If you had it in your head that a home improvement project meant a considerable time commitment and financial investment, think again. All you need is a weekend!
That’s right: just two days to complete these DIY projects that lead to significant improvements in your home.
Update Your Door Hardware
Updating your door hardware can be expensive if you decide to replace everything. So, have you considered painting the hardware instead? Perhaps the most difficult (and the most fun!) task may be selecting your paint color. Oil rubbed bronze is a trending popular choice available from various paint manufacturers. Maybe black or stainless steel goes better with your decor? You only need a few tools and supplies to pull of this project:
- A mask to keep from breathing paint fumes
- Screwdriver to take the hardware off and on the doors
- Steel wool and sandpaper
- Painters tape
- A box or styrofoam to hold the screws in place while you paint
- A cloth or cardboard to protect the area where you are painting
- Primer and spray paint
Be sure to keep the parts for each door separate or labeled by room so you don’t have to struggle to rematch the parts when the paint has dried. And while it may test your patience, wait a full 24 hours before replacing the hardware to ensure you don’t make smudges. This budget-friendly fix costs less than $20 and takes two days to complete.
Shiplap Your Entryway
Want to add character and detail to just about any room in your home? Beadboard, also called wainscoting or shiplap, are great modern choices that complement various home styles, including traditional, beach, and cottage homes. Adding beadboard or shiplap to a wall or entryway isn’t that complicated. Here are the tools and supplies you will need:
- Miter, table, and jigsaws
- 1/4-inch plywood underlayment and 1×3 hobby boards
- Stud finder, level, and measuring tape
- Brad nailer
- 2-inch finish nails
- Palm sander
- Paint in your color of choice.
- Spacers, like quarters or popsicle sticks as spacers
- Caulk
- 3/4-inch by 3/4-inch quarter trim (inside corners), 1 1/8-inch outside corner molding (for outside corners)
Shiplap continues to be a popular decorating craze. Shiplap the easy way for a timeless look for any wall or room in your home. Then, sit back and wait for the compliments! Your family and friends will be amazed that you did this in a weekend for about $150.
Repaint a Piece of Furniture
There are just five steps to this weekend DIY project to make an old dresser, chair, or piece of furniture new again! Sand it. Remove the residue. Prime it. Paint it. Protect it! That’s it! The list of tools includes:
- Sander and sandpaper
- Tack cloth
- Primer-Sealer
- Mini roller
- Semi-gloss latex paint or chalked paint
- Polycrylic protective finish
For best results, sand your piece first, even if the paint you select indicates it’s not required. Tack cloth is the only way to remove residue from your hardware to ensure no lint. For under $200, your old piece of furniture will become like new again. You will have a beautiful showpiece for your home at a budget price and a WOW look in just one weekend.
Install a New Kitchen Island
This intermediate-level project can take 4-40 hours depending on your decisions before you start. It’s a good idea to draw your basic design on a piece of paper or use a computer to lay out the kitchen with the new island. Many home stores will also offer free advice. Think about how big you want the new island to be and how you will use the island before you even step into a store.
There are basically four main steps to this DIY project, starting with planning and ending with installing the new island and reconnecting plumbing. Because of the many options and variations in island styles, countertop materials, and hardware, the cost can range from $300 up to thousands of dollars. The tools you need are:
- Basic hand tools
- Tape measure
- New kitchen island
- Flooring
What are you waiting for? You are only a weekend away from home improvements that will make major long-term improvements in your home for fractions of the cost of having someone else do it for you. And you can’t beat the satisfaction of DIY!