A staircase in your home can have incredible power over the impression of the adjoining rooms. A staircase can look majestic, inviting, or it can make the entire room look more cramped and closed off. If you're thinking about home renovations and improvements, then opening up your staircase and making it more inviting is a great place to start.

But what makes a staircase inviting? What makes it enhance the beauty of downstairs rooms while beckoning to comfortable rooms upstairs? That's exactly what we're here to explore today.

Commercial property owners know the value (and requirement) of quality railings at their office properties. You need to keep your tenants safe by preventing slip and falls accidents; and you need to keep your office buildings up to code. Finally, high quality aluminum railings add an element of style and a quality finishing touch to the appearance of your building.

Brackets and corbels have been key functional elements in architectural design for hundreds of years. A bracket is defined as "an overhanging member that projects from a structure (such as a wall) and is usually designed to support a vertical load or to strengthen an angle," whereas a corbel is "an architectural member that projects from within a wall and supports a weight, especially: one that is stepped upward and outward from a vertical surface."

Wood flooring and furniture can give a room character and exceptional beauty. If you're like many homeowners, you may have a mixture of wood shades and finishes in one or more of your rooms. When this occurs, it can feel as if the different wood finishes clash, instead of pulling a room together, making the room seem overwhelming. Fortunately, by doing a few balancing tricks, you can solve this problem. Here are seven basic guidelines on how you can balance a room with several shades of wood finishes and woods.

Are you looking for a way to make your investment property safer, more attractive, more marketable, or more profitable? Here are the reasons adding a deck railing on your investment property is a way to accomplish those goals.  

The Building Code May Require a Deck Railing

The international codes for residential and commercial buildings require deck railings for decks more than 30 inches above the grade. The local building code for the municipality your property is located in may have a different standard.

For safety reasons, building codes also regulate deck features such as rail height, baluster spacing, and guardrail strength. It's important to invest in high-quality railings that meet building code standards. As a property owner, you're also responsible for seeing that the deck is installed according to the manufacturer's instructions. Low-quality materials or improper installation can expose you to liability.

Remodeling your home is a wonderful way to breathe new life into a building you already love. The cabin style is particularly cozy, with warm wood tones and the feeling of rural isolation even if you're in the middle of a city. When remodeling your interior, there are a few essential elements that create the rustic cabin style. Natural wood, exposed beams, and open family design are all part of the charm.

Exterior finishes for woodwork and architectural details are made of many materials. Some of these materials include natural untreated wood products, which are vulnerable to problems with moisture, mold and water damage. Therefore, you want to make sure that the finishes on the exterior of your home are protected from this type of damage. The following guide will help protect the exterior fixtures and finishes of your home from serious moisture and mold problems that could lead to costly repairs:

If you are going to be restoring a historic building or doing new construction in a historic downtown district, having the right finishes is important. You want the new finishes to not only be as historically correct as possible, but you also want them to meet modern building standards and local regulations. The following must-have exterior features for historic downtown buildings will help you complete your project and meet all the building standards and requirements needed:

If you need a railing in your home, whether it's to safeguard the edge of an open loft or to provide an attractive boundary around the edge of your back deck, you have a slew of different materials you could choose. However, if you compare them all side-by-side, you're going to find that aluminum is the one that is the best value for your money.

If you're planning on building a deck, one of your most important considerations is the type of railing you'll need. In additional to keeping people safe, deck railing is also attractive, especially when the right top railing color is used. Here are four factors to consider when choosing a color for a top deck railing, along with how to select a color for an interior railing.

If you have structural elements like columns made of wood or other materials that can become damaged by water and rot, it is important to test their integrity if you think there is a problem. Sometimes, the problems with the beautiful columns may not be visible on the exterior. Therefore, there are certain techniques to use to test the structural integrity of these fixtures to determine what type of repairs may be needed. The following guide will walk you through the step-by-step process of testing the structural integrity of your columns to determine what type of repairs are going to be needed: 

One of the best ways to extend the size of your home is by having an outdoor living space. Besides creating a place to relax and enjoy nature, an outdoor living area is an ideal place to entertain guests. When planning your outdoor space, it's important that it goes with your interior living area. Here are six ways to make your outdoor living space look like a natural extension of your home.

How to Choose the Right Decorative Columns for Pony Walls

Pony walls, sometimes also called half walls, are walls that don't extend from the floor to the ceiling. Sometimes you'll hear them called knee walls, but that's incorrect. Real pony walls are framed and sheathed, just like the full-height walls in your home. Usually they'll function as room dividers.

Corbels are decorative wall bracket types designed to give support to heavy weights. They serve an artistic and functional purpose, and are used in place of shelf brackets when the load to be supported is great. These are distinctive elements that come in varying shapes, designs, and sizes.

Whenever there is mention of the term "balustrade system", most people immediately think of balconies, the porch, deck, or stair railings. While it's true balustrades are commonly used in these areas, did you know that if used creatively, a balustrade system can fit almost anywhere?  Here are three areas you never thought could need balustrades, but if used would look great.

• On Garden Pathways

Many of us have started, once or twice, to consider the do-it-yourself installation of a new or replacement railing system for a home, apartment, or other residential facility. If that never turned into a definite plan and project, for you, it is very understandable.

So you recently renovated your home, and every part of it, from the bathroom to the kitchen looks new and feels fresh. Well, congratulations and welcome to the world of comfortable living. However, despite everything being all fresh, the stairway seems out of place, and now all it does is remind you of the way your house previously looked. If this is your current predicament, you'll be surprised to know you're not alone. During interior renovation projects, most homeowners often direct their attention to other surfaces around the home and forget the staircase. Fortunately, it's never too late. Here are several things you can do to give your home's staircase a lift and get it to match your home's recent renovation.

It's always the little touches in a home design that really captures your attention and focus - like icing on a cake. Using decorative brackets and corbels that align with, and complement the style of your home adds to the aesthetic and actual value. Nearly every style of home can benefit from using decorative brackets and Worthington Millwork has an extensive selection of brackets and corbels that fit with most any home.

How to Choose the Right Contractors

If this is your first renovation or remodeling project, welcome to the club! It's the experience of a lifetime. You'll learn so much. It's incredibly rewarding to watch your fixer-upper become a dream home.