10 FAQs About Granite

Elegant. Beautiful. Long lasting. These are but a few of the words used to describe granite countertops and floors. After all, with the myriad of colors available and the seemingly ever changing movement of each piece, granite has become a favorite material for home and business owners everywhere. So, if you are considering granite for you next home improvement project, it is likely that you have some questions. The following 10 FAQs will help you in your decision.

Why should I choose granite over other products such as silestone or corian? Granite is a natural stone that has been around for centuries, while the others are simply imitations. In addition, having granite will add 10% to the resale value to your home. Where is granite from? Granite can be found all over the world as well as the U.S. If possible, select granite from close to home as it will lower the cost. What type of maintenance is needed for granite? Granite needs to sealed, but this is only necessary for good quality granite every 3 to 5 years while lesser grades of granite should be sealed once every 1 to 3 years. Sealing only takes approximately 10 minutes for an average sized kitchen. What type of resistance to wear and tear does granite have? Granite is scratch, stain, mildew and mold resistant. In fact, granite is so scratch resistant that it can be used as a cutting board; however, this is not highly recommended as the granite will dull your knives more quickly. I have heard that acidic liquid can damage the granite, is this true? Only if the liquid is left for a long time. Should there be a spill, the quicker it is wiped up the better. For those spills that have been overlooked and have left a stain, make a paste of bleach and water and put it on the stain. Let set a few minutes and wash off with soap and water. What type of daily care does granite require? Simply wash with soap and water. A good rule of thumb is to never clean granite with something you wouldn't wash your hands with. Will granite chip or crack? Typically any flaws are caused during the transportation process. In most cases, a professional granite installer can correct or repair any damage. Will my granite look like the sample? The pieces seen in the show room are samples of what is available, so sometimes color or patterns vary. Ask the salesperson if there is a quarry or showroom where you can pick out the exact slab(s) if you are concerned about a variation in the color. What is the best thickness for granite? Professional granite installers recommend slabs that are at least 3/4 of inch thick. What is the best type of edging for granite countertops? While there are many edges available, the most recommended, especially in homes with young children, is the double bullnose. This is Why Mosaic Tiles Are the Best Tile Around   The Importance of Exterior Walls   Build a Stone Wall on Your Property   Best Natural Stone Tiles Under a Roof!   Chimney Brick Repair - Do It Yourself!   

Tropical Fish Breeding for Beginners - Guppies and Swordtails

Breeding tropical fish can be a lot of fun. Try your luck at breeding livebearers such as guppies or swordtails.

Equipment Needed:

Breeder Box or Breeder Net

Breeding Grass

5 or 10 gallon tank for the baby fish or a tank divider that you can use for your main tank.

A pair - 1 female and 1 male, 2 females to 1 male works even better

Two of the more popular tropical fish for beginners has to be Guppies and Swordtails. Guppies and Swordtails are livebearers which means that their babies come out swimming. Like most livebearers, there is not much to getting your guppies or swordtails to breed. If you have a male and a female then you will eventually have a pregnant female. The gestation period for livebearers is usually 28 days but can range from 20 to 40 days.

Place the male and female in the same tank together and they will soon mate. You are probably asking, how can I tell when the female is pregnant? When a female guppy is pregnant she will develop a dark triangular shaped gravid spot near her anal vent. This will get larger and darker as the pregnancy progresses. While you are waiting on the female to develop the babies it's time to make sure you are prepared for the delivery. We use plastic breeder boxes and always have without any problems. A breeder box is a small box plastic box about 4 inches long by 3 inches wide and 4 inches deep.

There is a removable "V" shaped trap in it which serves to separate the mother from the babies. When the mother fish has babies they fall through the slot in the "V" into the bottom of the box. After the mother is finished having babies, you can remove the "V" trap and the mother so that they babies have more room to grow. Some people have had bad experiences with breeder boxes and now only use a breeder net. It is also a good idea to purchase some real or plastic breeding grass for the top of the aquarium. The breeding grass is just in case the mother gives birth before you have a chance to put her in the breeder box. The young babies instinctively will swim to the top of the aquarium and the breeder grass provides a great hiding place so they won't get eaten by the bigger fish in your tank.

To feed your new arrivals you can use finely crushed flake food. Using your fingers, you can rub the flakes into a fine powder. Some only feed live foods such as baby brine shrimp. Live foods would definitely be the best way to go, but for most this is simply not feasible. Crushed or powdered flake food will suffice. Try to feed the babies 3 very small meals per day. You will invariably feed too much and the excess food will drop to the bottom of the tank or breeder box. To clean a breeder box we like to take a 3 ft. length of aquarium tubing and a small bucket. Use the tubing as a siphon to clean the bottom of the breeder box. Be careful not to siphon any baby fish.

Try to perform 25% water changes weekly for your baby guppies. This will aid in the optimal growth of your baby tropical fish. After a few weeks in the breeder box your new babies will soon outgrow their home and you will need to move them either to a new tank or your main tank with a divider installed. By 8 weeks old your baby fish will most likely be able to return to the main tank without a divider.

For more tropical fish and aquarium information, please visit FishLore.com - Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information.

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10 Tips That Will Help You Find the Best General Contractor

If you know how to find the best general contractor, you can be assured that you will always get the best service from them. This article was written with the intention of helping you find the best contractor that you can hire for the construction project that you have. Below are 10 of the most important tips that you can use to find the best general contractor.

Before you interview a contractor, make sure that they are licensed to do business in the area. You need to make sure that their subcontractors also have their license to operate. Keep in mind that there several subcontractors who will be working on your project, and you need to make sure that they all have their licenses. Check www(dot)nari(dot)org to search for its members in your area. A contractor who is a member of NARI follows the high quality standards of remodeling that is set by the organization. Check other associations and see whether they have members in your area. Same as NARI, associations of contractors will allow you to find its members which are bounded by their rules of regulations. Never take an agreement verbally. You need to make sure that all the agreements are written, because this will give you a testament of the agreement that occurred between you and the contractor. Although the price can a huge role in your decision, you should never settle yourself in hiring the cheapest general contractor. In some cases, those that are bidding lower prices are the ones that give you cheap service and support. Aside from phone interviews, you also need to make sure that you will be meeting two or three contractors personally. Doing this will allow you to know more about the contractor that you are planning to hire and will also help you determine whether they are really capable of handling the project. Since the workers are the ones who are working hands-on the project, you also need to make sure that they are covered with insurance and proper compensations to ensure their safety and professionalism. Keep all the transactions and documents until the project is finished to avoid confusions with the record. This will also serve as your protection whenever you have had problems with the general contractor. Finally, you should neither pay in advance nor pay large amount of deposit to the contractor. It would be better to let them finish the project before you settle your account. Things to Consider When Planning a Custom Wine Cellar for Your Home   Loft Conversions the Family Will Love   Build Your Shed the Smart Way - 12 Guidelines for a Smooth Start-Up   Options in Construction Site Lighting   Cherry Picker Rental: Fun Jobs That Require A Quick Lift   Building on Narrow Lots Made Easy   

Duties of a Successor Trustee

If you have been designated as a successor trustee to a loved one's trust, it is important to know what your duties are, how long they will last, and what you can do to make the process go smoothly. Being a successor trustee can be a big responsibility, and in some situations it can be time consuming.

The first thing you need to do is consult an attorney in the state where your loved one died and where their will is admitted to probate. If this is a different state from the state where the living trust is governed, then you may need to consult with an attorney in that state as well. The estate attorney that you meet with should review the assets that were held in your loved one's name. These assets can include those that pass under the will to the trust, assets that pass by way of beneficiary designation, and also the assets that are already in the trust.

Once you have met with the appropriate attorney(s), you must start locating and protecting the assets of the trust. In addition, you will need to collect your loved one's life insurance policies, retirement accounts, and annuities of which the trust has been named the primary beneficiary. In addition, you must obtain the date of death values of all the trust assets. This not only includes retirement account assets, but also any real estate and / or business interests held by your loved one.

With regard to taxes, your loved one's income and estate tax liabilities need to be deciphered. And, both final income tax returns and estate taxes must also be prepared.

If probate administration is necessary, you will need to coordinate with the personal representative of the estate. If any cash must be raised to pay off your loved one's debts, this could also fall into your role, as well as coordinating and paying the ongoing expenses of administering the trust. Once it is determined who your loved one owed money to, you can pay off these debts as well.

As a successor trustee, it is your role to adhere to the terms of the trust. This includes implementing the provisions of the trust. This may include addressing some of the same points that the estate executor has, but in your capacity as trustee for the assets of the trust.

Based on the various duties, you may be able to distribute the assets quickly to your loved one's beneficiaries, or your role could continue for a long period of time if your loved one's living trust pours over into trusts for his or her children.

The best advice on these matters should be obtained from an estate planning attorney. They can help answer any questions you may have about your or your loved one's situation.

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Choose Cheap Auto Owner Insurance

Cheap auto insurance is a unique type of coverage that guarantees durable care for its members. Their products include life insurance which is aimed at providing durable care for a family, while home insurance covers homes by providing multiple premiums that cater for different needs.

Auto owners insurance agents aim at providing different types of insurance coverage that suits different individuals to their clients. Business coverage insures commercial buildings and employees among other coverage types. Therefore auto owner insurance has proved to be a reliable type of coverage that caters for different types of clients at a discount. One of the unique qualities of cheap auto insurance is the existence of auto owners insurance agents. They have simplified the tasks related to insurance and this is evident due to the presence of these agents in 26 states. Insurance agents located in various states enable clients to easily access coverage in their respective states. These auto agents advise clients on the best insurance cover that fits their lives; as a result, customers do not have to travel to the headquarters of the company to acquire information. The wide coverage of auto coverage agents acts as an added advantage for the company, through the diversification of its services and products. Needless to say that the partnership between the auto owner insurance and its agents is built on service, honesty and trust, as a result, guaranteeing 100% customer satisfaction.

Cheap auto insurance is deemed to attract customers, auto owner insurance agents are capable of saving the client's money by offering cheap insurance. These agents can select the best insurance type for each customer at affordable prices. With the current state of the economy, every individual aims at spending less and saving more. With this in mind, auto owner insurance is the best type of coverage one can choose these days. This is because auto owners insurance provides low rates and is very competitive in current society. Sometimes, cheap coverage is associated with low quality services, however, auto owners insurance agents have made quality their main priority in all of their operations. The insurance companies they work for are also flexible in their operation, hence capable of providing quality coverage for all of their customers, while also considering the laws of different states.

Coverage is important for every individual and it has become much simpler to get an insurance coverage nowadays. Auto insurance companies provide affordable insurance coverage for homes, cars, life and business, which makes them competitive. In addition, coverage is vital these days as it provides compensation especially in the case of unpredicted scenarios, such as illness, or car accidents. Therefore, choosing a coverage company that can deal with all your needs is important.

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How to Find Items Around the House That Could Be Sold on eBay

So you have decided to explore the possibility of earning a few extra bucks on eBay selling items from around the house. When determining which items are worth listing on eBay it is important to keep a few thoughts in mind that are frequently over looked. Consider the item you are trying to sell and the type of listing you want to use. Different listings involve different fees. How will you ship the item?

Many items seem to sell well for what seems like a reasonable price, but when you deduct eBay, PayPal, and Shipping fees, you may not net enough to make it worth your time. Keeping all of this in mind, a good general rule of thumb is to start a pile of items you think may interest other eBay users enough to make a profit.

Once your pile has been gathered sit down at your computer and start looking for same or similar items to try to estimate what yours may sell for. One good tip for carrying out this task is to use the "Advanced Search" button to the right of the standard search button. Using the advanced search will direct you to a page that will allow you to narrow your search by several parameters. In this case we want to select the check box next to "show completed listings" then enter our search term and hit enter.

Using this method, you will be able to discover items that are the same or similar to the item you are thinking about listing that have sold recently on eBay. Check the description of the item you wish to sell against the description of the item that has already sold. Make sure to pay more attention to the previously sold eBay listings that are most like the item you wish to sell. An example of this would be a cell phone that you no longer use. When searching for that model under completed listings, make sure that the sold phone you are looking at is with the meant for the same carrier, in basically the same condition, comes with mostly the same accessories, etc. A special note about this: in many cases a small piece of original packaging can make a large difference in the sale price.

Once you have researched items similar to yours, try to estimate what yours will sell for. In the earlier example of the cell phone, let's say that you conservatively estimate that your item will sell on eBay for around $50 with free shipping. Depending on the location of the buyer, the size of the packaging, and the accessories, manuals, etc. that you are including, you should expect to pay between 5-$10 for shipping, around $0.30 to list your item, $5 eBay final value fee, and about $1.50 PayPal funds handling fee plus packaging materials. Let's say about 12-$17 for this example. Your net profit is 33-$38. Not bad really. The phone is just sitting around, you don't use it any more, and where else are you going to find someone who wants to buy your cell phone besides eBay? So you decide to sell the phone and go to the next item in the pile. You continue to do this until you have determined which items will sell, and which items you don't think will be worth your time listing on eBay.

Before you start to list items on eBay, a few more important thoughts you should keep in mind, what format will you use to sell? Buy it Now, or Auction? How many days will you run your listing for? If you list your item as an auction, what will your starting price be? My personal preferred eBay Auction listing method is to list a 7 day auction on Monday evenings with a $0.99 starting bid, and no reserve. This can be a risky method for those less experienced with eBay though as minor flaws in your listing could cause your $50 phone to sell for 99 cents. Once you have listed your items on eBay, it would be a good idea to try to promote them.

Novice eBay sellers and experts alike are capable of making small mistakes such as spelling errors, or mis-categorizing and item. Making these mistakes will cause your item to receive far less traffic that it would otherwise because most buyers use narrow search terms to find what they are looking for. If the cell phone referenced above was a Nokia ba-1581 and you entered "nokia ba-1851", you could expect to see about 70% less traffic, and therefore usually a lower final selling price. To ensure high traffic and maximum selling price, most power sellers and other eBay Pros will utilize outside promotion services to promote their eBay listings. Nearly all of these services are free and are most commonly referred to as "Bump Sites" or some other sort of eBay promotional tool. One of the best auction bump sites to use is xbump.com which simply requires you to enter your item number into the box and hit submit. There are many other bump sites and it is recommended that you promote your listings on as many of them as possible to maximize the exposure your eBay item will receive.

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