From Janice Wolf: In the past year, I replaced my wood kitchen floor with a product by Congoleum (DuraCeramic). It looks like tile, feels like tile, and it's not hard under your feet. My guests always comment how nice it is and they can't believe it's not regular tile.

It comes in 16-inch-square tiles and many different color combinations. I had it laid on a diagonal and then grouted between the tiles.

My home has all the different flooring materials, (ceramic tile, hardwood, and also Pergo). I do love this floor and it doesn't show the dirt and cleans easily and is not as expensive as other flooring.

From Joe Waldenberger: I had our kitchen remodeled in September 2007 and wanted a different flooring.

My daughter in the design field suggested PermaGrain. The local contact was kind enough to send me a sample kit of the various flooring products offered.

The contractor's carpenter said it was the easiest floor he had installed. We are very pleased with the floor. We picked Genwood II color grain. There is a 10- year limited warranty and a 10-year limited manufacturer's defect warranty.

From Lea Bellis: We just installed Armstrong Alterna, a vinyl tile measuring 16 inches by 16 inches. I didn't want real ceramic or natural stone tile because I didn't want a hard cold floor, nor a floor that shatters my dishes, should they fall, or alternately that can chip.

Alterna is warmer underfoot and not hard as rock. These tiles are installed like ceramic tiles, individually glued in and then grouted. My husband had no trouble installing them.

After shopping around, I found these to be the most realistic-looking "fake" tiles on the current market.

When we had our kitchen backsplash installed, the tiler also couldn't get over how real the vinyl tile looked. The only thing I don't know is how they will wear.

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Painting tips. From Debbie Zimmer at the Paint Quality Institute in Spring House, five tips to quickly beautify your house:

Paint just an accent wall. Instead of painting an entire room, consider painting just one wall in a different color. A so-called accent wall can add visual interest to any space and create an opportunity to introduce another hue into your color scheme.

Paint the area above (or below) a chair rail. If your home is blessed with chair rails, think about repainting just the wall area above or below the rail. The natural break created by the trim provides a convenient boundary for the new paint color.

Paint just the interior windows and trim. Another option is to stick with your wall color, but paint your windows, molding, and trim. This can produce dramatic change in almost any room, but especially in those where the walls are painted in a neutral color like beige or off-white.

Paint the front door. Ask any real-estate agent and he or she will tell you that the front entrance is what creates the first impression about a home. By adding a fresh coat of paint to the door, you can ensure that first impression will be favorable. (Note to those who are selling a home: Repainting the front door may be the best investment you ever make.)

Paint just a few exterior architectural details. Even if you don't have to paint your home exterior for maintenance reasons, you might want to consider painting a few architectural details for appearance's sake. Shutters are one possibility. But if you are lucky enough to own a house with some ornamental fretwork, flaunt it by painting the trim in a strong color that contrasts with the color of your exterior walls.

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Healthy lawn. Here is a tip for a healthier lawn from Turf Revolution:

Core aeration should be done at least once per season, twice preferably. Whether your soil is sandy or full of clay, aeration provides many benefits such as relieving compaction in soils; allowing air, moisture, and nutrients to reach the root zone; breaking down thatch when the cores are left on top of the lawn; and releasing nutrients back into the soil. Aeration also helps to increase the microbial life active in the soil and promotes new root and shoot growth.