An easy-to-install ceiling fan can make a real difference in your home's climate - both cooling and heating - at a far lower cost and operating expense than almost any other item.

The installation begins with choosing where the fan should be located. In almost all homes, the fan is installed in the center of the room, replacing a central light fixture. This spot provides a smooth air flow to most of the room.

Q: I hope you can help me. I am in the process of building a house. I know that the trend is to paint the ceilings the same color as the walls but I don't want to do something that is a trend and then have to redo it later. I am painting with fawn colors and my trim is macadamia. What do you suggest I paint the ceilings? Same as the walls or the trim or something else?

A: You're on the right track with first being aware of the trends in wall and ceiling color, so that you can make a more informed and conscious choice about what you want.

Q. Should joint tape be used where the wall meets the ceiling?

A. Yes, joint tape should be applied to all joints. The only time you can skip the taping at the ceiling is when you will be covering it up with crown molding.

Q. We have very high ceilings, but small bathrooms where they look too high. How can we create the effect of lowering the ceiling - should we use a chair rail or picture rail?

Margin of Error: Not applicable
Most of us believe we know everything we need to know about painting, an assumption that often leads to poor quality work This applies to both the preparation and the actual paint application. Be sure that you understand, and use, the proper procedures to assure a quality paint job.

Most people spend a lot of time picking out their wall coverings and floor coverings, but totally ignore their ceilings. In fact, most white ceiling paints barely contain any pigment. Pigment is important because white is a color and not simply the absence of color. The right color, texture, and trim can enhance the proportions of a room, change the feeling in a room, and compensate for any physical drawbacks while bestowing it with a specific style.

Ceiling Colors for Colored Walls

If you are confronted with the need to perform some ceiling drywall repair, the good news is that you do it in the same way as if you were repairing a wall. The bad news is that you will have to be constantly reaching up and over your head to do it. After a bit, this will tire out both your arms and your neck. Depending on the size of the repair, you might need supports. If the repair job just requires a small patch, supports are not necessary, but it would help to have a platform on which to sit.

In older construction homes, finding a plaster ceiling is quite common. Swirl plaster patterns were very popular 40 and 50 years ago. If you need to perform repairs on a plaster ceiling with a swirl texture, this article will give you some tips to make your project successful.

Practice First
As with any new type of undertaking, you should practice using a junk piece of drywall to perfect the proper technique before trying the real repair.

The Brush Technique

The old houses we love and live in are almost all distinguished by the pervasive use of plasterwork. Real plaster has a look, feel, acoustic properties and often rich decorative detail that just can't be copied by its modern cost cutting substitute--paper-faced, gypsum-filled wallboard, or drywall.

Removing Paint

Q. We have a house built by my great-grandfather that has beautiful hardwood trim around the doorframes and window casings. However, over time they were painted over with regular interior latex paint. The paint never did stick very well because the original hardwood was finished. How do I get all of this old paint off? Some of it will just peel off without damaging the original finish on the hardwood.

A. It is possible to remove latex paint with lacquer thinner. Test a small inconspicuous section. If it does not affect the

Most ceilings are made of drywall. The hole left in the ceiling after you remove a light fixture can be patched using simple drywall patching techniques. The great thing about drywall is that it can be cut using a utility knife, and you don't need a lot of special tools to perform a drywall repair. After finishing the patch, the ceiling will be uniform and smooth again, and you won't be able to tell that there was ever a hole left by a light fixture. This is a fairly simple repair that can be done in a short amount of time.