You may plan to live in your home for decades, or you may plan to sell quickly, but home improvement is always a good idea. Every improvement you make to your home increases its value. Keep reading for some great tips about home improvement.
Use paint made for touching up appliances to cover up flaws on ceramic tile. Did you chip one of your tiles moving furniture? This type of paint will make it look almost as good as new. It dries hard with a glossy color that is hardly distinguishable from the surface of the tile itself.
When choosing a contractor, make sure to interview them and check references. There are few things more painful than a home improvement project gone wrong. At best you'll have to live in a house that makes you unhappy and at worse you could find yourself without a place that's safe to live in. Perform your due diligence upfront in making your choice so that you won't be surprised at the results at the end.
If you have hardwood floors and pets, you know that it is almost inevitable that a urinating accident will or already has taken place. There is a simple solution to saving your hardwood floor. Find the stain on your flooring and take a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Sit next to the stain and start pouring peroxide on the stain slowly. Make sure to exercise caution, because too much peroxide can damage your floors and have a negative effect. If used in the right doses, the peroxide will lighten the appearance of the stain.
It is vital to get an expert's advice for big home improvement tasks. Sometimes just getting a simple heads up can save you a lot of time and money. It's easy to make big mistakes without professional help.
When planning for landscaping upgrades, consider native plants in your yard plan. They're generally more hardy and require less water than non-natives. Your plant choices will vary depending on your area, but your county agricultural extension will be able to help you with planning. Also check to see if a local university has a program to help homeowners with native landscaping.
Build your own utility shelves with furring strips, plywood, and screws. Build two identical ladder-like sides using the furring strips and screws. Connect them perpendicularly by screwing on additional furring cut to the width of the shelves. Finally, screw plywood panels in place to make the shelf surfaces.
Don't ever hire an unlicensed contractor. All contractors have to be certified. This, of course, does not ensure that they will do a good job, but it does offer some protection from fraud. Do not hire anyone without a license or certification, since they might not have a professional insurance, which would become a huge problem if the job goes wrong.
In any home with original wood floors, the homeowner considering home improvement projects, should avoid replacing the floors, at all cost. The older a wood floor is, the less likely it is that it can be replaced with an equally attractive floor. It is much better to refinish existing wood floors. Even in cases of the most extreme damage, laying a new floor over the original one is preferable to removing it.
To save on energy costs, consider adding a series of small fluorescent lighting fixtures under your cabinetry. These lights consume less energy than your overhead light and can cast a glowing light on the counter surface that is ideal for preparing food or illuminating a richly colored counter top or decorative back splash area.
Once you lay tile, you must immediately seal the grout. Grout has a porous consistency. Without a seal, wetness will permeate the grout, allowing mildew and mold to form. If left unsealed, you will notice your grout discolors quickly from stains. If you seal the grout, not only will it save you time in cleaning your tiles, but it can potentially save you money in costly repairs resulting from mildew problems.
Strategically placed mirrors, can add visual interest to any room and make the area feel more spacious. This is especially useful in small bathrooms. Use adhesive-backed mirrors from any home improvement center, to create a distinctive design, that adds impact and an illusion of more space. This project can be easily achieved in under an hour and with, as little as, fifty dollars.
If you have extra paint left over from a recent project, store it in a glass jar rather than leaving it in the paint can. You will be able to instantly tell what the color is without going through the messy ordeal of opening the lid of the paint can.
A great way to put a nice addition to your home is to put in new covers on the outlets. Without you even realizing it, your outlets covers grow discolored over time, giving a dingy look in some cases. So, changing them out for new, fresh covers, can have quite an visual impact on any room.
There is a great variety of staining agents on the market if you are looking to refurbish your deck. You can have a stain which is colorless or one with a bright hue. You should find which one will work best for you.
Siding Ideas and Techniques
If you are improving your home to increase its sale value, focus on the important portions first. Trying to renovate the whole home will become overly expensive and provide a diminishing return on investment. Items such as exterior siding, plumbing fixtures, lighting, and kitchen appliances, however, will be universally appealing as you try to sell the home.
To remove green algae from your vinyl siding, mix a few cups of vinegar and a big squirt of dish or laundry detergent into a bucket of hot water. Apply the mixture and scrub with a sponge mop from top to bottom and rinse well with water from a garden hose, sprayer or power washer.
Always be sure to keep proper insulation in mind when you are considering replacing outdated siding on your house. Good insulation will cut down energy costs and boost your home's value. It will put more money in your pocket!
The most important thing you need to know when choosing a new siding for your home is to know the R-Value. The R-Value is the measure of thermal resistance used in the building industry. Be sure you know the R-Value that is right for your zip code. These statistics are available through the US Department of Energy.
An excellent alternative to siding on your home is to replace it with stucco. Stucco comes in a large array of colors and styles and can be versatile and fit your personal tastes perfectly. Stucco is also fire resistant which can be a great selling point down the road if you are trying to move.
If you want to put a new surface on your home, stucco is a good choice. Stucco is fairly easy to apply, although you may need to use forms. Whether you do the job yourself or hire a professional, your home's new stucco exterior is going to retain its fresh, attractive appearance for many years to come.
When you plan to replace your siding, remember that it could be really expensive to install stucco on your home. It's an attractive, durable improvement, but just be ready for the labor and for the price tag. Stucco might look nice, but it may be sensible to consider cheaper solutions.
Remember when doing a massive home renovation that the inside is not the only area that needs attention. Sure the inside of the home is a big factor in a major home improvement plan, but neglecting the outside will lead to expensive repairs down the road. Look at the roof, siding, paint, and gutters for any signs they need replacing.
A pressure washer, and cleaners designed for your home's exterior, can be used to clean and refresh curb appeal. If you don't wish to buy one, renting a pressure washer is a viable option, and they can really make a difference in the house's look. Be careful when cleaning windows and roof lines. You do not want to create another project!
Are you weighing the pros and cons on installing vinyl siding on your home? Vinyl siding is very low-maintenance and it generally lasts for 25 years. Typically, a home without vinyl siding needs to be repainted every five to seven years. If you want to have a home that has high curb appeal but requires low maintenance, then installing vinyl siding may be a wise choice for you.
A carefully chosen home improvement can really improve your home. It may only take you one weekend to accomplish. Hopefully, you've picked up one or two great ideas here that you can incorporate into your next home improvement project. Just choose one and get started.
Use paint made for touching up appliances to cover up flaws on ceramic tile. Did you chip one of your tiles moving furniture? This type of paint will make it look almost as good as new. It dries hard with a glossy color that is hardly distinguishable from the surface of the tile itself.
When choosing a contractor, make sure to interview them and check references. There are few things more painful than a home improvement project gone wrong. At best you'll have to live in a house that makes you unhappy and at worse you could find yourself without a place that's safe to live in. Perform your due diligence upfront in making your choice so that you won't be surprised at the results at the end.
If you have hardwood floors and pets, you know that it is almost inevitable that a urinating accident will or already has taken place. There is a simple solution to saving your hardwood floor. Find the stain on your flooring and take a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Sit next to the stain and start pouring peroxide on the stain slowly. Make sure to exercise caution, because too much peroxide can damage your floors and have a negative effect. If used in the right doses, the peroxide will lighten the appearance of the stain.
It is vital to get an expert's advice for big home improvement tasks. Sometimes just getting a simple heads up can save you a lot of time and money. It's easy to make big mistakes without professional help.
When planning for landscaping upgrades, consider native plants in your yard plan. They're generally more hardy and require less water than non-natives. Your plant choices will vary depending on your area, but your county agricultural extension will be able to help you with planning. Also check to see if a local university has a program to help homeowners with native landscaping.
Build your own utility shelves with furring strips, plywood, and screws. Build two identical ladder-like sides using the furring strips and screws. Connect them perpendicularly by screwing on additional furring cut to the width of the shelves. Finally, screw plywood panels in place to make the shelf surfaces.
Don't ever hire an unlicensed contractor. All contractors have to be certified. This, of course, does not ensure that they will do a good job, but it does offer some protection from fraud. Do not hire anyone without a license or certification, since they might not have a professional insurance, which would become a huge problem if the job goes wrong.
In any home with original wood floors, the homeowner considering home improvement projects, should avoid replacing the floors, at all cost. The older a wood floor is, the less likely it is that it can be replaced with an equally attractive floor. It is much better to refinish existing wood floors. Even in cases of the most extreme damage, laying a new floor over the original one is preferable to removing it.
To save on energy costs, consider adding a series of small fluorescent lighting fixtures under your cabinetry. These lights consume less energy than your overhead light and can cast a glowing light on the counter surface that is ideal for preparing food or illuminating a richly colored counter top or decorative back splash area.
Once you lay tile, you must immediately seal the grout. Grout has a porous consistency. Without a seal, wetness will permeate the grout, allowing mildew and mold to form. If left unsealed, you will notice your grout discolors quickly from stains. If you seal the grout, not only will it save you time in cleaning your tiles, but it can potentially save you money in costly repairs resulting from mildew problems.
Strategically placed mirrors, can add visual interest to any room and make the area feel more spacious. This is especially useful in small bathrooms. Use adhesive-backed mirrors from any home improvement center, to create a distinctive design, that adds impact and an illusion of more space. This project can be easily achieved in under an hour and with, as little as, fifty dollars.
If you have extra paint left over from a recent project, store it in a glass jar rather than leaving it in the paint can. You will be able to instantly tell what the color is without going through the messy ordeal of opening the lid of the paint can.
A great way to put a nice addition to your home is to put in new covers on the outlets. Without you even realizing it, your outlets covers grow discolored over time, giving a dingy look in some cases. So, changing them out for new, fresh covers, can have quite an visual impact on any room.
There is a great variety of staining agents on the market if you are looking to refurbish your deck. You can have a stain which is colorless or one with a bright hue. You should find which one will work best for you.
Siding Ideas and Techniques
If you are improving your home to increase its sale value, focus on the important portions first. Trying to renovate the whole home will become overly expensive and provide a diminishing return on investment. Items such as exterior siding, plumbing fixtures, lighting, and kitchen appliances, however, will be universally appealing as you try to sell the home.
To remove green algae from your vinyl siding, mix a few cups of vinegar and a big squirt of dish or laundry detergent into a bucket of hot water. Apply the mixture and scrub with a sponge mop from top to bottom and rinse well with water from a garden hose, sprayer or power washer.
Always be sure to keep proper insulation in mind when you are considering replacing outdated siding on your house. Good insulation will cut down energy costs and boost your home's value. It will put more money in your pocket!
The most important thing you need to know when choosing a new siding for your home is to know the R-Value. The R-Value is the measure of thermal resistance used in the building industry. Be sure you know the R-Value that is right for your zip code. These statistics are available through the US Department of Energy.
An excellent alternative to siding on your home is to replace it with stucco. Stucco comes in a large array of colors and styles and can be versatile and fit your personal tastes perfectly. Stucco is also fire resistant which can be a great selling point down the road if you are trying to move.
If you want to put a new surface on your home, stucco is a good choice. Stucco is fairly easy to apply, although you may need to use forms. Whether you do the job yourself or hire a professional, your home's new stucco exterior is going to retain its fresh, attractive appearance for many years to come.
When you plan to replace your siding, remember that it could be really expensive to install stucco on your home. It's an attractive, durable improvement, but just be ready for the labor and for the price tag. Stucco might look nice, but it may be sensible to consider cheaper solutions.
Remember when doing a massive home renovation that the inside is not the only area that needs attention. Sure the inside of the home is a big factor in a major home improvement plan, but neglecting the outside will lead to expensive repairs down the road. Look at the roof, siding, paint, and gutters for any signs they need replacing.
A pressure washer, and cleaners designed for your home's exterior, can be used to clean and refresh curb appeal. If you don't wish to buy one, renting a pressure washer is a viable option, and they can really make a difference in the house's look. Be careful when cleaning windows and roof lines. You do not want to create another project!
Are you weighing the pros and cons on installing vinyl siding on your home? Vinyl siding is very low-maintenance and it generally lasts for 25 years. Typically, a home without vinyl siding needs to be repainted every five to seven years. If you want to have a home that has high curb appeal but requires low maintenance, then installing vinyl siding may be a wise choice for you.
A carefully chosen home improvement can really improve your home. It may only take you one weekend to accomplish. Hopefully, you've picked up one or two great ideas here that you can incorporate into your next home improvement project. Just choose one and get started.
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