Monthly Archives: May 2012

Flooding – Could water damage cost your business?

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With Hurricane season almost upon us it is time to start preparing our business’ for possible water damage from flooding.  The article below is very informative.

Flooding – Could water damage cost your business?

Winter has now passed and we have survived the freezing temperatures, but as we have seen recently, despite having a drought, many commercial business premises can still be susceptible to water damage from flooding.

Quite often we don’t take the same care and responsibility over our commercial premises as we do our homes yet they are just as susceptible to flooding. Taking a few precautionary steps such as checking the insulation and condition of your pipes can be time worth spent if it will help you avoid major damage to your premises as well business interruption.

If the unthinkable occurs, the impact on profit and business productivity can be just as severe as the water damage itself. It is critical businesses act quickly to resolve the issue and get back on track at the earliest opportunity but negotiating commercial property insurance claims are notoriously lengthy and unless you’re experienced in dealing with claims handlers, you may not receive the full settlement required which will ultimately leave you out of pocket.

Resolving water damage claims can be incredibly stressful. This is partly because insurance companies have fewer loss assessors than in the past and there are simply not enough to go around, especially when demand is exceptionally high as is the case in very cold winters.

Businesses can significantly increase their chances of a swift resolution and appropriate settlement by hiring their own loss assessors who will chase the claim on your behalf and challenge any reluctance from the insurance company to pay out.

Independent loss assessors understand how to correctly mitigate a claim and what evidence needs to be gathered so as not to prejudice a policyholder’s position with their insurers. They are also experienced in assessing the financial cost of any damage or business interruption to maximise any payout.

Geoff Williams, director of Manchester-based loss assessors Cherry and Griffiths, said: “Time is of the essence when dealing with water damage claims. Salvaging work and damage restoration obviously needs to take place quickly to have the best possible effect but businesses can jeopardise a potential insurance claim if the work carried out isn’t in line with the insurance company’s requirements or destroys any evidence they require.

“Our experienced professionals will manage your water damage insurance claim from start to finish so there’s no danger of any mistakes which could cost you your settlement, relieving you of the stress and frustration of dealing with insurance companies. With winter now on our doorsteps it would be wise to not only check your pipes but also familiarise yourself with an experienced loss assessor in case the worst should happen.”

via Property Aspects Manchester » Flooding – Could water damage cost your business? » Property Aspects Manchester.

Bringing Office Furniture Back to Usefulness

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While reading the below article it occurred to me Office Furniture Outlet brings office furniture back to usefulness. Like the article states when a office liquidation is done OFO takes the “damaged, outdated, or just plain ugly” and restore it.  Refurbishing is our game. Office Furniture Outlet has the capability to fix most damaged office furniture.  Outdated furniture is one of our favorite finds because a simple change in finish and a little elbow grease and the old wood desk has new life again.  The plain ugly are the hardest to update but OFO has learned that there is a home for every piece of office furniture.

I hope you enjoy the article below and remember to give us a call if you need furniture repaired, refinished or refurbished. We offer a refinishing services to the general public.  Leave the hazards and mess to us.

Call today for an estimate @ (757) 855-2800

Furniture Fix-Its: Restore – Need a major overhaul? Even the most decrepit pieces deserve a second chance

Sometimes a major overhaul is needed to bring a piece of furniture back to usefulness. Whether it’s damaged, outdated, or just plain ugly, here are some ideas to restore beauty to your furniture.

Refinishing

This is probably the best-known method for refurbishing wood pieces, and there are many products and informational websites available to help you refinish furniture. There are a few important points to mention before you start applying any finish remover. First, if you are considering refinishing a family heirloom, or an antique acquired at an auction, estate or tag sale, get it appraised first. Refinishing a valuable antique will greatly diminish its value in the eyes of a collector. Second, removing a finish is messy and can be hazardous if not done in a well-ventilated space. Make sure your workspace is durable enough to deal with the mess, as well as open to fresh air and away from any source of spark or flame, including any pilot lights for gas stoves, hot water heaters, or furnaces.

Decorative handles and knobs

Home improvement stores and a variety of catalogs offer a vast selection of decorative and functional furniture handles and knobs. Designs range from traditional to fun, and can add a spark of life to the everyday table or cabinet.

Decoupage

You can transform a table from “OK” to “wowee!” by cutting and pasting. Decoupage can be as simple or elaborate as you wish. Basically, it involves cutting out pictures to create a pattern, and then gluing them down. After the pictures are glued in place, several coats of a decoupage medium or a varnish will seal and protect your design.

Some neat ideas include using “ABC” clip art on a child’s table; coffee and tea cup wallpaper cutouts on a kitchen table; flowers and birds clipped from durable wrapping paper to adorn the top and legs of a nightstand. Cutouts can come from color photocopied prints, pictures, or documents. Wallpaper, borders, gift wrapping, and other papers are also sources for decorative pictures.

Decorative painting

When refinishing to the natural wood isn’t an option or your desire, consider painting the furniture piece. Start by gently roughing the surface with fine-grit sandpaper. Use wood filler for any dents you don’t want to show, unless you are purposely going for a distressed look. Paint the surface with an enamel paint to help the object withstand wear and tear. However, keep in mind you don’t have to stop at one basic color — you can create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece with the following techniques.

Faux Finishes: This category of painting includes a wide range of techniques, from marbleizing to vinegar painting, sponging to combing. Become familiar with the different looks and decide which one will work with the furniture you want to try it on. Marbled faux looks are more formal, while sponging creates a much more informal, country-style finish. The websites noted at the end of this article will give you places to begin examining the various finishes.

Trompe l’oeil: Literally “fool the eye,” trompe l’oeil painting can create illusions on furniture, like a book lying open, a deck of cards with a dealt hand, a dish of strawberries waiting to be enjoyed, or a pot with twining ivy growing up a table leg. This technique might be more challenging than you are looking for unless you are an experienced artist.

Stenciling: One of my favorite decorative techniques is stenciling. Tables, chairs, bookcases, cabinets, and many other pieces are wonderful showcases for stencil designs. Look for a stencil that will work with your decorating scheme as well as the size of the piece you wish to stencil. Proportion is important, and a large bookcase could overwhelm a small, fussy stencil pattern. If you happen to use an ivy stencil on the room walls, it is fun to trail the stenciled ivy onto a piece of furniture, adding a trompe l’oeil-like illusion. A game-size table gains extra points when you incorporate a game board for checkers or chess. For ease, try to purchase stencils with overlays that make it easy to have several colors in the design.

Crackling: If you are seeking to add age and character to a corner cupboard or pie safe, crackled paint coatings might be the technique for you. Several manufacturers offer crackle coating kits. Most start with a base coat and then apply a second coat in a crackle medium. A thin coat of the crackle medium will result in thinner cracks, while a thicker coat will create larger, chunkier looking cracks.

Whimsy: Go a little wild! Use a pop-out color — or two, three or more! One chair or table painted with flair will make a statement. You can add as much detail as you like, from painting the rings around chair or table legs with different, complementary colors; adding “dots” to the piece by applying paint with the back of a new pencil eraser; or a checkerboard patterned seat. The sky is the limit when your sense of whimsy takes over.

via Furniture Fix-Its: Restore – Need a major overhaul? Even the most decrepit pieces deserve a second chance | Newsolio.

Technology Changing How We Work From Home

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Home office design trends are being propelled by our ever changing technology.  As preferences change from PC to tablets the space needed to access e-mails and the internet diminish.  The below articles states that people are trading in dining room buffets for file storage.

At Office Furniture Outlet we sell used and new office furniture.  We have customers come in to furnish an office or a home office.  This means we sell large and small quantities of office furniture. We have the largest used office furniture inventory in Hampton Roads with hundreds of pieces to choose from and an array of services from space planning to delivery and installation. Our wide selection means a one-stop location for all of your office furniture needs. Give Office Furniture Outlet a call today and let us know how we can help you with your office furniture needs.  (757) 855-2800

Read more on home office design trends below.

Cover story: Work-anywhere technology changes idea of home office – Washington Times

By Michele Lerner

Traditional home offices tend to have cherry-paneled walls, a solid wood desk with a computer and perhaps a portrait of George Washington on the wall. Times have changed.

Now that all you need to work or check email are a comfortable corner and perhaps an outlet for recharging your iPad or laptop, the home office can become a private retreat for a variety of activities. And that portrait on the wall is more likely to be of your favorite rock star rather than our first president.

“Your home office used to be the place where your technology was, when people were substantially deskbound,” said Bill Millholland, executive vice president of Case Design/Remodeling in Bethesda. “Now that your office can be the front porch, the back porch or any place in between, the draw to a home office is that it’s one place where you can close the door and focus without any distractions.”

Lorna Gross, principal designer and owner of Savant Interior Design in Bethesda, said there are several types of home offices, each with its own design challenge.

“Some people need to accommodate one to three employees and need a conference space, perhaps with a private entrance, where they can meet clients,” Ms. Gross said. “Other people just want a reclusive, private space where they can relax. In some households, a two-person office is required so that each spouse can have a personal desk.”

One big trend is that home offices are becoming part of multifunctional rooms so people can do their work yet be part of family life.

“Our work lives have intruded on our personal lives, not necessarily by choice, and people don’t want to be separated from their families,” said Daniel Proctor, principal of Kirk Designs in Baltimore. “The idea is to make a work surface or work niche accessible while still allowing someone to spend time with the family.”

Ms. Gross said furniture designers are beginning to make pieces that camouflage their function, such as a buffet in a dining room that hides file drawers or a desk floating behind a sofa in the living room, with storage space for paying bills. Both of those items can be multipurpose and work well as serving tables when entertaining.

“People are no longer sequestered to do their work while they are at home,” Mr. Proctor said. “Bedrooms, libraries, family rooms and kitchens all have work spaces now.”

Mr. Proctor designed a family room at the 2012 DC Design House with a Parsons-table desk set up in front of the window in its own niche to enable someone to work while staying part of the family conversation.

“I recently saw an end table with a pull-out drawer with a mat in it that allows you to store and charge all your devices wirelessly,” he said. “That’s a perfect solution for someone who wants the devices out of sight and yet easily accessible for a quick email check.”

The traditional home office has not disappeared, but design elements within a study have changed.

“The new home office is typically a reclusive space that people use for private relaxation, so they want a comfortable sofa or a reclining chair,” Ms. Gross said. “They want a place where they can read or listen to music, but they often also want a large work surface for papers.”

An important element of a home office is storage for items that people prefer to keep hidden, such as a printer, a fax machine and paperwork.

“Most people don’t like clutter,” Mr. Millholland said. “We build in cabinets and closet space to hide the clutter so people at least give the perception of being organized, especially in a first-floor office. If someone is using a spare bedroom as an office, they’re more likely to want furniture that functions in the same way rather than built-ins.”

via Cover story: Work-anywhere technology changes idea of home office – Washington Times.

Group Lacasse Under New Ownership

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Haworth, Inc makes a strategic sale of Group Lacasse to an independent investment group. The move of ownership to an independent investment group will give Group Lacasse a better opportunity in the office furniture marketplace. Group Lacasse will maintain relationships built during Haworth’s ownership.

Office Furniture Outlet used office furniture selection is one of the largest in Hampton Roads. If you can’t find what you are looking for in our used inventories we sell new office furniture as well. We have been servicing the Hampton Roads community for over 18 years! Come by our 10,000 square foot showroom and find all your office furniture needs at affordable prices in one location. Visit our web site at www.ofova.com or give us a call at (757) 855-2800.

Read more below.

Haworth sells Canadian office furniture maker Groupe Lacasse
by Shandra Martinez

HOLLAND, MI – Haworth, Inc. says it has sold Canadian furniture-maker Groupe Lacasse to an independent investment group headed by Sylvain Garneau, president of the Quebec-based company since 2010.

The group of private investors includes the family of Guy Lacasse, who was CEO of the private, family owned company when Haworth bought it in 2000. At the time, Quebec-based designer and manufacturer of laminate office furniture for contract and middle-market customers, had sales of $64 million and a workforce of 600 members.

The Holland office furniture maker bought a stake in the company to help it grow in the North American office furniture industry, leaders said at the time.

CEO Franco Bianchi said his company and Groupe Lacasse will continue to maintain a relationship as mutual customers and suppliers.

RELATED: Haworth reports double digit sales growth in 2011

“Groupe Lacasse will experience greater opportunity to operate in the marketplace as an independent company, while maintaining a strong connection to the business opportunities offered by Haworth,” Bianchi said in a statement. “It will be an exciting entrepreneurial opportunity for Sylvain and the entire team as they build on the positive momentum they have been developing.

“Groupe Lacasse will focus on strengthening its its core business and driving performance to the next level, said Sylvain Garneau, Groupe Lacasse CEO and chairman of the investors’ group.

The sale was described as a way for Haworth and Groupe Lacasse to more effectively serve customers in a focused and agile way and ensures that the companies have the opportunity to achieve the best possible sustainable long-term growth and profitability without losing the potential to serve market-specific needs.

This is the second sale of a international holding this year by Haworth. In January, Haworth announced it was selling its Italian operations Haworth S.p.A. to German management firm mutares AG.

via Haworth sells Canadian office furniture maker Groupe Lacasse | MLive.com.