Did you know that 72 percent of people who plan on getting home improvements done to their home this year will be doing it themselves? Do It Yourself, or DIY as it is also known, has become a popular way to freshen up homes without having to spend an arm and a leg in labor. DIY home improvement magazines and videos are often a good place to look for ideas and tips. Here are three things they might tell you.
1. Stay safe
Safety for both yourself and your home is important. Of the 43 million homeowners taking on home improvement projects, at least a million of them will experience injury as the result of falling from ladders, breathing or burn issues caused by paint or chemicals, and cuts from home power tools. Follow proper instructions for anything you use, and do not cut corners when it comes to safety.
Keep in mind that two parts of your home to avoid messing with are electrical circuitry and weight bearing structures. These are both complicated to repair, and you could impart expensive damage to your home.
2. Seriously, Follow the Rules
Ever heard the adage that you should not break a rule until you understand it first? This is true for home improvements as well. If you follow a guide to, say, tile your bathroom floors, then buy the right mortar, and spread it they way they recommend. Do not buy a tile not intended for floors just because it is cheaper.
If you are not qualified to determine acceptable substitutions and try anyway, you could be setting yourself up for crumbling, leaking, etc. a couple months down the road. Also, ask permission from housing authorities if you live as a tenant. The Daily Mail recently reported that one man was fined 5,000 pounds for different DIY projects he did over a span of 20 years.
3. Be a Little Creative
Now is the time to splurge. Try installing that beautiful blue bowl shaped sink you saw in a DIY home improvement magazine instead of the economical, plain white one you found at the discount store. Whether you are picking out colors or patterns, look for interesting options that highlight your room rather than encourage it to all blend together. One helpful tool is color palates. Indoor and outdoor color palates for the home show you different options for colors that look good together on walls, doors and more.