Making Existing Homes Better

Vinyl flooring comes in many iterations—roll, tiles, and plank form. Any type makes a great floor surface, particularly in rooms where high moisture levels occur, such as kitchens and bathrooms. When installing vinyl flooring, start by gathering the proper tools, then remove baseboards and molding. Once the floor is level and you’re ready, calculate the floor and begin laying your vinyl. For floor ducts and door frames, use a utility knife or saw to cut the vinyl and to make it fit. Vinyl Planks and tiles are laid similarly. Rolls, however, must be unrolled carefully a few feet at a time, removing the backing as you go in order for it to adhere to the floor.

Backsplashes have a practical side in protecting your walls, but that doesn’t mean you can’t turn them into decor. With a range of colors, sizes, and shapes of tiles from which to choose you can get crazy with your designs. Once you’ve decided on a design and selected your tiles, measure the space and mark your starting point. Apply tile adhesive to the bottom row to the wall. Insert spacers and keep going. You may need to score and cut tile around electrical outlets. The next day, grout the tile using a rubber float. After the grout has set for an hour, wipe away any excess.

Old furniture often has worn out upholstery, but its “skeleton” should still be functional. If you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford new furniture, reupholstering your old one can give it a second life. It’s pretty doable to reupholster a basic chair seat. Start by measuring the cushion to determine the amount of fabric needed; be sure to allow a few inches all around to fold over the bottom of the seat. Remove the seat from the chair. If you need to make any repairs or want to add fresh padding or refinish the chair, now’s the best time to start. Cut the fabric to fit the seat. Fold it over and use a staple gun to attach it to the seat’s underside. Stretch it tight and do all sides. Fold the fabric around the corners at an angle before stapling. When it’s ready, reattach it back to the chair, and that’s it, you’ve successfully given it a second life.

Lining your drawers protects surfaces from stains and spills, and makes cleaning easier. There are plenty of liners, each with their own purpose. It’s up to you to pick what works best for you. Fabric liners are washable for long-term use. Plastic liners work best on open wire shelves, where they prevent items from becoming unevenly balanced. Foam liners provide an extra cushion for delicate, breakable items. Vinyl liners are the least expensive and are available in the widest array of colors and patterns, but adhesive-backed liners leave a sticky residue when removed.

One significant benefit to composting is that it diverts materials from the waste stream. This means that it could decrease trash at landfills, while also improving your soil. It’s a simple habit to pick up. Just be sure to learn what can be composted—such as fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, shredded newspaper, grass clippings, and small leaves and twigs—and what can’t. For example, don’t add meat or dairy products to your compost. Ideally, you’ll want three parts brown material to one part green material. Place your compost in a warm, sunny spot, keep it moist, and turn it frequently using a pitchfork or a compost tumbler. You may need to score and cut tile around electrical outlets. The next day, grout the tile using a rubber float. After the grout has set for an hour, wipe away any excess.

Raised garden beds make growing vegetables and flowers easier on your back and knees—can make your place look prettier too. Choose a spot and plot out the size and footprint of your raised bed. Typically, they’re 3 feet wide, which enables gardeners to reach across easily. Most garden beds are between 12 and 20 inches tall. When building one, use water-resistant material, such as concrete blocks, landscape timber, or rot-resistant exterior wood like cedar. You may need screws to attach the corners. Make sure to add good soil—a combination of two parts topsoil to one part compost is best. Remember that raised beds will lose moisture faster than in-ground gardens, thus, after planting, add mulch to keep it moist.

Wallpaper can add color and pattern in an elegant or invigorating way that paint can’t always match—especially with the texture it offers. Available in a variety of materials, you can opt for peel-and-stick wallpapers that could make your DIY decor easier to apply. When adding a wallpaper, make sure to measure the height and width of each wall and multiply those numbers to calculate the square footage of the wall. You can subtract ten square feet from every door or large window. If your chosen wallpaper has a pattern, we recommend buying an extra roll or package in the same dye lot, depending on the size of the pattern. Having extra rolls guarantees you won’t need to go back to the store in case you need one part of the pattern.

Make your front door stand out with a fresh coat of paint. Ideally, you should remove the door from its hinges before painting. Sand, wash, and dry the surface as part of the prep. Remove hardware—door knob and hinges—and cover any glass panes. Apply primer or a paint-and-primer-in-one. It will probably take two coats, so let it dry between applications. Once the final coat is dry, and reattach to your house together with its hinges.

If you're a more practical person, adding a shelf is a quick and easy project that adds function and form in the way of decorative storage. Determine where you want to hang a shelf and what size the shelf should be. For shelves, it’s best if you can attach the supports to a wall stud, but drywall anchors may work if there’s not too much weight placed on it. For longer shelves and heavier loads, you might add brackets for extra support. Begin measuring the height you want and the distance you need between brackets. Drill pilot holes for the screws before screwing the brackets into place. Some shelves simply rest on the brackets while others are attached by screws. Don’t forget to test the weight it can carry before placing any breakables on the shelf.

One great and fun decor project that can both improve your air quality and make your room look better is hanging plants from the ceiling. Choose a location that gets the required amount of light for your plant. On your ceiling, locate a stud or beam to attach a swag bolt to, or use a toggle for extra hold. One rookie mistake is not using the correct bolt for its rated capacity for hanging weight. Since plants come with a container, be aware that plastic anchors support less weight from the ceiling than the wall—not a good choice for hanging a plant. Be aware that plastic anchors support less weight from the ceiling than the wall; they are not a good choice for a hanging plant. Once the swag bolt is secure, hang your plant.

Every homeowner has gone through this, whether your faucet has sprung a leak or you’d simply like to update the look to match your decor, replacing a faucet is inevitable. Since it’s easy to replace a faucet, go try it yourself. If your new faucet has the same hole configuration, this will be a snap. However, even if you want to switch from a three-hole faucet to a one-hole faucet, you can do it by adding an escutcheon plate that covers two of the holes. Begin by shutting off the water. Loosen the nuts on the faucet and lift it out. Next, place the new faucet (and escutcheon plate if necessary). Then attach the nuts, and connect the corresponding water lines. If you’re using an escutcheon plate, you may need to caulk it to prevent any leaks.

It might be a challenge at first, but growing fruits and vegetables provides fresh food at your fingertips. Not to mention, it’s a great learning experience for children and often results in tastier produce than you can buy at the store. The size of your garden should be based on what you intend to plant and how many you want to plant. Choose a spot that can get 8 hours of sunlight a day and remove any sod or other plant material. Prepare the soil by tilling or digging. Add compost or other soil amendments to improve the growing media. Plant seeds or bedding plants, following the planting instructions on the package. To have higher success, add fertilizer now and then. Depending on what you planted, you may need to provide protection from wildlife or harmful insects, or structure for climbing plants and tomatoes. Periodically, you will probably have to pull weeds and irrigate the soil.

One of the easiest home projects that can both save you money while adding more lighting along your sidewalk or driveway. Available in a wide range of types, sizes, styles, brightness, and even light color, solar lights require no wiring and don’t add to your electric bill—while being automatic too. What they ‌add is ambiance and an element of safety. Stand-alone solar path lights are mounted on a spike that easily slides into the ground. Simply place one every 6 to 8 feet, although you can put them closer for a brighter walkway.

Another great home project for the whole family to join is creating a container garden. Pretty up your patio with a bouquet of flowering plants in a decorative container. Create bright color combinations that will attract pollinators for a bonus. Select an appropriate outdoor container with a drain hole in the bottom and fill it with potting soil. Let the kids choose a selection of plants. The rule of thumb is to combine a thriller, filler, and spiller—a tall, showy plant, smaller plants to fill in the space, and a trailing plant to spill over the side. Take care that all plants have similar sunlight and water requirements and are suitable for your climate.

Rather than buying an overpriced luxury mirror, you can frame one yourself. Measure the piece of unframed mirror, and purchase an appropriate amount of framing material in a width and style of your choosing. Remember to factor in the mitered corners when determining the lengths you’ll need for each side of the mirror. For each piece, you’ll need to cut a slot for the mirror to slide into. This is most easily done using a table saw, but a router will suffice. Next, you’ll need to use a miter box to make 45-degree cuts for the corners of the frame. After sanding the wood, paint or stain it—we recommend being creative here! After your frame design is dry and finished, insert the mirror and use silicone glue to set the joints. Apply compression with a band clamp while the glue dries. Using a nail gun to insert a nail into each corner is optional. Apply caulk to conceal the joints and wood putty to hide the nails. Affix hanging hardware and hang it.

Have a drab kitchen? Add some color to it by painting the cabinets—or lighten up the room by painting them white. Whatever color you choose, select a semi-gloss or gloss paint because it is easier to clean and stands up to wear and tear better than a matte paint. To start, remove the doors, drawers, and hardware and then apply two coats of primer. Sand the surface lightly and apply the paint, going with the grain. Don’t forget to paint the backs of the cabinet doors, too. When they’re dry, reinstall and enjoy your new kitchen look.

One quick way to reduce your heating and air conditioning bills is by sealing drafty windows and doors. Latex caulk is often used for this application because it expands more than silicone caulk. To begin, remove the old caulk and clean the area with liquid caulk remover or vinegar. Then tape off the area to avoid getting unwanted caulk on the walls. Once you’re ready, load the tube into a caulking gun and use scissors or a utility knife to cut the tip of the caulk tube at a 45-degree angle. Use the trigger on the caulk gun to apply a thin line of caulk. Run your gloved finger over the line to smooth it. Let dry for 24 hours.

There are many options for concealing cords. You can adhere simple cord clips to the back of your electronics or furniture to corral your cords. Some furniture comes with cord-hiding compartments, or you could build your own secret storage into a TV stand. For wall-mounted TVs, you can run the cords through a cord cover. For ultra-invisibility, paint the cord the same color as your walls. Paintable baseboard cord channels offer another way to route cords around a room in a protected tunnel that hardly anyone will notice.

Living through a global pandemic has changed employment status for many of us who now telecommute from home. Whether you’re working full time from a home office or just need somewhere to pay the bills, create some space for a home office. Use a small corner or closet if you have to, but if you can have an entire room, that would be best. If you do plan on using an entire room, consider swapping a hollow-core door for a solid door to reduce sound intrusion from the family room. Upholstered furniture, rugs, and quilt wall hangings will also muffle the sound from the rest of the house. You can use a table as a workspace instead of a desk, but be sure to add an ergonomic chair, sufficient lighting, some shelving, and storage. Trust us, it goes a long way.

Gain usable space by decluttering your home. This is one home project where you can get the whole family involved. First, sort through your stuff to determine what you really use and what you wouldn’t miss. Next, store things used rarely in cabinets and drawers, leaving countertop space free—don’t forget to put labels on your containers. Donate items you no longer need to a school, a homeless center, an animal shelter, your church, or your favorite charity. After every decluttering session, we advise cleaning your gained space so you can enjoy it immediately.