First, let’s tackle the issue of hinges. It is a good idea to inspect all interior door hinges every year. Try picking a holiday like Memorial or Labor Day to make it easy to remember. They should be properly oiled during this time and you should check to make sure that all of the screws are present, tightened and that the hinges are not coming apart.

If you notice a few hinges that are loose, you’ll need to get an appropriate screwdriver and tighten them in. It may be necessary to get some help to make sure that this is done properly. Have a friend or family member push the door up and in until the hinge is flush with the wall. Tighten the screw and then ask them to release the door. This is the easiest way to make sure that a hinge is properly tightened.

For high traffic areas, wood stress is very common, especially in older homes. This occurs when a door is opened to swiftly or too hard, and over time, the wood starts to give way. After awhile, the hinge no longer has a strong anchor and it may come loose. You may need to rehang a door, especially if the wood is severely damaged. For a quick fix, insert a shim that is thicker than the screws for the hinge. You’ll need to attach this to the area where the wood is rotting, and then attach the hinge to the shim. It may be necessary to cut into the door jam to get the shim and the hinge to sit flush.

For interior doors that are starting to show signs of wear and tear, a good cleaning is essential. Start with Murphy’s Oil or a similar wood cleaning product and carefully scrub away any dirt and grime that is present. If the wood is not too old, the soap and oil should restore the former shine. You can also take some olive oil on a rag to restore wooden doors.

However, if this does not help, you will need to take the door down, sand it down completely and either paint it or re-stain it. This doesn’t take too long, and can really bring a lot of life back to an old door.

For interior doors with holes or cracking, the best solution is a replacement. The integrity of the door has been compromised, and there is no point in patching it up. When you purchase a new interior door, consider getting one that has a solid core. Although they are more expensive, they will usually last much longer, especially in high traffic areas.

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Originally posted 2008-09-29 05:11:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• What Type of Heat System Right for You? Even though winter is the farthest thing from many minds right now, this is the perfect time to start thinking about your heating options. As heating oil and propane costs skyrocket, many homeowners are starting to think about different ways that they can save money on their heating costs. Here......
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1. Revamp the appearance of the kitchen.

Despite the prevalence of the fast food and restaurant culture, the kitchen is still the life center of the home. Home buyers will head straight for the kitchen when they check out a house, and small, visual improvements here will go far in your renovations. For around a couple hundred dollars, the hardware in the kitchen; cabinet handles, lighting, faucets; can all be replaced with newer, more modern looking pieces. Lighting can also get replaced with more energy efficient fixtures to make things more environmentally friendly.

2. Improve the appearance of your appliances.

Appliances which appear to be part of a matching set look more high class and vastly improves the value of the kitchen. Ordering new face plates for the kitchen appliance set can go a long way. It may even surprise you with a couple of free fixes. Items like dishwashers, with a sheet panel exterior, may have the alternate color on the back side.

3. Attack the bathroom.

This is the room which should get the revamp after the kitchen. The bathroom can be improved along the same lines as the kitchen. Buying a new toilet seat, a pedestal sink, new hardware, all of these are simple tasks for the home owner. The floor can get a renewal with new vinyl tiles that are simple to install, even without removing the old floor. The tub can also get a similar revamp, saving the cost of installing new tiling or refinishing the tub.

4. Create new storage spaces.

Adding new fixtures such as wire or wooden closet systems are easy to install yourself and expand the storage available in the home. A lack of storage space can be a deal breaker for home buyers. There are many brands of closet organizers that will greatly improve the space available to you in your closet.

5. Turn a room into a bedroom.

If you have a room like a den, then by adding what is needed such as closet space, then you can turn the room into a bedroom, greatly increasing the value of the home while requiring little work.

6. Give the mechanics their run of the place.

It can help to hire a handyman or two, such as plumbers or electricians, to fine tune the systems in your home. Fixing little things all around the home can add up really quickly and make the home more polished.

7. Clean the carpet.

The carpeting all throughout the home is always in sight, and giving it a thorough cleaning will give the home a drastically improved appearance. Little spots of wear, like at the entrances or the foot of the stairs, can get covered by small area rugs. If need be, then replacing the carpet should be considered.

These are a few ideas for increasing the value of your home.

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Originally posted 2008-12-25 05:35:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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- * Choose your colors. Choosing the color scheme for your bathroom is going to give it a much more professionally designed look. Not everything in your bathroom is going to have to have the same colors to it, but if you stick with a color palette that features between two and three coordinating colors and a finish color, then creating a higher level of visual harmony will be much simpler. You should absolutely keep your color scheme in mind when it comes to selecting paint colors, wall décor, rugs, tiles and other accessories for the renovation of your bathroom.

- * Match finishes. When it comes to metal items in your bathroom, make sure that you are matching the finish. You should be selecting a uniform finish for all of the fixtures made from metal in your bathroom, such as by choosing brushed nickel or bronze, incorporating the same finish in your sink faucets, your shower fixtures your cabinet handles and so on and so forth.

- * Revamp the things that are incapable of being replaced. Replacing everything in your bathroom is simply not going to be feasible if you are working with a tight budget, so make sure that you are allocating some money to updating the things that will have the greatest amount of impact. Revamp the cabinetry by refinishing it, or fix the color of your countertops. Identify what the biggest eyesore is out of everything in your bathroom and make a point to work on that problem first. You can always refinish other things later.

Refinishing things like counter tops and bath tubs is definitely more inexpensive than trying to replace them outright. You can repair, repaint and stain cabinetry, you can replace lighting fixtures, and you can update other things as you need to in order to revamp what your bathroom is all about, even on a budget.

- * Create some kind of focal point in your bathroom. Just as you can find creative ways to divert attention away from the subpar parts of your bathroom, you can also visually guide the eye to the appealing parts of the room using focal points. Maybe you want to install a distinctive type of bathroom faucet or a beautiful piece of art so that people can look upon this beautiful focal point rather than worrying about chips, scratches or subpar parts of your bathroom that have not yet received the beauty treatment.

Photo Credits: luce_beaulieu

Originally posted 2009-06-29 05:03:20. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Refreshing

Pros – This is a very cheap alternative to completely remodeling your home. It will allow you to retain certain features such as built-ins or other permanent fixtures in your home. With the right techniques, refreshing can be done in as little as a week and often gives similar results.

This is perfect for homeowners that need to sell their properties quickly and do not have the time to do a complete remodel. You can essentially make the home look almost brand new and you won’t have to worry about it taking months to get to completion. This is also a good alternative for those who prefer to do the work on their own, but may not have the time to dedicate to a complete remodel.

The main benefit is of course the price. Refreshing a home will cost thousands less than a remodel, and can produce almost comparable results in many cases.

Cons – The biggest con for refreshing is that you are not really addressing problem areas in the home. For example, you are not replacing older appliances that may be past their prime, nor are you fixing issues regarding flow, fixtures that no longer work or areas that are completely rundown. Basically, refreshing is best for homes that still have a lot of life in them and only need cosmetic assistance.

Remodeling

Pros – Remodeling your home can greatly increase its overall value. This is vital if you are trying to recoup equity in your home or sell it in a down market. The results are usually more dramatic and can make the entire home feel like new. Problem areas can be addressed and newer features can be added that will make the home more workable.

If you have been considering moving, but aren’t really committed to it, remodeling your home can make it feel brand new. Whether you are creating larger rooms, making your kitchen more functional or just improving the existing space, remodeling is usually the best answer.

Remodeling may be necessary in many cases, especially if a home is severely dilapidated to the point where refreshing will not help.

Cons – The cost of remodeling makes it prohibitive for many homeowners. It can easily run into the tens of thousands, especially if your home needs a lot of help. This may require a home improvement loan, which can eat into your home’s equity.

Another major obstacle is the fact that a remodel can take months to complete. If you are remodeling areas such as the kitchen or bedrooms, this can significantly impact the way you live for a long period of time. You may need to stay in a hotel or with friends, and costs can really mount up over time.

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Originally posted 2008-09-23 05:17:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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What kind of refinish?

Pre-fabricated hardwood floor planks are usually pre-treated for protection against certain things, such as insect damage and moisture. They are given a thick coat of varnish that allows them to keep their luster, which is what gives your hardwood flooring its unique finish. You can maintain this elegant and spotless look of your floor by waxing on a regular basis, and minimizing friction on the floor as much as possible.

When moving furniture, you should use rags to keep friction down, and you should never mop across your hardwood floors. Still, even with a great amount of care, the color of your hardwood flooring can fade, and you can also experience dents and scratches over time that will ruin the beautiful glossy surface of the wood over a period of time. If the problem is kept to a minimum, such as a few stains or faded spot, or a scratch or dent or two, then you can simply deal with it by adding another layer of the finish to your floor, as simply as that. You can refinish hardwood floors at all once, or just refinish some areas as needed, depending on what damage has been done.

Refinishing hardwood floors can be a little expensive to contend with, so it is important that you be a little bit practical, making sure that you absolutely need to do it before you tackle this extensive project. What you can try, which comes highly recommended, is to conduct a simple test to figure out if the original floor finish is still working its magic in terms of protection. You can do this by pouring a tablespoon of water on the floor. What happens to the water? If the drops of water bead up and you can easily wipe them up, then the finish is still doing what it was intended to do. On the other hand, if the water does not bead up, the test has failed and you should refinish that spot.

If you do not believe that you will have time to spot refinish your hardwood floors for a while, then it would be safer to refinish the entire floor rather than just the spots that need it. You can't necessarily over-refinish a hardwood floor, but you can certainly under-refinish one, which could cause serious damage to your flooring over time.

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Originally posted 2009-01-08 05:48:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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