Home Improvement Tips

An association committee designed the bath and kitchen displays, Off said. And besides the model exhibits, visitors can see large display boards showing prize-winning, real-life kitchen and bath designs.
It will surely be enough to stimulate ideas and lengthen the wish list for your home.
Debby Abe: 253-597-8694 debby.abe@thenewstribune.com
The chance to soak up gardening and home improvement tips from the pros is one of the big draws to the annual Tacoma Home & Garden Show.
This year, several dozen speakers will share their know-how over the course of the five-day fair.
The Home Depot Showcase, for instance, will include demonstrations of new tools and product installations, along with clinics on laying pavers, installing veneer and stone, using Dremel tools, and other home improvement topics.
Check the home show website, www.otshows.com, for days and times the following speakers will appear:
--Marianne Binetti, News Tribune gardening columnist and an author and speaker whose gardening columns appear in numerous other publications, will explain how to have four seasons of color in home landscapes and landscaping with fruits, herbs and veggies.
--Ciscoe Morris, popular gardening expert featured on KING-5 TV, Northwest Cable News, KIRO FM Radio , the Seattle Times and other media outlets, will talk about pruning trees, plants that attract hummingbirds, and answer audience questions.
--Lorene Edwards Forkner, a gardening writer and speaker, will talk about fruits and vegetables that grow well in the Pacific Northwest.
--Marty Wingate, a nationally known gardening speaker and writer, will discuss variegated plants and choosing the right ground cover to provide carpets of color and texture while staving off weeds.
--Ed Hume, an icon of Northwest gardening, will show how to mix and match plants to their specific needs and solve vegetable problems before they happen.
--Jim Ullrich, president of Wild Birds Unlimited, will reveal how to attract Mason Bees to gardens to help pollinate trees, berries and shrubs.
--Bill Sweatman, a custom-home general contractor, will talk about selecting a contractor, working up plans, and executing a high-quality home makeover.