Improving your home with these DIY tips

The prices of homes are increasing rapidly buyers are finding it more difficult to find or even afford the house that they fall in love with. This means that more and more people are deciding to renovate their homes. Once in a while things need to be refreshed especially in your property to make sure it feels like home however before you start doing any renovations you need to sort your finances and leave some money aside just in case of any extra costs. Looking to improve your home?

Then look no further for some top tips on how to do this alone…

Grout in your bathroom?

Over time your bathroom can build up with dirt and the small gaps that collect the dirt and begin to look unclean or grubby. Grout is porous which means it will absorb any grease or dirt that enters the room. This can be a tedious job but it will be well worth it and will return your bathroom to its original state. One way to clean the grout is to use an old toothbrush and scrub between the gaps with a proprietary cleaner (preferably one with anti-mould qualities). The anti-mould will get rid of the mould and hopefully prevent it coming back. Make sure to keep a window open as the formula is very strong and can be toxic. Another method is to buy grout remover, remove all the grout, then re-apply a coat over the top.

Repainting

One of the first things you see as you walk up to a property, but is also one of the most neglected parts of a home is the front door. Why not repaint your front door to give the entrance to your home a new feel? This job should only take you a weekend and isn’t too strenuous. You could go for either a high gloss finish or a matt finish and any colour under the sun. You will need to prepare the door before painting it in case it has chips in it. After re-painting the door you could also get a new door number, finishing the whole job.

Your home may need a repaint as well due to wear and tear or marks on the walls. This job can be completed quickly and doesn’t cost a lot. Before you start painting you need to ensure you have the correct paint for each room. For example, kitchens and bathrooms need a paint that can handle heat such as vinyl silk emulsion. After the paint and colour is chosen you must prepare the room, making sure there are no cracks in the walls by applying a decorator’s filler. Get rid of any dust or cobwebs on the walls because if you don’t it may create lumps on the walls while you are painting. Do not forget to move all your furniture away so you don’t splash anything with paint. It is probably best to paint the room once, leave it to dry, and then do another layer on top.

Shelving and decorations

Adding shelving and decorations can also make a huge difference to a room. For the shelves you can buy wood, glass or MDF from any home store and cut them to the desired size. You could even buy a complete shelving pack which would take you less than an hour to put up. Add decorations to your home to add some extra colour and give it a homely feel. Use items like pictures, vases, candles, table lamps or pillows to liven up the look of the room.

Renovating your home can be a tedious and time consuming task and if you feel like you can’t do any of these jobs then get in a professional and ensure that they have tradesman liability insurance.