How Shape, Texture and Color Can Make A Difference  1. It’s not your granddaddy’s hardwood The Jamie Beckwith Collection of innovative wood flooring plays with pattern, texture and color in wood flooring to create interesting and gorgeous floors. 2. Put a cork in it Especially well-suited to rooms that see a lot of activity, cork

Most home DIY-ers know that if you want to turn your ivory walls red, you’d be best served priming the walls first. Paint primer has other uses in your home, too — things you should consider the next time you get an itch to change up the colors in your home. 1. Mildew It’s true.

1. What’s in your house? Knowing what you have in your house can be invaluable when disaster strikes — with modern technology, it’s easy to do. Both MyHome Scr.app.book, a smartphone app available for iPhone and Android, and WYO Home Inventory, a free program (Windows) help you inventory the contents of your home. 2. How’s your

1. Take the Kiplinger quiz Kiplinger surveyed industry experts, trade associations and retailers to find out just how long you should expect home appliances to last — take their quiz and see how well you do when judging the lifespan of the things in your home. Check out their slideshow “Save $50 A Day: Utilities +