varieties of wood. On the other hand if you wish to have a lighter shade you should try oak, pine, ash, elm and beech. Teak, rosewood and cherry would fit in the category of midway shades.

Apart from offering you the flexibility of design and shade, unfinished cabinets work out cheaper too. Being unfinished they are necessarily cheaper. Look at it this way. You can have the expensive looks of cherry or mahogany cabinets by staining the not so expensive lighter shades of wood like beech or oak. But, to get that classic look associated with those expensive categories of wood you should not try to economize on the quality of workmanship and hardware used for making of these cabinets.

You may further reduce the cost of the project if you settle to paint, stain or glaze the unfinished kitchen cabinets, as in such a case you can buy more economical types of wood. As already pointed out oak and beech are lighter shades of wood. Such a kind of wood on being stained would give the rich looks of an expensive wood like cherry or mahogany. Here again, you have to ensure a high level of workmanship and hardware.

You can procure these unfinished cabinets from a local retailer or even online. Undoubtedly they offer you the freedom of color, design and style to suit your taste and the interiors of your kitchen. You can transform your kitchen to a more lively and inviting place without really spending a fortune. Be practical and do yourself a favor by exploring the possibility of using them to your advantage.

Tags: kitchen cabinet decoration, refinishing kitchen cabinets