Even though we have a brand new home, we still have some home DIY projects on the horizon. As mentioned before we are slowly making our way through the home and putting our own touch on it. This means we are doing things like painting, hanging photos, and swapping out light fixtures. We also have plans to possibly add some wainscoting and wood planks to a couple of walls.
And if you have an existing home, improving upon your existing home can be an exciting task. Whether you’re installing that dream kitchen you’ve always wanted, knocking down walls to create a modern floor plan, or simply changing your décor, it’s easy to make a mess in the process. Who wants to spend hours and hours cleaning after you do all of that work?
Armed with the right information, you can make it a whole lot simpler. That way you’ll be able to enjoy your new home instead of spending long hours cleaning it up.
Here are a few tips to think about…
Get Help From People You Can Trust
This is a tough one. I have no problem with admitting that I’m cheap! If I feel that I can successfully do something myself I do not like paying for it. When moving, we enlisted the help of trusted family to get it done. There were a couple of oops. It comes with the territory when you are dealing with people who are not professional movers. However, home improvement is an exception! There are plenty of things that we can do, but sometimes we just want to make sure that it is done right. And sometimes you learn a lesson. Get reviews! Check online and by word of mouth. Otherwise, you may end up with a huge mess after the fact.
Measure Not 1, Not 2, But 3 Times!
If you are doing work yourself that requires measuring be sure that you get it right! You do not want to put holes in your wall in the wrong spot. Verifying your measurements means that you will not have to figure out how to fix mistakes or patch holes when you could be enjoying your new design.
Protect Your Floors
The floors in your home, whether you have hardwood, laminate or carpet, are valuable and expensive to replace. Unless you’re planning on immediately pulling up your floors as part of your renovation, taking the time to protect them is a no-brainer.
One of the best ways to do this is to use canvas drop cloths when you’re working in a particular area or room. These will also help keep dust and debris from getting into carpet or the grooves of your natural wood floors. Even older laminate can collect dust between tiles, leaving an unsightly appearance behind.
For heavy-duty renovation jobs or jobs where you’re using paint or chemicals, plastic can be used over the top of your canvas drop cloths. This can help protect against spills and liquids that could penetrate canvas drop cloths if left uncleaned for any period of time. Plus, the plastic can be slippery, so having it on top of the canvas will prevent slips. I learned this from experience!
To protect your floors from being soiled as people come in and out of your home, heavy-duty paper is an ideal choice for creating pathways to and from areas where people are working. You can recycle paper designed to protect your floors once you’ve pulled it up. My builders actually had this throughout our house and left us a roll to use while moving in. It was so helpful! With workers, delivery guys, and friends helping us move had so many people coming in and out having our floors protected was a must! It not only protects from soiled feet, but also dropped items and items that you may have to roll. We had to move a few heavy pieces of furniture and our refrigerator. Rolling metal wheels across a brand new hardwood floor?? No thank you!
And not all floor covers are created equal! Click for more information on some great floor coverings.
Cover Fresh Paint
Fresh paint is highly susceptible to attracting dust and debris during a renovation job. And sometimes in a new home like ours, all you get is a nice coat of off white primer, which is susceptible to brush and hand prints. To protect your walls, use plastic sheeting in rooms where lots of dust will be generated. To secure plastic sheeting, using painters tape. Attach it to the molding at the top and bottom of walls if present.
Also, keep some extra paint on hand for touch-ups that may be needed after your project.
Protect Wall Corners
This is another one that we learned the hard way! Wall corners are usually formed with metal drywall beads that run down the length of the wall. On the one hand, metal is strong and means that the wall is protected. On the other hand, if something hard enough hits it, it can bend. This is what happened with our refrigerator. Luckily, it was easy enough to patch.
If you will be moving around a lot of heavy objects, pad the corners of the walls to protect them from accidents.
Renovating your home can be a rewarding process, but it can also be very tricky. In the process of making improvements, you don’t want to damage anything that you don’t want to change out either. That’s why taking time to protect your home is so important.
Happy DIYing!
Leave a Reply