How the Use of Stone can Transform your Home Decor

With an increased focus on ecology and sustainability, incorporating green practices and design into homes has become a necessity. Besides using new technologies to conserve energy, water, and other resources architects are creatively using natural materials like wood and stone to create new designs. Not only has design aesthetic been used and accepted by the construction industry at large, it is common now for home-owners to adopt this idea in Do-it-yourself style and create some interesting decor for their homes. In this post, we discuss how the use of stone can transform your home.

Stone can be used to decorate both the interior and the exterior of the house. There are many simple and interesting ways to use stone in home design. From wall accents to murals to pathways and even furniture, there are many ways to enhance the aesthetics of the house with a stone.

 

Advantages of Using Stone

While there are many natural materials that can be used to enhance your home. Here are few advantages:

1. A Natural and Earthy Appearance The use of natural material creates a welcoming atmosphere in the home with earthy tones and the natural look of stone.
2. Persistence and Simple Maintenance Stone is known to be durable and works well with exterior cladding. Using non-porous stones like Granite reduces maintenance as one needn’t worry about sealant maintenance and leakages.
3. Wide Spectrum of Options for Every Taste and Budget Natural stone is available to suit all pockets and tastes. One can start with lower ranging stones that easily available in the region or consider higher end marbles that add a plush look but are also heavy on the savings.
4. Eco-friendliness Stone offers a great eco-friendly solution to other chemical cladding and flooring options. One can also be certain that there will be no danger of chemical inhalation and surface allergies, especially with young children.
5. Amazing and Lavish Textures The look of stone is greatly variable with simple finishing techniques. One can go for high end polishes for a lavish look or machine tumble for a rustic finish. Stones like Granite can even give non-slip texture if fired at the right temperatures.
6. High Noise Insulation Due to natural porosity, stones like marble, limestone, sandstone offer high noise insulation. This helps create the calm serenity one craves for in urban homes.

Stone Types

Natural stone is available in a wide range of colours and patterns. As with gemstones, rare colours and patterns cost the most. Here are some characteristics of the popular varieties:

Granite

With hundreds of available varieties, granite is a popular and durable option. Granite stone can also be flamed for slip-resistant texture in busy kitchens and bathrooms.

Marble

This porous stone is a sophisticated choice for formal spaces but is easily scratched. Slabs or tiles come in many colours, based on where they were quarried. Some varieties of marble are harder and more stain-resistant than others, so ask your dealer if the marble you are considering will perform well for the use you have in mind.

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Limestone

Known for its natural, earthen appearance, limestone is formed from sedimentary materials, such as coral and shells. Unlike some stones, when limestone is cut from the same slab, it has little colour variation from tile to tile. The stone can be sanded perfectly smooth for a soothing, refined look, or machine-tumbled for a worn look. If you use limestone in a room where acidic liquids might spill, consider sealing this porous material every few years.


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Slate

Home decoration with stones offers a rich texture, warmth and earthy flavoursA rustic classic available in geometric pieces and irregular shapes, slate is usually found in dark gray, soft red, and medium green.

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Travertine

This crystallized, partially metamorphosed limestone is often mistaken for marble. Its versatile properties can make it look like marble when buffed or a give a great rustic appeal if machine tumbled.

Stone Tiles

Stone tiles are a great option and offer durability and variety. They are made by slicing boulders and slabs of rock into thin squares or rectangles. The appearance of stone varies from tile to tile due to veining, natural imperfections, and even fossils. Colour palettes also vary by the type of stone and location of the quarry.

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Design Styles in Stone

The Rustic Look

Rustic Style replicates the style of a world gone by, a far cry from the concrete jungle and the super-fast lives of today. Nature-inspired, simple and organic, rustic style home design uses natural materials and textures. The defining feature of a rustic style home is a distinctly homely, comfortable, unpretentious and organic appeal. With a mixture of unfinished texture stone, earthy tones and exposed architectural elements, this look can add real appeal to a holiday cabin, outdoor patio or even a themed garden.

Polished and Chic

There is nothing that defines chic, stylish and opulent like beautifully polished stone flooring and walls. While it is common to see polished decor in high end hotels and restaurants, a homeowner can consider using polished flooring or walls for smaller sections of their homes. Consider an accent wall or dining room flooring in a lush marble finish. They could even treat themselves with a beautifully finished bathroom pairing the high polished surfaces with detailed bathroom fittings.

Ledge Stone

This beautiful, stacked arrangment of tiles is known as ledge stone. The thin, rectangular pieces of tiles of different heights and widths are fitted together and give the room a busy feel. The ledge stone has a gritty, unfinished appearance and works as a beautiful counterpoint to the smooth, streamlined furniture and fittings. It also looks very impressive for wall exteriors or add a rustic element to your poolside or pond.

Exterior vs Interior

Stone can be used extensively with for both Home exterior and interiors. Exteriors can be improved extensively by using stone in the floor, wall claddings and gardens. The proper choice of stone coupled with some interesting design ideas can enhance the look of the front facade or backyard. Interior flooring, wall accents, fire places and simple fittings like stoneware sinks in the bathrooms can add great design elements to the style.

Tips for Installation

Installing stone is labor-intensive and extremely exacting. Hire a seasoned, dedicated professional to ensure proper installation. A proper substrate, the surface on which the stone will be laid, is also critical. With concrete subfloors, installers may opt to apply the mortar directly onto the subfloor and then simply lay the tile. A wood subfloor requires cement backer for support and as a moisture barrier. Talk to a stone dealer to find out whether the variety of stone you are considering for your home requires sealing and, if so, how often it should be reapplied.

Quality stone sealers fill spaces between the crystals and minerals in stone tiles, so they resist water and stains, rather than just covering the surface. Stone floors in low-traffic areas and non-porous stone, such as granite, may not need to be sealed. Because stone tiles can be thicker than other flooring surfaces, you may need to install a transition strip to connect your new stone floor to the flooring in an adjacent area. Your stone dealer may be able to fabricate a stone transition for you, or you can purchase a ready-made transition made from the same surface as the adjacent floor.

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/home-decoration-with-stones/

Management of Health and Safety in Buildings and Civil Works

With multiple teams, heavy machinery, castings and concrete works and precarious spaces - Construction sites are busy and fairly dangerous spaces. With proper coordination, consultation and cooperation organisations can ensure the health and safety of all members present on site.

What is Construction Work

Construction work is any work carried out in connection with the construction, alteration, conversion, fitting out, commissioning, renovation, repair, maintenance, refurbishment, demolition, decommissioning or dismantling of a structure, or preparation of a building site.

National Approach

Due to the nature of risk to life involved in certain industries, the Australian government has been proactive in creating laws and strategies to enable the safe working conditions. The Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012-2022 has identified the construction industry as a priority due to the high number and rate of work-related fatalities and serious injuries.
For a number of years, construction has consistently been among the top few industries with the highest number of serious claims. Since 2006-07, it has had the fifth highest incidence rate of serious claims of all industries. The Strategy aims to reduce the incidence of serious injury by at least 30% nationwide by 2022 and reduce the number of work-related fatalities due to injury by at least 20%.

Since the Strategy launched, Safe Work Australia and all jurisdictions have been working collaboratively with the industry, unions, relevant organisations and the community to reduce traumatic injury fatalities and injuries in the transport industry.

Precautionary Measures on Site

The old adage "Prevention is better than cure", cannot be ignored when we consider the safety of staff and works on site.

Personal Safety Equipment

Equipping the staff members with personal safety equipment can save the PCBU (Person conducting business or undertaking) a fair amount of heartache.

Helmets or hard hats, safety glasses, gloves, safety boots and earmuffs are the basic construction wear if provided to the workers can immediately reduce claims and injuries.

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Safety Equipment

Depending on the nature of the construction, equipment like safety harnesses, safe cage lifts, safety eyewash, and fireproofing can ensure the work is carried out with minimum problems.

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Safety Officer or Consultant

It is also fairly common, and a norm growing in popularity to hire a safety officer or consultant to guide from workers to the management staff the proper guidelines and processes to ensure the injuries and fatalities can be prevented while working on the site. The safety officer also makes rounds of the site to ensure that staff is adhering to the guidelines.

Demarcation of Danger Zones

Safety markings, signages, and barriers are simple and effective ways to ensure safety on site. It is important that these are in bright or reflective colours, and the signs are in bold lettering. As most construction sites are noisy ensuring high visibility of danger zones can be extremely helpful to all on site.

Safety Briefing for Staff Members on Site

As per the safety norms in Australia to be able to carry out construction work, a person must complete an introductory safety training course called ‘general construction induction training’. This is also commonly known as ‘white card’ training.

Under the model WHS (Work Health and Safety) Act, a PCBU must make sure every worker has completed white card training, including those who have completed training in the past but have not carried out construction work in the last two years. Once a person has completed that training they may apply to a WHS regulator for a white card.

A white card issued in one state or territory or by the Commonwealth is generally recognised Australia wide.

Regulations and Rules in Australia

The WHS Model Act

In 2011, Safe Work Australia developed a single set of WHS laws to be implemented across Australia. These are known as ‘model’ laws. For the model WHS laws to become legally binding, the Commonwealth, states, and territories must separately implement them as their own laws.

The model WHS Act forms the basis of the WHS Acts that have been implemented in most jurisdictions across Australia.
The main object of the Act is to provide a balanced and nationally consistent framework to secure the health and safety of workers and workplaces. It does this by:

1. Protecting workers and other persons from harm by requiring duty holders to eliminate or minimise the risk
2. Providing for fair and effective representation, consultation and cooperation
3. Encouraging unions and employer organisations to take a constructive role in promoting improvements in WHS practices
4. Promoting the provision of advice, information, education, and training for WHS
5. Securing compliance with the Act through effective and appropriate compliance and enforcement measures
6. Ensuring appropriate scrutiny and review of actions taken by persons with powers or functions under the Act
7. Providing a framework for continuous improvement
8. Maintaining and strengthening national harmonisation of WHS laws and facilitating a consistent national approach to WHS

Responsibility and Safety Duties for the Company

It is important that PCBUs understand their responsibilities and duties towards the staff and workers on the site. As construction is high risk work with injuries and fatalities, the PCBUs must ensure checks and safety. At each step of the process in construction work, PCBUs are subject to certain general and specific duties under the model WHS laws. For example:

1. The model WHS Regulations require the person that commissions construction work to consult with the designer of a structure about safety matters and to give the designer and the principal contractor for the project information about safety matters
2. A PCBU that carries out construction work must manage and control WHS risks associated with that work. It must also ensure that a construction site is secured from unauthorised access
3. The principal contractor for a construction project is also a PCBU and must be aware of the WHS duties that apply to all PCBUs that carry out construction work, as well as the specific duties that are imposed on principal contractors in that industry
4. Specific duties that apply to principal contractors include, but are not limited to, the duty to be clearly identified by signage posted at the construction site, the duty to prepare, review, keep and inform others about the WHS management plan for the construction project
5. Under the model WHS Act, the person with management or control of a workplace must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the workplace, the means of entering and exiting the workplace and anything arising from the workplace are without risk to the health and safety of any person

Training your Management Staff

Once the PCBU has initiated the workers on site on the safety measures, it is also essential that the management staff, and other upper executive level officers understand the importance of safety. Here are a few pointers:

1. Management must understand that safety cannot be overlooked in order to cut costs or make profits.
2. Risk assessment should be added to the project management details
3. Clearly identified responsibility and staff member associated with it should be appointed
4. Management initiated safety drives and checks to ensure ground staff is adhering to the safety rules
5. Awareness/Orientation towards of incident management
6. Cross level committee development initiative to ensure fair representation of all level of staff

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/construction-site-safety-and-management/

Choosing the Right Fitness Equipment for your Community Parks

A healthy body leads to a healthy mind. And the mind is what matters the most in today’s world. The age that we live in is an age of computers. Technological advancement has lead to not one but many giant leaps for the mankind. Every day brings in a new technology making the previous ones obsolete. One has to be abreast with the knowledge of what is new in various fields. We are literally moving at the speed of light when it comes to technological advancements.

But if you dig a little deeper here, all these technological advancements that are taking place are because of the infinite abilities of the human mind. So when we are busy creating the world that can move at the speed of light, we are really not moving at all. That’s true.

In the never-ending work schedules and present lifestyle, we do have time to go out and exercise our bodies. Lack of exercise leads to many lifestyle diseases.

But the real problem is not lack of exercise, the real problem is a lack of time. We have not been giving our body enough time to workout or consume the right food to stay healthy. To solve the problem of lack of time, a lot of people prefer to have their own personal mini-gym at home. Many other people use the community gyms that may be indoor or outdoor. The workout is essential not only for the body but also a healthy mind. In order to have the right workout, the emphasis is on the right fitness equipment.

To aid the process of workout and fitness training, there are many exercise machines and fitness training equipment that are used. As the emphasis is on the ergonomic aspect of the human body, more and more research is being done in the field of sports and fitness training. Exercises differ on the basis of age and body requirement. While a certain set of fitness equipment will work best for an athlete, certain other exercise machines will be best for users in their late 40s.

How are Fitness Equipment related to fitness levels?

Health and fitness play a major role in the overall well-being of a person. Fitness cannot be measured by the muscle mass or strength. It is a combination factor such as stamina, strength, endurance, muscle mass, ability to perform physical tasks, health status and so on.

Fitness greatly depends on the determination and health of the person but it is highly dependent on the fitness training equipment that is being used for the same. If the right kind of fitness and sports equipment is used for training, then it benefits the body in the correct way. Lack of proper exercise machines will either damage your body parts on a longer run or may not be as effective in fitness training.

How do the Fitness Equipment assist in increasing the activity levels during workouts?

Our bodies are designed to work. Physical activity is very important for the health of a person. Lack of physical activity causes many types of ailments such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, metabolism related disorders and even cancer. Regular body exercise, on the other hand, improves your core strength, gives strength to your muscles and bones and has a positive effect on your mental health.

These days, many options are present under the umbrella of fitness products. These may be indoor gym equipment, sports equipment, outdoor training equipment and so on. The concept of fitness trail is an upcoming concept that consists of a series of obstacles, fitness equipment, and stations distributed throughout the course. Outdoor sporting centres are also gaining importance. All these fitness products and services are specifically designed to influence the physical activity of the body.

The levels of fitness increase as the physical activity increases and become complex. Physical activity increases based on the use of the fitness equipment that are present in gyms and workstations. Gyms and outdoor sporting centre lay emphasis on providing the state of the art training and sports equipment to the users. Each equipment aims at working out of a specific body part. Such specialisation plays a vital role in the training of athletes and weight trainers.

There are many more products that are listed on ProjectLink. Each fitness product has been designed and developed to offer you the right workout and satisfaction. You should checkout the complete range of fitness products that are selected for you »

Indoor and Outdoor fitness equipment

When there is a need for an exercise area, which fitness products and stations to include is a difficult decision. Firstly, you need to know about the available products in the market. Based on these products, their benefits, installation process, cost and detailed information about the product need to be found out. Only then you can select the product that perfectly fits your requirements.

ProjectLink has a series of fitness products and stations that are designed to serve multiple purposes. These not only increase the complexity of physical exercise but also aim at weight reduction, increase in flexibility and fitness. Let’s take a look at some of the best options for gyms and workstations:

1. Fitness Trails and Circuits

The Fitness Trails and Circuits are a series of stations that consist of individual exercise and fitness stations. These come in a combination of 9, 12 or 18 fitness trail stations. These circuits offer running, walking and jogging spaces along with corresponding signs.

The circuits can also have cycling paths. These fitness trails and circuits aim to provide a safe, self-paced and effective space for your regular workout. The trails offer you a do-it-yourself fitness regime. You will find a distinctive Welcome and Heart Check systems.

Click here to know about Fitness Trails and Circuits »

2. Outdoor Exercise Stations

This system is alternatively being referred to as the fastest weapon against obesity. The Outdoor Exercise Station is developed in a way that you workout in a self-guided way. This not only adds fun to the daily workout sessions but it also is a great investment in your area.

The exercise machines that are a part of this exercise station, are low maintenance and most of the part of the unit are made of recycled plastic. This proves to be a very good addition to an outdoor sporting centre or gym. Based on the age group and use, the Outdoor Exercise Station is of 4 different types.

Know more about Outdoor Exercise Stations here »

3. HealthBeat Outdoor Fitness System

For an outdoor workout system, the HealthBeat fitness system is a perfect inclusion.
These workout stations can be placed in any outdoor spaces or parks. It has been designed for users of all ages.
Even differently abled people can use it. It also offers fitness trails. The system can be paired with another system. It offers a lot of possibilities for workout and fitness maintenance.

Know more about HealthBeat Outdoor Fitness System here »

4. Exersite

As the name suggests, the Exersite is a group of exercise stations in a particular location.

Each unit will have 15 exercises and each exercise area displays instructions on how to use the equipment and installations. This ensures that you do not require a trainer.

The instructions are easy to follow. The Exersite system is designed to give a complete workout from warmup to cooldown.

Know more about Exersite here »

5. Norwell Outdoor Fitness

One of the best and innovative outdoor gym equipment is the Norwell Outdoor Fitness system. The system lets you use the equipment using your own creativity.
The smart and contemporary looking equipment can be identified using a phone app specially developed for the company. The app also lets you find the location of these machines and equipment.

Know more about Norwell Outdoor Fitness System here »

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/outdoor-fitness-park-equipment/