When people talk about Finnish saunas, they are usually referring to the type of saunas that have been popular in Finland for thousands of years. Over there, saunas are like cars or televisions, everybody has one. There they are considered a way of life.

Using saunas is one of the most popular leisure activities in Finland. A visit to Finland would not be complete without enjoying at least one leisurely evening enjoying one of their saunas. The Finnish admire saunas for their healing properties. Millions of people in Finland use saunas and on average, each household has one sauna.

Saunas can be used to gather socially and relax with family and friends. In private settings, men and women often share saunas, while single sex saunas are norm in public places.

But just because a room is built to look like a Finnish sauna, it doesn’t automatically make it so. Finnish saunas try to limit all forms of radiation, especially direct, including electromagnetic, light and infra-red. There are hundreds of products using the Finnish word “sauna”, all of them misuse and dilute the true meaning. Finnish saunas use the old system that has kept the Finnish people going in the frozen north for thousands of years.

A typical Finnish sauna is a room or small hut with temperature kept over 80 degrees C. When water is poured over hot stones arranged in rows heated by a wood burning furnace, a steam cloud fills the sauna taking the temperatures to an even higher level. Sauna bathing in Finland often lasts between half an hour and two hours. The sauna is then often followed by a shower or swim in a lake. In winter, the Fins will rub snow on their skin after their sauna.

Getting invited to have a sauna bath is common in Finland. But you should know the proper Finnish sauna etiquette if you don’t want to insult your host. The saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” also applies to the Finns. Because the Finnish people have been enjoying the benefits of saunas for thousands of years some of the reservations you might have about sauna bathing do not exist in their culture

We look at bathing as a personal thing. While the North American culture makes it taboo to take off all your clothes in a sauna when in the presence of strangers, therefore most people wear their bathing suits when in mixed company. But as part of Finnish culture, the sauna etiquette requires that you do remove all your clothing. You shouldn’t be shy about this because the Fins look at it as a normal part of fully enjoying their sauna.

The Finnish people have long understood the benefits that saunas provide. That’s probably because they have been enjoying the therapeutic benefits practically since the beginning of recorded history.

Now all you have to do is take advantage of one, yourself. You don’t have to go to Finland to do it either. Just be sure that when you buy or use a sauna this side of the ocean don’t be satisfied with anything less than a genuine Finnish sauna. And now you know how to know tell the difference.

home exterior | 3 Comments »

House painting can be a big expense if you hire it out. Yet it is a job you can do yourself. And with the many economic issues we are facing right now, it makes a lot of sense to do as many jobs around the house as we can.

Now you may think that painting your house is going to be a lot of work. Even more so if you don’t know how to do it right. While some people think of house painting as really hard. It really isn’t that hard at all, though it can be time consuming. And you should find it even easier with the following tips.

Preparation
Preparation is the most important part of the job when it comes to painting. Not doing this right can cause a lot of problems in the future.

So the first thing is to fix and repair what is broken or has a hole in it. This is true for both inside and outside work. I mean, you do want your house to look as new as possible after it is painted.

On the inside of your house these areas can be easily be repaired with a spackling compound which can be found in most hardware or painting stores. Larger areas can be fixed with drywall joint compound over a patch of drywall or fiberglass mesh. These patches need to be dry and sanded smooth before painting.

On the outside of your house, cracks can be fixed with caulking. With holes sometimes they can be filled but many times it is just easier to replace the board.

You also need to make sure there is no loose paint on the area you are painting. Most often you will find this problem on the exterior of your home. Here you can start by power washing the entire area that is to be painted. This should remove any loose paint and make it easier for you to paint. After that, use a paint scraper to remove any loose paint that is still left on.

Next, what you are painting needs to be primed properly. This means you need to use the proper primer for the type of paint you will be using and for the material it is going on. There are primers for interior and exterior. There are primers for covering stains. There are Primers for gripping to smooth surfaces like metal, glass vinyl etc. The best thing is to make sure the paint store helps you match the primer to the job you’re doing.

Like with a lot of things the preparation is sometimes half the job.

Now you are ready to paint.

The Paint
Today the best type of paint is the 100% acrylic latex though some people still insist on using oil based paint. In Canada oil based paints are being phased out by legislation.

For areas that will be exposed to moisture like the kitchen and bathroom, using a semi-gloss paint is recommended or a specially formulated kitchen and bath paint.

For the exterior you need a good quality exterior paint.

When choosing paint note that with price often comes quality. So you could be paying more to begin with but you could actually end up saving money in the long run. The more expensive types stay looking good longer and therefore you won’t have to repaint your house as often.

Finally, although house painting is not that hard, it still can take a lot of time and effort. But don’t be afraid, the paint stores have all the expertise to tell you what you need to do the job. And you should have no problems actually doing the task. Take your time and do the job right and you will have a home you can be proud of.

home exterior | 2 Comments »