If you think your kitchen or bathroom needs a new look but you don't have that extra money to splash out on renovations, if you don’t already have the skills, you can read about and learn many home improvement tasks. You will not only be saving good money, but you will also find a better use for your savings, perhaps for the proverbial "rainy day".
Repairs Around the Home
Now and then, you will find that there are minor repairs that need to be made around the house. Leaking pipes, dripping faucets, loose bolt and nuts, peeling paint, a loose floorboard, or a broken dining table leg. Have you ever had to unclog your sink’s drain? Do you feel exasperated when a nuisance nail sticks keep snagging your clothes every time you brush against a cabinet?
If your answer is yes, yes, and yes, these repairs are tasks you should be able to carry out effortlessly. Save money; go the DIY way.
This leading manual – “The Complete Do-it-Yourself Manual” - is the bestselling and most comprehensive guide to home improvements and repair tasks. It is written in a way that addresses readers by assisting them with every DIY task around the home. It is a must-have guide for every homeowner and homemaker.
Home Improvement Tasks
Every few years or so, we find that we desire some improvements or upgrades in our homes. For instance, the bathroom floor tiles may look drab and worn, and you wish to liven it up with a new colour, or in the spirit of the hot summer months, you desire a simple rustic bench and side stool to serve as your patio furniture.
Perhaps, you want to make that niche more functional and make it an integral part of the hallway or you want to incorporate storage solutions into your living area zone.
These and many more are simple home improvement tasks that you can do. DIY home improvements are the order of the day and now, many homeowners have wizened up to the fact that it’s best taking care of minor faults and simple projects around the home by themselves. Remember, you’ll be saving loads of money this way.
With over 550 pages of hardworking, how-to instructions and photos, this book is quite possibly the only home remodelling book any homeowner or homemaker will ever require. From basements to attics and everywhere in between, "The Black and Decker Book of Home Improvement" shows you exactly how to do more than 100 of the most popular improvement projects.
Cheap Ways to Upgrade Your Home
There are three processes you can adopt to give your rooms, kitchen, and bathrooms an updated look.
- Cleaning
- Painting
- Lighting
Cleaning
Before you go out there purchasing, its good to first ascertain what your rooms, including kitchen or bathrooms, need as upgrades. Invest in good home cleaning agents and start by cleaning everything in sight. Clean grout lines, including the wall and floor tiles until they shine. Polish faucets, handles, sinks, tubs, basins, and other fixtures and fittings till they are lustrous. Thoroughly clean the windows, doors, and worktops.
Painting
If what you require needs more than cleaning, invest in paint works. Painting is a great way to make a room look brand new. You can paint over the tiles if you wish, sand down and paint the mouldings and other trims, or touch up stained woodworks. You can also paint over wood panelling, kitchen cabinet doors, and splashbacks. Use beautiful shades of your colour preferences to create a themed look; shabby chic, mid-century contemporary, or modern minimalist.
Lighting
Replace your light fittings and fixtures to add to your brand-new look, and this includes the light bulbs too. New light fixtures don’t have to cost much (as little as $25) but don’t skimp on quality if you can. You can replace old tungsten bulbs with LED bulbs. You can go for warm lights in the bedrooms and bathrooms. Warm white is more relaxing to the eyes and casts tranquil lighting. For the kitchen and living areas, the more luminous cool white lights work best because these areas, especially the kitchen requires lighting that shows the true colour of food and objects.
Essential Tools You Need to Have at for Home for DIY Tasks
Whether you are a first-time homeowner or someone who just joined the do-it-yourself trendsetters, having the right types of hand tools at home is essential. It is true that there are many home improvement tools available on the market and it can be hard trying to decide which ones you really need to buy. However, you don’t need a trunk full of tools to carry out home repair and upgrade works.
All you need for simple home improvement projects are a few essential tools listed below. These are the must-haves. With these tools, you can tackle just about any DIY project. And don’t forget to get a nice toolkit to store all your shiny new tools in one place.
- Power drill - The most frequently used power tool around the home. The best are cordless drills with multiple speed settings.
- Hammer – A great and handy tool to have at home that’s designed to manually drive nails, brads, and fasteners into materials like drywall, wood or plywood. The smooth-face hammer is best because it won't mar surfaces.
- Screwdriver set – A set of hand-operated tools useful for turning screws with slotted heads.
- Orbital sanding machine - One of the most essential power tools for a DIYer. It is needed for refinishing, furniture making, and basic carpentry tasks.
- Circular saw - A versatile tool used to cut anything from framing lumber to plywood.
- Table saw - A table saw need not be the expensive type. It may be fine just using a circular saw but once you have this tool, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
- Set of pliers – These hand tools are required to hold objects firmly and are also useful for bending and compressing a wide range of materials.
- Jigsaw - A type of saw that uses a reciprocating blade to cut irregular curves. Great for stencil-cuts and designs in wood, metal, and other materials.
- Mitre saw – This is an essential saw to have if you need to make precision crosscuts and mitres. Most mitre saws will also do bevel cuts which are a cut across the wood’s thickness.
- Paintbrushes and tray, OR a paint sprayer – If you can afford a paint sprayer, you will find painting cabinets, furniture items, and other small projects a breeze. It is incredibly convenient, and you don’t have to keep stopping to fill paint trays and it beats messy and dripping paintbrushes.
- Work light – This allows you to see what you are doing, even in the tightest corners. Invest in a battery-operated hands-free light that can be pointed in any direction.
Where to Find Home Improvement and Repairs Tips Online
If you need professional advice in any way, you can research online and learn. Many people have taught themselves home improvement skills through DIY video tutorials on YouTube. It’ll probably take you nothing more than 30minutes to watch and learn.
You can also get help from your local home improvement store where they won’t hesitate to give you simple instructions on how to get a repair or refurbishment done. They can teach you anything from learning how to use a hammer, to how to spray paint your ceiling. You can also get useful tips from friends who are more skilled DIYers.
Further reading:
How to Clean Bamboo Window Shades the Easy Way
How to Clean Honeycomb Window Blinds
How to Create Zones Within a Room
