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C2 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesdsay April 19, 2000 Homes & Gardens If it's spring it m ust be tim e to ... P A I 1X1T L ike it or not, first impressions have a lasting effect. So with the warm weather here, why not take your spring cleaning outside, and spruce up your home's exterior? With little effort and a minimal budget, creative painting tech niques can do the trick, says PARA Paints. "Most people work on beautifying the interior of their homes before touching the outside, yet the exterior is the first part of a house that people see," Kevin Skelly, marketing services manager at PARA Paints, explains. "For very little cost, home owners can apply the same colour planning and similar faux finishing techniques to the outside of their homes as they use on the inside and, they will not only see a dramatic change, but will increase their property's market value as well." Even simply applying a fresh coat of paint or stain to doors, window frames, trim, eavestroughs, siding, railings, decks, and porches will make a big difference, Skelly says. Popular exterior colours this season include reds, tangerines and rusts, greens, blues and aquas, and brown, camel colours and tans. Classic exterior colours -- always in style -- include whites, burgundy, navy and forest green. `T o select colours, it is important to study your home's surroundings and select paints that blend in," Skelly adds. "Are there trees or water nearby? W hat's the look of the landscaping? What colour is the roof, brick, and siding of your house, as well as those of your neighbours?" To give your home extra special curbside appeal this season, PARA also suggests trying out these faux finishing techniques: · Concrete staining. Use a colour wash to cre ate faint colour -- yellows, reds, blues, or alter nating colours -- on the concrete stones around your home. · "Mock" stones. Turn the concrete on your porch or patio into "imitation" interlocking stones by applying a combination of sponging and smooshing (applying a plastic sheet to wet paint and crinkling for a wrinkled, leather finish), and then painting between cardboard "stone" stencils to create mortar lines. · Woodgraining. Transform your bland garage door into a new, "wooden" one without straining your pocketbook. Simply apply a fresh coat of paint and use woodgraining tools, combs, coarse nylon scrubbers or dry brushes to simulate woodgrain patterns. Other important exterior painting tips to remember: · Make sure the surface to be painted is well prepared. Even the highest quality paint will not last if the underlying surface is not prepared prop erly. Before getting started, clean the area to be painted. Any loose debris from deteriorating sur faces that are peeling, flaking or coated with rust must be removed using a scraper, putty knife or wire brush. Holes, cracks and seams should be filled with an acrylic-based caulking and allowed to dry. · Choose a primer that's right for the job. Once the preparation is done, it's important to choose the correct primer for the surface. Some primers are formulated to seal porous or chalky surfaces, some have anti-rust or corrosion inhibitors to cover steel or iron (useful for railings), and others contain fungicides to control the growth of surface mildew. Surface stains caused by nail heads, cop per, wood knots, or water, can be prevented from bleeding through to a top coat by choosing a specially-designed stain blocking primer. · Use high-quality, latex paints. 100% acrylic latex paint is recommended for most exterior sur faces, whether they have been previously painted with an alkyd or latex paint. Gloss finishes are also suggested for exterior painting since they are durable, easy to clean, and resistant to chalking, peeling, and blistering. · Plan your attack. It is best to work from the top down, starting with fascia boards, gutters and eaves, and then tackling walls and downspouts. Similarly, railings around a porch should be paint ed first, stairs last. For doors, start with the door jambs and easing, then paint the panels and cross boards, and finish with the outer vertical boards, leaving the door open to dry. F o r m in im a l cost, h o m e o w n e rs ca n sp ruce u p th e ir h o m e 's e x te rio r b y c re a tiv e ly p a in tin g doors, porches, ra ilin g s a n d m o re as the o w n e rs o f this house h a ve done. Great Seasonal Cut HONDA. Power Equipment Dependable and powerful Honda GCV160 5.5 hp overhead cam engine Heavy duty 21" steel deck, side and rear discharge models Durable, large capacity grass bags are standard on rear discharge models Folding control handles (or easy storage/transport Operator-friendly controls Operator safety with zone start and automatic shut-off Versatile, mulching, bagging or side discharge capabilities Dependable and powerful Honda quality at an affordable price Don't get fleeced by movers who come cheap The man at the door says he'll repair your sagging verandah for only $350. The offer over the telephone sounds great - only $25 for a full furnace and heating system inspec tion. You need a mover fast; you call the first one advertised in the tele phone directory and are offered immediate service at a great price. All three of the services offered may be well perfomied by respect ed businesses. "But there is always the chance they might be scam artists, so we advise consumers always to compare prices and check references," says Marilyn Gurevsky, a manager with the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations. To help consumers keep pace with today's marketplace, the min istry offers some examples of recent scams in common services and advice on how to avoid them. M o ve rs CURRENT POWER MACHINERY INC. 1661 Lakeshore Rd.W. Mississauga (2 block east of Southdown Rd. in Clarkson) S Q 3 9 A944 The moving business has tradi tionally attracted some scam artists, who take advantage of people's vulnerability when shipping their most prized possessions. In a case pursued by the min istry, clients of AAAAA Budget Movers of Toronto, which adver tised long-distance moving and storage services in telephone direc tories across Canada, testified the company had damaged, destroyed or disappeared with clients' proper ty and attempted to intimidate them into paying outrageous fees for its return. As part of the overall sen tence, the company principal was given a jail term under the business Practices Act. Gurevsky recommends doing a lot of homework before choosing a moving company. "Seek advice from other people, including neigh bours, family members or co-work ers," she says. She advises asking for a specific personal reference if possible, and making sure the com pany hasn't changed hands since the person who gave the reference dealt with them. If in doubt, call the ministry's Companies Branch at 416-3148880 or toll-free 1-800-361-3223 for information about how to con duct a company search. Take the time to have it performed. Check whether consumer help organizations - the ministry's General Inquiry Unit at 416-3268555 or toll-free 1-800-268-1142 and your local Better Business Bureau - have complaints against the firm. Also, ask the Chamber of Commerce what they know about the company's reputation and histo ry. Gurevsky says: "When dealing with your personal possessions, it's not unreasonable to demand to see the mover's facility before you make a decision. Look around, and if you see a lot of unattended per sonal property or equipment that is poorly kept or secured, you may want to take your business else where." When you've narrowed the field to a few companies, call for esti mates. A household mover should always come to your home to inspect the articles to be moved before providing a quote. The quote must be in writing and should set out any special needs, who is to perform the packing and what the insurance will include. A common ruse of the scam artist is to intentionally underquote a moving job, then demand addi tional payment before returning the client's possessions. The best course of action is to ask for quotes from several different firms. o >0 1 1 B e A 'W in n er Watch for the Spring Home 6- Garden Feature Insert in Friday' s OakviRe J Beaverfor your chance to WIN A BRAND NEW BARBECUE (approx. value $500) Designs depend on needs of individual clients (Continued from page C1) Nitti said each client has a "wish list" and then she sits down with them to discuss what's possible. "Some clients may envision a large entertainment area, or having smaller `garden' rooms in their landscape to provide a natural setting to sooth the soul," said Nitti. "It is this combi nation that makes a landscape design/installation come to Ingredients Rinse fish & pat dry. Combine limejuice, ol, sugar, ginger, and soy sauce in a I 1 salmon fillet, about 21bs, large heavy-duty plastic food bag. Add salmon &pineapple & seal bag securely; cut about 1" thick Rotate hag to distribute marinade & place in a shallow pan. Refrigerate for at r . least 30 mmutes or up to 1 hour, turning bag once, juice &Oriental seume oipHleanwhik, toast sesame seeds in a small frying pan over medum heat shak1tablespoon eadibiwvn mg pan often, until golden (about 3 minutes). Remove from pan & set aside. sugir,mi(Hl fresh gnger, Remove fish it pineapple from bag&drain, discarding marinade. Lay fish, I &swsauee skm side sow ^« a piece of heavy duty foiL Cut foil to followoutline of fish, 1nied szepineapple. leaving a l-to-2 inch border. Crimp edges of foil to fit against fish. Arrange foflpee uita w .v ! supported fish 4cpineappk on cooking grate. Place lid on grifl. Cook, turning 6 shoes, fit cored pineapple onoe hatfwaythrou^i cooking time, until pineapple is browned & 1 tea`p » n sesame seeds fish is opaque but sti moist in thickest part (about 10 min.; cut fish to test). 1 tablespoon sliced green Supporting fish with foilfe a wide metal spatula, transfer to a platter along with fruit Sprinkle fish & fruit with sesame seeds & anion. Garnish with time Lime wedges wedges. Season to taste with suit Salt o r-e , fo -sd h s i| 1 ip HfSF i pw^ M i ' & ' Wm $ .. life." So what does a custom-landscape design cost? According to Nitti, it depends on the complexity of the client's needs. "Our design/installation presentation is set up so the client can choose to implement the design all at once or they may choose to install their landscape in stages," she said. New trends? How about ornamental grasses, secret gar dens with arbours and pergolas, water features and themed gardens. Landscape Ontario, the Horticultural Trades Association for the province, was the sponsor of the event. Its members set the standards for the highest level of landscape services, qual ity plants and products together with professional advice. Members must follow a Code of Ethics and standards of prac tice established by the industry. 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