A matched speaker ensemble offers far more cohesive sound than odd speakers cobbled together.
Alleviate paint smells from a newly decorated room by leaving an onion cut in half in the room.
Avoid paint splatter on window panes by coating pane with undiluted liquid detergent and allowing to dry for a day before painting. If splatters do occur they will wipe off easily.
Check you have all required permits - before you start any big renovation project ensure you check with your council and obtain any required building permits. Remember that your insurance company will not cover you for 'jobs gone wrong' if you have not had the required permits to do the work.
Check your electrical cords and plugs regulary for damage and wear and replace or repair if necessary.
Choose a quality of carpet relative to the traffic in the area, high traffic areas should have good quality highly durable carpet.
Choose light coloured walls and white ceilings for small rooms to help them appear larger.
Dyeing carpet. Instead of replacing carpet which has lost its lustre, consider dyeing it. This is suitable for both wool and nylon and the cost is usually less than half the replacement value
Ensure doors & windows are protected by wire screens and repair any holes or damage to screens to help keep pests out.
FIXING FLY-SCREENS - Cut wire and pull at the centre of each edge to line strands along the frame and fasten. Cut away excess wire. Mitre-cut the beading, prime the raw wood ends and nail to frame at about 100mm centres. The beading should hide the wire edge and its inner edge flush with the frame’s inner edge.
Garage doors should be serviced on a regular basis to maintain to ensure of fault free operation.
Get the best contractor your budget will allow. When building or renovating a house, quality is usually more important than quantity.
Great paint jobs - for a professional painting finish the key is in the preparation. Make sure you clean walls, scrape off any peeling painting, patch all holes and sand to a smooth finish. Use painters masking tape to protect corners and skirtings from overbrushing.
HANGING HINGED DOORS - Use existing hinge recesses to mark your new door. Trace the hinge shape onto the new door, including depth of the hinge leaf on the door’s face. Next, chisel out shapes and screw hinges into recess. Place the door at right angles to the opening, adjust height and screw hinges into frame recesses.
Hard to open drawers - whilst open spray generous amounts of furniture polish on edges of drawer and polish well, this makes drawers slide out easier and less likely to stick.
Hardened paint on paintbrushes - can be softened by placing in a container of hot vinegar for 30 minutes.
If you need to wiggle your key to open your door, your lock should be replaced before it jams up altogether or your key breaks inside it at a time when you least need it.
Loosen tight screws in old wood by dripping a little vinegar on their heads. When the vinegar penetrates the threated they will be easier to unscrew.
Never build strictly for your own needs and tastes - a 1 bedroom 3 bath house may be perfect for you, but it will be next to impossible to sell.
Never over capitalise on your investment. Remember it is better to own the worst house in the best neighbourhood than the best house in the worst.
Never under estimate the importance of lighting it adds atmosphere, shows style and sets the mood and should be a major consideration when decorating.
Plan a logical order for each step of large renovations - For example there is no point tiling the floor and then knocking out a wall. Also if you are living in a home whilst renovating it is best to avoid renovating both kitchen and bathroom at same time so that you are less inconvenienced and have at least one 'wet' area which is functional.
Prepare yourself with the right tools - make sure you're equipped with all the tools you need before you start the job. It's also best to invest in decent quality equipment, avoiding things like bargain bin paintbrushes as they often end up costing more in the long term in both your time and in the quality of the finish.
Professional painting tips - only dip half of the bristles into paint before tapping gently against both sides of the tin to remove excess. Use a criss-crossing stroke to spread paint evenly and start from the unpainted area, working back into the painted area, always maintaining a wet edge to avoid lap marks.
Rectangular tiles laid vertically will give height to a bathroom with a low ceiling.
Remove old paint from window glass by rubbing with heated, undiluted vinegar. This will soften the paint enabling you to remove it and clean glass as normal.
Remove stains from concrete by scrubbing with a steel scouring pad, hot water and a heavy duty grease cutting detergent.
Repair an imbalanced ceiling fan by clipping a clothes peg midway along the leading edge of each blade, one at a time then turning the fan on to a low speed to see if the added weight stops the wobble, when successful, replace the peg with adhesive-backed lead-weighted tape.
Replacing broken tiles - remove the broken tile and scrape debris from the area. Cover the back of the replacement tile with tile adhesive and press onto the wall. Put masking tape over the tile to hold it in place for at least 24 hours before grouting.
Rollershutters can reduce street noise, heating & cooling costs as well as secure your home.
Squeaky Floorboards - use talcum powder in the cracks between floorboards to stop squeaks. Fix loose floorboards that squeak with a hammer and use a nail punch to drive down nails. If this doesn’t work, drill holes next to the nails and fix boards with counter-sunk headscrews.
Stiff windows - apply surf board wax where sash rides in the channel.
Stop doors squeaking by either dripping some olive oil onto the hinges, sprinkling with talcum powder or rubbing with dry soap.
Stop nails bending when nailing into wood by lubricating first by driving nail through a cake of soap. If you have a tendency to oily hair you can also try rubbing first through your hair.
The entry door is the beginning of a journey through your house and should represent the character of your home.
To remove wallpaper add a good tablespoonful of baking soda to a bucketful of water or hot water containing vinegar. Dip a paint roller or large sponge into the solution and soak the paper thoroughly. After a couple of applications the wallpaper should peel off easily.
Too much is better than too little - Try and be as accurate as possible with your measurements but if you are making estimates, remember that it is better to overestimate than underestimate. You cannot lengthen a piece of wood or a tile you have cut, however can always cut them down further. |