You may think that they could never improve your own home. Have no fear, there are home improvement projects available to suit any skill level. Improving your home has some long term benefits and the following article should give you some great ideas as to how you can do it all yourself.
If you have any doors that squeak upon open or closing, try using a little lubricant. Apply a small amount of commercial lubricant to the door hinge and open and close the door to allow it to enter the crevices. You can also try this with cooking oil, though the results may not last as long as a commercially available lubricant.
If you don’t want to refinish your old and weathered wooden floors, you can instead, give your home a cottage style boost. Buy some oil based paint and choose some affordable stencils. Use the stencils and paint to re-design your wooden floors. Add some cute designs in varying patterns, to give a full on-cottage look to your home.
Flooring
Flooring replacement can be very expensive. One easy thing to do is simply remove the flooring that’s in place and then apply stain in an attractive color to the concrete base. The stain makes the concrete have a new industrial look that can match any decor.
Does your floor appear old and worn out? If you are ambitious, you can pull up your floor and lay down sticky wood flooring. The cost is low and the look amazing. Furthermore, this floor is easy to install so anybody can install it themselves.
Don’t be fooled by cheap imitation flooring. Tile, Marble and Granite are all better than imitation versions of them. Floors should not have linoleum unless in an apartment, counters should be either granite, tile or marble. There are so many affordable options that there is really no excuse for plastic versions of the real thing.
Choose materials that last. The best materials might not be the cheapest ones or the most trendy ones, but they will save you money on the long term. You should choose asphalt, wood, stones and ceramic for the outside of your house. For the inside, vinyl flooring lasts much longer.
Carpeting
If you have an older home, you may find that there are hardwood floors underneath any carpeting currently installed. Many homes prior to 1950s were required to have hard wood as their sub-floor. This means that there may be gold in those floorboards. They may need some refinishing, but not having to pay to have them installed would be a huge money saver.
Choosing to use wooden flooring instead of carpeting can save you a lot of hassle in the long run. Carpet can contain allergens and cleaning it is sometimes out of the question. The cost of ripping up and replacing your carpet can almost be as costly as just putting down wooden flooring. Wooden floors can be refinished and repainted as needed; also providing a more rural and cottage style environment.
When painting your walls, always make sure to properly spread tarps or newspaper over your flooring. You can even go as far as cutting open trash bags and laying them on the floor. Painting is messy and hard/impossible to remove from carpeting and wooden flooring. Take safety measures before you start painting so you don’t have to worry about the after effects.
As you have seen, there are numerous projects that are possible for even the novice home improver. Now that you’ve read this article, you should be confident enough to start your first project. You are sure to feel proud when all your hard work pays off.
