DIY Home Renovation Projects

Renovating a living space is both an exciting and daunting challenge if you want to improve your home. While renovations are a great way to add value to a home, they can also be expensive, time consuming and stressful. Luckily, there are certain do-it-yourself renovation tasks that can help you save money and get the exact results you want. Additionally, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you completed the project on your own. It is important for homeowners to understand that some home remodeling tasks are too complicated for a DIY approach. Be realistic about your capabilities when deciding which projects to complete yourself. Furthermore, whether your remodeling plans are large or small, only take on DIY projects with adequate preparation. Planning and organizing ahead of time can help you avoid issues along the way and allow you to complete the project efficiently. Try out these easy DIY home renovation projects to give your home professional remodeling results at a significantly lower cost.

Repaint Interior Walls

Giving the walls of your home a fresh coat of paint can change the look and feel of your living space. DIY wall painting can be completed for a fraction of the cost of hiring professional painters. As long as you prepare for the task, the results can be up to professional standards. Before painting, choose your updated color scheme. You can pick completely new colors or repaint the walls the same color. Feel free to be creative. Do not be afraid to change interior colors or add an accent wall for a splash of vibrancy in a room. Different color schemes will bring warm, neutral or cool tones to a room, changing the mood and feel of the home. Before personalizing your space with a fresh coat of paint, prepare each room to get the areas ready for painting. Move or cover furniture in each room being painted. Repair damaged surfaces on walls by scraping, sanding or applying putty where necessary. Remove electrical outlets, pictures and wall hangings. Put painter’s tape around windows, doorways and woodwork on the walls. To avoid getting paint on the floor, lay a protective cover, such as a sheet, on the ground. To avoid color variations in multiple cans of paint, consolidate and mix the cans into one large container. Paint the room carefully using long, smooth brushstrokes. Use a brush for the edges and a roller for the main interior areas. When the first coat has dried, add a second coat for full and even color. This is especially important if you are going from a dark color to a lighter wall color.

Reupholster Furniture

Reupholstering is a great DIY project to make couches, chairs and other furniture pieces in a home look like new. This process involves stapling new fabric onto an old piece of furniture to change or refresh the look of the item. Reupholstering is a budget-friendly alternative to buying new furniture when redecorating a home. You can reupholster the current furniture in your house or used items bought from low-cost shops or thrift stores. Imagine finding the perfect piece of low-cost furniture at the store, only to discover the fabric is stained, distressed or unappealing. By mastering this easy task, you increase the possibilities for adding and updating furniture in your house or apartment. A piece of furniture, new fabric and an upholstery staple gun are the only items you need in order to complete this DIY renovation task. The amount of fabric needed and the cost of the project depends on the size of the piece of furniture. Any color, texture or type of fabric can be used for reupholstering furniture. With this freedom, you can use your creativity and imagination to envision an item that perfectly complements your home decor. When determining what furniture you will be reupholstering, inspect the piece for signs of damage. Only use solid pieces to ensure the item will remain sturdy throughout the future. After removing the existing fabric, use a staple gun to add pieces of new fabric, one section at a time. Cushions or stuffing may have to be added during this process. Work carefully to ensure the fabric is secure and smooth.

Update Home Flooring

Many home renovations involve updating worn or outdated flooring. New floors can add durability, functionality and an improved look to a home. While getting floors replaced professionally is often costly, DIY projects are budget friendly and convenient. There are a number of DIY options for updating flooring available to homeowners. Some simple projects include using vinyl, engineered wood planks and laminate as floor replacements, as detailed below: Homeowners can easily install vinyl sheets to update the flooring in a house or apartment. Vinyl is durable and easy to clean, making it a good flooring option for kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms. Peel-and-stick vinyl tiles are available at as low as $1 per square foot. The tiles are simply adhered individually or in sections onto the old flooring. Floating vinyl can easily be installed at as low as $2 per square foot. This process involves laying down a sheet cut to the size of a room and replacing the old shoe molding. As an alternative to installing regular wood, engineered wood planks come in different sizes and strip amounts. Depending on the seller and type of wood, engineered planks range between $4 and $8 per square foot. The planks easily snap together while resting on top of a layer of rubber-foam. Homeowners get the durability and attractiveness of wood flooring without having to pay installation fees or obtain high-cost materials. A wide variety of wood types, sizes and colors are available to make your renovation ideas come to life. Finally, plastic laminate is a durable, scratch- and stain-resistant option for affordable DIY flooring. The price of laminate planks ranges from $1 to $6 per square foot, depending on the manufacturer and level of quality. Like engineered wood, laminate planks easily snap together on top of the old flooring in a room. Different types of plastic laminate are made to imitate the look of wood and tile. Homeowners can get the look of either type of flooring with the added protection of plastic laminate. Homes with kids and pets may benefit from using laminate flooring.

By Admin – October 2018