Home Improvement Week – 5 Top Tips

Home Improvement 5 Top Tips

These are my 5 top home improvement tips. If you can’t view the video, please click here.

National Home Improvement Week

National Home Improvement Week is obviously going to be my favourite week of the year! It felt like a good time to launch my social media campaign The Great British Upcycle (#GBUpcycle), and in line with that I did some live upcycling demos on Facebook.

I thought I’d also give basic important tips for home improvement. Think of these as the initial points you should consider when looking to update your house or flat.

This is also useful for making your place ready to sell.

Direct to your door

It’s the very first thing people notice when they come to your house as it’s right there in front of them. This is their first impression, you might say, so it really does count!

I know it’s not an inexpensive thing to alter, but even giving it a good clean or a lick of paint can make a difference.

The featured video with this post shows the startling before and after footage of a door makeover I did with Solidor last year, and perfectly illustrates my point.

If the only option is to replace your door, there are so many ways you could upcycle the old one. It could become a table, a headboard, a piece of art… I feel another video coming on!

Wall to wall

With all the places I’ve renovated, you would be amazed at the difference a fresh coat of paint makes. Marks build up over the years (particularly if you have grubby little fingers in the house).

Paint also tends to fade. Even one coat can freshen up and brighten a place.

If your budget allows it’s always worth going for a scrubbable endurance paint so you can wipe the marks off as you go along. It should mean you won’t need to redecorate for a long time.

Magic carpet

Remember how fresh and soft your carpet felt when it was first laid?!

Just giving it a shampoo, with a machine you can hire, will give it a new lease of life.

You will be amazed how much brighter it will look as they tend to get darker from general wear and tear… and foot cheese eurgh!

If it still feels like it’s lost its spring and you don’t have the budget to replace it, just putting down new underlay can make a big difference.

The same goes for treating your floorboards or tiles – you will be amazed at the impact it has on the room.

Colour therapy

I’m always banging on about this, I know, but we can really tire of the colours we choose, particularly if they are quite safe greys and beiges.

Use a colour wheel to pick out a vibrant one to be your ‘pop’ in the room. It really doesn’t have to be too much to have an impact and give the whole room a lift.

See how this grey bedroom is picked up by even very small touches. An easy way to do this is with cushions and vases.

Cupboard love

If you buy furniture new it’s no small investment. So it’s understandable you will cling onto it for a while. Styles come and go though, and we can get pretty bored of seeing the same thing.

A very easy way to add a new colour to a room or modernise it is by upcycling!

That’s why I chose to do this live demo this week to show how quickly it can be done. Look how just one coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint has made this old chair more attractive and desirable.

If you have something you feel you could do the same with, check out this beginner’s guide to chalk painting. Don’t forget to include it in The Great British Upcycle campaign.

Please do write your comments below. I’d love to answer any questions you have, hear your feedback or any advice you have to offer my readers!

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