When removing shoe polish stains from carpet, apply a non-acetone nail polish remover to blot up the excess polish, then blot with soapy water. Finish removing a shoe polish stain with a bit of ammonia, blotting it dry between applications, with tips from a contractor?s assistant in this free video on carpet cleaning.

Like the Rolex and Roger Federer, laminate flooring was invented in Sweden. Introduced in 1984, laminate flooring quickly became one of the most popular options for residential flooring in the world.

This synthetic, laminate flooring can be made to look like hardwood or stone, and offers several benefits.

• Cost ? Laminate flooring is super cheap compared to a new hardwood floor.
• Style ? Laminate flooring offers the same sophisticated style of a hardwood floor.
• Durability ? Laminate flooring is highly durable, and is almost fifteen times stronger than normal wood.
• Ease of Installation ? Many laminate manufacturers offer glueless assembly, making the flooring easy to install, whether you do it yourself or hire a professional for flooring installation.

Laminate flooring is also UV resistant, meaning it is less susceptible to fading and sun damage. Additionally, advances in laminate technology have further reduced the installation time. Floors used to need to sit for 24 hours to allow for the glue to cure, but the available ?glueless? assembly methods allow for the floor to be walked on almost immediately.

Because laminate flooring typically simulates the look of hardwood or stone floors, it is typically best in rooms where carpet might not be a great option, such as kitchens and common rooms.

Laminate is also versatile enough to work in rooms traditionally dominated by carpet, such as bedrooms. Consulting with a design specialist is a good way to determine which rooms in your home are best for laminates versus carpet installation.

A behind-the-scenes look at Safavieh?s Arash Yaraghi installing new sisal carpets at Martha?s East Hampton home. And, Martha and Arash Yaraghi share their favorite rugs from the Martha Stewart Collection.

Learn tips and advice on how to restore and make window treatments for a Victorian style home in this free video clip.

Would you like to give your home a Southwest flair? How about incorporating past eras into your dcor? Tile, for instance, is a great, versatile medium for the job! Consider adding tile to not only your floors, but also your walls?tile provides an easily cleanable surface and has other positive characteristics making it superior to carpet in some rooms.

Tiling Your Walls:

There are many different shapes of tile that suggest different eras and motifs giving your house personality and flair. With the multitude of choices, it is important to remember to use a waterproof and stain resistant tile on your kitchen and bathroom walls. Ceramic, marble, granite, and porcelain tile are good choices for these areas. Here are some ideas for wall tile:

• Use subway tiles. These were popular in New York subways and are a great way to bring twentieth century nostalgia to an area.
• Use matching tiles for a uniform look, or mix different colors together and arrange them into interesting patterns.
• Intersperse glass mosaics with one type of tile to add depth to a smaller room.

Tiling Your Floor:

Tile flooring can be a great way to give your home a Southwestern ambiance and are superior choices to cheap carpet in the kitchen and bathroom. Tiled floors serve a useful purpose over carpet because clean-up is a cinch! Tiled floors can also be combined with affordable carpet to?for instance?add further texture and variation to a room and provide warm areas for feet during the winter months.

Tiling Outdoors:

Do you have a romantic patio garden area? Tiling can turn a plain backyard patio area into the envy of any entertainer. With tiling, it is easy to balance unique patterns with classy minimalism, which allows the designer to highlight different areas such as an outdoor fireplace or a built-in stone tile oven.