5 Simple Home Improvement Projects You Can Start Today
Redecorate With Paint
There is no easier or cheaper way to redecorate than to paint! Not only can painting a room dramatically change its appearance, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to do a good job. All you have to do is follow three simple rules:
1. Clean Those Walls: All artists understand the need for a good surface, and painting a room, though not necessarily an artistic endeavor, is no different. It is best to clean the walls with soap and water and then rinse with clear water. Once the wall is dried completely, you are ready to start!
2. Good Paint is the Best Paint: Although you don't have to buy the most expensive brand out there, good paint is worth the price. It won't show brush strokes and you can often get by with a single coat.
3. Start From the Top Down: Start with your ceilings, move to your walls, then to your windows and doors, and last but not least, paint those baseboards. It's the way the professionals do it!
Once you are done, you will hardly recognize the place!
Just Add Fabric
This idea is a bit more expensive than paint, but far cheaper than wallpaper - not to mention it can be removed easily when you decide you want a new look. What am I talking about? Covering your walls with fabric!
All you will need is enough fabric to cover the walls, liquid fabric starch, a sponge paint roller and paint pan, and a large sponge! Prepare your walls as if you were going to paint. Now, pour the liquid starch into the paint pan, and roll it onto the wall. Put the fabric up on the wall, using the sponge to apply starch and get rid of any bubbles. Once it is dry, you can trim off the ends at the ceiling, floor, doors, and windows.
Talk about a dramatic change! And when you want to change the look, just peel the fabric off and wash the walls!
Add Lighting For Beauty
Nothing transforms a house like light. Choosing the right lighting for you home is a great way to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Although adding lighting to a room is not difficult to do, you will need a plan that considers the variety of activities that will occur there.
1. "Task lighting" allows you to complete a task, such as reading, without getting blinded, but also without needing to strain your eyes to get the job done! Reading requires task lighting that comes from behind the reader's shoulder or reflects off the ceiling or wall.
2. "Accent lighting" highlights or features certain areas. When you look around your home, what do you see? More importantly, what do you WANT to see? It may be a particular piece of artwork, an unusual plant, or an interesting architectural feature. No matter what you choose to emphasize, accent lighting will help it stand out and add a dramatic touch.
3. "Ambient lighting" is the general lighting that provides overall illumination to the areas in use.
Knowing the way you use the room will guide you to choices that change your home from drab to dynamic.
Give Your Kitchen a Facelift
The kitchen is not only the heart of the home but one of the most important rooms when it comes to resale value. If your kitchen is humdrum but you simply don't have enough money for a total remodel, consider giving it a facelift - a cabinet re-facing, that is!
Just what is cabinet re-facing? It is simply changing the appearance of the cabinet doors while leaving the cabinets and the layout the same.
Cabinet re-facing can be accomplished in a number of ways:
1. You can sand and repaint your cabinet doors using any color or texture you choose
2. You can strip your cabinet doors and re-stain in a variety of finishes.
3. Simply changing the hinges and knobs can make a world of difference.
Just a little bit of time, a quick trip to the home supply store, and some elbow grease, and you will have the look and feel of a brand new kitchen.
Replace Your Old Flooring The Easy Way
Floors are often overlooked when it comes time to remodel, but new flooring is a great way to add just the right touch to your bathroom, kitchen, living room, or dining room. And now, with glueless laminate flooring, the job can be done in one weekend!
The most popular laminate designs are made to resemble hard wood flooring, however, you can also find those that look like stone or marble. Whatever your choice, you will be able to put the new floor down over your old floor - no need for scraping off old vinyl flooring, removing hardwood flooring, or covering concrete. Just about any flat hard surface can be the base for laminate!
No matter what your décor or your lifestyle, you can find a laminate floor to fit your needs.
Choosing the best modeling and redecorating projects will help your home sell faster and for more money NOW!
Related Tags: realtor, selling your home, home improvements, remodel, home staging, updates, home staging tips, new book
Teri B Clark is a professional writer and published author. Her most recent book, 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home NOW and For More Money Than You Thought, explains these tips in more detail and offers many, many others. To learn more about Teri's latest book, visit http://staging-your-home.blogspot.com
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Qualifying Equals More Sales and More Income
In my experience in the new home sales industry and the opinion of the top producers across virtuall - Questions From Home Sellers
Home sellers have been contacting me about selling their homes with the question: "Should - Top 10 Reasons You Can Sell More Real Estate With A Podcast
A lucrative career in real estate used to mean shaking a lot of hands and praying for favorable mark - How Important is a Real Estate Appraisal?
A real estate appraisal is necessary any time you buy or sell any kind of real estate. The purpose - Window Treatments Can Help Sell Your Home - Let a Home Stager Show You How
New window treatments can make a world of difference when selling your home. They can add value and - Sell Land Contract Agreements for Cash To Professional Note Buyers
You can sell land contract agreements to a professional note buyer for a lump sum of money. Many peo - How To Prepare For An Open House
To further maximize exposure, your Realtor may recommend you hold one or two types of open houses as - Home Selling Tips - Tips On Selling Your Own Home And Preparing Your Home For Sale
Top Ways to Boost Your Homes ValueSelling your home is a major life event; buyers and agents will co - Selling With A Real Estate Representative
Selecting a RealtorFinding the right real estate representative takes some time and care. A good pla - 4 Easy Tips to Sell Your Home
It's spring, the busiest time of year when it comes to buying and selling real estate. If you want t
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Great Curb Appeal: Your First Line Of Defense For Selling Your Home
Trying to sell your home without "Great Curb Appeal" is an uphill struggle. Without pristine curb a - Dependable Recumbent Bicycle Dealers
Recumbent bikes place the cyclist in a laid-back, easy chair riding or reclined posture. Unlike conv - Prospecting for Real Estate Clients is Not a Short-term Activity
Have you ever mailed a prospecting letter to 100 or even 500 homeowners in your neighborhood, waited - Free Home Staging Tips that Make Your Home Sell Faster
A 2006 Chicago Tribune article cites a National Association of Realtors (NAR) study validating the i - Putting Your Best Foot Forward When Selling Your Home
As the real estate market cools off, it is important to focus on the fundamentals if you want to sel - Home Loan Finances
You can take a loan from banks or lending companies. Banks and such companies have their set criteri - Selling Your Gilbert Home in a Tough Market
Selling Your Gilbert Home When No One Is Making An OfferThis may seem like a terrible time to have y - Real Estate Market for Sellers in 2007
For much of this decade, sellers have sat in the cat seat when it comes to the real estate market. A - Staging, Selling Your Home For More Money
In the middle-of-the-road housing market, homes are remaining for sale longer than they did about on - Trying to Sell a Home with Little or No Equity
Many homeowners are sweating finances these days. For a variety of reason they are in over the head