Wednesday, November 21, 2007

A Guide to Mattress Stores

A good mattress can make all the difference in the world. After a good night’s sleep, you will feel rested, alert, and healthy -- ready to take on the world. If this is true -- and it is – then why do so many people continue to sleep on old, worn-out mattresses? Night after night, month after month, year after year… why do so many people suffer? The answer is often quite simple—many people are intimidated by the prospect of mattress shopping.

There are so many mattresses available and in so many different styles and price ranges. How to choose? The first step is to do some introductory research. Get an idea for what is available. After some basic research, you should have some idea as to what you like -- and what you don’t.

Armed with this preliminary knowledge, it’s time to take a trip to the mattress store. Many local furniture and bedding stores sell mattresses. Many areas also have stand-alone mattress stores. These will have names like Mattress Giant, Mattress City, and Mattress King. These stores often have an excellent selection of mattresses. What’s more, since these stores only sell mattresses, their employees are usually well-versed in the features of each. This type of mattress store is a great place to start in your search for the perfect bed. They usually feature several different types of mattresses set up on display. Test them out. Lie down. Take a nap. Bounce a little bit—test their firmness, their resiliency.

Once you know what you’re looking for, the Internet is another option for finding a mattress store. Just make sure you factor in the cost of shipping when you are comparison-shopping. Overstock often offers mattresses at deep discounts over retail. They offer a variety of styles, from pillowtop to memory foam.

With a little research and knowledge, mattress shopping can be a pleasant experience.

About the author:
Mattresses Info provides detailed information about air, foam, memory foam, futon, and waterbed mattresses and mattress pads, plus advice about mattress stores. Mattresses Info is the sister site of Memory Foam Web.

The Benefits of Painted Wall Murals

Wall murals are a creative and fun way to liven cold, bare walls. And the best part: anyone can do them—you don’t have to be an artist. You can design your own wall mural using your imagination, artwork, greeting cards, or picture books. You can purchase a wall mural stencil kit to help you, or you can find a local artist to design and paint the perfect wall mural.

Painting a wall mural is not difficult, but it does take some work. Before you begin, tape off your woodwork and cover your furniture and carpet to protect them from accidental spills. Depending on the condition of your wall, you may want to apply a neutral base coat to the area where your mural will go. Interior latex paint is a good bet, but you should talk to a paint specialist at a home improvement store to make sure it will work for you. You can use interior latex paint in large blocks of color inside the mural, but acrylic paints work best for the mural’s small areas. Acrylic paints are thin and will probably take more than one coat to get the right color.

You will need a variety of brushes for your painted wall mural. Large, broad brushes are best for wide areas of color. Small, rounded brushes are best for small areas. Don’t be afraid of getting messy. Mix the colors with your fingers, sponges, or clothes.

Faux finishes can make a painted wall mural unique. Many are easy for beginners. Experiment with some techniques on extra drywall before you start painting your wall mural. Use joint compound and paint to create a fossil rock look or to make a stencil pop from the wall. Get instructions and other ideas from painted wall mural Web sites, or check out the paint center at your home improvement air. Start with simple techniques, be creative, and have fun.

About the author:
Wall Murals Info provides detailed information about Tuscan, painted, and tropical wall murals, wall murals for children, wall mural stencils and kits, and more. Wall Murals Info is affiliated with Original Content Web.