How to - Origami

Because times are tough economically, many homeowners have decided not to rejuvenate their dated home because it’s too costly.  If you’re in that same situation, you can take solace from the fact that that you can make your home look like new with a few enhancements without spending all of your savings.

Stretching Your Remodeling Dollar

Start with fundamentals when mulling over a remodel.  Look at the ceilings, walls, and floors first. This is the foundation for your renovation. If you have an acoustic ceiling, consider either repainting it a crisp, white color or hiring someone to resurface and retexurize it with a even pattern. Don’t forget to apply a thick primer before your paint coat!  Next, look at the walls and consider a neutral color that will compliment with light and earthy tones and will go with any home accents. Fix any holes and marks in your walls and doors so your home looks fresh and refinished. Next, move on to the floor areas: are the flooring and baseboards in good shape?  If so, re-paint the baseboards a nice white color to make everything look brand-new again. If you plan to rip out and re-cover the floors, consider porcelain tiles, because they are relatively cheap per square foot and last much longer than carpet does.  If you will be installing carpet, choose a dense pile that is a shade of brown or beige so that marks from food and drinks won’t show much and the carpet will resist crushing for many years.

Kitchens and Bathrooms are Key

Modernizing your bathrooms and kitchen are the best investments you can put into your living quarters. If the cabinetry is structurally sound, consider either restaining the existing cabinets or buying new doors.  If you will be refacing them, get a good power drill and detach the hinges and handles from the cabinet doors to release them.  If needed,  new doors can be purchased from your local home improvement store. For an even better money-saving renovation, choose to refinish the existing cabinets. Again, remove the doors from the cabinets and then brush on a paint remover to the existing finish and use a scarping tool made from hard plastic just for this purpose. Once all of the finish has been removed, sand the cabinets the first time with a detail sander using medium-grit sandpaper. A final sanding should be done with a fine-grade sandpaper after that. Rub the cabinets with a cloth to remove the dust and then apply a wood conditioner to the cabinets. To conclude, stain or paint the wood and top it off with 2-3 clear coats to protect the wood from water exposure.

How to Make an Impact Through Design

Upgrading your decorative items is an uncomplicated, but significant way to make your home looking sharp. There are great deals at estate sales, second-hand shops, or on the Web which will save money.  For even increased savings, create furniture by yourself. You can make a beautiful headboard, for example, with nothing more than two over-sized splindles or posts of wood, a lathe machine (you can borrow this from someone), and a large rectangle of board made of wood.  Cover the wood centerpiece with some batting, fabric, and modern upholstery pins for a new headboard that is eye-catching!

Perhaps you’re fixing up a new home or wanting to re-do the one you live in. Either way, these helpful hints for getting the best-looking house will help your living quarters look brand-new without spending too much money in the process.

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